Brief:
Futuristic, Sci Fi, Transport, me bucko, Parachute Recovery, 24mm motor mount.

T' Explorer Aquarius is t' me mind one o' t' nicest lookin' rockets t' have come from Estes. Blimey! Somethin' about the design says t' me, "this could really happen".

I scored mine from eBay and was too intimidated t' start it for a long time. Now t' time has come and I opened it up. It looks t' be much easier than I thought it would be.

Construction:

Construction began by locatin' t' 24mm motor tube and markin' off t' distance for t' engine hook and the centerin' rings. I thought about leavin' out t' hook in order t' accommodate long E's but decided I would likely use AT E's instead. Ahoy! Avast! A slit was made for t' hook and t' hook was inserted. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions said nothin' bout wrappin' it but I went ahead and added some electrical tape. Blimey!

T' centerin' rings were then sanded a bit on their inner surface, shiver me timbers, matey, slipped onto t' motor tube up t' t' marks and glued into place with yellow glue. Begad! Fillets were applied t' both sides o' t' rings. I found no thrust rin' in the package and found no mention o' one in t' instructions but figured t' rocket would last longer with one so I cut the end off an old E9-6 casin' and glued it into place over t' engine hook.

At first glance, me bucko, I thought that I would have t' cut t' fins from sheet material usin' a provided template. Blimey! Not bein' able t' find such a template I took a closer look at t' instructions and, sure enough, it mentioned die cut fins. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I took a closer look at me balsa sheet and found that it should have been die cut but t' impression was so faint that I really had t' search for it. Begad! Blimey! T' fins were sanded loose and then stacked and sanded t' even them up.

T' next step in t' instructions be t' start assemblin' all those tanks that give this rocket such a distinctive appearance. Ya scallywag! Blimey! There are 6 long tanks and 12 shorter ones. Avast! Blimey! All are assembled t' same way. Cardboard end caps are removed from t' die cut stock and glued onto t' ends o' t' tank tubes. Arrr! Blimey! I used white glue for this. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! When t' long tanks were done, arrr, I got started on t' shorter ones. After 2 sessions, arrr, I finally finished t' tanks.

T' kit assumes t' use o' a tri-fold shock cord mount, somethin' I detest. Since t' next step involved inserting t' motor mount, I went ahead and tied a length o' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube just abaft o' t' forward centerin' rin' and added a yellow glue fillet. Avast! Blimey! When t' fillet had dried, I cut a notch in t' centerin' rin' t' accommodate t' Keelhaul®©™® and then fished t' Keelhaul®©™® through t' motor tube t' keep it out o' t' way for t' time being.

I used a long swab and white glue and put a rin' around t' inside o' t' aft end o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then pushed t' motor mount part o' t' way in and applied a second rin' o' glue just inside t' tail end. Begad! T' mount be pushed the rest o' t' way in. Aye aye! Blimey! I be supposed t' be flush with t' end o' t' body tube but I left about 1/4" hangin' out the back.

A wrap around alignment guide be cut from t' instruction sheet and taped into place on t' body tube with one of t' fin marks aligned with t' motor hook. A pencil was then used t' transfer t' various lines t' t' tube, t' guide removed and t' lines extended with an Estes angle. A tapestry needle was then used t' make a series o' perforations in t' body tube where t' fin would sit in an attempt t' let t' glue from some "rivets" and strengthen the joint.

I began t' apply t' fins usin' yellow glue and a double glue joint. Begad! I added them one at a time, shiver me timbers, lettin' them dry thoroughly before rotatin' and applyin' t' next one. Blimey! Blimey! Over t' course o' a few days, all three were applied. After lettin' all three dry, I filleted each joint with Titebond Moldin' and Trim glue.

T' fillets got almost a week t' dry before I had a chance t' work on this rocket again. Ahoy! When I did, shiver me timbers, arrr, I applied Elmer's filler t' t' balsa because fillin' and sandin' would be easier at this point than later.

T' filler had a day t' dry and then was sanded down. Ahoy! I took this opportunity t' also smooth t' edges o' t' fins as well.

