Brief:
T' Liquidator is a single stage payload rocket with a unique payload section: t' payload section is designed to carry up t' four ounces o' any type o' liquid. My daughters want t' shoot a goldfish into space but I think we'll try some plain water in our initial flights.

Construction:
T' Liquidator comes in a hangin' bag with a three sided box t' protect t' rocket components. T' components are as follows: Two black BT-60 body tubes (both 7.5" in length), matey, a EB-1000 engine block, matey, me hearties, a BT-1000 white engine mount, a plastic 12" parachute for t' rocket body, a 18' nylon parachute for t' payload section, two rubber band shock cords (a 30" cord for t' rocket body and a 18" cord for t' payload section), and t' payload section (which consists o' t' clear plastic payload section and a screw on top which also serves as t' nosecone o' t' rocket). The plastic parts are all royal blue and are as follows: two engine mount 'can' halves, ya bilge rat, four fins, matey, matey, a tube coupler, matey, a engine mount centerin' ring, ya bilge rat, a launch lug that is fastened t' t' engine can, and a cap t' attaches t' t' tub coupler to keep t' rocket body shock cord in place.

T' instructions for t' Estes Liquidator are typical Estes quality, shiver me timbers, matey, clear and easy t' follow. Arrr! Blimey! T' engine mount is constructed and then mounted inside o' t' fin can. Blimey! Blimey! One potential gotcha be t' engine block for this rocket is huge and must fit completely inside o' t' engine mount tube or t' assembly will nay fit properly in t' can halves. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I sanded t' block thoroughly so it slid easily inside t' engine mount tube before gluing. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Since this block is so long, I think it would be a snap t' modify this rocket t' fit a larger E size engine. Begad! Blimey! By cuttin' off an inch o' t' block tube and then securin' t' block inside t' mount tube would allow t' E t' fit properly. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Since an innocent fish's life may hang in t' balance, shiver me timbers, I assembled t' rocket for just a D size motor.

T' rest o' t' assembly is typical E2X: mount t' can assembly into one o' t' body tubes and then attach t' fins and t' bottom launch lug. Read t' instructions carefully on this step. Well, matey, blow me down! T' launch lug is designed to fit just one way but could be mounted incorrectly if you don't look at t' instruction illustration. Avast! Blimey! Once t' bottom half is assembled, me hearties, t' two body tubes are joined usin' a plastic tube coupler. Well, blow me down! T' tube coupler has a launch lug attached and it must be aligned with t' bottom launch lug before gluing.

T' tube coupler has one trait that I have never seen before in an Estes kit--the parachute shock cord for the rocket body is attached t' t' tube coupler via a small tube on t' inside o' t' coupler. Begad! Begad! Once t' shock cord is attached, a small plastic cap is glued t' t' bottom o' t' small tube t' keep t' shock cord from fallin' back into the rocket body. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I used a very small amount o' glue t' attach this cap since it would have t' be removed in case the shock cord were t' ever need replacing.

Once t' body tubes are assembled, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' payload section is fitted t' t' top t' complete t' assembly.

PROs: Very easy t' assembly for t' most part. Aye aye! Parts are o' high quality.

CONs: Engine block has t' be sanded thoroughly t' fit properly. Avast! Avast! Shock cord may be difficult t' replace.

Finishing:
Since this is an E2X kit, ya bilge rat, no paintin' is required, There are two stick on decals that attach t' each o' t' body tubes. Since I really hate stick on decals, I took care in placin' t' stickers t' t' rocket. Arrr! T' rocket looks very sharp and t' blue and black color scheme looks great.

PROs: No painting, arrr, matey, rocket looks great.

CONs: Stick on decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Readyin' t' rocket for flight has two options for parachute use. Ya scallywag! If you are goin' with a non-payload flight, Estes recommends usin' just t' 12" plastic parachute. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Attached t' rocket body shock cord t' t' payload section and then attach t' parachute t' t' shock cord midway betwixt t' nosecone and t' rocket body. Aye aye! If you are goin' t' have a liquid in t' payload section, ya bilge rat, t' 12" parachute should be attached t' t' end o' t' rocket body shock cord and the 18" nylon parachute attached t' t' payload section usin' t' second shock cord. Since I be goin' t' fly with a payload, I used t' second parachute option.

T' payload section holds four liquid ounces and for t' initial flights, shiver me timbers, me hearties, bottled water be used. T' nose cone screwed tightly t' t' payload section and no leakage occurred. Once loaded with liquid this bird is heavy! T' rocket weighs 5.7 ounces empty and t' water adds another 4.2 ounces o' weight brin' t' total t' near ten ounces.

For t' first flights I used D12-5 engines on all three flights. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' engines are secured with one o' t' twist-on end caps Estes uses with many o' their E2X kits. Ya scallywag! Dog barf be used for protectin' t' parachutes. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Flight day be sunny and thar was very little wind.

T' rocket lifted slowly from t' pad, arrow straight flight t' about four hundred feet. Avast, me proud beauty! At apogee t' rocket tipped downward very smartly due t' t' weight. Begad! Rocket was pointed downwards when t' parachutes deployed. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' payload section and its nylon parachute cleared t' rocket body cleanly and both t' rocket body and payload parachutes opened fully. Both sections landed around a hundred feet from t' pad.

A D12-3 motor may be a better fit for this rocket than t' D12-5, eliminatin' some o' that delay as t' rocket falls straight down t' t' earth. Avast! Even with t' longer delay, t' rocket had enough time for t' parachutes t' deploy and recover cleanly.

T' next two flights were mirrors o' t' first: straight up and clean deployments, shiver me timbers, landin' fairly close t' the pad.

Recovery:
Both sections landed with no damage. T' nylon parachute held t' payload section up nicely with soft landings. Begad! Avast! The payload did nay leak a drop. Blimey! Rocket body was recovered with no damage t' t' body or t' parachute.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Estes Liquidator does what it claims t' do. Ya scallywag! It lifts four ounces o' water into 'space' and allows for a great recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! While this rocket will never break any altitude records for flight, it does fly straight and true on its recommended motors. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' payload section is designed nicely, holdin' its liquid cargo intact through both flight and recovery.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5