Brief:
Estes has done it again with this 150% upscale o' t' beloved K-50 Interceptor designed t' fly on their black-powder "E" motors.

Construction:
T' rocket kit be packed in Estes' traditional plastic bag with three-sided cardboard placard. Avast! Arrr! It consisted of:

• two sections o' 2" diameter white body tube (one o' which is slotted)
• a big blow-molded plastic nosecone
• 24mm x 10" motor-mount tube
• thrust ring
• an E-length motor retainer hook
• tube coupler
• plastic tail cone
• two plastic centerin' rings
• two plastic launch lugs
• printed card shock cord mount
• engine spacer tube
• four sheets o' laser-cut balsa for t' fins
• 24" nylon parachute
• two wingtip pods in two injection-molded halves
• two antennas
• three huge decal sheets.

For t' first time I can recall I had a part missin' from an Estes kit. Avast! This one had one o' t' three decal sheets missing. Begad! As I write this, Estes Customer Service is probably workin' t' fix t' shortfall.

Great Estes instructions, arrr, arrr, as I expected. Arrr! This is an actual 150% upscale o' t' recently re-released Interceptor. Ahoy! A fair lot o' serious thought went into this design with t' through-the-tube fin installation, t' well-planned-out multi-panel fins and wings with reinforcin' strips and t' way t' motor mount tube also serves as a "stuffer tube" t' reduce recovery malfunctions due t' high body volume.

I did some modifications t' t' recovery harness and stuffer-tube motor mount, me bucko, figurin' this would be a wadding-intensive rocket otherwise. Blimey! I used two 12" stainless-steel fishin' leaders as a shock-cord mount - one I removed both swivel and snap from t' ends o' and attached at both ends t' t' top centerin' ring, matey, matey, t' other I left stock and threaded onto t' first. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I also inserted one-quarter o' a stainless-steel pot-scrubbin' pad into t' stuffer tube and capped it off with a conveniently-sized cap from a spritz bottle into which I drilled two quarter-inch holes for ejection-gas ports. Avast, me proud beauty! I replaced Estes' included 36" black elastic shock cord with 48" o' elastic shock cord from a tent-pole.

After all t' upgrades t' t' recovery harness, me Interceptor-E tipped t' scales at 10.5 ounces (not countin' motor weight). Begad! T' was probably due because I used CA gel instead o' epoxy as recommended by t' instructions. Begad! Blimey! I filleted all t' fins with Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue® as well and applied a coat o' tube-type plastic cement and a coat o' Elmer's White School Glue® on all me fins as filler. (Lighter by far than several coats o' primer as suggested).

Construction PROs: It's big, it's an Interceptor, it's well-thought out.
Construction CONs: Might benefit from basswood fins without t' reinforcin' strips.

Finishing:
Finished this one in t' same gray spray primer with blue pods, antennae and tail cone scheme I used on me 1250 Interceptor. They look like sister-ships, really classy.

These decals were ULTRA-THIN. Ahoy! Blimey! I be almost buffaloed by them. Begad! Make ABSOLUTELY SURE you get a GLOSSY surface on t' rocket or you will get these tangled beyond hope. Ahoy! In fact, shiver me timbers, I strongly recommend you get a color photocopy o' t' original sheets made and use a product called Decal-It (made by Connoisseur Studio Inc.). Begad! Begad! This marvel converts print into decals...you apply six coats o' it (looks like thinned white glue) t' t' paper copy, me hearties, wait 2 hours for it t' dry, then soak t' copy in water for an hour and peel off t' paper, me hearties, leavin' a clear copy with print in color on it. Apply t' decals made this way with a coat o' t' stuff.

Finishin' PROs: Good tube surface with invisible spirals.
Finishin' CONs: Decals definitely have potential for frustration.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Interceptor-E has only one recommended motor, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' Estes black-powder E9-4. Begad! Luckily, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, this is ALSO t' recommended motor for me D-Region Tomahawk. Avast! Begad! T' Interceptor-E has a solid motor hook for retention, and due t' me baffle refit needs no wadding.

Launched at me buddy Darrell's field which had a bit o' a roll at takeoff but that might be a trivial fin-misalignment at work. Gorgeous 24" bright-red nylon parachute that drifted a bit after ejection at apogee. Begad! We tracked three flights o' 400, 425 and 440 feet respectively.

This beauty is well worth t' nearly $50 price tag. Avast, me proud beauty! I ought t' get another one and upgrade it t' a 29mm motor mount and basswood fins and see what it's capable o' with a high-end "F" or "G" RMS load.

Recovery:
I described me modified recovery harness under construction. Avast! Well, blow me down! A brief recap: I used a pair o' 12" fishin' leaders as a Y-harness t' retain a tent-pole elastic shock cord and emulated t' Aerotech baffle system. Well, blow me down! T' harness went together well and is as solid as a battleship with very little weight penalty and t' stainless steel scrubber beats usin' wadding.

T' Interceptor-E is a decent flyer considerin' its fairly high drag and t' 24" nylon parachute is about right for it. Begad! No burning, damage, or wear on any recovery tackle...the Y-harness should outlast t' airframe!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
All told, ya bilge rat, arrr, a very good new product from Estes!

Main PROs: It's another Interceptor. Arrr! It's an honest upscale (whereas t' North Coast Interceptor-G isn't. Ahoy! It must represent a different manufacturer's transatmospheric interceptor.)
Only CONs: A bit pricey for a low-power model rocket (well, me hearties, low-end mid-power if you're bein' generous). Well, blow me down! Those decals are great for a plastic model but frustratin' as t' devil t' a low-hours builder.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5