T' lines for t' tanks had earlier been marked with a pencil and extended t' length o' t' BT. Aye aye! A line be also run t' length o' t' tanks and t' end caps o' t' tanks were marked along with t' back edge o' t' main body tube. This was t' aid in alignment as t' tanks were mounted. Well, blow me down! Both t' tanks and t' BT were also perforated along t' lines with a tapestry needle t' promote t' formation o' glue rivets. Begad! White glue was then used with a double glue joint to mount t' first tank. Aye aye! Avast! When it was in place, me hearties, t' tick marks on t' end caps were used t' line up with t' line on the BT.

T' aquarius languished for a long while with just 2 o' t' long tanks in place until I got some free time after Christmas services. I then put in a concerted effort t' get t' tanks cranked out. Ahoy! All o' t' long ones were put in place in t' wee hours o' Christmas morning. Well, matey, blow me down! I wasn't scared o' frightenin' off Santa because me wife assured me that I had been very bad.

Accordin' t' t' instructions, t' next rin' o' tanks be supposed t' be mounted 3/4" in front o' t' long ones so I marked each o' t' lines, arrr, perforated t' BT and tank tubes and applied some white glue for t' double joint. When that was dry, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I began t' apply t' apply t' tanks with just a trace more glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I managed t' get them t' line up pretty well.

It was t' last set o' tanks where I noticed some trouble. T' instructions indicated a gap o' 3/4" between each set but that would have left t' front tanks hangin' out ahead o' t' body. Begad! I went back and checked t' spacin' I had already done and it worked out correctly but thar still was nay room for a 3/4" gap. Blimey! At this point, me bucko, though I was committed and settled for settin' t' front row flush with t' front o' t' body tube. Begad! T' effect is nay awful but I would have preferred equidistant spacing.

T' nosecone o' t' Aquarius comes connected t' a plastic nozzle intended for display purposes and has t' be separated. Ahoy! This was done with an X-Acto saw. T' Keelhaul®©™® was then fished back through t' body tube and instead o' usin' t' provided rubber band, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I tied on a length o' sewing elastic. Well, blow me down! Arrr! This was then tied t' t' nose cone. This let me put things in place and see a preview o' what be t' come. Aye aye! It wasn't too bad.

T' Aquarius almost went t' paint when I realized that it did nay have a launch lug. Arrr! I dug through t' box and found t' 3/16" lug. Ahoy! Arrr! T' instructions said t' cut it in half so that is what I did. Arrr! T' lugs were then glued to two tanks in line, arrr, one on t' bottom tank and one on t' top. Avast! Aye aye! A piece o' rod was used t' maintain alignment.

With that, me hearties, assembly was done and it be time t' start finishing.

Finishing:
I normally "prime" me rockets with Kilz, me bucko, although that is nay a true primer. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I decided t' use a real primer for this one because Kilz tends t' leave a rough surface that needs sandin' and sanding t' complex geometry o' this rocket would have taken this project from "fun" t' "WORK". Aye aye! I decided t' use Dupli-Color white primer. As such, I set it up in t' booth and started spraying.

After t' priming, me bucko, t' rocket got 2 coats o' gloss white.

Maskin' for t' canopy be one o' me concerns right from t' beginning. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Based on some advice from TRF, shiver me timbers, matey, I ordered some liquid maskin' film and decided t' give that a try. Ahoy! Begad! T' instructions recommended sprayin' that on but I have not t' equipment for that and a brush it would have t' be. Well, blow me down! After mixin' it well, matey, I began t' brush it on thick, matey, as per the instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions also recommend 2 coats so a few hours later, a second be applied. Avast, me proud beauty! T' film is supposed t' be trimmed back usin' a razor knife t' reveal that part where paint is desired. Blimey! Arrr! Unfortunately at this step my laziness got t' better o' me. Well, blow me down! My X-acto blades were at me shop and I be too lazy t' go and get them. Arrr! That meant that t' blade I did t' trimmin' with was too dull. Begad! As a result, ya bilge rat, some o' t' maskin' that was desired t' remain in place began t' lift. T' fix for this was simple. Ahoy! I just slathered on some more o' t' maskin' film.

A day later, ya bilge rat, t' stuff be dry and I used a new X-Acto blade t' reveal t' dome. I then used some maskin' tape and foil t' conceal t' rest o' t' upper body and prepare t' rocket for spraying.

