Brief:
A single-staged, ya bilge rat, futuristic design, me bucko, ya bilge rat, featurin' several tube diameters. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Solar Probe was available from Estes from 1991 t' 1993. Ahoy! Blimey! T' design carried hints o' a Centuri influence.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 BT-60 body tube, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 5" long
• 1 BT-50 body tube, ya bilge rat, 7 3/8" long
• Four fins, me bucko, balsa, 1/16", each fin o' 2-piece construction
• 1 BT-20 engine mount tube, me hearties, 2.75" long
• 2 2060 centerin' rings
• 1 steel engine hook
• 1 12" plastic parachute
• 1 paper transition pattern sheet
• 1 wood dowel, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 12" long
• 1 decal sheet

T' instructions were o' standard Estes quality o' t' period. Ya scallywag! That is, arrr, shiver me timbers, well illustrated and in logical order. There are two identical 20/60 paper transitions, shiver me timbers, one betwixt t' BT-60 main airframe t' t' "upper stage" and one that forms a tail cone. Experience with paper transitions would be helpful in t' construction o' this model but not critical. Arrr! Begad! T' upper BT-50 body tube creates t' illusion o' a payload section. Avast, me proud beauty! However, this portion actually contains t' 12" parachute that be t' recovery system. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' portion o' t' BT-50 immediately forward o' t' 20/60 paper transition is surrounded by a series o' small pieces cut from t' wood dowel, termed "reactor vanes". T' fins were on a die-cut sheet and easy t' separate. Blimey! Each fin consisted o' a main lower portion and an upper fairing.

Finishing:
T' only wood t' be filled be t' fins, me bucko, which I did with three coats o' SIG brand sandin' sealer. Ahoy! I sanded between coats with 320 grit, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then 400 grit, shiver me timbers, finishin' up with 600 grit sandpaper. T' entire model was shot with one coat of Krylon gray primer then with two coats o' Krylon gloss white. Arrr! After allowin' time for drying, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' fins and nose cone were masked off and sprayed with Krylon cherry red. T' decals were good quality, and they were nay those nasty stickers.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
If care is used in alignin' t' four fins, matey, this model will turn in arrow-straight flights every time. Over t' years, I've used all manner o' B and C motors in this model, me hearties, all with great results.

Recovery:
T' shock cord attachment be t' standard Estes type tri-fold paper mount. Begad! T' shock cord is 1/8" wide rubber about 12" in length. Aye aye! This has proved adequate over t' years. Blimey! I be a bit concerned at first with t' parachute stowage arrangement [BT-50], arrr, but this also has proved reliable.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: This model always reminded me o' an oversimplified version o' t' old Centuri Laser-X. Aye aye! That's nay a bad thing--and I always expected t' see toothpicks on t' fin tips! It's an attractive design and even today draws attention at t' pads. Avast, me proud beauty! It can easily be cloned today.

CONs: T' only thin' I can think of, ya bilge rat, and, ya bilge rat, this is minor, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' fins are a tiny bit thin for me tastes. Begad! If I cloned it today, I'd use 3/32" balsa.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5