Brief:
A 1/35 semi-scale model o' t' rocket used t' launch America's first satellite. This be t' same scale as t' Estes Mercury Redstone and Mercury Atlas.

Construction:
No plastic parts in this kit with t' exception o' t' booster adapter, matey, spin bucket and t' Explorer I payload. Begad! Body tube is a one piece Centuri ST-20. Motor tube is a short length o' BT-20 and t' centerin' rings are fiber. Ahoy! I replaced t' rubber shock cord with sewin' elastic, shiver me timbers, and t' original 1/8" launch lugs with 3/16" lugs.

This be a skill level 4 kit. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! T' oversize fins were built up from 2 fin halves glued together. Ya scallywag! T' fins were easy t' carve a good lookin' bevel into. Engine mount was a standard mount that I've built dozens o' times. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! I built it with epoxy t' give me t' option o' usin' Aerotech power later, arrr, should I choose to do so. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I added a 1/4" long piece o' spent engine casin' t' t' top of the motor clip for added strength. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' fin alignment guide had 2 lines per fin, and you centered t' fins betwixt t' 2 lines. This helped me get t' fins on very straight.

T' only problem I gad was gluin' t' spin bucket t' t' top o' t' booster adapter. Blimey! T' fit was too loose and I never did get it t' align correctly. Blimey! As a result, me hearties, t' top o' t' model has a small but noticeable tilt t' it.

T' instructions call for you t' fly without t' Explorer payload, but I opted t' build a cradle for t' top section a la t' Redstone, matey, and recover the model in 2 sections. Blimey! I used an 18" chute for t' main section, and a 12" chute for t' top section.

Finishing:
There were no decals for t' roll pattern at t' bottom o' t' booster, arrr, matey, me hearties, so you have t' paint it in yourself. This came out lookin' pretty good, arrr, me bucko, certainly better than t' one piece roll pattern decal Estes is usin' for t' Mercury Redstone.

T' old black stripes had flaked a bit over t' years, so I replicated them with black trim Monokote. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' instructions were very clear about placement of the decals. Ahoy! Interestingly, me hearties, you are instructed t' place t' horizontal stripes first, shiver me timbers, then t' diagonal stripes last. I realized too late that, arrr, had I done it in t' reverse order, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' intersection o' t' diagonal stripes would have been covered up by t' horizontal stripes. T' "UE" decals were still usable and look good on t' model.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' C5-3 is hardly available anymore, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so I used t' C6-3. Begad! Blimey! T' motor is held in place by old-fashioned motor clip Estes used for years. Begad! Blimey! I had no problem gettin' t' motor into or out o' t' model. Preparation is easy, me hearties, t' body tube is long enough t' hold a generous amount o' waddin' and still have room for 2 parachutes. Avast! Blimey!

This model isn't exactly a fast flier, but it was very stable, me bucko, with ejection very near apogee on both flights. Well, blow me down! Flights were nay vertical, arrr, but more of a long, graceful arc. Ya scallywag! Begad! I think that t' C5 would have given a more vertical flight due t' its higher initial thrust spike. Ahoy! Both times t' model recovered without damage. I look forward t' tryin' this model out on D13 power someday. Well, blow me down!

Recovery:
T' Jupiter-C requires t' standard recovery system upgrade that every experienced rocketeer should use. Ya scallywag! This is typical o' kits from this era. Begad! Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This model is an excellent addition t' me fleet. Aye aye! Begad! It goes well with t' Redstone and Atlas. I would have given it a higher rating, but t' problem with aligning the spin bucket gave me fits. Ya scallywag! If Estes ever re-releases t' kit, they'll need to fix that feature.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5