| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2015-08-16 |
| Diameter: | 1.33 inches |
| Length: | 33.50 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Skill Level: | 3 |
| Style: | Payload, Sport |
Brief
T' Estes Magician is a Skill Level 3 kit that features a clear payload section and is powered by C11, D and E engines. Well, blow me down! Arrr! A tall rocket, me bucko, it measures 33 1/2 inches from end t' end.
Components
T' kit has a main body tube topped by a narrower payload section. Ahoy! Blimey! Components are as follows:
- 1 NC-50 ogive plastic nosecone
- 1 BT-50 payload section
- 1 BT-50 t' BT-55 balsa transition
- 1 BT-55 body tube
- 3 balsa fins
- Engine mount components
- Shock cord and 18" parachute
Construction
Although it is rated at level 3, I found t' build t' be fairly simple and would set it one level below. Ahoy! T' fins went on fine with t' use o' an alignment guide and thar were no issues with t' transition. Arrr! T' only modification I made was t' replace t' nosecone with a conical one salvaged from me old Sky Writer and t' flip t' fins for a more traditional look.
Finishing
Instead o' t' "stock" white paint job and decal for t' body, I chose t' go with flat black. T' transition and nosecone, however, stayed silver.
Flight
Although I have a large school field nearby, shiver me timbers, matey, arrr, I normally use C11 engines rather than Ds t' power me larger rockets, me hearties, just t' be on t' safe side. Begad! Ahoy! I chose a C11-3 for t' Magician's initial flight and loaded it with a small LED keychain light that fit perfectly into t' payload.
While t' wind was up a bit on t' afternoon o' t' launch I decided nay t' angle t' rod, thinkin' that t' do so may cause t' rocket t' undershoot t' field after it angled due t' weathercocking. Avast! Unfortunately, me hearties, t' Magician streaked off t' pad and headed straight up without so much as a slight tilt into t' wind.
Recovery
T' parachute deployed fine, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but t' rocked had nay arced a bit and t' wind moved it along rapidly. Begad! While still fairly high up it cleared t' east border o' t' field, ya bilge rat, floated over t' highway and descended into a large forested area. As this location is nay easy t' access, no attempt at recovery was made.
Summary
My feelings about t' Magician are mixed. Begad! Although this rocket is long, matey, matey, it is a pretty lightweight craft and a 24mm engine will push it very far. While t' bigger engine size may compensate for t' weight that a payload can add, one must be mindful when launchin' lighter objects. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! You also have t' wonder if this added power is necessary since t' payload bay is rather small. I had intended t' use it specifically with t' (very light) LED aboard, me hearties, but in hindsight this may have been frustrating. Well, blow me down! Given t' distance it traveled, ya bilge rat, I can picture myself havin' quite a time that trackin' it in t' dark. Avast, me proud beauty! I do wish I had turned on t' light, matey, as I may have at least been able t' see it in t' trees when passin' by at night!
Although I realize t' wind played a part in t' loss o' t' rocket, matey, I believe t' parachute should be smaller or have a spill hole cut into t' top o' t' one provided (once again this depends upon how heavy a load you are launching). Even with a lack o' wind a large chute may lead t' significant drift - somethin' I experienced with t' first launch o' a scratchbuilt craft that weighed about t' same as t' Magician. Ya scallywag! Arrr! While thar be no wind that day, matey, t' rocket hung in t' air for an unnervingly long time. Avast, me proud beauty! And who's t' say when a freak breeze will sprin' up?
If you have t' room, however, t' Magician is a nice craft that builds up easy and looks good.
Other Reviews
- Estes Magician By Evan (July 15, 2011)
The Magician is a typicial Estes rocket with D and E engine power. Some of the parrts had to be sanded down to fit. The only problem was the coupler and the main body tube and lower body tube was a very tight fit and was hard to push down. All the parts were good the balsa fins were excellent. Components Engine mount tube Engine hook Green centering rings Engine ...
- Cliff's Review of Estes Magician #2240 By woody (April 23, 2011)
The Estes Magician is a Skill Level 3, three-finned 24mm rocket with a small playload scection. At 33 inches tall, it is said to fly to 1600 feet. Components The components in this kit are of good quality as Estes has been doing this for years. The parts consist of the basic balsa wood nose cone, transition, laser-cut fins and, as bonus, a neat fin guide tool you assemble to ...
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Flights
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Adrian Rosas (January 22, 2018)
Great review. Thank you!
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Steve Lindeman (January 2, 2016)
I just received this kit for Christmas 2015 and the main card is stamped 12/03/14 making this kit about a year old but upon examination I discovered that both nose cone and transducer are now made of plastic rather than balsa wood. Will make finishing much easier.