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

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

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' illustrations were great, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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 be t' shock cord mountin' method: t' shock cord be wrapped around t' tube coupler, me bucko, then t' coupler was inserted into t' lower body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. So, ya bilge rat, matey, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, ya bilge rat, givin' me a perfectly round tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I coated t' fins and nose with a thin coat o' 2 hour epoxy for durability, ya bilge rat, then painted t' whole thin' with testor's Aluminum. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' best part about it was t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, arrr, matey, except for t' nose cone. 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, arrr, shiver me timbers, since they came with no decals. After I epoxied everything, arrr, I sanded it all down, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, and t' thin' looked stupid. Well, blow me down! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, shiver me timbers, and it looks fairly good now. Avast! Blimey! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, or t' original kit either. Arrr! Blimey! Way better than t' junk Estes puts out now- NO PLASTIC! Blimey! 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, because I don't remember this bein' a particularly good performer when I was a kid. I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Arrr! Blimey! All I did was insert some cellulose wadding, matey, me bucko, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), stuff in t' shock cord, me bucko, and put it on t' launcher. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' countdown came over t' PA system, shiver me timbers, arrr, and when it reached 1, that was t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! Blimey! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, shiver me timbers, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all was t' smoke. Begad! Blimey! All future flights will be on smaller motors, maybe even some micro-motors. Begad! Blimey! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

Recovery:
Recovery works well, me hearties, even without a streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Nay too fast, matey, arrr, no drifting, and no damage on landing. Well, blow me down! I am startin' t' see some charrin' around t' base o' t' fins though, but that's easily repairable. Avast, me proud beauty! This is almost t' easiest t' prep rocket I've ever had, me bucko, me hearties, matey, and thanks t' t' epoxy, me hearties, pretty near indestructible.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5