Estes Cruise Missile (RTF)

Estes - Cruise Missile {Kit}

Contributed by Eric Truax

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Estes
Skill Level: 1
Style: RTF

Brief:
Single stage, me hearties, all plastic rocket with t' screw on plastic back t' hold t' motor in.

Construction:
T' rocket is all plastic, with t' standard elastic shock cord. 3 molded fins.

Construction is really straight forward. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' only bug in t' ointment I had is that me kit came as a 2 set with a Maverick Missile. Begad! I bought t' kit at Wal-Mart and t' whole thin' was under 8 dollars. It's made o' a plastic that you cannot use plastic model cement on. Begad! No problem, I used super glue instead! T' instructions are super easy t' understand and just about anyone can put this rocket together. Ahoy! T' best part is all t' decals are painted on except for t' wings, so finish is a snap. T' kit went together in about a half hour.

Finishing:
Just follow t' instructions. Blimey! It looks pretty good when done!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew me rocket usin' t' A10-3T motor on a breezy day with 15mph gusts or better. Ahoy! It be a little hard t' get t' plastic retainer on and be a bit o' a tight fit. Ahoy! T' recovery waddin' be t' trickiest t' get in and I still haven't mastered that. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' rocket itself is very stable, me bucko, and even in a 10mph gust went up straight and true t' about 200ft or so.

Recovery:
I thought t' shock cord on me model was a bit long. Ahoy! Begad! I loaded it in after 1.5 sheets o' waddin' and then t' parachute. Begad! T' chute be very tricky t' get into t' triangular body and seemed rather large for such a small rocket. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I had t' refold it twice t' get it in. On t' first flight, me hearties, me bucko, t' chute deployed OK and recovery be very nice! It came down at a steady pace and landed softly. Blimey! I noticed that it didn't eject t' waddin' though, which be hung up inside. On t' 2nd flight, shiver me timbers, it only popped t' nose cone off and never ejected t' chute! It landed with a THUMP but thar be absolutely no damage! After pullin' out all t' recovery materials, arrr, t' engine had blown past t' waddin' and fried t' chute! This rocket is very tricky t' set up for recovery but it seems nearly indestructible anyway!

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
T' main con t' this rocket is tryin' t' get t' recovery system t' function properly. Aye aye! However, it flies beautifully and is nearly indestructible. Avast! Well, blow me down! In fact it's kind o' nice t' come home and throw t' thin' in t' scuttle and clean it up! It's a cinch t' put together, arrr, me hearties, and will get you in t' air quickly.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes Cruise Missile By Chan Stevens

    I'm almost ashamed to admit having an RTF in my fleet, but this rocket actually looks pretty cool and flies much better than any other RTF I've seen lately. With a half-off coupon and already owning everything else in the store, I just couldn't walk away empty handed and picked this up for about $6. The rocket is all plastic, with "menacing" decals already applied and a 12" chute. ...

  • Estes Cruise Missile (RTF) By Bubba Sligar

    Brief: This rocket, like its older Estes and Centuri brothers, is based on the AGM-86 A.L.C.M. Cruise Missile. Although it isn't 18mm, it sure get's up there! (Estes should have made it 18mm, trade-off in a RTF world.) Construction: This is a Ready-to-Fly model. The only thing that I would CON about it is that the shock cord wasn't long enough, and that the 13mm motor wasn't ...

Flights

Comments:

avatar
D.B.Jr. (June 1, 2001)
I normally hate RTF. I first bought this rocket when I saw it at a local Wal-Mart, I was impressed with the styling and knew I had to have it. The first launch took place after a heavy rainfall earlier in the day. The rocket acually landed in a big mud puddle. After removing the motor, I left it open to let the wet shock cord and parachute dry. Because of the all plastic construction absolutely nothing was ruined. A good kit to fly on wet ground.

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