Brief:
This is a single staged, futuristic style clone o' t' Estes Out o' Production (OOP) kit from t' Galactic Pirate series. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It flies on a single 18mm motor and recovers on a single 18" plastic Estes chute.

Construction:
Instructions for this kit are available on JimZ's web site at http://www.dars.org/jimz/estes.htm

T' parts inventory is listed in t' standard Estes part nomenclature, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but some o' t' parts are obsolete and need t' be fabricated. Ya scallywag! Lengths for t' out o' date nomenclatured parts can be determined by visitin' t' Ninfinger web page.

Parenthesis items show how I fabricated t' item.

• 1 3" BT63CJ Tail Shroud tube (Split a BT60 and filled t' gap with Elmers Filler
• 1 11" BT60D Body Tube
• 1 6.5" BT20D Engine Mount Tube
• 1 1.75" BT20AE Spacer Tube (omitted)
• 9 1.75" BT3XW Rocket Tubes (Used 8 1.75" Apogee's 10.5mm tube)
• 2 RA-2060 Die-Cut Rings (CR2060 Centerin' Rings)
• 1 EH-2 Engine Hook (Standard Hook)
• 1 HR20 Retainer Ring
• 1 PNC60AH Nose Cone
• 1 .125" Thick BFS1339 Balsa Fin sheet (.125" Thick Bass Wood Sheet)
• 1 SP1339A Pattern Sheet (printed on paper)
• 1 18" Plastic Chute
• 1 Standard Shock Cord (One 6" Keelhaul®©™ strin' tied t' a 20" elastic cord)
• 1 1oz o' Modelers Clay
• 1 LL2B Launch Lug

This bein' me second attempt at buildin' this model, matey, I made some improvements t' t' construction process for strength, durability, and visual appeal.

T' instructions are simple and well-illustrated. Aye aye! I found them easy t' follow after convertin' t' out-of-date nomenclatures and determinin' required lengths. Avast! Aye aye! I tend t' always pre-fit everythin' before gluing. In this case, me bucko, I glued everythin' with Elmers white glue.

Gotchas are few but one big gotcha does exist. Arrr! When printin' patterns off JimZ's web site be careful t' check that your printer is printin' in true size. Aye aye! Blimey! Some printers will "print t' fit" t' paper stock you are using. Ya scallywag! This will throw everythin' off in t' construction process.

After t' patterns are printed, ya bilge rat, construction is straight forward. I made several simple alterations that I thought greatly improved t' finished product.

Instructions call for a two-part fin cut and assembled from .125" balsa. Begad! On me boilerplate first attempt I experienced many broken fins near t' thin bases on recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! T' overcome this, me bucko, I elected t' cut t' fins as a single assembly from .125" basswood. Begad! Avast! I then soaked them in thin and thick CA glue t' strengthen and seal t' wood grains.

No tube was readily available for t' BT63CJ Tail Shroud tube. Begad! Arrr! For this I cut t' pattern from a 3" section o' BT60. Arrr! I then split t' shroud in t' thin area and glued it in place on t' body tube. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! After t' glue dried, ya bilge rat, I filled t' slit with Elmers's wood filler and sanded it till it was nay noticeable.

T' pattern for t' Cockpit Canopy was cut from paper and tacked into place with Elmers. Avast, me proud beauty! Be careful about wettin' t' paper too much with Elmers white glue as it will cause t' paper t' deform. I then soaked t' canopy in place with thin CA glue. Avast! This permanently cements it in place and greatly improves its strength.

Finally, I was nay able t' find any BT3 tube for t' Rocket tubes. For this I elected t' use Apogee's 10.5mm tubin' and cut eight sections t' a 1.75" length. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I discovered that if I discarded t' spacer seven o' these tubes fit nicely around t' engine tube, For t' 8th and last tube I positioned it over t' engine hook. Arrr! T' facilitate operation o' t' hook, matey, I cut a lengthwise slit in t' 8th tube t' same width as t' engine hook. When glued in place, it gives t' illusion o' a complete tube but allows for t' engine hook t' be displaced inside o' t' tube. Begad! Begad! Gotcha warning: remember t' paint t' motor mount tubes before gluin' them into t' rocket as t' instructions state.

Finishing:
I built this rocket because I liked t' way it looks. Therefore, shiver me timbers, matey, I decided t' finish it in factory colors and decals. Ya scallywag! O' course, arrr, t' decals are no longer available. Aye aye! Luckily a decal scan is also available on JimZ's web site. Avast, me proud beauty! That allowed me t' print me own decals on inkjet decal paper. Begad! Decal paper is available from most hobby shops or several web vendors.

Paintin' was accomplished in two phases. Begad! Begad! This procedure is also recommended in t' instructions. T' Rocket is painted all over in bright orange, shiver me timbers, while t' motor mount tube area is painted separately in chrome.

Next, t' very tedious placement o' decals and rivet patterns are cut and placed on t' rocket. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' only bad illustration on t' JimZ web documents be t' decal placement illustrations. Ahoy! Avast! Unfortunately, they are blacked out and unreadable, however, 95% o' t' decal placement can be figured out from t' instructions and t' finish rocket pictured on t' web site.

Gotcha: After all decals are in place and dry. Avast! Spray a couple o' coats o' clearcoat over t' decals t' seal them in place. Do this before you glue t' motor mount in place. Avast! I have discovered that clearcoat paint sprayed over chrome paint ruins t' chrome effect.

After t' clearcoat is dry, glue t' motor mount in place per t' instructions.

Looks great!!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I have yet t' fly me second attempt at buildin' this rocket. Well, blow me down! However, me first boilerplate attempt has flown a few times. Avast, me proud beauty! I believe that t' A8-3 motor is far t' weak t' lift this rocket. Ya scallywag! Begad! This might be contributed t' me heavy construction techniques.

On an A8-3, t' test rocket flew true on sluggish performance o' t' rod t' 75 feet. Blimey! Recovery occurred so close t' t' ground that t' chute barely opened. Blimey! This resulted in a broken balsa fin from t' hard landing. Arrr! Thus, t' fin improvement on t' second installment.

T' second rocket will fly its maiden flight on a B6-4 soon.

Waddin' and motor retention are all standard for t' Estes model rockets.

Recovery:
My shock cord construction be o' t' Quest rocket design. T' instructions call for t' standard Estes trifold glued inside t' body tube. My experience has this method failin' after several flights.

Therefore, I ran a 6" piece o' Keelhaul®©™ strin' through t' forward centerin' rin' and tied it around t' motor mount. Blimey! I then tied t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® strin' t' a 20" length o' elastic shock cord. I have also learned that t' knot should fall inside t' body tube near t' top with t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' fully extended. If Keelhaul®©™ strin' is allowed t' be exposed t' t' end edges o' t' body tube it can cut like a wire and zipper t' body tube on normal chute deployments.

As long as you avoid t' A8-3 motor, me hearties, recovery will be gentle on t' standard Estes 18" plastic chute. Ahoy! Begad! On t' A8-3 t' chute opens t' close t' t' ground t' allow for proper deceleration.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great rocket, and with some patience in placin' t' rivet decals you will end up with a greatly detailed futuristic flier. Ya scallywag! Begad! In fact, it looks so good it is probably guaranteed t' be grabbed by t' rocket Gods ;>)

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5