Brief:
T' Super Flea be a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Arrr! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and it was t' first kit I ever purchased with me own loot. Well, blow me down! There be nothin' really special about them, arrr, but it has a sentimental value for me, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, shiver me timbers, who is no longer with us. Blimey! So, ya bilge rat, 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, but close enough), 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, ya bilge rat, where I found a lot o' other rocket goodies as well. Blimey! T' shock cord is very un-Estes like; I made it out o' a 3 foot section o' elastic thread, whereas t' original be t' old flat elastic that Estes was pretty stingy with. Arrr! T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

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

Recovery:
Recovery works well, even without a streamer. Ahoy! Nay too fast, no drifting, me bucko, and no damage on landing. Well, blow me down! I am startin' t' see some charrin' around t' base o' t' fins though, ya bilge rat, but that's easily repairable. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, good recovery system with t' mid-body separation, and eye-poppin' flights. Ya scallywag! Cons: too small t' see at apogee, and too fast t' watch on a "big" motor. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Best o' all, matey, me bucko, t' thin' cost just over a buck.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5