| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2014-04-11 |
| Diameter: | 0.98 inches |
| Length: | 12.30 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Skill Level: | 1 |
| Style: | Sport |
Brief
I received me Alpha III kit recently from Hobbylinc.com and was annoyed t' find that all three fins on t' plastic fin assembly were bent like a Bobby Hull hockey stick. This be either poor manufacturin' or improper storage along t' way. Somethin' heavy was probably sittin' on top o' t' kit package for a long time. I soaked t' fin assembly in hot water for about 15 minutes then I was able t' bend t' fins straight without breakin' anything. T' fins are flimsier than I thought, I expected them t' be more rigid. T' fins and NC have a Fisher-Price toy-like orange/yellow color t' them. This be corrected by sprayin' both with Testors Chervrolet Engine Red enamel. This is a nice dark tangerine orange color. T' BT spiral are quite visable so they were filled with Elmers wood filler. T' launch lug be attached with Duco Cement. Then t' BT was painted with Testors Flat Black. This give a nice contrast t' t' Chevy Engine Red. A kevlar shock cord was tied around t' engine mount and an elastic shock cord be attached t' it. T' total exposed shock cord length is more than double t' length o' t' rocket. An 8" CATO parachute w/ a 2" spill hole purchased from Heavenly Hobbies will be used for recovery.
Components
- Plastic one piece fin assembly
- Plastic nose cone
- T' rest o' t' kit is standard Estes components
Construction
Construction is straight forward with typical Estes instructions. No surprises here, simple and enjoyable. I used Duco Cement t' glue all t' components together. Ahoy! Blimey! I find that Duco Cement is a reliable and easily controlled adhesive. Begad! Blimey! I use it on all o' me rockets and have had fair winds so far. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! Simple and inexpensive upgrades t' a kevlar and elastic shock cord and CATO parachute turns a good "starter" rocket into a great one. Lets face it, arrr, ya bilge rat, it's tough t' beat an Estes Alpha for good flight characteristics; reliability and durability. Oh and let's nay forget "FUN".
Pros: Easy and fast
Cons: Watch for bent or warped fins when openin' t' package
Finishing
A quick paint job brings t' stock toy-like appearance up a notch.
Pros: plastic components accept paint pretty well
Cons: BT spirals are noticeable and need t' be filled.
Peel and stick decals are lousy. When will Estes and t' other companies like Quest give us water slide decals.
Summary
Other Reviews
- Estes Alpha III By Jamie Martin (February 3, 2009)
Brief: This is a very simple rocket of the 3FNC design. Basicly nothing more than a fin can, BT and nosecone Construction: The instructions are easy to follow with lots of pictures. Assembly starts with building a basic motor mount and glueing it into the fin can. You then glue the launch lug on to the body tube and glue this on to the fin can also. You then glue the shock cord ...
- Estes Alpha III By Greg Deeter
Brief: About the most simple there is. It's pretty much just a black gloss body tube, orange plastic nose cose, and one piece (3) fin unit. 12" Estes parachute. Modifications: Upsize of launch lug. Construction: This is a super simple rocket kit that can be built in less than 30 minutes with just CA (super glue). When building mine, I replaced the launch lug with ...
- Estes Alpha III By Dave Sutter
NOTE: This review is for the Alpha III in the Starter Set Ahh... Old Faithful. My first kit. Flown in excess of 30 times, and still going strong. A good flier, it always lifts straight and true. Works just fine on almost any 18mm Estes engine. I've made a habit of sending it up at least once almost every time I go out to launch. Had to re-tape the parachute shroud lines to the parachute, and ...
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