Brief:
This is a basic single stage, four fin, plastic nosecone rocket. It is a ready t' fly kit with minimal assembly which is t' attach t' parachute and you're done. Begad! A pretty basic rocket usin' standard B and C 18mm rocket engines. Avast! Begad! Estes item/kit number 002457.

Construction:
T' rocket out o' t' box has two tubes that go together at a coupler joint which is also t' separation point for t' parachute ejection. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' upper tube is 4.25 inches long without t' nosecone or coupling. Aye aye! T' lower tube is 8.5 inches long without t' plastic fin can. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' nosecone is glued into t' top o' t' upper tube, and t' fin can is glued onto t' bottom o' t' lower tube. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' shock cord be t' standard Estes rubber band material. Aye aye! T' nosecone is plastic as well as t' fin can. Ahoy! T' tube is wrapped in a gold prismatic type wrap. Begad! Blimey! It uses a plastic cap t' hold t' engine in t' rocket, t' same as t' Estes Chrome Dome, Metalizer, etc. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' rocket has minimal parts.

Since this is a Ready T' Fly rocket, thar be no assembly required, me hearties, T' only assembly t' rocket has would be t' attach t' parachute shroud lines t' t' rocket's shock cord since thar be no nosecone t' attach it to. Ya scallywag! T' nosecone is already glued onto t' top o' t' upper tube by t' factory and is nay accessible t' attach a parachute. Avast! Begad! On me rocket, I used a simple 3 inch long rubber band t' attach a fishin' snap swivel t' t' shock cord, me hearties, and t' parachute shroud lines are connected t' t' snap part o' t' swivel. Avast! Arrr! I feel it pays for itself in less tangles and twisted up parachute lines. Avast! T' instructions were short because thar be no construction, only attachin' t' parachute t' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! I thought they were fine. Arrr! Aye aye! T' only modification I made was t' use a fishin' snap swivel that I bought in Wal-Mart, but they are available in any store that sells fishin' supplies.

Finishing:
No finishin' was required since t' body tubes are in a gold wrap. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! There was one problem, t' wrap started t' unravel on me rocket and I had t' use a bit o' epoxy glue t' fasten it back down so it wouldn't unravel t' rest o' t' way. Well, blow me down! Avast! So far it has held with no problems. I've heard that usin' super glue on t' wrap causes t' color t' come off, arrr, but I can't verify that. Ahoy! That's why I used epoxy. Begad! You could probably use contact cement with no problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
So far it's flown nicely. Aye aye! T' flights have been straight. Avast! Avast! On t' first flight, me hearties, t' parachute got tangled around t' rocket's fins so it landed a bit harder, arrr, and had no damage. T' next two flights were great. Aye aye! They were straight with a nice parachute ejection at apogee. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I think t' plastic fins take a lot o' punishment without bein' damaged. Aye aye! Begad! I'm nay sayin' that they can't be damaged, but they are a robust or solid design. Blimey! I've used B6-4 motors so far. I would have tried a C motor but t' wind was stronger that day when I flew it for t' second and third flights and I wanted t' keep t' flights lower.

Recovery:
I've heard from some people that t' plastic engine retainer cap may slightly deform from t' engine exhaust heat if C engines are used. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! There is no damage from t' B engines; t' cap did get very slightly pitted from t' exhaust. Well, blow me down! I have an Estes Metalizer that has t' same cap. Arrr! It slightly deformed on one flight usin' a C engine, but never again on t' other flights usin' C engines, me bucko, and I'm still usin' it with no problems. Begad! Maybe it was a bad engine for that one flight? T' Prospector did have straight flights whenever I've flown it. Ahoy! T' parachute descent be a little faster than t' other rockets I have, shiver me timbers, but I had no problems. Ahoy! I guess if you wanted t' slow it down you could use a 15 inch nylon one. Ya scallywag! Well, matey, blow me down! T' rocket body tube is big enough t' accommodate t' nylon parachute if you choose t' change it. Avast, me proud beauty! I haven't had any damage so far in t' three flights with t' nosecone hittin' t' body tube durin' t' parachute ejection. Aye aye! Avast! That's a good thin' since you can't access t' bottom o' t' nosecone t' extend t' shock cord because t' upper body tube is glued t' it by t' factory.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I feel it's a good rocket overall. I would have liked t' extend t' shock cord, ya bilge rat, matey, but it seems t' be doin' all right t' way it is. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! It appears t' come down just a little bit faster than me other rockets with t' 12 inch parachute, arrr, but it has no damage either. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! I would recommend addin' t' fishin' snap swivel usin' a 3 inch rubber band. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! T' rocket flies straight, and thar be lots o' room t' pack t' shock cord and parachute in t' body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
I like t' color and it looks nice. It also is a nice big rocket, me hearties, taller than t' Chrome Dome and HiJinks/Rascal rockets. Arrr! So far in t' last three flights it has performed well, only t' parachute got tangled on t' fins durin' t' first flight, and it landed with no damage anyway. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' next two flights were straight with no problems and had soft parachute landings. Well, blow me down! It still looks like t' day I took it out o' t' box - in excellent condition. Blimey! I'll be flyin' it more often.