| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2015-07-30 |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
Brief
T' Athena is an Estes Skill Level 1 kit produced durin' t' '90s that utilized a plastic fin unit and nosecone. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! My Athena, shiver me timbers, originally, me bucko, built in 1990, arrr, was t' first craft I launched after a long hiatus from rocketry.
Components
T' components are as follows:
- BT-50 body tube
- Plastic fin can
- NC-50 nosecone and insert
- Engine mount components
- 12' parachute, me bucko, shroud lines and shock cord
- Decal sheet
Construction
Puttin' together t' Athena was very simple. Arrr! It was one o' me first builds and be made easy by t' one-piece fin can. Begad! Durin' t' refurbishment all I needed t' do was replace t' shock cord and parachute.
Finishing
T' Athena came with a set o' metallic decals as well as a silver-colored nosecone. Begad! Ahoy! I originally opted t' forgo t' decals and just paint mine white, arrr, but when preparin' it for flight again two years ago I decided t' give it a realistic motif. Begad! This be done by paintin' t' nose black, shiver me timbers, paintin' a roll pattern on t' fin can and applyin' number and letter decals left over from a model airplane kit.
Flight
Due t' losin' me first rocket (an Alpha III) because o' a small field and a powerful engine, me bucko, I was careful t' use only B engines in me Athena back in t' day. Avast! Ya scallywag! I decided t' keep with this practice when beginnin' t' launch again, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, as me local field was quite small. Ahoy! Aye aye! A B6-5 provided significant thrust and t' rocket arced nicely before t' ejection charge fired.
Recovery
T' Athena returned t' earth safe and sound with its 12' parachute.
Summary
Simple yet smart-looking, t' Athena was a great addition t' t' Estes fleet. Ya scallywag! Avast! Mine flew just as well in 2013 as it did back in t' '90s. No cons with this kit.
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