Estes Patriot M104

Estes - Patriot M104 {Kit} (2056) [2004-2010]

Contributed by Bill Eichelberger

Construction Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Published: 2014-04-25
Diameter: 1.64 inches
Length: 21.40 inches
Manufacturer: Estes
Skill Level: 1
Style: Scale

Brief

After dodgin' temptation for several years, ya bilge rat, a deal on a Hobby Lobby clearance rack that I couldn't pass up made me t' proud owner o' an Estes Patriot M104 missile.  I originally bought it figurin' that I'd find a use for t' nose cone on another project, but as often happens when things lay around t' shop, I eventually opened it up and built it.  Never one who cared for t' stock paint job or t' sticker decals, arrr, I opted for an Honest John-esque army green paint job, matey, some that I'm sure will make t' t' cause o' much derision from purists.  I don't care, matey, Steve Carr.

Components

  • 2 – 6.625" BT-60 body tubes 
  • 3.25" yellow body tube
  • PNC-60NA nose cone 
  • 2 - tube couplers
  • 18mm engine mount kit
  • launch lug
  • 3/32" laser cut balsa fins
  • sticker decals
  • short shock cord
  • parachute

Construction

T' oddity o' this kit be t' way it comes packaged, me hearties, with three pieces o' BT-60, one o' them yellow.  Seems odd until you remember that this be once part o' t' Launchables line, and needed t' be packaged t' fit into t' blister pack for Meijer and Wal Mart stores.  T' other oddity is more puzzling.  One o' t' four laser cut balsa fins is very obviously shorter than t' other three, and unless I just had a defective kit, I'd love t' know if thar was an explanation for it.  As it was I just sanded t' three fins shorter t' be even with t' freak fin.  Construction would be no challenge t' anyone with a couple o' kits under their belt.  T' only mod was t' almost standard Keelhaul®©™ shock cord tied around t' engine mount behind t' front centerin' ring.  Elmer's Wood Glue was used in all phases o' construction.

Finishing

Never a fan o' t' factory paint job, and nay into t' project enough t' do anythin' complicated, I decided t' go with a tried and true army green paint job.  First t' rocket be primed with Valspar primer, me hearties, then it was coated with thinned Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler and sanded t' eliminate t' tube spirals, body tube seams, and balsa grain.  Two coats did t' job well enough for me tastes, and t' rocket be reprimed.  It was then sprayed top t' bottom with Testors Olive Drab.  It looked good, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but needed somethin' t' make it stand out a little.  I can't print white on me home printer, matey, so I went t' Hobby Lobby and found a set o' vinyl letters in an appropriate size.  I placed a piece o' maskin' tape up t' side o' t' rocket and used that t' make sure I got US ARMY applied straight.  Nope.  Missed it by that much.

Construction Score: 3
 
  

Flight

All flights were at B6-4 Field, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' first being on Derby Day, 2013.  T' B6-4 carried t' Patriot higher than expected and on a dead straight path in t' almost calm conditions.  T' chute was an old 12" warrior that has a permanent residence in me B6-4 range box.  Unreefed, so drift was fairly excessive in t' light breeze.  This was nay a problem on this day as me setup in t' SE corner o' t' field gave me t' whole upper and lower field t' use as a landin' area.  T' Patriot cleared t' fence t' t' lower field, shiver me timbers, but wound up well short o' t' treeline.

Deck construction caused me to miss t' National Sport Launch in 2013, arrr, me bucko, but I one-upped them and hosted t' International Sport Launch at B6-4 Field.  Crowds were sparse, ya bilge rat, but t' newly lettered Patriot was one o' t' eight flights on t' day.  T' B6-4 flight be perfectly ordinary, me bucko, straight up, straight down.  T' chute I used was one o' t' $.10 chutes I got from Ebay several years back and worked perfectly, bringin' t' Patriot down for a damage free landing.  T' previous flight saw it fail completely, me bucko, ya bilge rat, costin' me a fin on me Goony Vector G.  As I said in t' flight notes "Somethin' thar be that doesn't love a Goony".

For t' third flight I decided t' go big and use a C6-5.  Three flights earlier on t' day I had flown an Estes Amazon on a C6-5, just t' see if I could do it in calm conditions.  T' answer was an emphatic "NO" as t' Amazon cleared t' treeline and wound up somewhere in t' trees surroundin' t' tennis courts where it could keep company with last years Estes Mini Max, a Solar Sailor, matey, a cheesy foam Tangent, me hearties, as well as several others.  Even with this flight still fresh in me mind I went along with t' C6-4 for t' Patriot.  I almost pulled it off.  At liftoff it kinked t' t' left pretty badly, me hearties, but straightened out and recovered over t' trees on top o' t' hill.  T' flight was pretty high and on recovery t' Patriot was driftin' back me way and actually looked like it be goin' t' land on t' hill next t' t' pad, but again t' breeze shifted.  It still almost made it down without a problem, but at t' last second t' chute caught a branch on t' edge o' one o' me favorite rocket erating trees.  Caught it by this much.  A week later I happened t' notice that me Astron Drifter that had been hangin' on the phone line next t' t' field since April was no longer there.  I parked and walked back t' find it on t' ground at t' base o' t' pole.  This made me think that I might have gotten doubly lucky with t' Patriot also falling, arrr, me hearties, but it be gone.  Hope it made some kid happy.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

Pros: Great small field bird.  Ease o' construction.  T' Hobby Lobby clearance aisle. 

Cons: Sticker decals.  Ugly paint scheme.

Overall Rating: 4
Other Reviews
  • Estes U.S. Army Patriot M-104 (#2056) By Ray King (August 1, 2010)

    I built this as part of the EMRR Challenge #7 as outlined I built this exactly as the instructions specify and then built a second with my own modifications. This rocket is a Semi-Scale version of the US Army Patriot Air Defense Missile. The rocket is designed to use an 18mm engine and 12" parachute recovery. 2 – BT-60 White Body Tube (6.625” Long) 1 - Yellow Body Tube ...

  • Estes U.S. Army Patriot M-104 (#2056) By Jim Bassham (May 11, 2010)

    Brief: A semi-scale model of the US Army anti-missile missile. A friend of mine said no Estes rocket built stock can survive more than twelve flights. I decided to prove him wrong with this kit. Construction: Two White Body Tubes One Yellow Body Tube Blue Motor Tube Two Red Couplers Mylar Ring Engine Hook Green Engine Block Cardboard Centering ...

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Comments:

avatar
Richard Holmes (April 28, 2014)

You're not the only one who got a short fin, but apparently Estes corrected this problem a while back. http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?59748-For-Estes-Quality-Control-patriot-fins

avatar
Bill Eichelberger (April 28, 2014)

I thought I remembered reading about it somewhere.  Good to know.

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