Brief:
This is a cackle fruit loftin' rocket by Estes with a large payload capsule suitable for cackle fruit and other payloads. It flies on 18mm motors and is recovered by a parachute. Blimey! It has been out o' production (OOP) for a few years.

Construction:
T' kit came packaged in a nice bright colored box and included t' two motor mount sections, me bucko, retention ring, arrr, fins, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, lower launch lug, two BT-56 sized blue body tubes, coupler section with t' upper launch lug, arrr, lower and upper payload capsule sections, matey, shiver me timbers, adapter ring, foam insert, shock cord, me hearties, 18 inch unassembled parachute, me hearties, shroud lines, and tape rings and decals.

T' instructions were o' typical Estes material and had illustrations and text. Begad! Avast! No templates or shock cord mounts were included as none were needed.

T' kit be in t' E2X line and all t' components were pre-colored in orange and blue.

I started by assemblin' t' motor mount/fin can assembly. Arrr! Blimey! I then attached the shorter body tube, arrr, followed by t' coupler. I tied t' shock cord onto the cross bracin' in t' coupler as directed, however, I don't think this method of attachment is very good. Ahoy! Blimey! Next came t' coupler and then I aligned t' launch lugs and attached t' upper body tube. Finally, I assembled t' parachute and attached it t' t' lower section o' t' payload capsule and tied t' shock cord in place t' finish t' assembly.

PRO: Easy and quick construction.

CON: None here.

I really like t' payload capsule on this rocket, as it screws together easily and tightens securely plus a foam insert is included. Avast! Aye aye! Just cut the insert in half and you're all set.

Finishing:
There is no real finishin' involved with this rocket due t' t' pre-colored orange and blue components. I just placed t' peel and stick decals on it. The finished rocket is rather sharp lookin' and t' colors make it easy t' find on the ground.

PRO: No paintin' required

CONS: None

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors for this rocket are t' B4-2, me hearties, B6-2, me hearties, C5-3, arrr, C6-3. Well, blow me down! With egg, matey, C5-3 and C6-3, arrr, however, me hearties, me bucko, C5-3s are currently out o' production.

T' retainin' rin' holds t' motor in place durin' flight and this rocket does use recovery wadding.

For t' first flight, matey, I used a B6-2 and flew t' model empty. Arrr! Blimey! It was a nice straight flight and reached a modest altitude. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Unfortunately, t' lower launch lug was nearly broken off.

After fixin' t' launch lug, I launched this again with a C5-3 and with an egg onboard. Ya scallywag! Due t' t' extra weight, me bucko, thar be some noticeable weathercocking but t' chute still deployed in plenty o' time and I got t' egg back intact. Ahoy!

For t' third flight, me bucko, I used a C6-3 and launched another egg. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This time I noticed almost severe weathercockin' almost right off t' rod. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I thought for sure that I be goin' t' end up with a smashed egg but about 50 feet off the ground, t' ejection charge went off and with authority. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It severed t' shock cord allowin' t' booster t' free fall and land without damage but t' payload capsule returned under chute and t' egg was surprisingly unscathed.

Post-flight inspection clearly revealed t' shock cord failed at t' mount. I ended up cuttin' off t' burned portion and I remounted it in t' normal manner with a paper tri-fold mount.

PRO: Flies nice without payloads.

CONs: Durability o' lower launch lug. Blimey! Seems t' weathercock significantly when launchin' eggs.

Recovery:
For recovery, matey, ya bilge rat, this rocket uses an 18 inch parachute which is sufficient to brin' it and a cackle fruit back safely but t' shock cord is nay all that good. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I feel that it is mounted too close t' t' ejection charge. Aye aye! Blimey! Even with usin' the recommended amount o' waddin' and perhaps a little more, me bucko, me hearties, I got two flights out of it before it failed. If Estes ever decides t' reissue this rocket, ya bilge rat, it needs improvement here.

PRO: Correct parachute size.

CON: Shock cord mount location. Begad! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I feel that this is a good egg loftin' rocket but it is by no means perfect. I feel that t' shock cord system definitely could use some improvement and the weathercockin' might be a nuisance t' some. Avast, me proud beauty! It needs a bit more power than a C6-3 can provide.

For comparison, I tested this along with me Quest Courier on t' same motor (C6-3) and with t' same Grade A large egg. T' Courier easily outperformed the Omloid with a boost that was almost arrow straight compared t' t' Omloid's massive weathercockin' and reached an altitude maybe double that o' t' Omloid.

I would recommend this rocket but since it is OOP, arrr, I would nay put a whole lot o' effort into tryin' t' find one when thar are better alternatives that are readily available.

Main PRO: Easy construction and finishing.

Main CONs: Flight performance does leave a little somethin' t' be desired. Lower launch lug durability. Shock cord mount location.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5