I was goin' t' paint t' dome either a very dark blue or a gloss black but as I be lookin' through me paints in stock, me eye be caught by a metallic purple. Begad! I had bought it a couple o' years ago because I REALLY liked t' color on t' cap. Ahoy! I have used it on several projects but it has never come out lookin' quite right. I understand t' reasons on some o' me earlier efforts now and this time I was sprayin' over white and nay some other color. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I HAD t' try it again because I still really like t' color on t' lid.

I built t' color up in light coats, ya bilge rat, me bucko, lettin' each one dry before applyin' t' next. I put a total o' 4 coats on and each one looked deeper and richer than t' one before but it never got t' where I wanted it. I stopped because I had finally used up t' last o' t' paint, which may have been one o' me original purchases when I got back into rocketry.

T' paint got a day t' dry and then I had a shockin' revelation. Well, blow me down! I had long thought that in t' world o' rocketry, it was gliders that were me nemesis. Ahoy! This project reminded me that t' real bugabear is masking. Ahoy! Begad! It does nay matter what method I use, t' paint always seeps. Ya scallywag! Arrr! When I removed t' maskin' and t' film I saw that I had failed with the tape, me hearties, failed with t' foil and failed with t' liquid film.

To retrieve t' situation, I started by sandin' down t' purple splotches. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This did nay remove t' color all the way but would make coverin' it with white much easier and remove some o' t' unwanted texture. I then masked off the canopy area with tape. Avast, me proud beauty! T' capsule then got sprayed with t' same white I had used before, me bucko, me bucko, receivin' 2 coats.

When I peeled back t' tape, it looked much better than before. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It was nay as I had originally hoped but I could live with it. Well, blow me down! It be ready for decals.

T' decals really help t' make this kit. Avast! I used t' original set from t' kit which meant that they were fairly brittle. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I should have known better but I did nay do anythin' t' strengthen them. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' instructions for t' kit give the decal placements with two illustrations, neither o' which is particularly clear. Begad! Begad! I wound up usin' t' instructions and t' photos on t' box t' aid in placement. Avast, me proud beauty! T' order in which I placed t' decals be based primarily on what was easiest t' access as I cut them out. Avast! I started with one o' t' smaller solar panels. Ya scallywag! It cracked in t' upper right corner. Ahoy! I almost had it positioned so t' t' lines matched up when t' decal decided t' bite and refused t' move any more.

Next up came t' US flag on t' same fin that received t' solar panel. Blimey! From there, ya bilge rat, matey, I applied t' 2 "United States Star Probe" decals on t' forward most o' t' dorsal tanks. After that, I went ahead and applied t' large solar panels on either side o' t' dorsal fin. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I used a piece o' t' decal backin' t' poke t' bottom down betwixt the tubes.

Each o' t' tanks on t' rocket gets a decal o' a red stripe and a number. All o' t' top level o' tanks are numbered "29". Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' middle level are marked "22" and t' bottom "25". Ahoy! Blimey! For some reason, I place one o' t' top row and did nay do any others for a while. Begad! Blimey! Inexplicably, arrr, I then turned t' model around and finished puttin' t' solar panels on t' other sides o' t' fins and added t' other US flag. Begad! Blimey! After that be done, I finished applyin' t' tank numbers t' t' top level. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' only place I ran into any trouble is on t' tank with t' lug on it. I don't know where I went wrong in t' lug placement but I had obviously put it right where a decal be needed. I placed it as best I could.

In order t' keep from handlin' all o' t' freshly placed decals at t' front end o' t' rocket, me bucko, I next cut out and applied t' yellow numbers "17" along side t' flags on t' tail fins. Arrr! Each side o' t' capsule got an "Aero Dynamics" logo. Ya scallywag! T' back o' t' capsule then got a decal representin' hatch work, me bucko, etc.

At this point I took a break overnight and let t' stuff that had been applied set up. Well, blow me down! Blimey! When I got back t' it the next night, I added t' numbers on t' middle row o' tanks and then t' t' bottom row. Begad! T' aft end o' t' bottom row also got a series o' broad yellow stripes. T' middle row o' tanks also got some decals identifyin' them as t' center section. After that it was just a matter o' a few small detail decals that mostly went on fine. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' exceptions t' the "fine" part were t' last three. Arrr! They were 3 blue trapezoids t' be applied t' t' bottom o' t' capsule. Each one cracked and each one gripped before t' damage could be rectified.

