Brief:
Estes has brought hydrogen-powered rocketry t' t' masses in a simple and affordable kit. Aye aye! Blimey! Within 30 minutes o' openin' t' box, you can be launchin' these things in a very small field.

At $50, shiver me timbers, t' price might scare away a few folks, me hearties, but I managed t' score one at a half off sale and at least one national hobby shop offers frequent 40% off coupons. Ya scallywag! At that discount, I'd jump on one just for t' innovation factor.

Construction:
T' set is mostly pre-assembled (almost RTF) and includes t' followin' modular components:

• Base unit/stand
• Hydrogen generation tank
• Launch tube
• 15-foot launch cord
• Citric acid crystals
• Spare washers/gaskets/rubber bands
• 1 RTF helicopter recovery rocket
• 1 RTF boink recovery rocket (foam head)

You will need t' supply your own D-cell batteries (6 o' them). Given t' likely drain on them, matey, rechargeables might nay be a bad investment. Begad! T' assembly o' t' launch system is very straightforward, matey, arrr, and t' instructions are fairly decent. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! It actually took me a lot longer t' undo all t' twist ties securin' t' components than t' complete t' actual assembly.

Since each o' t' components have mistake-proof design features, it's hard t' mess this up. For example, t' hydrogen charge unit has two different sized tabs that need t' lock in place. Blimey! You can't get them backwards.

Assembly consists o' insertin' and twist-lockin' t' hydrogen chargin' unit into t' base then insertin' and twist-lockin' t' launch tube onto t' hydrogen chargin' unit. Begad! Avast! You should skip this step until launch time though, me bucko, shiver me timbers, as you need t' pour t' water/citric acid solution into t' tank first. Begad! Begad! Batteries are inserted into t' feet o' t' base unit. I found all parts fit snugly, shiver me timbers, and had no problems assemblin' everything.

Finishing:
T' set, includin' t' rockets, is RTF so no finishin' is required. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins on t' boink rocket are flexible foam and attached t' t' body tube usin' clear tape. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I would din' t' design just a bit for this, as mine were bent in t' box and nay well aligned.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight prep on this is a bit funky, me bucko, and I'll admit t' a certain degree o' stupidity that detracted from me experience.

First step t' flight prep is t' prepare t' "fuel" solution. Avast! This is pretty easy as you just pour a pre-measured packet o' citric acid crystals into t' furnished mixin' bottle then fill it with ordinary tap water. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Shake it a bit and you're good t' go. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' solution is reusable and can be stored for a long period o' time, so I would imagine t' furnished crystal packets will last for hundreds o' flights. Blimey! Blimey! Even if you run out, this is a fairly common and easily obtained material. Heck, you don't even need a BATFE permit t' store this stuff!

Once you pour t' solution into t' tank (carefully so as nay t' soak t' ignitor coil cleverly placed at t' top o' t' tank right in front o' t' opening), you twist-lock t' launch tube onto t' tank and then insert your rocket onto t' launch tube. Begad! Begad! T' rocket fits snugly on t' tube and forms a seal thanks t' an O-rin' on t' launch tube.

There are 3 wire leads t' connect, all color coded and each a different length, again makin' it hard nay t' hook up correctly (though nay impossible t' simply forget them). Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! With t' leads attached, you turn on t' power t' t' base unit, where a red light goes on indicatin' t' system is powered.

Next, me bucko, you need t' "charge" t' solution, me bucko, which is just an electrolysis process. Arrr! Well, blow me down! If you were wonderin' what all those D-cell batteries are for, me bucko, this is it. Begad! As a safety feature, me bucko, t' base must be absolutely level in order for t' charge process t' begin (there's a bearin' that rolls onto a contact switch on top o' t' base). Ya scallywag! Blimey! A simple yellow light indicates when t' charge is takin' place and is replaced by a green light when t' cycle is complete. I believe thar's a cutoff mechanism in place t' prevent overcharging.

T' initial charge might take 5-10 minutes, but subsequent charges are fairly quick--two t' three minutes per flight.

When t' light goes green, all that's left is t' push (and hold, up t' maybe 10 seconds) t' launch button and watch t' rocket pop. At least, matey, me bucko, that's t' theory...

