Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.98 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | Glider |
Brief:
T' A.R.V Condor is a single staged rocket that is about 19 inches long. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! . At apogee, two drones detach for a glidin' return t' Earth. Arrr! Booster returns on a streamer! Recommended motors are B4-2 (First Flight), matey, B6-2, shiver me timbers, and C6-3.
Construction:
T' construction on this rocket wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be. Ahoy! After readin' all t' reviews I thought it would be impossible t' make especially because this was only me second rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! If you follow t' directions and read ahead before doin' anythin' you will be pretty good in t' process. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Be careful when it says t' lift up a glider win' with a small body tube. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! They mean t' white tube for t' glider, nay t' small tube that is for t' booster. Also be very careful when alignin' t' fins.
I wasn't so serious so me rocket doesn't fly straight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' one thin' that I think everyone should realize and do is that since thar be a part 1 and a part 2, shiver me timbers, when somethin' from part 1 is drying, arrr, you can go ahead and get somethin' done in part 2. Arrr! Blimey! You will finish t' rocket much faster that way. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I didn't like t' idea o' t' nose cone bein' glued on t' t' body. Just remember t' use lots o' plastic cement because most cements aren't strong enough t' stand t' ejection o' these motors. Begad! Blimey! Another thin' is that t' vac formed parts are said t' be glued by plastic cement. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Do nay do that. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I did that and it wasn't strong enough and me flight almost messed up. Begad! Blimey! Use lots o' white glue instead. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! It bonds better. Blimey! Blimey! For construction I would rate it as 4.
Finishing:
T' finishin' is nice and strait-forward. Ahoy! I painted t' body and gliders tubes white, and t' main nose cone and glider wings silver. Aye aye! I thought completely white gliders looked too plain. T' decals too are easy t' apply. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Even though they are water slide, me bucko, they aren't as hard as they seem. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! You just have t' dip them in water for a couple o' seconds and lay them down and wait. I would prefer t' normal Estes decals because they have a stronger bond. Avast, me proud beauty! Finishin' is a 5
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' flight o' this rocket is pretty cool. Ya scallywag! PUT IN MORE THAN THREE SHEETS OF WADDING.
On me first flight I used an A8-3. Begad! Avast! Since me fins weren't aligned properly, it flew up and started turnin' downward. Arrr! Since I had put in three sheets o' waddin' (which wasn't enough,) as t' instructions had said, t' ejection came up and melted me streamer, me shock cord got burnt in half, me hearties, t' plastic cement I used t' glue t' nose cone ignited, matey, t' nose cone flew off, and luckily t' vac formed parts managed t' just hang on. Well, blow me down! T' good thin' is that me gliders did a good job. They made-up for t' bad flight. Arrr! Since me shock cord was broken and I only had half and hour o' repairin' time and overnight left t' dry until t' lift-off in front o' t' crowd, I just made another mount and used t' remainin' shock cord. My second flight be better than me first. I used a B6-4 since I didn't have a B6-2. Avast, me proud beauty! T' boost was nay straight again, me hearties, t' motor ejected, but once again t' streamer didn't come out. Avast! This time t' gliders were very sweet. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I later found out that t' shock cord mount wasn't strong enough and it broke before t' streamers could come out. For Flight I would rate this a 4 1/2.
Recovery:
T' recovery system for this rocket needs improvement. Begad! Arrr! I think that t' shock cord they supplied wasn't good. It was nay very elastic. I should have replaced it with an elastic shock cord. Begad! It's nay just me rocket that didn't get its streamers deployed because o' t' shock cord. Avast! There were two people buildin' A.R.V Condors, me bucko and I. Avast, me proud beauty! And none o' our streamers deployed. Begad! I am repairin' me rocket and puttin' in an elastic shock cord so t' streamers can hopefully deploy. Aye aye! Because o' t' un-elastic shock cord, I rate recovery as a 3.
Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5
Summary:
Overall, arrr, I like t' rocket very much. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! It's t' most original rocket I have ever seen. Avast, me proud beauty! It is great fun t' build, and fly. It's also a perfect grand finale in front o' a crowd. In conclusion I rate this kit 4. If it had a better shock cord it would have been a 4/1/2 or even 5.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Parts and Supplies Hobby Knife, Sand Paper (220 grit), Glue (I used Thick CA), Ruler, Pen or Pencil, Desired paint etc.. Assembly Compare the parts in the box with the parts list in the instructions. Separate all balsa parts from balsa stock and sand trim as needed. Assemble wings, there are two and make sure you make a left and right for each wing set. You will use the included ...
Single stage piggy back boost launch glider design with two gliders. The glider's wings act as rocket fins during boost then separate using the ejection charge to deploy the gliders. The rocket booster body recovers with a streamer. The kit includes 4 body tubes. Two larger ones are for the booster and two smaller tubes for the glider fuselages. Also supplied are 3 plastic nose cones and ...
I recently received an A. R. V. Condor as a gift from my wife. The A. R. V. Condor is an Estes Explorer series rocket (Intermediate level). This kit was packaged in plastic and came in a box and was probably around $15. 99. All the parts were included and none were damaged. The instructions were typical Estes and were excellent. The special feature of this rocket is at apogee ...
The Estes Condor is a very slick kit which incorporates a sustainer with two gliders attached to the sides. The glider's airfoils act as fins for the model during boost and detach at ejection, then each glider spirals in for a landing while the main sustainer lands with the aid of a streamer. USAF insignia helps dress up this little beauty and makes it a esthetically pleasing kit to launch or ...
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