Brief:
Estes' latest egglofter...single-stage single-motor with an ENORMOUS range o' power options and a classy clear egg capsule.

Construction:
T' kit consists o' t' egg capsule, shiver me timbers, a very heavy 24mm body tube, an 18mm adapter, me bucko, a pair o' long motor-retainer clips (suitable for Estes' blackpowder "E" motors), me hearties, a heavy rin' t' reduce t' motor mount length inside (so you can use "D" motors as well), ya bilge rat, a pair o' parachutes (12" and 18"), a sheet o' laser-cut balsa fins, arrr, two lengths o' rubber-band shock cord, ya bilge rat, a 5mm launch lug, arrr, and a sheet o' press-on decals. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!

Construction was fairly standard. Blimey! Estes provides their usual topnotch well-illustrated instructions. Ahoy! They rated it as a Skill Level 2, arrr, which I agree with as far as t' construction goes. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I used t' old-fashioned tube-slit method for attachin' t' shock cord instead o' t' mount included.

This is one sturdy bird...the laser-cut balsa fins were hard enough t' make me wonder if they weren't basswood instead, and t' airframe tube makes me think LOC instead o' Estes! T' dual-hook motor retention setup seems overkill, but looks classy. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' wrap-on alignment guide was spot-on...I used gel CA t' attach t' fins and filleted them with white glue.

Construction PRO's:

--Concrete-solid design, ya bilge rat, wide range o' propulsion options.

Construction CON's:

--None I noted.

Finishing:
I did a minor color-scheme change on me Eggscaliber...the yellow egg capsule I painted red instead, and painted the roll-pattern decal red t' match it.

Tube spirals vanished as I applied spray black, ya bilge rat, and t' hard balsa fins were smooth enough as they were without any sealing.

T' stick-on decals were a nice additional touch (although I still like waterslide decals better). Well, blow me down! A fair number of t' decals were supposed t' be applied t' t' egg payload...a good chuckle generator.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flew it at t' DARS McGregor launch site on t' 26th o' May, arrr, 2007. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

My first flight be on a C6-3 with an empty payload section. It required four squares o' TP waddin' and I used a 12" plastic parachute. Arrr! It flew straight up t' an estimated 450 feet.

Second flight was with a cackle fruit and on a D12-3. Avast! I ran into me only GOTCHA here--the body tube is nice and slim for low drag, shiver me timbers, matey, but nay roomy enough for a really big parachute! Wanted t' use a 24" chute...had t' use an 18" for reasons o' space. Still got t' egg back unbroken...and an estimated 425 foot flight.

My third flight I went for broke on an E9-4 with t' same egg...no pun intended. Nice straight flight t' 550 feet estimated...recovery successful!

AARG does an eggloftin' competition they call "Huevos Launcheros" on occasion...I may buy a second Eggscaliber and add its main airframe tube t' this one for extra parachute room and try it.

Recovery:
I used t' old "tube-slit" method on t' shock cord mount on this one.

It recovered fine each flight. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Main PRO's---Good egg-capsule design and sturdy design with lots o' motor options.

Only real CON---not enough parachute space for a big chute.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5