Brief:
T' Super Flea be a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Avast! Avast! Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, and it was t' first kit I ever purchased with me own money. Begad! Aye aye! There was nothin' really special about them, but it has a sentimental value for me, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, who is no longer with us. Aye aye! Begad! So, me hearties, matey, shiver me timbers, I kind o' built it as a tribute o' sorts.

Construction:
I used a couple small pieces o' 13mm body tube, a nose cone from a Rogue Gnat (not exactly a true replica, me bucko, but close enough), me hearties, ya bilge rat, and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. For a tubin' coupler, I used a small slice o' a 25 year old A3-4T I found in me dad's closet, where I found a lot o' other rocket goodies as well. Begad! Begad! T' shock cord is very un-Estes like; I made it out o' a 3 foot section o' elastic thread, whereas t' original was t' old flat elastic that Estes be pretty stingy with. Aye aye! T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Ahoy! Avast! T' illustrations were great, arrr, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. Blimey! T' only thin' I didn't like about t' original kit was t' shock cord mountin' method: t' shock cord be wrapped around t' tube coupler, shiver me timbers, then t' coupler be inserted into t' lower body tube. This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Ahoy! So, shiver me timbers, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, givin' me a perfectly round tube. Begad! I coated t' fins and nose with a thin coat o' 2 hour epoxy for durability, shiver me timbers, then painted t' whole thin' with testor's Aluminum. Blimey! T' best part about it was t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, shiver me timbers, except for t' nose cone. Arrr! So I bought a fistful o' Gnats from Lawn Dart Rocketry at LDRS and used one o' those.

Finishing:
T' rockets always looked kind o' plain, shiver me timbers, since they came with no decals. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! After I epoxied everything, I sanded it all down, ya bilge rat, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, and t' thin' looked stupid. Aye aye! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, and it looks fairly good now. Ya scallywag! Begad! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, me bucko, matey, or t' original kit either. Way better than t' junk Estes puts out now- NO PLASTIC! I would give this rocket a 5 if it wasn't for t' goofy shock cord mounting.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My memory must be cloudy, because I don't remember this bein' a particularly good performer when I be a kid. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, arrr, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Aye aye! Blimey! All I did be insert some cellulose wadding, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), matey, me bucko, stuff in t' shock cord, arrr, and put it on t' launcher. Begad! Blimey! T' countdown came over t' PA system, ya bilge rat, and when it reached 1, shiver me timbers, me bucko, that was t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! Blimey! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all be t' smoke. All future flights will be on smaller motors, me hearties, matey, shiver me timbers, maybe even some micro-motors. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

Recovery:
Recovery works well, me bucko, even without a streamer. Avast! Nay too fast, shiver me timbers, no drifting, and no damage on landing. Begad! Aye aye! I am startin' t' see some charrin' around t' base o' t' fins though, but that's easily repairable. Aye aye! Avast! This is almost t' easiest t' prep rocket I've ever had, and thanks t' t' epoxy, pretty near indestructible.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Main pros: Easy t' prep, shiver me timbers, good recovery system with t' mid-body separation, me hearties, and eye-poppin' flights. Cons: too small t' see at apogee, me bucko, and too fast t' watch on a "big" motor. Arrr! Begad! Best o' all, me hearties, t' thin' cost just over a buck.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5