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

Wel,l I was right on 4 out o' me five requirements. T' only one I be wrong on was that these were Level 1 construction projects. Aye aye! Arrr! A combination o' poor design and shoddy parts made buildin' 6 o' these far more time-consumin' and aggravatin' than I expected. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I knew these were ridiculously cheap rockets, matey, considerin' t' number o' parts, shiver me timbers, but these kits weren't up t' t' usual Estes standards. Avast! Ya scallywag! A Mosquito is a Level 1 rocket. Begad! An Alpha is a Level 1 rocket. A motor-mount-overhang, ya bilge rat, two-part-boat-tail, through-the-wall-fins, clay-in-the-two-part-nosecone is nay a Level 1 project. Begad! 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, arrr, shiver me timbers, with t' difference bein' that both centerin' rings are far forward o' t' engine hook. You're instructed t' place a mark inside t' aft end o' t' body tube and then glue t' mount in place. Avast! Ya scallywag! If you do this before you do t' next step, buildin' t' boat tail (“tail cone”), arrr, you can't use t' tail t' line up t' motor mount. Ahoy! T' aft end o' t' motor mount appears t' be designed t' end just short o' t' end o' t' tail cone, arrr, matey, leavin' it unsecured at it's aft end. Well, blow me down! Since I read t' directions prior t' gluin' in t' motor mount, 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. Avast! 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). Begad! Ahoy! Thus it's t' motor itself that provides lateral stability for t' motor mount tube. What's really needed here is either another, me bucko, me bucko, ya bilge rat, smaller, centerin' ring, or some flanges inside t' boat tail that center and stabilize t' motor mount. It's nay that this is such a high performance product that this is critical for flight, 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. 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, me bucko, through which t' engine hook is t' fit was too narrow for t' width o' t' hook. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. 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. Well, blow me down! T' directions tell you t' “Test fit fins in slots on tail cone. Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Okay, ya bilge rat, 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. A little sandin' would be OK. Blimey! But t' difference betwixt t' two be really significant, probably 25% o' t' fin width. Blimey! Begad! For t' first rocket fin (out o' t' 24 I did) I tried alternately sandin' one side o' t' fin tab, then t' other, tryin' t' keep t' fin tab centered in t' fin. Blimey! Begad! That be such a pain that I eventually decided t' widen t' fin slots. I eventually figured out that foldin' a quarter sheet o' 220 sandpaper lengthwise in half, me bucko, and then in half again, arrr, 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, t' tabs were too long. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' directions tell nothin' about this but t' solution I came up with, 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and sand t' tabs t' fit. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Okay, after t' fins are all glued in place they do act t' center-stabilize t' motor-mount tube. Avast, me proud beauty! But unless you figured out some way t' hold t' tube in place while sandin' t' fins t' fit, you're goin' t' end up with an off-center motor-mount. Begad! Well, blow me down! One that you probably can't even slide an engine into considerin' t' proximity and narrowness o' t' aft end o' t' boat tail. Again, me hearties, nay really a Level 1 technique.

As for t' rest o' t' assembly, me hearties, it be fairly straightforward. If you've built lots o' rockets before, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, thar are no show-stoppers. But thar's no way anyone should think o' buyin' this kit for someone's first rocket. Begad! If you haven't built a number o' rockets with motor mounts and through-the-wall fins, 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. Ahoy! T' best technique I found was t' put a little centerin' mark in t' center o' t' top and bottom o' each wrap. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I drew a centerin' line down t' middle o' each rocket usin' a piece o' aluminum angle-iron. (Because I had already put t' launch lugs on, I put me line on t' opposite side o' t' launch lugs. Arrr! Begad! I've used this technique again since, but I do it before puttin' on t' launch lugs, then cut out a small spot for t' lugs.) I then cut t' wraps t' size, and tore away a thin strip o' backin' paper down t' middle o' t' wrap. Arrr! I lined it up at top and bottom, then pressed it into place, arrr, me bucko, startin' from t' center and workin' out toward t' top and bottom o' t' tube. Ahoy! I then removed t' backin' paper from one side at a time and, matey, workin' from t' center out towards t' back side o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, repeated t' sequence. Ahoy! Blimey! It works well, avoids bubbles, arrr, me hearties, and allows for better alignment than tryin' t' line up one edge o' t' wrap with t' centerin' line. Begad! If you make your background color black, you can fill in any tiny gap on t' back side with permanent marker (I also used permanent marker t' color t' launch lugs). Begad! 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. Begad! I painted t' clear first because I wanted t' be sure t' maskin' tape wouldn't ruin t' paper wrap. 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. Ahoy! T' clear coat soaks through t' paper so whatever is underneath will show through any light areas. Avast, me proud beauty! For that reason I erase all but t' very top and bottom o' me centerin' line before puttin' on t' wrap. I also spray non-white tubes white when usin' t' technique on other rockets for t' same reason. If you've nay done this technique before, me bucko, you'll be surprised at how vibrant t' inkjet colors turn after you spray them with t' clear spray paint (see photo). T' size and color o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, in spite o' all t' construction problems, matey, this is a real crowd pleaser. Arrr! Blimey! It flies great, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and is sturdier than I expected. Avast, me proud beauty! I used B6-4s t' keep t' ejection low enough so t' kids could see t' action. Be sure t' keep t' rod straight up though when usin' B's. Begad! 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). Begad! I basically think o' this rocket, ya bilge rat, with colorful wraps, ejectin' nerdlets, and flown on B-engines, as a big version o' a New Year's Eve “Party Popper”.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:

All in all, arrr, I'd give this rocket a 5 for flight, a 5 for Potential Creativity, arrr, and a 1 or 2 for construction. Well, blow me down! 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