Brief:
I was doin' a rocket launch for Science Day at me kids' school. Since t' field was small, arrr, I wanted somethin' slow and low. Blimey! Begad! Since t' spectators were young, shiver me timbers, I wanted "somethin' special" and I thought t' "spits out nerdlets on streamers" factor would be a big plus. Blimey! Arrr! Since I wouldn't have time t' reload betwixt classes I knew I would have t' build 6 rockets o' each type I be launchin' (the Snitch, and Cosmic Cobra were t' other two types I chose), matey, so cheapness and Level 1 construction were a must. And since thar be no way I could call or finish these as "Cluster Bombs" for little kids, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I thought t' 10" long fat tube would be perfect for a colorful wrap.

Wel,l I be right on 4 out o' me five requirements. T' only one I be wrong on be that these were Level 1 construction projects. A combination o' poor design and shoddy parts made buildin' 6 o' these far more time-consumin' and aggravatin' than I expected. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! I knew these were ridiculously cheap rockets, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, considerin' t' number o' parts, arrr, but these kits weren't up t' t' usual Estes standards. Ahoy! A Mosquito is a Level 1 rocket. An Alpha is a Level 1 rocket. A motor-mount-overhang, two-part-boat-tail, through-the-wall-fins, me hearties, clay-in-the-two-part-nosecone is nay a Level 1 project. Avast! Add in parts that don't fit and an unsecured aft motor mount and you're closer t' a Level 3.

Construction:

T' first “gotcha” is in t' motor mount. Begad! T' construction be t' usual Estes type, shiver me timbers, matey, with t' difference bein' that both centerin' rings are far forward o' t' engine hook. Well, blow me down! You're instructed t' place a mark inside t' aft end o' t' body tube and then glue t' mount in place. Arrr! If you do this before you do t' next step, buildin' t' boat tail (“tail cone”), me bucko, you can't use t' tail t' line up t' motor mount. Arrr! T' aft end o' t' motor mount appears t' be designed t' end just short o' t' end o' t' tail cone, leavin' it unsecured at it's aft end. Aye aye! Ahoy! Since I read t' directions prior t' gluin' in t' motor mount, shiver me timbers, I built t' boat tail first thinkin' t' aft end o' t' motor mount tube must rest in t' end o' t' plastic boat tail. Begad! But t' end o' t' boat tail is o' a smaller diameter than t' motor mount tube (it's t' same diameter as a motor). Thus it's t' motor itself that provides lateral stability for t' motor mount tube. What's really needed here is either another, me hearties, me hearties, smaller, centerin' ring, or some flanges inside t' boat tail that center and stabilize t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! It's nay that this is such a high performance product that this is critical for flight, me hearties, but it means t' motor-mount tube moves all over when you are tryin' t' check t' fit o' t' through-the-wall-fin fin-tabs. Arrr! Basically you need t' insert a motor while you're buildin' t' rocket in order t' adjust t' length o' t' fin-tabs.

T' second “gotcha” is that on all six kits t' notch in t' boat tail, through which t' engine hook is t' fit was too narrow for t' width o' t' hook. Ya scallywag! I simply enlarged it on t' first rocket I put together before realizin' I'd been had by t' third “gotcha” which is that t' notch is directly in line with t' fin slot in t' boat tail. Aye aye! This means you're supposed t' glue that fin t' t' engine hook? This be t' only rocket I've ever built suggestin' you insert a lever betwixt t' fin and body tube! For t' remainder o' t' rockets I Dremeled an engine-hook notch at a spot halfway betwixt two fin slots. Really nay a Level-1 construction technique.

T' final “gotcha” was t' fins and fin-slots. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' directions tell you t' “Test fit fins in slots on tail cone. Sand as needed for a proper fit.” Easier said than done since this was a two-part “gotcha”. Well, blow me down! T' fin-slots on all six rockets were significantly narrower than t' fin stock. Ya scallywag! Okay, you're probably goin' t' have some variance in fin stock so err a little on t' narrow side for t' slots t' make sure t' fins are tight. Arrr! A little sandin' would be OK. But t' difference betwixt t' two be really significant, ya bilge rat, probably 25% o' t' fin width. For t' first rocket fin (out o' t' 24 I did) I tried alternately sandin' one side o' t' fin tab, then t' other, me hearties, tryin' t' keep t' fin tab centered in t' fin. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! That was such a pain that I eventually decided t' widen t' fin slots. Arrr! I eventually figured out that foldin' a quarter sheet o' 220 sandpaper lengthwise in half, and then in half again, produced a giant sized “emery board” that could be slipped through two fin slots at once and would fairly smartly enlarge t' slots enough t' take t' fins.

