Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Acceleration Engineerin' "Lucky Seven" rocket, one o' t' contestants for t' Ansari X-Prize.

Construction:
This is a largely plastic rocket. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' package includes a three-piece plastic nose cone (two side halves and a bulkhead), matey, a plastic body tube with integral bulkhead, arrr, a plastic tail bulkhead, four plastic decorative nozzles, four plastic fins, a paper engine tube, a standard engine hook, me bucko, a short (too short) length o' shock cord, ya bilge rat, a 12" pre-assembled parachute, shiver me timbers, arrr, a sheet o' stickers, and a wad o' modelin' clay for nose weight.

Note: I've built one o' these kits myself, and assisted in assemblin' another, so t' followin' review draws from both experiences.

T' instructions are pretty typical for an Estes kit: logical but lackin' in some details. Begad! First, t' paper engine tube and engine hook get inserted into t' body section, followed by t' fins, which slide into slots in t' body. Blimey! At this point thar be no glue yet, matey, but t' next step makes up for that omission as you are expected t' glue t' nozzles t' t' base then glue it t' t' body. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! This is nay a good idea...if you want t' nozzles on t' rocket, leave them off until t' rest o' t' rocket is complete. Begad! Also, ya bilge rat, t' instructions call for usin' plastic cement on t' end o' t' paper body tube t' secure it t' t' base, matey, shiver me timbers, which frankly does nothing. Avast! I recommend usin' Superglue instead but go easy on it so it does nay swell t' end o' t' paper tube.

When all this is done, you have an assembled body which may rattle because t' fins aren't glued t' t' body, matey, just held in place in their slots. Avast! Blimey! In our case, ya bilge rat, they fit tightly on one model, but one fin rattled somewhat on t' other.

Next, t' nose cone "cap" (bulkhead) is glued t' one half o' t' nose cone and allowed t' dry. Avast! Then, modelin' clay is pushed into t' upper end o' t' cone, me bucko, half o' t' clay in one side and half in t' other. Begad! Ya scallywag! Finally, t' shock cord is tied t' t' cap, glue is applied, me bucko, me bucko, and t' nose cone is completely assembled.

This didn't work well in either o' our kits. In both cases, me hearties, t' cap didn't stay put while t' cone be assembled, resultin' in a "fishin' expedition" t' insert t' cap. Ahoy! Blimey! T' nose cone is more than half empty space t' allow for t' parachute since t' body section is so small. Aye aye! Blimey! In both cases, we chose t' re-glue t' cap with Superglue instead o' more plastic cement.

Finally, shiver me timbers, matey, after tyin' t' other end o' t' shock cord t' t' lug inside t' body section, me hearties, you can attach t' parachute usin' t' standard "parachute through t' shroud lines" method.

Finishing:
T' rocket is pre-colored so thar be no paintin' t' do. Ahoy! Aye aye! Stickers are available t' apply t' t' rocket, and in this case t' instructions actually tell you where t' stick them although it's nay hard t' figure out.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I've flown this rocket twice on t' recommended A10-3T engines. Begad! Blimey! In both cases, t' rocket came off t' pad pretty smartly but then seemed almost ready t' fall over at around 50' or so. Ahoy! Blimey! This is nay a high-flyin' rocket. T' flight pattern is pretty easy t' understand if you look at t' thrust curve o' t' A10-3T engine. It hits pretty hard for a fraction o' a second then falls off t' a low thrust level for t' remainder o' t' flight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's me opinion that t' low thrust level is nay adequate t' lift this relatively heavy model or even keep it ascending. Aye aye! Blimey! T' Lucky Seven model just barely flies. I haven't weighed it (I got t' weight from Estes' website), but I'm suspicious that it's real close t' t' maximum for t' engine.

In its defense, arrr, ya bilge rat, it is a good small field rocket since it sure isn't goin' far.

Recovery:
Three seconds o' ejection delay is long enough but only just. T' rocket can't afford t' fall for long considerin' that it hasn't made it very high when t' engine burns out, and it sure doesn't coast long.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
Frankly, t' Lucky Seven rocket has very little goin' for it. Ahoy! Blimey! It's nay a handsome rocket, it doesn't fly all that well, and it's can be a bit o' a hassle t' assemble. Begad! Blimey! Other than flyin' it in small fields, shiver me timbers, I can't see any good reason t' buy one.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5