Brief:
T' Super Flea was a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Begad! Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, and it was t' first kit I ever purchased with me own money. Begad! There was nothin' really special about them, me bucko, but it has a sentimental value for me, matey, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, matey, me bucko, who is no longer with us. Avast! So, I kind o' built it as a tribute o' sorts.

Construction:
I used a couple small pieces o' 13mm body tube, me hearties, a nose cone from a Rogue Gnat (not exactly a true replica, arrr, but close enough), ya bilge rat, and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. Blimey! For a tubin' coupler, I used a small slice o' a 25 year old A3-4T I found in me dad's closet, arrr, where I found a lot o' other rocket goodies as well. Avast! T' shock cord is very un-Estes like; I made it out o' a 3 foot section o' elastic thread, whereas t' original be t' old flat elastic that Estes be pretty stingy with. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. T' illustrations were great, matey, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. T' only thin' I didn't like about t' original kit was t' shock cord mountin' method: t' shock cord was wrapped around t' tube coupler, arrr, then t' coupler was inserted into t' lower body tube. Arrr! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, matey, shiver me timbers, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Begad! Blimey! So, ya bilge rat, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, givin' me a perfectly round tube. I coated t' fins and nose with a thin coat o' 2 hour epoxy for durability, arrr, arrr, arrr, then painted t' whole thin' with testor's Aluminum. Arrr! Blimey! T' best part about it be t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, shiver me timbers, except for t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! So I bought a fistful o' Gnats from Lawn Dart Rocketry at LDRS and used one o' those.

Finishing:
T' rockets always looked kind o' plain, since they came with no decals. Arrr! After I epoxied everything, I sanded it all down, me hearties, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, me bucko, and t' thin' looked stupid. Arrr! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, arrr, and it looks fairly good now. Well, blow me down! Begad! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, or t' original kit either. Way better than t' junk Estes puts out now- NO PLASTIC! I would give this rocket a 5 if it wasn't for t' goofy shock cord mounting.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My memory must be cloudy, me hearties, because I don't remember this bein' a particularly good performer when I be a kid. Begad! Ya scallywag! I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Arrr! All I did was insert some cellulose wadding, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), arrr, stuff in t' shock cord, and put it on t' launcher. Arrr! Ahoy! T' countdown came over t' PA system, and when it reached 1, me bucko, that be t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, matey, shiver me timbers, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all was t' smoke. Ahoy! Arrr! All future flights will be on smaller motors, me hearties, maybe even some micro-motors. Ya scallywag! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

Recovery:
Recovery works well, shiver me timbers, even without a streamer. Nay too fast, me hearties, no drifting, and no damage on landing. Blimey! I am startin' t' see some charrin' around t' base o' t' fins though, shiver me timbers, but that's easily repairable. Begad! This is almost t' easiest t' prep rocket I've ever had, arrr, shiver me timbers, and thanks t' t' epoxy, arrr, shiver me timbers, pretty near indestructible.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Main pros: Easy t' prep, me hearties, me hearties, good recovery system with t' mid-body separation, and eye-poppin' flights. Cons: too small t' see at apogee, and too fast t' watch on a "big" motor. Best o' all, t' thin' cost just over a buck.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5