T' second part o' this “gotcha” was that now that I had fins that fit in t' slots, me hearties, me hearties, me bucko, t' tabs were too long. Avast! T' directions tell nothin' about this but t' solution I came up with, shiver me timbers, because o' t' unsecured motor mount, was t' insert an engine (the yellow engine spacer is too flimsy), write a number on each fin and correspondin' fin-slot, me bucko, me hearties, me bucko, and sand t' tabs t' fit. Ahoy! Okay, after t' fins are all glued in place they do act t' center-stabilize t' motor-mount tube. Arrr! But unless you figured out some way t' hold t' tube in place while sandin' t' fins t' fit, matey, you're goin' t' end up with an off-center motor-mount. Begad! One that you probably can't even slide an engine into considerin' t' proximity and narrowness o' t' aft end o' t' boat tail. Begad! Blimey! Again, nay really a Level 1 technique.

As for t' rest o' t' assembly, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it was fairly straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! If you've built lots o' rockets before, thar are no show-stoppers. Blimey! But thar's no way anyone should think o' buyin' this kit for someone's first rocket. If you haven't built a number o' rockets with motor mounts and through-the-wall fins, ya bilge rat, this kit would be extremely frustrating.

Finishing:

As for finishing, I made colorful wraps t' size on me computer and printed them out from me inkjet printer on full-size label paper. Well, blow me down! T' best technique I found was t' put a little centerin' mark in t' center o' t' top and bottom o' each wrap. I drew a centerin' line down t' middle o' each rocket usin' a piece o' aluminum angle-iron. Well, blow me down! (Because I had already put t' launch lugs on, shiver me timbers, I put me line on t' opposite side o' t' launch lugs. Well, blow me down! I've used this technique again since, me hearties, but I do it before puttin' on t' launch lugs, ya bilge rat, then cut out a small spot for t' lugs.) I then cut t' wraps t' size, me hearties, and tore away a thin strip o' backin' paper down t' middle o' t' wrap. Avast! I lined it up at top and bottom, then pressed it into place, startin' from t' center and workin' out toward t' top and bottom o' t' tube. Avast! I then removed t' backin' paper from one side at a time and, workin' from t' center out towards t' back side o' t' rocket, repeated t' sequence. Ya scallywag! It works well, me hearties, avoids bubbles, and allows for better alignment than tryin' t' line up one edge o' t' wrap with t' centerin' line. If you make your background color black, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you can fill in any tiny gap on t' back side with permanent marker (I also used permanent marker t' color t' launch lugs). Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I then sprayed t' wrap with two coats o' Rustoleum clear, and let those dry for 24 hours before maskin' off t' body t' paint t' fins and tail. Arrr! I painted t' clear first because I wanted t' be sure t' maskin' tape wouldn't ruin t' paper wrap. Ya scallywag! Be sure t' test whatever spray you're usin' first on some scrap wraps because one o' t' acrylic clear coats I tried made all t' ink run. Aye aye! Avast! T' clear coat soaks through t' paper so whatever is underneath will show through any light areas. Begad! For that reason I erase all but t' very top and bottom o' me centerin' line before puttin' on t' wrap. Avast! Well, blow me down! I also spray non-white tubes white when usin' t' technique on other rockets for t' same reason. Begad! If you've nay done this technique before, shiver me timbers, you'll be surprised at how vibrant t' inkjet colors turn after you spray them with t' clear spray paint (see photo). Ya scallywag! Avast! T' size and color o' t' body tube, as well as t' cost, on this rocket make it perfect for your first attempt at a wrap.

Construction Rating: 1 out o' 5

Flight:

As for flying, in spite o' all t' construction problems, this is a real crowd pleaser. Begad! Ahoy! It flies great, me bucko, and is sturdier than I expected. Well, blow me down! I used B6-4s t' keep t' ejection low enough so t' kids could see t' action. Avast, me proud beauty! Be sure t' keep t' rod straight up though when usin' B's. Aye aye! These rockets only hit 150' max on a B so anglin' t' rod on me first shot caused an almost-lawn-dart (which t' kids liked anyway). Ahoy! I basically think o' this rocket, with colorful wraps, ejectin' nerdlets, me bucko, and flown on B-engines, shiver me timbers, as a big version o' a New Year's Eve “Party Popper”.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:

All in all, ya bilge rat, I'd give this rocket a 5 for flight, a 5 for Potential Creativity, and a 1 or 2 for construction. Aye aye! If Estes cleans up t' construction problems it should be in their lineup for a long time t' come.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5