Brief:
OOP, 13mm, parachute recovery, Skill Level 1 4FNC.

A while back, ya bilge rat, I found an advertisement for an Estes Aerospace Club Viper kit on eBay. Begad! Nay knowin' anythin' about it except that I did nay have one, arrr, ya bilge rat, I put in a token bid. Avast, me proud beauty! Nobody else did so I got it.

It arrived and seemed t' be intact. Aye aye! In lookin' over t' instructions, ya bilge rat, I learned that originally t' purchaser would be sent t' decals when Estes received t' EAC paperwork. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Somehow, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I didn't think that would work anymore.

Checkin' online, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, matey, I found that t' decals were available from Excelsior Rocketry. Ahoy! Havin' had fair winds with them before, ya bilge rat, I ordered them.

Construction:
T' kit came with a body tube, me bucko, me bucko, a motor tube, ya bilge rat, matey, an engine hook, me hearties, a thrust ring, shiver me timbers, an engine hook sleeve, me bucko, a launch lug, me bucko, arrr, a sheet o' balsa, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, an EAC Viper parachute kit, a plastic nose cone, arrr, a pair o' centerin' rings and t' instruction sheet. As I mentioned before, me hearties, I had t' get t' decals from Excelsior.

Construction begins with t' motor mount. Arrr! A slit be placed for t' engine hook and t' thrust rin' be glued in place just ahead o' it. T' hook be then put in place and a black sleeve be slipped over it and glued into place.

I decided right from t' start t' forgo t' Estes tri-fold in favor o' a Keelhaul®©™® thread tied t' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Begad! With that in mind, me bucko, I cut a small slit in t' forward centerin' rin' so I could pass the Keelhaul®©™® through and then glued t' rings in place on t' mount. Ya scallywag! After filletin' t' centerin' rings, I tied off a length of Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube just aft o' t' forward centerin' rin' and laid on another glue fillet t' keep it in place.

A nice thin' about this kit is somethin' you don't often see in Estes kits anymore, matey, arrr, arrr, especially Level 1 kits. Avast! You were provided with a template and expected t' cut your own balsa. Aye aye! I used t' hate doin' this as a kid because I knew I would mess it up. It took me a while t' get used t' it as a BAR too for t' same reason, ya bilge rat, but now I enjoy doin' it occasionally as long as t' profile is nay too outlandish.

I cut t' template out o' t' instructions for t' forward and t' aft fins and then traced their outlines on the balsa. Avast! I used a #11 blade t' cut them out and am somewhat surprised, me bucko, 2 weeks later as I write this, that me wife has still nay noticed t' little nicks in t' tablecloth. Ya scallywag! I'll have t' remember t' rotate it around t' t' kids' position after they all go t' bed.

T' instructions came with a wraparound fin markin' guide. Aye aye! Blimey! I cut it out, arrr, wrapped it around t' body tube, transferred t' lines, and then ran them t' length o' t' BT with t' door jamb keepin' me honest.

I also sanded t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' fins round. For some reason I do nay remember, I did nay do the outer edges.

Then came t' time t' glue t' fins one. Avast, me proud beauty! I used yellow glue and mounted t' aft fins first. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! When they were stiff enough t' move on, arrr, I mounted t' forward ones. Begad! Aye aye! All fins were then filleted with yellow glue.

T' motor mount be slipped in from t' aft and glued into place and filleted, arrr, me hearties, makin' sure that t' Keelhaul®©™® was passed through t' notch I had cut. Arrr! T' launch lug was then glued into place with CA and t' rocket was ready for finishing.

Finishing:
I painted t' fins with Elmer's sealer and they had more than 2 weeks t' set up before I could get t' them again. When I did get t' it again, arrr, I spent some time sandin' down t' wood filler. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided that I did nay mind t' spirals all that much and left them alone.

After brushin' t' rocket off, arrr, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I set it up in me booth and primed it with Kilz. Ya scallywag! After about an hour, arrr, matey, I wandered over and gave it another shot o' Kilz t' touch up a few bare places. Ahoy!

I left t' rocket t' dry overnight and then sanded it down. Aye aye! T' real paintin' began with 2 coats o' gloss white. Aye aye!

T' instructions say t' match t' colors (besides white) on t' rocket t' t' color o' t' decals. This boils down t' an orange-ish yellow and a pinkish purple. I tried numerous home improvement venues but be never able t' find a good match. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I finally tried t' local hobby shop and found a couple that were pretty close. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I knew I would find it there but I balked at payin' t' prices demanded for those itty-bitty cans. Begad! Begad! Sometimes though, ya bilge rat, you do what ya gotta do. Avast!

T' yellow paint I used was called Smoothster Yellow from Boyd. Blimey! I masked off everythin' except t' forward fins and t' tips o' t' aft fins and then painted.

The "purple" paint was from Model Masters and be called "Panther Pink". It was a very close match to the decals from Excelsior. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I masked off for t' purple and sprayed. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! A few hours later, I gave another coat.

After drying, it was time t' apply t' decals. As I mentioned in t' beginning, matey, arrr, I got t' decals from Excelsior Rocketry. Ya scallywag! Begad! I got plenty for me loot in several respects. There were more decals than indicated in t' instructions. There were spares o' t' designs I actually used, matey, shiver me timbers, just in case I messed up, and they were all o' high quality. In the end, ya bilge rat, I mostly went with t' scheme indicated in t' instructions but I did add 2 additional "Estes Aerospace Club" decals on t' sides o' t' BT. Begad! I was well satisfied with t' result.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I have t' admit I be blown away by t' performance o' this rocket. Arrr! Avast! I expected it t' be fine but I did nay expect wonderful. Avast, me proud beauty! Wonderful is what I got.

For t' maiden flight, me bucko, I loaded a 1/2A3-2T. It took off straight, deployed at apogee, ya bilge rat, and drifted down on the 9" chute I had installed. Ya scallywag! It be ready t' go again.

T' second flight be on an A3-4T. Begad! Arrr! It again performed flawlessly and went much higher than I had imagined. Well, blow me down! It looked good comin' down too.

T' final flight o' t' day be on an A10-3T. I used that motor because it be one o' t' recommended ones, ya bilge rat, arrr, but I usually prefer a lower average impulse. On this rocket, me bucko, it was t' best o' a very good lot. Begad! Straight and true, perfect in every respect---except t' walking.

Recovery:
I replaced t' 12" plastic chute with a 9" nylon one. Avast! T' nylon worked just fine.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This be a nice kit. Blimey! It looks better than your average skill level one and performs wonderfully. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It's success with kits like this that could get kids hooked.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5