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

Construction:
I used a couple small pieces o' 13mm body tube, ya bilge rat, a nose cone from a Rogue Gnat (not exactly a true replica, but close enough), shiver me timbers, and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' shock cord is very un-Estes like; I made it out o' a 3 foot section o' elastic thread, ya bilge rat, whereas t' original be t' old flat elastic that Estes was pretty stingy with. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Ahoy! T' illustrations were great, shiver me timbers, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' only thin' I didn't like about t' original kit be t' shock cord mountin' method: t' shock cord was wrapped around t' tube coupler, arrr, matey, then t' coupler be inserted into t' lower body tube. Ya scallywag! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Blimey! Begad! So, me bucko, me bucko, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, givin' me a perfectly round tube. Ya scallywag! I coated t' fins and nose with a thin coat o' 2 hour epoxy for durability, then painted t' whole thin' with testor's Aluminum. T' best part about it was t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, except for t' nose cone. Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, since they came with no decals. Begad! After I epoxied everything, I sanded it all down, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, and t' thin' looked stupid. Begad! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, and it looks fairly good now. Avast, me proud beauty! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, me bucko, 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 was a kid. I even made a 2 stager when I be 12, ya bilge rat, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Blimey! All I did was insert some cellulose wadding, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), shiver me timbers, stuff in t' shock cord, and put it on t' launcher. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' countdown came over t' PA system, arrr, and when it reached 1, shiver me timbers, that be t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all was t' smoke. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! All future flights will be on smaller motors, maybe even some micro-motors. Aye aye! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5