Brief:
I was doin' a rocket launch for Science Day at me kids' school. Begad! Ya scallywag! Since t' field be small, I wanted somethin' slow and low. Blimey! Begad! Since t' spectators were young, shiver me timbers, I wanted "somethin' special" and I thought t' "spits out nerdlets on streamers" factor would be a big plus. Ahoy! Since I wouldn't have time t' reload betwixt classes I knew I would have t' build 6 rockets o' each type I was launchin' (the Snitch, shiver me timbers, and Cosmic Cobra were t' other two types I chose), ya bilge rat, so cheapness and Level 1 construction were a must. Blimey! Begad! And since thar was no way I could call or finish these as "Cluster Bombs" for little kids, me bucko, I thought t' 10" long fat tube would be perfect for a colorful wrap.

Wel,l I was right on 4 out o' me five requirements. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' only one I be wrong on was that these were Level 1 construction projects. Aye aye! Blimey! A combination o' poor design and shoddy parts made buildin' 6 o' these far more time-consumin' and aggravatin' than I expected. Ahoy! Blimey! I knew these were ridiculously cheap rockets, matey, me hearties, considerin' t' number o' parts, but these kits weren't up t' t' usual Estes standards. Aye aye! Blimey! A Mosquito is a Level 1 rocket. Begad! An Alpha is a Level 1 rocket. A motor-mount-overhang, two-part-boat-tail, through-the-wall-fins, clay-in-the-two-part-nosecone is nay a Level 1 project. Begad! Blimey! Add in parts that don't fit and an unsecured aft motor mount and you're closer t' a Level 3.

Construction:

T' first “gotcha” is in t' motor mount. Aye aye! T' construction be t' usual Estes type, with t' difference bein' that both centerin' rings are far forward o' t' engine hook. Begad! You're instructed t' place a mark inside t' aft end o' t' body tube and then glue t' mount in place. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! If you do this before you do t' next step, me hearties, shiver me timbers, buildin' t' boat tail (“tail cone”), you can't use t' tail t' line up t' motor mount. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' aft end o' t' motor mount appears t' be designed t' end just short o' t' end o' t' tail cone, arrr, leavin' it unsecured at it's aft end. Avast! Arrr! Since I read t' directions prior t' gluin' in t' motor mount, ya bilge rat, I built t' boat tail first thinkin' t' aft end o' t' motor mount tube must rest in t' end o' t' plastic boat tail. Begad! But t' end o' t' boat tail is o' a smaller diameter than t' motor mount tube (it's t' same diameter as a motor). Well, blow me down! Thus it's t' motor itself that provides lateral stability for t' motor mount tube. What's really needed here is either another, smaller, arrr, ya bilge rat, matey, centerin' ring, or some flanges inside t' boat tail that center and stabilize t' motor mount. Begad! Well, blow me down! It's nay that this is such a high performance product that this is critical for flight, but it means t' motor-mount tube moves all over when you are tryin' t' check t' fit o' t' through-the-wall-fin fin-tabs. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Basically you need t' insert a motor while you're buildin' t' rocket in order t' adjust t' length o' t' fin-tabs.

T' second “gotcha” is that on all six kits t' notch in t' boat tail, ya bilge rat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, through which t' engine hook is t' fit was too narrow for t' width o' t' hook. Arrr! Begad! I simply enlarged it on t' first rocket I put together before realizin' I'd been had by t' third “gotcha” which is that t' notch is directly in line with t' fin slot in t' boat tail. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This means you're supposed t' glue that fin t' t' engine hook? This be t' only rocket I've ever built suggestin' you insert a lever betwixt t' fin and body tube! For t' remainder o' t' rockets I Dremeled an engine-hook notch at a spot halfway betwixt two fin slots. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Really nay a Level-1 construction technique.

T' final “gotcha” was t' fins and fin-slots. T' directions tell you t' “Test fit fins in slots on tail cone. Sand as needed for a proper fit.” Easier said than done since this was a two-part “gotcha”. T' fin-slots on all six rockets were significantly narrower than t' fin stock. Aye aye! Blimey! Okay, me bucko, you're probably goin' t' have some variance in fin stock so err a little on t' narrow side for t' slots t' make sure t' fins are tight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! A little sandin' would be OK. But t' difference betwixt t' two was really significant, probably 25% o' t' fin width. Aye aye! Blimey! For t' first rocket fin (out o' t' 24 I did) I tried alternately sandin' one side o' t' fin tab, then t' other, matey, tryin' t' keep t' fin tab centered in t' fin. That be such a pain that I eventually decided t' widen t' fin slots. I eventually figured out that foldin' a quarter sheet o' 220 sandpaper lengthwise in half, shiver me timbers, and then in half again, shiver me timbers, arrr, produced a giant sized “emery board” that could be slipped through two fin slots at once and would fairly smartly enlarge t' slots enough t' take t' fins.

