Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 1.64 inches |
Length: | 30.25 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes ![]() |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
This is a new Skill Level 1 kit from Estes designed t' fly on t' new C11 motors. Begad! Ahoy! It is a tall, shiver me timbers, BT-60 based 3FNC design with through-the-wall fins, and a 24mm motor mount.
Construction:
T' kits parts were all in excellent condition. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' BT-60 has 3 slots on one end o' t' tube for t' TTW fins. Begad! Ahoy! Die cut fins were high quality, as were all t' other parts. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Elastic shock cord was longer than expected, matey, but still a bit short. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Nose cone was excellent w/o any flashing. Begad! Arrr! Bonus: A BT-60 t' BT-55 plastic transition piece comes attached t' t' nose cone, arrr, but is nay needed in t' kit. 18" parachute is pre-assembled.
T' instructions & assembly were very straightforward and clear. Arrr! Blimey! Construction was easy, matey, and took little time. It is a cool lookin' kit which be fun t' build with me 2 year old daughter (who picked t' kit out at t' store). Aye aye! T' TTW fins fit extremely well, and went on w/o a hitch. Arrr! No special tools or techniques were needed. I did a mod on t' shock cord usin' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' motor mount, and runnin' it up t' body, finally tyin' it together with t' elastic shock cord. T' motor block instructions are intended t' accommodate t' standard 24x70mm "D" motor casing, and can be easily modified t' accept t' larger (94mm) "E" engines, ya bilge rat, which is how I did it.
Finishing:
Finishin' was standard stuff, me bucko, although I let me chief construction assistant be t' director o' finishing. I primed t' kit (after fillin' a couple tube grooves), shiver me timbers, then painted it gloss white. Begad! T' remainder was done w/ markers by me daughter in whatever color she chose. Its quite a sight! :). Blimey! Avast! T' 'normal' fill/prime/paint would be straightforward for this kit.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
It flies nicely on C11-5's. Well, blow me down! I used that twice as I was usin' a small field. Arrr! Straight boost t' about 400 feet, ya bilge rat, with deployment just past apogee. Begad! T' 18" chute is probably a bit big if you're usin' a D or E engine. Avast! Begad! A D12 would do nicely. An "E" would send this out o' sight. Ahoy! (much like it does t' a modified Blue Ninja).
Recovery:
Pros: C11's make for fun flyin' on smaller fields. Arrr! 18 chute is good for that. Begad! Arrr! Keelhaul®©™® mod should keep cord burnout away for a while.
Cons: Use 12" chute for bigger motors.
Overall, t' kit flies nicely and recovers easily.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
A fun t' build, shiver me timbers, sturdy, big rocket (for skill level 1) that can be a great afternoon project. Avast, me proud beauty! Also can be modified for t' more adventurous. Begad! Arrr! Another outstandin' point: Its fairly inexpensive. Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! List is about $12. Arrr! Ya scallywag! With me Michael's 40% coupon, ya bilge rat, this only cost be $7. Begad! Its worth every penny. Let t' kids paint it! Its a nice big canvas for it!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Your basic rocket design: body tube, nose cone, three fins, engine mount, and parachute. It is basically and upscaled version of the Alpha. The kit consists of: 2 12" BT-60 body tubes with one pre-cut for TTW fin mounts 1 Tube connector for BT-60 1 5" BT-60 nose cone 1 1/8" thick balsa sheet w/ die cut fins 2 1" long x 3/16" diameter launch lugs 2 cardboard centering ...
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A. (November 13, 2002)