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

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

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

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5