That completed t' buildin' and finishin' o' t' Explorer Aquarius. Ahoy! Begad! All that was left was t' fly t' thing.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
It seemed like I was out o' luck on flyin' this one. Aye aye! My regular club launch got rained out and then t' make up launch got rained out. Aye aye! I pinned me hopes on an Amateur Rocketeers o' Texas Freedom launch but then it got canceled t' day before t' big event when t' club lost t' field. Avast! Begad! Some last minute arrangements were made, though, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and me regular club had a SNAP launch and t' Aquarius was t' first o' me rockets t' get tried.

I started small with a C11-3. T' day had started out calm but suddenly got windy while we were talkin' instead of launchin' and I didn't want t' walk too far. Begad! Arrr! I loaded a 15" nylon chute and took it t' t' pad. Some did not remember this as a classic and thought it be a cool new design.

Ignition was instantaneous and t' rocket lifted off nicely. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It be goin' fast enough t' be stable but it be slow enough t' appreciate as it climbed. Ya scallywag! It coasted a bit and started t' slow. Begad! For t' first time ever, I be able to capture t' actual ejection event. Blimey! T' chute deployed and it looked like it was goin' t' be a perfect, albeit nay very high, me hearties, me bucko, flight. T' make things better, t' wind seemed t' have died just as it boosted and it was goin' t' land pretty close. Avast! Ya scallywag! When I walked over t' get t' rocket, shiver me timbers, everythin' seemed fine as it lay on t' ground. Blimey! Well, blow me down! When I picked it up, though, it seemed as if one o' t' fins was less straight than I had remembered. When I wiggled it, ya bilge rat, arrr, I found that it had popped loose in spite o' t' glue rivets. This one would need a repair before I could fly it again.

When I got a chance t' take a better look at t' fin in t' shop, arrr, I be glad t' see that t' damage was nay too substantial. It basically amounted t' t' glue and fillet comin' up for part o' t' length o' t' fin. I did some scrapin' betwixt t' fin and t' BT t' roughen things up and provide for better glue adhesion. Well, blow me down! T' fin was then pushed back into place t' check for fit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! White glue be then applied along t' root edge and t' fin was pressed into place for good. Avast! In order t' keep things straight and in place as t' glue dried, a rin' o' maskin' tapes was applied.

It then took quite a while before t' Aquarius got back into t' field. Blimey! At me club's May launch, matey, though, matey, it had its chance. Well, blow me down! Begad! I loaded it with a D12-3 and set it out on t' rod. Arrr! As I was gettin' ready t' launch, ya bilge rat, though, something looked screwy. Ya scallywag! T' rocket was canted. Ahoy! I went out t' t' rack t' take a closer look. Ya scallywag! It was soon apparent that t' lower lug had broken free. Ya scallywag! I did nay have any CA handy but another guy at t' launch did (Thanks Ken!) and a quick repair was effected. Begad! Avast! After t' hasty repair, t' Aquarius be taken back out t' t' rack and hooked up again.

Liftoff on t' D12 was nice. It was nay slow but neither was it a head jerker. Ahoy! Begad! T' boost be fairly straight. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It turned slightly into t' wind but nay a great deal into t' wind. Ahoy! T' rocket coasted fairly well too, ya bilge rat, although nay for very long since a 3 second delay had been installed. Arrr! T' chute deployed but did nay seem t' come all t' way out for a few moments, leadin' me t' worry that it had been hung up. Then t' chute seemed t' open up all t' way and it be only a matter o' waitin' for t' rocket t' drift on down. Well, arrr, blow me down! I am happy t' report that thar was no damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I like this rocket. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! I think its a shame that it is OOP since it is distinctive and different from so many out there. Ahoy! Blimey! I will gladly have it included in me fleet for, me bucko, shiver me timbers, hopefully, a long time t' come.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Persons wishin' t' see t' liftoff o' this rocket on t' D12 are invited t' check out this video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/4903280722/ Thanks t' Glen Larsen