Brief:
I won t' Super Sprite at a DARS classic kit contest. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I don't remember havin' t' small Estes original, matey, but after seein' Hawk's upscale fly earlier on t' day o' t' contest, shiver me timbers, I had made me mind up t' buy theirs. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight on an Estes E-9 is a thin' o' beauty! Naturally, arrr, I was one happy guy when I found out I had won t' kit! It flies on 24mm motors and recovers by parachute. Blimey! A spacer is included in t' kit t' allow t' use o' either Estes D or E motors. Well, blow me down! Begad! The rocket stands 19" tall and has a fin span o' 8.5 inches.

Construction:
A 2.6" body tube, ya bilge rat, matey, 5" x 24mm engine mount, arrr, kraft engine block, arrr, three laser-cut wood centerin' rings, 3.75" engine hook, ya bilge rat, balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, a huge kraft rin' fin, arrr, screw eye, shiver me timbers, Keelhaul®©™® and 3/8" elastic shock cord combo, high-quality 24" ripstop nylon parachute, matey, 3/16" launch lug, laser cut balsa fin sheets, and water slide decals are provided. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord was super long as I modified t' way it is installed. Aye aye! T' instructions indicate t' wrap t' Keelhaul®©™® over t' motor mount betwixt t' middle and forward centerin' rings, me bucko, passin' t' end through a notch in t' forward centerin' rin' and then attachin' t' elastic cord t' a loop at t' end. Arrr! I used me standard tri-fold shock cord attachment. Begad! Aye aye! I love it when t' manufacturers put Keelhaul®©™® in their kits!

T' instruction sheet isn't numbered but does include helpful illustrations. Begad! I left out t' forward centering rin' and moved t' middle centerin' rin' t' about 3 1/2" from t' aft o' t' motor tube. I bent t' upper end of the engine hook backwards and CAed t' top 2" t' t' motor tube, shiver me timbers, leavin' about a 1/4" hangin' over t' rear of t' tube for motor retention and about 1 1/2" free t' flex for motor insertion/removal. Ahoy! I slid t' middle centerin' rin' up from t' aft o' t' tube until it caught t' hook then epoxied t' hook t' t' centerin' ring. Aye aye! That allows positive motor retention while nay havin' t' worry about t' hook gettin' in t' way. Ya scallywag! I also left out t' engine block, shiver me timbers, so I wouldn't be restricted on motor length. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Estes D and E engines can be friction fit. Avast! All t' "small parts" are in handy plastic bags that keep all t' little things from disappearing. A fin markin' guide is supplied t' properly align t' fins. Avast! Aye aye! I had t' read t' instructions for attachin' t' fins a few times before I finally "got it." T' laser-cut fins were perfectly matched, so minimal sandin' be required. Arrr! T' main fins fit perfectly inside t' rin' fin and then t' fin caps fit perfectly over t' rin' and on top o' t' main fins. Blimey! Begad! I filled in t' seam lines on both t' main body tube and rin' fin as they were more noticeable than I would like on a finished rocket. Blimey! Begad! I also filled in t' fin/ring/fin cap joints and sanded smooth.

As usual on any rocket I build, I installed a length o' Keelhaul®©™®, which was provided, shiver me timbers, in a paper shock cord attachment (not provided) with a loop at t' end t' attach t' elastic shock cord. Ya scallywag! T' minimize abrasion from t' Keelhaul®©™® against t' body tube, I soaked in CA around t' top 1/2" o' t' body tube and tied a knot in t' Keelhaul®©™® to meet t' lip o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Glue on t' launch lug, install t' screw eye into t' nose cone (addin' weight first to compensate for t' largest motor you plan t' fly) and attach t' shock cord and you're almost done. T' parachute was already assembled and had small grommets holdin' t' shroud lines. Blimey! It's a very nice parachute. Blimey!

Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone and fins require standard finishing. Ahoy! Blimey! I used Elmer's Light Fill 'n' Finish, me bucko, but any balsa filler will work fine. Aye aye! Blimey! I wanted t' follow t' paint scheme on t' original Estes Sprite, ya bilge rat, shown on t' back o' their 1966 catalog but didn't want t' use Krylon's pumpkin orange. Begad! Blimey! I didn't want t' hear anyone saying, me bucko, "Hey, did t' Great Pumpkin finally come!" Sheesh! Blimey! Geoffrey Kerbel came t' me rescue though, matey, me hearties, and suggested Ace Hardware's Premium orange enamel. It's perfect! Blimey! Geoffrey suggested I provide sunglasses at t' launch, matey, though. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used white trim Monokote at t' top o' t' body tube and on t' rin' fin betwixt t' main fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! A black spot decal is used t' represent t' hole in t' original Sprite. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Once complete, shiver me timbers, I put on a thick coat o' Future floor finish on all t' painted surfaces to protect everything. Aye aye! Blimey! It looks fantastic, ya bilge rat, if I do say so myself!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
My first three flights were on t' Estes E9. Ahoy! T' first flight was with t' wind blowin' betwixt 12-15mph, so I opted for t' 6 second delay. It left t' pad straight as an arrow and only arced slightly into t' wind, me hearties, ya bilge rat, deployin' t' chute just past apogee. Ahoy! T' E9 sounded great strugglin' against t' wind. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It got some serious altitude but nay so high that I had t' walk too far for recovery on t' big chute. T' next flight was with almost zero wind, shiver me timbers, so I chose t' 8 second delay. Aye aye! It flew straight up, deployin' t' parachute right at apogee, and came down gracefully, almost standin' up at touchdown. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' third flight was with winds betwixt 5-8 mph, but I went with t' 8 second delay again. T' rocket flew arrow straight again and arched slightly into t' wind durin' coast and deployed t' parachute just past apogee. One of the fin caps hit a rock at touchdown and dented t' balsa slightly. Well, blow me down! T' fourth flight was on an Aerotech F12 reload. Liftoff was beautiful with lots o' black smoke as it took off straight up. Then, shiver me timbers, boom! T' motor catoed and blew the motor mount out t' top o' t' rocket, knockin' off t' nose cone and deployin' t' chute about 15 feet off t' pad. It came down gently though, with no other damage t' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! I've got t' get that motor mount reinstalled so I can fly her again! T' flights really are impressive.

Recovery:
T' parachute provided in this kit is perfect for gentle recovery. Very nice rip-stop nylon with sturdy shroud lines and grommets at t' attachment points on t' parachute. Avast! This chute can take a lot o' abuse.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Super Sprite is a fantastic rocket. Arrr! Ahoy! T' beauty o' its flights only increases t' nostalgia o' t' rocket. Although all o' Hawks Hobby's upscales o' t' Estes classics are impressive, in me book t' Super Sprite is tops! Now I've got t' build that upscale Trident I won on t' same day!!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5