Brief:
Estes classic Alpha is your standard 3FNC LPR model, probably in continuous production longer than any other model rocket in history. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! It is a simple, shiver me timbers, straightforward build, ya bilge rat, listed as a skill level 2 build. Aye aye! Compared to the model airplanes I fly, it's somethin' a newbie could take on as a first project, matey, arrr, especially if he or she had a little guidance.

With its wide selection o' motors and quick assembly, arrr, it's a perfect all-around rocket, and t' body tube is large enough t' take up t' a 24" parachute should you feel t' urge t' enter parachute endurance competition.

Construction:

T' kit consists of:

• BT-50 Body Tube, me hearties, XX" long
• PNC-50 blow-molded plastic nose cone
• Three laser cut balsa fins, 3/32" sheet
• 18 mm motor tube, arrr, 2.75" long
• 2.75" steel motor retainer
• BT-20 t' BT-50 fiber motor mount adapter
• 1/8" white rubber shock cord
• 12" pre-assembled parachute
• Self-adhesive decal sheet
• 2 pages o' instructions

T' Alpha comes in a plastic bag, me bucko, which seems t' be a returnin' trend in Estes products. Avast, me proud beauty! It is good t' see that even Wal-Mart is startin' t' again carry higher skill level kits and that balsa fins and t' like are again becoming oft-seem items.

A nice new advance be t' addition o' laser-cut fins (more on that later), matey, ya bilge rat, which provide better cuts and speed finishing.

I started construction with t' body tube and motor mound, matey, per t' instructions (which I'm nay used t' following, ya bilge rat, being a model airplane guy who is used t' nay even havin' instructions), and decided t' modify t' model by extendin' the motor tube 3/8" out t' back o' t' body tube t' allow a tail cone t' be built around it. Blimey! There was a slight dink in t' motor tube, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but a quick coatin' o' CA on both ends o' t' tube fixed this imperfection and ensured good wear resistance. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! While I was at it, shiver me timbers, I hardened t' nose end o' t' tube with CA t' provide resistance against impacts and mishandling. Begad! Arrr! Total time for assemblin' t' motor tube and installin' it in t' fuselage was less than 5 minutes.

As a bit o' personal whim, I glued bits o' 3/16" balsa around t' exposed end o' t' motor tube and sanded this mess down into a small tail cone. Begad! This mod provides a nice effect, me bucko, but should be considered with caution, arrr, me hearties, as it places the motor 3/8" aft o' t' design location, shiftin' t' CG in t' wrong direction. Begad! Blimey! Before movin' on, I hardened the tail cone with CA and sanded t' body tube thoroughly t' minimize t' spirallin' groves in t' body tube.

Fin installation comes next, ya bilge rat, and t' paper tube markin' guide provides accurate positioning. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Some might find it hard t' use, ya bilge rat, but I had t' marks on in less than 30 seconds. Ya scallywag! Now it was time t' deal with t' fins, and here I ran into a squawk about t' kit. Ahoy! T' laser cuttin' does nay go all t' way through t' balsa, matey, so t' fins must still be carefully cut out o' t' carrier sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! While this is ok, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I've come t' expect laser cuttin' t' allow me t' punch t' parts right out. Begad! Blimey! Other than this minor issue, matey, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' fin stock was just t' right density, and t' laser cuttin' was clean, me bucko, me hearties, featuring minimal burn marking. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I planed and sanded t' fins t' a streamlined shape, me hearties, hardened t' tips with CA, and had t' fins all installed very quickly. I should add that t' sharp tips are vulnerable in a hard landing, and I chose t' round them slightly. Ya scallywag! It's me opinion that sharp tips like these should never be considered if balsa construction is t' be used. Avast! I supposed a few bits o' carbon tow would allow me t' retain t' sharp tips, but that wasn't on me agenda. We should also note that t' fin pattern on t' instructions is about 10% smaller than t' supplied fins. Well, blow me down! I'll take t' larger size, thank you. Arrr! Begad! I attached t' fins with CA and used the same for filleting. Begad! With those long, shiver me timbers, sweepin' fins, a hard landin' could break t' fins loose unless they are firmly mounted. Begad! These shouldn't ever come loose with that CA on them.

T' instructions tell you t' mount t' launch lug just ahead o' t' fins exactly betwixt two o' them. Blimey! A fine practice, matey, but mountin' it against one o' t' fins eases alignment and reduces drag. Aye aye! Aye aye! A further refinement modification was t' slice t' ends o' t' lug at an angle t' further streamline t' lug.

Estes is still usin' rubber shock cords, which I would prefer they stopped, arrr, but that's another story. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! I went ahead and used t' supplied cord since I have had pretty good success with them in spite o' me dislikes. Arrr! Begad! T' cord was respectably long, shiver me timbers, but a 50% length increase would be a very wise move. T' paper shock cord mount is another beef of mine, but they can be made t' be reliable if glued in place very firmly, shiver me timbers, which I made sure t' do.

