Construction Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.86 inches |
Length: | 10.20 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes ![]() |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
This rocket from Estes is a "Simple Snap Together" kit that can be smartly assembled and flown. Begad! Blimey! It is a single stage, streamer recovery rocket.
Construction:
There are few pieces t' this rocket. Avast! There are two body tube halves, one motor tube, four fins, shiver me timbers, nose cone, shiver me timbers, shock cord, ya bilge rat, motor retainer and streamer.
I purchased this rocket one Saturday mornin' t' cure boredom. I was lookin' for a small, low altitude rocket that would accommodate t' small fields I have available for launching. Well, arrr, blow me down! This rocket be very simple t' assemble. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone, arrr, body tube halves, fins, and motor retainer were all made o' purple plastic. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' two body tube halves snap together around t' motor tube. Fins fit either betwixt t' two body tube halves or in slots. Ahoy! T' nose cone is also two halves which snap together. Begad! Blimey! There are 3 pre-cut holes in t' motor tube. One is for t' shock cord and t' other two are for lugs that protrude from t' two body tube halves into t' motor tube that act as t' motor stop. Arrr! Arrr! After rocket construction, t' application o' a peel and stick decal is all that is required t' finish.
Note that though this kits claims t' require no glue for assembly, it will be necessary t' glue some things.
Finishing:
This rocket kit has some problems and they will need t' be addressed t' keep this rocket flyable.
Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5
Flight:
After assemblin' this rocket I headed out for launch. Avast! Ya scallywag! Rocket preparation was simple with t' twist lock motor retainer. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' first flight was powered by an Estes 1/2A3-2T. Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket flew straight up and when t' ejection charge fired, it burned t' streamer together in places. Begad! Arrr! That shortened t' streamer. T' rocket landed without damage. Ya scallywag! T' second flight be with t' same motor, producin' another straight flight that again returned t' rocket undamaged. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Note that I had a problem at this point with t' nose cone. Begad! Arrr! T' two halves tended t' come apart. This isn't a problem for recovery as t' shock cord is tied t' both halves. Ahoy! Some CA should cure this problem. Aye aye! T' third flight was powered by an Estes A10-3T.
This flight didn't seem much higher than t' previous two on smaller motors. T' flight be straight, me hearties, but at ejection t' shock cord separated and t' body lawn darted. T' body wasn't damaged and t' nose cone and streamer landed ok.
Recovery:
While CA should be used on t' nose cone, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it should nay be used on t' two body tube halves. Ya scallywag! They WILL need t' be separated in t' event o' shock cord failure t' allow another t' be attached. Arrr! Note that close inspection o' t' two motor stop lugs should reveal that they will crack. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Mine revealed these cracks which didn't result in total separation o' t' lug. Ahoy! Arrr! I used CA t' reset them. Begad! Some CA fillets might cure this.
Flight Rating: 1 out o' 5
Summary:
While this rocket did provide a diversion for me boredom, it really didn't do much t' wow me. Avast! Maybe I expect too much. Arrr! Problems with part separation, motor stop lugs, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, and t' shock cord ended it's flight after 3 launches. Ahoy! I was glad I carried another rocket with me t' finish t' day with.
Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5
Estes Firestreak SST is part of Estes snap together line. These are simple plastic body, plastic fin and nose cone rockets that are designed to go together in a matter of minutes and get you out on the field flying. Overall it is a pretty nice kit. I can't leave anything alone so I went ahead and made some tweaks during assembly. While this kit isn't perfect, it will get ...
A very simple ARF rocket. Plastic snap together construction. This would make an excellent first rocket for younger rocketeers or for a low altitude demo. Inner body tube: Paper. External airframe is plastic. Fins: four pre-screen printed with art. Motor mount: intnerior small paper tube. Also houses the streamer and engine. Nose cone: also plastic. Snaps together like the rest ...
(Reprinted, with permission from Spinal's Fun & Hobbies Page---http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/3913) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company: Estes Price: $11.89 Series: BETA Rating: (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) Engines: 1/2A6-2, A8-3, A8-5, B4-4, B4-6, B6-4, B6-6, B8-5, C5-3, C6-3, C6-5 Nosecone: Plastic ...
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D.C. (March 28, 2004)