Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.54 inches |
Length: | 7.80 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
A step up from t' fire and forget Mosquito, t' Screamer is a mini-engine bird
that lives up t' its name. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Even with its mini engine power, me hearties, this little rocket
is out o' sight before t' smoke hits t' blast deflector. Blimey! With its bright
orange paint it is a highly visible rocket, me hearties, but with t' kind o' performance
that it is capable of, bright orange paint is only goin' t' be o' so much use.
Construction:
I used t' followin' parts t' build t' rocket:
Construction o' t' Screamer is only slightly more difficult than buildin' a Mosquito, but t' end result is much more satisfyin' and looks like it will at least be recoverable. (More on that later.) It involves nothin' more complicated than tyin' a length o' Keelhaul®©™® cord around t' engine block, me hearties, then gluin' t' engine block in place with Elmer's wood glue. I attached t' three fins usin' LocTite Gel CA, then filleted them in place with wood glue. Avast! Begad! Blimey! T' small washer be then attached to the nose cone with t' small screw eye and t' Keelhaul®©™® was then tied t' t' screw eye. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! After attachin' t' launch lug t' Screamer is ready t' fly if you aren't picky about paint.
Finishing:
Finishin' could scarcely have been easier. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! After t' tube spirals and balsa
grain had been eliminated with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, matey, t' rocket was
sprayed with white primer. Begad! This is an important step because white primer
allows t' florescent orange paint that I used next t' glow t' its best effect.
T' unlabeled orange paint had been left over from me car modelin' days and was
so old that I wasn't even sure it would spray but it worked like a champ. Blimey! The
flat florescent paint sprayed on quite rough, so I lightly sanded t' rocket
with fine grit sandpaper t' smooth out t' finish, ya bilge rat, then sprayed and sanded it
again. Ahoy! Avast! I then sprayed t' nose cone with Valspar gloss black and after allowing
everythin' t' dry, me bucko, a coat o' Valspar clear gloss. Begad! T' orange and black o' the
rocket's color scheme made a great contrast together and I was left with a
smooth surface t' attach t' decals. Aye aye! Arrr! I printed t' decal off on me home printer
usin' t' scans from JimZ. T' scans need t' be cleaned up but that is a skill
I have yet t' master. Begad! T' spaces betwixt t' bands on t' wrap decal looked a
little dark but nay badly enough that they detracted from t' looks o' the
rocket.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
While three flights is considered normal, it only took one flight for the
Screamer t' show what it was capable of. I left home on t' day o' t' flight
and encountered worsenin' weather conditions on t' trip t' t' VOA. Blimey! Aye aye! By the
time I arrived at t' field, only two other fliers were still present and it
had begun t' snow lightly. Arrr! Begad! With t' field already covered with snow from a
previous storm and three successful flights in t' books already, arrr, ya bilge rat, I decided to
give t' Screamer a chance. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I had no doubt that t' bright orange rocket would
show up well against t' uniformly white coatin' on t' ground and loaded it
with an A10-3T. This was a mistake. I should have chosen a much smaller motor
for t' first flight because I never saw t' rocket after it left t' pad. Begad! I
heard t' pop o' t' ejection charge and waited expectantly for t' rocket to
drift back down and glow against t' white carpet o' snow. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! No dice. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I began
lookin' over in t' direction that t' light breeze would have carried the
rocket but I found nothin' except for a lost soccer ball. By this time it had
begun t' snow harder and I got t' distinct impression that I was t' only one
on t' field still interested in flying. Aye aye! Ahoy! I suggested that we strike t' range
and after helpin' pack things up, arrr, I went back t' me rescue mission. Ahoy! For the
next hour I walked a grid pattern for several hundred yards in t' direction of
the breeze, hopin' t' spot an orange glow, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but it wasn't t' be. Well, blow me down! I never saw
anythin' o' t' Screamer again. Avast, me proud beauty! It doesn't call or write.
Recovery:
PROs: Without a streamer in t' body tube, ya bilge rat, packin' t' rocket is a snap.
CONs: Never recovered t' rocket.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
PROs: Great looks and performance. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Cheap t' build and fly. Easy t' upscale.
CONs: Nay a rocket t' fly when you have t' only deadlights watchin' t' skies. Ya scallywag!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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