After flyin' a bunch o' Quest MicroMaxx rockets and thoroughly enjoyin' them, I decided t' step up a bit in t' backyard capable flyin' machines that me son would enjoy. Ahoy! Begad! With that I purchased an Estes Mighty Mites Outlaw Starter Kit from Walmart for $10. T' kits comes with a launch pad, launch controller, an Outlaw rocket, an extra motor rin' and two 1/4A3-3T motors.

I have t' admit this little flier is fun and we have enjoyed it. Avast, me proud beauty! So much so that I have also purchased a Blitz and Sizzler set and a whole bunch o' 1/4A3-3T motors!

THE LAUNCH EQUIPMENT:

T' launch pad assembles easily with only t' need for a small Phillips screw driver. Ahoy! T' screw driver is needed t' remove t' bottom panel. Underneath this panel is where t' "juice" comes from in t' form o' four (4) AA batteries. This is nice bein' positioned here because it adds weight t' t' launch pad. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It has three legs, two long legs and one rear, short stabilizer leg. Begad! Blimey! T' deflector shield sits nicely betwixt two o' t' long support legs. Blimey! T' launch rod is plastic and formed right into t' launch assembly and will only accept a "C" launch lug that comes on t' Ready-to-Fly Mighty Mites. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' is no adjustment for t' angle o' t' launch rod. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey!

I would love t' see some mid-powered pads that have t' blast shield and battery pack idea incorporated. I believe they would be very successful.

T' launch controller is a yellow plastic box with a place t' insert a safety key which lights a bulb indicatin' continuity. Begad! Avast! By pressin' a small button t' varoooom occurs. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' 15' wires run from t' launch controller t' t' launch pad and are permanently attached because t' batteries are in t' bottom o' t' pad. Ahoy! Begad! T' two clips are near t' launch pad. Begad! It would have been nice t' be able t' separate t' controller and pad, matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, maybe by usin' a plug-in connection.

THE ROCKET:

T' rocket is Ready-to-Fly after you tie an orange streamer t' t' elastic shock cord. T' pre-assembled elastic shock cord is tied t' t' nose cone and is fed through a side port o' t' rocket and knotted t' prevent if from pullin' through t' hole.

There is no other assembly and only one other movin' part which be t' retainin' ring. Avast! T' rin' is a twist-lock type that holds t' motor in place durin' flight. Ahoy! Aye aye! Estes provided a second rin' in case t' first one is lost, however, matey, after nearly 10 flights our rin' is still in place.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points takin' away only for t' ability t' detach t' wires from t' launch pad.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

To prepare t' Outlaw for flight, you need t' put waddin' in then roll up t' streamer and push it in along with t' shock cord. Ahoy! Then put t' nose cone in place. Aye aye! On t' other end, matey, you insert t' motor and place t' retainer over it securin' it with a twist. Insert your ignitor and plug and you're ready. Ahoy! Avast! Now bear in mind that this is all very tight because it is a short rocket.

T' first flight was off o' a regular pad with a 1/8" launch rod and on t' 1/4A3-3 it zipped off t' pad gained some altitude and popped t' ejection while still goin' up . Well, blow me down! . Blimey! . but close t' max altitude. Ahoy! Upon recovery it was clear that t' shock cord only had 1 flight left and would probably break on t' next flight, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so it was set aside for that day for an enhancement.

T' enhancement was nothin' more than cuttin' out t' elastic and replacin' it with 8 inches o' 1/16 inch Keelhaul®©™ attached t' t' rocket and nose cone t' same way t' elastic was. Begad! And no streamer makin' no need for wadding. As soon as we got t' Blitz and Sizzler, I made t' same modification t' them.

With respect t' flying. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' flights are all nearly t' same. Blimey! Begad! We have had two launches with lower altitude and what appeared t' be very unstable. Aye aye! I have t' imagine it is due t' t' motor. Regardless, they have all been successful. We have only flown on t' 1/4A3-3's and appear t' get over 100 feet. That still works for our backyard or a local school field.

We have flown it 8 more times in t' new configuration with much success and enjoyment AND in our backyard (actually front but that just doesn't sound right since most people play in their backyards!) After t' 7th flight t' seam o' t' rocket started t' separate so I repaired it with some CA before we flew again.

T' Outlaw™ has flown 19 times so far on 1/4 and 1/2A's. I had had several other CA sessions t' keep it together at t' seams, matey, matey, but so far has been t' most successful Mighty Mite™ flier.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 2 points. It must be modified with Keelhaul®©™ just t' get more than t' two flights from t' motors provided in t' starter set.

Overall, shiver me timbers, t' Mighty Mites Outlaw Starter Set be a great buy for $10. Aye aye! Aye aye! Make t' Keelhaul®©™ modification and be sure t' watch for t' seam t' separate (have your CA ready). Well, blow me down! T' launch pad is designed well for its purpose and makes this Starter Set easy and convenient t' use. I give t' Starter Set an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 points.