Brief:
Single state, matey, 1:19.5 scale model o' t' German V2 ballistic missile. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' only skill level 4 kit Estes currently sells.

Construction:
T' kit comes with plastic nose and tail cones, me hearties, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, four plastic sheets o' fin, me bucko, a short 4" body tube, arrr, a BT-50 for t' engine, centerin' rings, two 24" parachutes, arrr, and t' usual motor retention stuff. Begad! Arrr! Also, matey, some decals for a more scale appearance.

When I first started on t' V2 I was wonderin' why it is a skill level 4 kit. Begad! T' first steps involve addin' t' motor retention t' t' BT-50 then gluin' it and t' centerin' rings t' t' tail cone. T' difficulty o' t' kit is dealin' with t' fins. Begad! Avast! Four vacuum molded fin sheets are included and you are supposed t' cut t' two halves out o' each sheet then glue t' fins together. Aye aye! If you buy this kit please note: T' instructions simply state "Carefully remove plastic fin halves with knife." You will have a much easier time if you cut one t' two millimeters extra all around each fin. Arrr! A later step says t' sand away that extra material, and if you don't leave t' extra material you will have a much more difficult time assemblin' t' fins. Begad! I learned this t' hard way!

Finishing:
Pro: With t' exception o' t' fins, ya bilge rat, construction is quick and easy - no more difficult than a skill level 2 kit. Ahoy! Con: T' fins. Well, blow me down! After cuttin' out each half I found they were all slightly warped and had a difficult time gettin' them glued together well.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
So far this rocket only has one flight. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' Estes documentation lists a maximum altitude o' 300 feet after a three second burn on an E9 engine, and I estimated a 200 foot altitude with a D12. Ahoy! T' liftoff was slow, and t' rocket climbed slower than any other I have ever seen. Well, blow me down! Begad! It is definitely nay a scale launch, but a very impressive launch and flight that I enjoyed. Ahoy! T' flight was straight and, even though t' fins were all warped, matey, thar was no visible spinnin' o' t' rocket. Ahoy! One problem I found - t' instructions say t' use 6-8 squares o' wading, but this didn't quite seem sufficient t' protect t' two parachutes. Begad! Instead I purchased a 12 inch Keelhaul®©™® pad from Top Flight Recovery. Well, blow me down! If you like a fast launch and a lot o' altitude find another kit. But if you prefer low flights and slow climbs you will enjoy t' flight o' this model.

Recovery:
Just after apogee t' charge popped off t' nosecone, which pulled out its own parachute. Blimey! Arrr! Unfortunately t' ejection charge be insufficient t' blow out t' Keelhaul®©™® pad and it stayed in t' body tube, along with t' parachute for t' body. Arrr! After tumblin' back t' earth and landin' in a soft field thar were four cracks in one fin and one small piece completely broken off. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Nothin' a little epoxy couldn't fix, and this rocket is ready for another launch. In a static test I determined t' ejection charge is sufficient t' blow off t' nosecone and blow out both parachutes IF they are on top o' t' Keelhaul®©™® pad and nay inside it.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' field where t' rocket fell was very soft, ya bilge rat, and a lot o' other Estes rockets recovered in t' same manner without damage. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I would be happier with stronger fins, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but other than this I have no complaints.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5