T' second part o' this “gotcha” was that now that I had fins that fit in t' slots, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' tabs were too long. Arrr! T' directions tell nothin' about this but t' solution I came up with, because o' t' unsecured motor mount, me bucko, arrr, arrr, was t' insert an engine (the yellow engine spacer is too flimsy), write a number on each fin and correspondin' fin-slot, shiver me timbers, matey, and sand t' tabs t' fit. Blimey! Okay, after t' fins are all glued in place they do act t' center-stabilize t' motor-mount tube. Aye aye! Avast! But unless you figured out some way t' hold t' tube in place while sandin' t' fins t' fit, you're goin' t' end up with an off-center motor-mount. Begad! One that you probably can't even slide an engine into considerin' t' proximity and narrowness o' t' aft end o' t' boat tail. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Again, nay really a Level 1 technique.

As for t' rest o' t' assembly, ya bilge rat, it was fairly straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! If you've built lots o' rockets before, ya bilge rat, thar are no show-stoppers. Ya scallywag! Blimey! But thar's no way anyone should think o' buyin' this kit for someone's first rocket. If you haven't built a number o' rockets with motor mounts and through-the-wall fins, me bucko, this kit would be extremely frustrating.

Finishing:

As for finishing, I made colorful wraps t' size on me computer and printed them out from me inkjet printer on full-size label paper. Ahoy! Blimey! T' best technique I found was t' put a little centerin' mark in t' center o' t' top and bottom o' each wrap. Begad! I drew a centerin' line down t' middle o' each rocket usin' a piece o' aluminum angle-iron. (Because I had already put t' launch lugs on, I put me line on t' opposite side o' t' launch lugs. Avast! I've used this technique again since, ya bilge rat, matey, but I do it before puttin' on t' launch lugs, then cut out a small spot for t' lugs.) I then cut t' wraps t' size, matey, and tore away a thin strip o' backin' paper down t' middle o' t' wrap. I lined it up at top and bottom, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, then pressed it into place, startin' from t' center and workin' out toward t' top and bottom o' t' tube. Aye aye! I then removed t' backin' paper from one side at a time and, workin' from t' center out towards t' back side o' t' rocket, me bucko, repeated t' sequence. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! It works well, shiver me timbers, me bucko, avoids bubbles, and allows for better alignment than tryin' t' line up one edge o' t' wrap with t' centerin' line. Arrr! If you make your background color black, arrr, you can fill in any tiny gap on t' back side with permanent marker (I also used permanent marker t' color t' launch lugs). I then sprayed t' wrap with two coats o' Rustoleum clear, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, and let those dry for 24 hours before maskin' off t' body t' paint t' fins and tail. Aye aye! I painted t' clear first because I wanted t' be sure t' maskin' tape wouldn't ruin t' paper wrap. Be sure t' test whatever spray you're usin' first on some scrap wraps because one o' t' acrylic clear coats I tried made all t' ink run. Begad! T' clear coat soaks through t' paper so whatever is underneath will show through any light areas. For that reason I erase all but t' very top and bottom o' me centerin' line before puttin' on t' wrap. Ahoy! Blimey! I also spray non-white tubes white when usin' t' technique on other rockets for t' same reason. If you've nay done this technique before, matey, you'll be surprised at how vibrant t' inkjet colors turn after you spray them with t' clear spray paint (see photo). T' size and color o' t' body tube, as well as t' cost, shiver me timbers, on this rocket make it perfect for your first attempt at a wrap.

Construction Rating: 1 out o' 5

Flight:

As for flying, me bucko, ya bilge rat, in spite o' all t' construction problems, this is a real crowd pleaser. Ahoy! It flies great, ya bilge rat, matey, and is sturdier than I expected. Begad! I used B6-4s t' keep t' ejection low enough so t' kids could see t' action. Begad! Begad! Be sure t' keep t' rod straight up though when usin' B's. These rockets only hit 150' max on a B so anglin' t' rod on me first shot caused an almost-lawn-dart (which t' kids liked anyway). Arrr! Avast! I basically think o' this rocket, with colorful wraps, ejectin' nerdlets, ya bilge rat, and flown on B-engines, as a big version o' a New Year's Eve “Party Popper”.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:

All in all, I'd give this rocket a 5 for flight, a 5 for Potential Creativity, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, and a 1 or 2 for construction. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If Estes cleans up t' construction problems it should be in their lineup for a long time t' come.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5