Brief:
This is a fairly simple 2-stage, 18mm rocket from Estes. I have slightly modified mine with shortenin' and a modified booster motor mount t' repair damage.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 18" o' BT-50; mine only has 10" left.
• 1-15/16" o' BT-50 for booster
• 2 magenta plastic fin units
• PNC-50YR: 2-part magenta nose cone
• 2 blue 18mm engine mount tubes o' rather poor quality
• 2 green 18mm-24mm centerin' rings
• 2 green 18mm engine blocks
• 1 long green 18mm-24mm adapter ring
• 1 yellow 24mm reinforcement ring
• Launch lug
• 1/8" x 18" shock cord
• 1.2" x 30" orange streamer
• Decal sheet

I barely remember anythin' about construction o' t' original. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Be very careful t' align t' launch lug halves perfectly. Aye aye! I would suggest goin' with a single, me hearties, me bucko, longer lug. Blimey! Mine currently uses t' scavenged plastic lug assembly from a Space Bus and that works well.

I took about 8" off o' t' sustainer body tube after it crimped twice--right above t' fin unit and about 6" above it--and glued t' fin unit on again. Ahoy! Five inches o' t' scavenged tube now resides in t' pop-pod o' me new boost glider; t' rest was crumpled and trashed. Ya scallywag! T' Mongoose is still perfectly stable and flyable even when shortened.

T' other major modification is that I no longer have t' lower motor mount tube. It was crushed t' first time I tried t' put a motor in it. Begad! All o' t' tubes in t' kit are too thin and poor quality. Avast! Arrr! I simply removed t' tube and glued t' lower engine block into t' bottom centerin' ring. I now simply wrap t' booster motor with a bit o' maskin' tape and everythin' works great.

I suggest replacin' t' 2 crappy motor mount tubes with better, stronger BT-20 pieces. Aye aye! Be prepared t' either shorten t' body tube or repair it with tube couplers or fiberglass.

Two and a half points for buildin' alone because t' rocket is too flimsy for its own good, me bucko, but t' fin units make a lot up.

Finishing:
There's no paintin' t' be done. Begad! T' decals are sticker type--much easier for fumblefingers like me--and look halfway nice. Arrr! T' yellow and magenta colorin' looks nice. Avast! My only complaints are t' plain launch lug that doesn't fit in t' color scheme and that t' spirals on t' body tube are visible. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! Picky, matey, ya bilge rat, picky.

Four and a half points for finishin' alone.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My first "flight" was on an A8-3 in 2004. T' launch lugs weren't aligned enough and it stuck on t' pad. That was me mistake.

T' next flight was sometime last year on a B6-4. It was a perfect flight with a loud, straight boost t' about 300 feet. Ya scallywag! Although t' streamer deployed fine, t' body tube crimped on impact, me bucko, promptin' me t' make t' changes.

T' next flight was 2-stage on a B6-0/B6-6 combo. Ahoy! It be straight and fast, matey, but stagin' be low enough t' be seen. T' sustainer disappeared into t' darkenin' sky, only t' reappear under its streamer 30 seconds later. Ahoy! Avast! Both o' me modifications worked fine.

Its latest flight was on an A8-3. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' flight was low, shiver me timbers, me hearties, about 120 feet, arrr, but stable. Begad! Ahoy! T' streamer didn't deploy, me hearties, me hearties, but it landed with no damage in a puddle o' water. After drying, shiver me timbers, thar was no damage, weakening, or warping.

However, either from deployment or more likely me handling, me bucko, matey, t' loop broke off t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! I simply drilled a small hole on t' end o' t' nose cone shoulder, inserted a small screw, shiver me timbers, and glued it in with CA. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' shock cord ties firmly t' t' screw head.

Estes recommends t' A8-3, shiver me timbers, B4-4, me bucko, B6-4, and C6-5 for single stage flights and C6-0s stagin' t' B6-6s and C6-7s. Aye aye! I find that t' B6-0 is a good booster for smaller fields (the A8-0 would be even better), and t' rare A8-5s a good upper-stage motor.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is 1/8" x 18" elastic, ya bilge rat, arrr, barely adequate. Begad! Begad! A 24" or 36" piece o' 3/16" elastic would have been better.

T' 1" x 30" streamer is too long and it doesn't flap. A 2" x 20" streamer would be better. Ahoy! Begad! For A and B single-stage flights, a 12" parachute would be fine, shiver me timbers, but t' streamer is needed for C and 2-stage flights because it is fairly light and would drift away quickly, arrr, especially from 1600 feet on a C6-0/C6-7 combo.

T' main complaint I have though, me bucko, is that t' booster is marginally stable after separation and t' front tends t' crumple a bit. Begad! T' reinforcement ring, matey, me hearties, however, excellently prevents it from crumplin' too much.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Estes calls t' Mongoose an excellent first 2-stage rocket. Ya scallywag! I say t' Loadstar, me bucko, ya bilge rat, Solar Flare, shiver me timbers, me hearties, or one o' Quest's L1 2-stagers would be a bit better. This be t' first 2-stagers I built and t' second I flew, so it's nay too off t' mark.

T' Mongoose is a great flier for large and small fields. Avast! Except for t' too-stable booster, me bucko, it flies excellently. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' main problem is that t' tubes, especially t' engine mount tubes are substandard. Avast! Ahoy! T' plastic fin units are excellent and prevent beginners from havin' t' mess with 8 fins, arrr, and t' pre-finished look is excellent.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5