I bought mine about a year ago when they first came out, ya bilge rat, took it out t' t' field on a fairly cold day, me hearties, waited for t' charge, arrr, shiver me timbers, pushed t' button, and nothin' happened. Aye aye! I tried 2 or 3 more times with no luck. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Figurin' maybe it be just too cold, me hearties, I stashed everythin' in t' basement until summer, bought fresh batteries and tried it again. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Nothing. Very frustrated by t' experience, me hearties, I tossed t' set in me junk pile, me bucko, where I queue up vendor returns.

After gatherin' dust in me junk pile for about 6 months, arrr, I finally sent it back t' Estes, along with t' wreckage from me Cosmos Mariner (see my review on that one), and a D12-7 CATO that destroyed a beautiful Semroc SLS Skyhook. Blimey! Begad! A couple o' weeks later, I got a replacement hydrogen set, me hearties, fresh pack o' D12-7s, ya bilge rat, and over $40 worth o' new rockets. Avast! (I specifically told them they could keep t' Cosmos Mariner, ya bilge rat, as I wanted no part o' that beast ever again.) I was absolutely delighted with Estes customer service, as they clearly went above and beyond t' try t' convert me back t' a satisfied customer.

I carted t' new hydrogen set out t' t' field on a nice warm day, me bucko, ya bilge rat, charged it up, matey, pushed t' button, and...nothing. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! At this point, I be beginnin' t' think I'm missin' some very stupid/silly thing, me hearties, as it's unlikely that I would have gotten a dud replacement kit. Avast! I then surfed over t' T' Rocketry Forum, and started a thread askin' for advice on gettin' this kit t' fly. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Within a few hours, shiver me timbers, I had gotten a number o' helpful responses, matey, arrr, arrr, a few o' which pointed out a safety feature I was completely unaware of--the launch cord must be "completely extended" in order t' launch. Begad! This is noted on t' cord as well as in t' instructions, shiver me timbers, but I missed t' line that pointed out that thar be a safety switch where t' cord goes into t' base. Aye aye! Blimey! I looked at me set and sure enough thar be a small red bushin' that pops out a bit when you pull t' cord tight. Ya scallywag! I was too paranoid that I might pull t' base off-level, me bucko, so I had just enough slack on me cord for t' safety t' prevent ignition.

Armed with this new knowledge, I went back out and gave it one last effort. Avast! This time with t' cord taught, I pressed t' launch button and within 2-3 seconds, t' rocket popped up, shiver me timbers, peakin' at about 50 feet.

Subsequent flights fared much better with me highest flight around 100 feet.

Recovery:
T' boink rocket flew straight as an arrow and tumble recovery was fine. It's light, soft, shiver me timbers, and Nerf-like, so even landin' in a crowd is no big deal. Begad! In winds o' about 6-8 mph, me first flight peaked at 50 feet and landed about 25 feet downwind. Begad! T' second flight peaked about 100 feet and landed about 10 feet further away than t' first.

For me third flight, I went with t' helicopter recovery rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' blades are only held in place by t' launch tube, me hearties, so they deploy immediately on t' way up. Mine arced over and came straight down without even a single rotation for a boink recovery. I have no idea why it didn't spin. Aye aye! Blimey! I suspect it's because t' blades have no tilt t' them.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
While I had a fairly difficult experience with this kit, matey, I attribute it entirely t' me own stupidity (although I wish thar were a warnin' label pointin' out t' safety on t' base unit). Blimey! T' assembly is simple, me hearties, matey, t' design is very good, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and you can't beat t' cost per flight.

PROs would be t' innovation factor, arrr, as it's definitely a cool toy. I would also put t' cost per flight as a nice pro as well.

CONs would be t' relatively feeble flight performance, though this could be a great demonstration kit for flyin' on a school playground. Aye aye! Blimey! Launch from a pitcher's mound, and you won't probably won't leave t' infield.

As well, I can't say enough about t' Estes' customer service. I do knock them occasionally on some o' their clunkers, but thar's no doubt that without this company, thar would be no model rocketry today. Even where t' problem be with t' customer (me)--not t' product--they did an outstandin' job o' makin' things right.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5