Brief:
Estes' latest egglofter...single-stage single-motor with an ENORMOUS range o' power options and a classy clear egg capsule.

Construction:
T' kit consists o' t' egg capsule, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a very heavy 24mm body tube, arrr, an 18mm adapter, a pair o' long motor-retainer clips (suitable for Estes' blackpowder "E" motors), matey, a heavy rin' t' reduce t' motor mount length inside (so you can use "D" motors as well), me bucko, a pair o' parachutes (12" and 18"), a sheet o' laser-cut balsa fins, two lengths o' rubber-band shock cord, a 5mm launch lug, and a sheet o' press-on decals. Begad!

Construction was fairly standard. Avast! Estes provides their usual topnotch well-illustrated instructions. Begad! They rated it as a Skill Level 2, which I agree with as far as t' construction goes. Ahoy! I used t' old-fashioned tube-slit method for attachin' t' shock cord instead o' t' mount included.

This is one sturdy bird...the laser-cut balsa fins were hard enough t' make me wonder if they weren't basswood instead, shiver me timbers, and t' airframe tube makes me think LOC instead o' Estes! T' dual-hook motor retention setup seems overkill, but looks classy. T' wrap-on alignment guide was spot-on...I used gel CA t' attach t' fins and filleted them with white glue.

Construction PRO's:

--Concrete-solid design, wide range o' propulsion options.

Construction CON's:

--None I noted.

Finishing:
I did a minor color-scheme change on me Eggscaliber...the yellow egg capsule I painted red instead, ya bilge rat, and painted the roll-pattern decal red t' match it.

Tube spirals vanished as I applied spray black, me hearties, and t' hard balsa fins were smooth enough as they were without any sealing.

T' stick-on decals were a nice additional touch (although I still like waterslide decals better). Well, me bucko, blow me down! A fair number of t' decals were supposed t' be applied t' t' egg payload...a good chuckle generator.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flew it at t' DARS McGregor launch site on t' 26th o' May, 2007. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

My first flight was on a C6-3 with an empty payload section. Blimey! It required four squares o' TP waddin' and I used a 12" plastic parachute. It flew straight up t' an estimated 450 feet.

Second flight be with a cackle fruit and on a D12-3. Ahoy! I ran into me only GOTCHA here--the body tube is nice and slim for low drag, but nay roomy enough for a really big parachute! Wanted t' use a 24" chute...had t' use an 18" for reasons o' space. Begad! Still got t' egg back unbroken...and an estimated 425 foot flight.

My third flight I went for broke on an E9-4 with t' same egg...no pun intended. Ya scallywag! Nice straight flight t' 550 feet estimated...recovery successful!

AARG does an eggloftin' competition they call "Huevos Launcheros" on occasion...I may buy a second Eggscaliber and add its main airframe tube t' this one for extra parachute room and try it.

Recovery:
I used t' old "tube-slit" method on t' shock cord mount on this one.

It recovered fine each flight. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Main PRO's---Good egg-capsule design and sturdy design with lots o' motor options.

Only real CON---not enough parachute space for a big chute.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5