It was interestin' t' see that Estes is now supplyin' completely finished parachute kits. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! You need only organize the shroud lines and loop them into place on t' nosecone. Avast! T' yellow and black checkerin' on t' chute looks cool and might seem like a high-vis scheme, ya bilge rat, but I'd prefer a solid color, me hearties, preferably red, me bucko, as it is visible from a much longer distance than checkering. Still, shiver me timbers, it's a respectable chute, and t' material looks stronger than what I've seen in the past with Estes kits.

Total assembly time be about an hour and a half, me hearties, and without me mods and extensive sanding, me hearties, it could have been cut to 45 minutes.

Summary:

Great kit, me bucko, good instructions, me hearties, laser cuttin' is a nice finish.

Laser cuttin' needs improvement, and t' shock cord and attachment could be re-done for better durability and functionality.

Finishing:
T' nose cone has most o' t' flashin' and mould seams removed, ya bilge rat, but I went ahead and sanded it as smooth as possible. T' plastic sands easily t' a good finish.

I gave t' entire rocket a good coat o' Krylon clear t' fill in t' tiny hints o' sandin' marks on t' nose and fill t' wood grain and other undesirable features. T' result was pleasing.

After procrastinatin' a bit, I decided nay t' fly t' model until it be completely finished. Begad! Aye aye! Out came t' paint. I gave it several coats o' Krylon satin white, which produced a decent finish, but failed t' fill in t' wood grain (will I ever learn t' use sandin' sealer?). Still, arrr, me hearties, t' result wasn't bad, though t' tube spirals remained somewhat visible. I painted t' nosecone in red gloss, matey, and nay havin' blue paint on hand, matey, colored one o' t' fins blue by adherin' blue tissue paper t' it with spray adhesive and sealin' t' edges with CA. Avast! Blimey! Yup, a trick from model airplanes. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Minimal weight gain, too!

With t' paint dry, I moved on t' decals. Begad! Estes apparently supplies self adhesive decals with everythin' now. Aye aye! I'm not a huge fan, but bein' terrible with water slides, matey, it's for t' best where I'm concerned. Other than t' fin decals bein' a little oversized, thar were no issues, arrr, arrr, and t' decals went on fine. Don't forget though, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, that with self adhesive, thar's no second try!

After everythin' was finished, me hearties, me hearties, I gave t' whole model a final coat o' Krylon gloss, me bucko, and oh how it shines! So in conclusion, ya bilge rat, me only qualm is with t' oversized fin decals. Ahoy! Can't fault Estes for t' wood grain thing, as that was my fault (the instructions say t' use sandin' sealer).

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Estes recommends a long list o' motors for this rocket. Basically it'll take nearly any 18mm motor you feed it. Begad! Aye aye! The instructions say t' use an A8-3 for t' familiarization flight, arrr, but I didn't want t' use up all o' mine, so started with a B4-4. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' launch was straight as an arrow, no weathercockin' despite significant winds. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! It probably went 800' up, ejectin' just a tad past apogee.

My second flight was on a calmer day, so I used a C6-5. Arrr! Launch be again dead straight, ya bilge rat, with ejection right at apogee. Arrr! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I inclined t' rod about 10 degrees t' better center t' rocket on t' field (a good choice as I later saw), me bucko, me hearties, matey, so it would have ejected prior t' apogee had I gone for a straight launch. Begad! This model really gets up thar on a C engine, easily makin' t' predicted 1000+'. A very impressive show!

Recovery:
Recovery be flawless both times. Avast, me proud beauty! T' little 10" chute is a little marginal on visibility, but let's face it, me bucko, matey, t' only way t' improve and still get a safe scuttle rate would be t' make it day-glow red. Ya scallywag! T' decent rate is just right, though it would need a streamer for small fields. Well, blow me down! From a C engine, arrr, it takes roughly 2 minutes to come back down.

In detail, arrr, on t' first flight, with ejection just past apogee, matey, arrr, t' model drifted back overhead and be carried to the edge o' t' field. Avast! No damage from recovery, shiver me timbers, and t' decent be stable, arrr, with just t' usual rockin' about. Well, blow me down! No dents from t' somewhat short shock cord, shiver me timbers, either, arrr, ya bilge rat, and it did remain in good condition. Ahoy! With 5 sheets o' recovery wadding, there be zero scorchin' o' t' chute.

T' second flight be also very good, and I was able t' catch t' model as it descended down. Begad! Centerin' the trajectory on t' field be a good idea, as it came down just short o' some trees. Descent be very stable, matey, with almost no rockin' about by t' end o' t' descent. Arrr! Begad! I would say t' chute is just right for this model in standard use, and seems very durable. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' rubber shock cord is just fine, too, so long as you keep it out o' UV radiation.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Alpha built great other than me minor squawk about t' fins and shock cord and finished out lookin' just fine. Arrr! Weight is respectable, resultin' in a very high performance rocket that is still large enough for easy flight preparation and motor installation/removal.

T' flights are great and stable, ya bilge rat, insensitive t' wind. Ahoy! Blimey! Recovery system works great, and it will take virtually any engine you can fit inside it. Blimey! Blimey! There is sufficient room for a 24" chute if you're willin' t' let things get a little tight, me hearties, so it's usable for competition, shiver me timbers, too.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5