Estes Firestreak SST

Estes - Firestreak SST {Kit} (806) [2004-2008]

Contributed by Chris Tarpley

Construction Rating: starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border
Diameter: 0.86 inches
Length: 10.20 inches
Manufacturer: Estes
Skill Level: 1
Style: Sport

Rocket PicBrief:
This rocket from Estes is a "Simple Snap Together" kit that can be smartly assembled and flown. It is a single stage, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, streamer recovery rocket.

Construction:
There are few pieces t' this rocket. Arrr! Blimey! There are two body tube halves, me hearties, one motor tube, four fins, nose cone, shock cord, matey, matey, motor retainer and streamer.

I purchased this rocket one Saturday mornin' t' cure boredom. I be lookin' for a small, ya bilge rat, me hearties, low altitude rocket that would accommodate t' small fields I have available for launching. Avast! This rocket was very simple t' assemble. Begad! Blimey! T' nose cone, me hearties, body tube halves, matey, me hearties, fins, and motor retainer were all made o' purple plastic. T' two body tube halves snap together around t' motor tube. Arrr! Fins fit either betwixt t' two body tube halves or in slots. Blimey! T' nose cone is also two halves which snap together. There are 3 pre-cut holes in t' motor tube. Avast! One is for t' shock cord and t' other two are for lugs that protrude from t' two body tube halves into t' motor tube that act as t' motor stop. After rocket construction, arrr, t' application o' a peel and stick decal is all that is required t' finish.

Note that though this kits claims t' require no glue for assembly, me hearties, it will be necessary t' glue some things.

Finishing:
This rocket kit has some problems and they will need t' be addressed t' keep this rocket flyable.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
After assemblin' this rocket I headed out for launch. Rocket preparation was simple with t' twist lock motor retainer. Aye aye! T' first flight was powered by an Estes 1/2A3-2T. T' rocket flew straight up and when t' ejection charge fired, me hearties, it burned t' streamer together in places. That shortened t' streamer. T' rocket landed without damage. T' second flight be with t' same motor, producin' another straight flight that again returned t' rocket undamaged. Begad! Note that I had a problem at this point with t' nose cone. Ahoy! T' two halves tended t' come apart. Blimey! This isn't a problem for recovery as t' shock cord is tied t' both halves. Blimey! Some CA should cure this problem. Arrr! T' third flight was powered by an Estes A10-3T.

This flight didn't seem much higher than t' previous two on smaller motors. Aye aye! T' flight be straight, but at ejection t' shock cord separated and t' body lawn darted. T' body wasn't damaged and t' nose cone and streamer landed ok.

Recovery:
While CA should be used on t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, it should nay be used on t' two body tube halves. Ahoy! They WILL need t' be separated in t' event o' shock cord failure t' allow another t' be attached. Blimey! Note that close inspection o' t' two motor stop lugs should reveal that they will crack. Avast, me proud beauty! Mine revealed these cracks which didn't result in total separation o' t' lug. I used CA t' reset them. Blimey! Some CA fillets might cure this.

Flight Rating: 1 out o' 5

Summary:
While this rocket did provide a diversion for me boredom, it really didn't do much t' wow me. Avast! Maybe I expect too much. Ya scallywag! Problems with part separation, matey, me hearties, motor stop lugs, and t' shock cord ended it's flight after 3 launches. I be glad I carried another rocket with me t' finish t' day with.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes Firestreak SST By John A (December 30, 2020)

    Estes Firestreak SST is part of Estes snap together line.  These are simple plastic body, plastic fin and nose cone rockets that are designed to go together in a matter of minutes and get you out on the field flying. Overall it is a pretty nice kit.  I can't leave anything alone so I went ahead and made some tweaks during assembly.  While this kit isn't perfect, it will get ...

  • Estes Firestreak SST By Karl Kalbaugh (February 11, 2007)

    A very simple ARF rocket. Plastic snap together construction. This would make an excellent first rocket for younger rocketeers or for a low altitude demo. Inner body tube: Paper. External airframe is plastic. Fins: four pre-screen printed with art. Motor mount: intnerior small paper tube. Also houses the streamer and engine. Nose cone: also plastic. Snaps together like the rest ...

  • Estes Fire Streak By Spinal

    (Reprinted, with permission from Spinal's Fun & Hobbies Page---http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/3913)  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Company: Estes  Price: $11.89  Series: BETA  Rating: (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  Engines: 1/2A6-2, A8-3, A8-5, B4-4, B4-6, B6-4, B6-6, B8-5, C5-3, C6-3, C6-5  Nosecone: Plastic  ...

Flights

Comments:

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D.C. (March 28, 2004)
This is not a very good rocket. It does fly nice, straight and high on A103T's but the shock cord keeps getting ripped out inside. First time I used their through-the-side knot method but on the second launch it yanked that right out. Nose cone was lost for a few days while I looked for it.. Next time around I used a tri fold inside that tiny body tube. First launch ok, second one it just broke the cord where it goes into the fold mount. This launch also resulted in the engine blocking lugs breaking loose. Rocket is under repairs at this moment. I don't think I would recommend it to anyone.
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M.M. (November 7, 2004)
My 9 yr old purchased this rocket on the way to a launch. He assembled it in the backseat of the car (no gluing allowed back there!) and only needed help with extra pressure on the main body tube snaps. He flew it on A10-3Ts in a 10mph wind and had a great time. The two items he found to be a problem: the retention piece was too tight for him to secure and the wadding, streamer, shock cord had a tough time fitting inside the tube and having the nose cone fit securely on the body.
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L.M. (May 7, 2007)
Discontinue this rocket, Estes.. Don't they test these things? I bought it so my son would have something he could help me build, but I ended up doing all of the building myself. When I was constructing it, it looked so flimsy and weak I knew I would only get 3-4 flights out of it, so I bought a pack of A3-4t's. I ended up getting about half a flight. One of the little notches in the side of the inner body tube (that the plastic tabs poke through) was forced open by gases from the ejection charge, causing the rocket to explode. I'm mailing the remains to Estes.

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