Estes Astron Outlaw

Estes - Astron Outlaw {Kit}

Contributed by Tim Duncan

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Estes
Style: Sport

Estes Astron Outlaw

Brief:
This rocket is part o' Estes Launchables Starter Set and is aimed at newcomers t' t' hobby. T' package says that it takes less than an hour t' assemble and does nay require any painting.

Construction:
T' kit comes with one body tube that already has t' launch lug and a 1/8" x 18" elastic shock cord attached, two fin halves, matey, ya bilge rat, one lock ring, shiver me timbers, one nose cone, me hearties, me hearties, an assembled 12" plastic parachute, me hearties, and decals.

T' instructions are pretty straightforward. Begad! You will need a modelin' knife, plastic cement, arrr, and maskin' tape for construction. Ahoy! Arrr! All you have t' do is glue t' 2 plastic fin halves together, glue t' now assembled fin can t' t' tube and tie t' chute and nose cone on. Aye aye! T' fins have t' engine mount built in t' them and here in lies t' only "gotcha". Begad! Do nay attach t' lock rin' until t' fins have dried. If you do, you risk sealin' t' motor mount closed and you will have a great lookin' paper weight.

Finishing:
On a personal note, I found that clear tape worked better at fittin' me nose cone than maskin' tape. Ya scallywag! It is thinner and will give you a way t' layer up t' fit. Blimey! Maskin' tape was too thick for mine. Begad! Aye aye! Just add t' decals and it looks great. Ya scallywag! Somethin' I will go back and do is add a #5 swivel t' t' nose cone for t' chute. Ahoy! This will keeps it from gettin' tangled.

Estes Astron Outlaw

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I would recommend t' C6-5 engine. I used this engine twice but used a B6-4 for t' first flight. Ahoy! T' engine is placed in t' motor mount that is built into t' fins and held thar by t' lock ring. Ya scallywag! T' rocket does use waddin' and recommends that you use 4-5 sheets o' it for each flight. Avast! Ahoy! I started out usin' 4 sheets and ended up with a holey chute. Ya scallywag! I would definitely recommend usin' 5 sheets. Avast! Nice straight flights.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is t' be double knotted t' t' nose cone. Ahoy! It be very easy t' assemble. I would have t' say that it does have a tendency t' fall a bit fast. This might have been due t' t' fact that t' ejection charge might burn t' chute. Aye aye! On a few flights in high wind, arrr, it would have been damaged had t' fins nay been made from plastic. After about 6 or 7 flights, arrr, matey, t' chute needs t' be replaced. Aye aye! I would add a chute protector t' hopefully nay have this problem.

Estes Astron Outlaw

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
It was a very quick and easy build. It flies very well even in pretty stiff winds. Ahoy! On t' other hand, arrr, I would highly recommend a chute protector. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket can survive some pretty rough landin' due t' t' materials used. My eight-year old son loves this thing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes Astron Outlaw (RTF) By John Thomas (March 20, 2007)

    Brief: This is an easy to build Estes Rocket (E2X Series) sold as part of the "Launchables" Starter Set (1452). It requires no paint and no fin alignment and is an easy first build. The starter set includes a Porta Pad II, Electron Beam Controller, Two Engines (A8-3 and B4-4), the Astron Outlaw, and the Black Diamond, which is a level 1 kit that the buyer can build after ...

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