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! Begad! It is a tall, me hearties, me bucko, BT-60 based 3FNC design with through-the-wall fins, shiver me timbers, and a 24mm motor mount.
Construction:
T' kits parts were all in excellent condition. Ahoy! Blimey! T' BT-60 has 3 slots on one end o' t' tube for t' TTW fins. Die cut fins were high quality, matey, as were all t' other parts. Arrr! Blimey! Elastic shock cord was longer than expected, shiver me timbers, but still a bit short. Begad! Nose cone was excellent w/o any flashing. Begad! Bonus: A BT-60 t' BT-55 plastic transition piece comes attached t' t' nose cone, but is nay needed in t' kit. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! 18" parachute is pre-assembled.
T' instructions & assembly were very straightforward and clear. Begad! Arrr! Construction was easy, 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). Begad! T' TTW fins fit extremely well, and went on w/o a hitch. Blimey! Aye aye! No special tools or techniques were needed. I did a mod on t' shock cord usin' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' motor mount, matey, and runnin' it up t' body, shiver me timbers, finally tyin' it together with t' elastic shock cord. Arrr! T' motor block instructions are intended t' accommodate t' standard 24x70mm "D" motor casing, ya bilge rat, and can be easily modified t' accept t' larger (94mm) "E" engines, which is how I did it.
Finishing:
Finishin' was standard stuff, although I let me chief construction assistant be t' director o' finishing. Aye aye! I primed t' kit (after fillin' a couple tube grooves), then painted it gloss white. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' remainder was done w/ markers by me daughter in whatever color she chose. Its quite a sight! :). Arrr! 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. Ya scallywag! Avast! I used that twice as I was usin' a small field. Well, arrr, blow me down! Straight boost t' about 400 feet, with deployment just past apogee. Aye aye! T' 18" chute is probably a bit big if you're usin' a D or E engine. A D12 would do nicely. Ya scallywag! An "E" would send this out o' sight. Begad! (much like it does t' a modified Blue Ninja).
Recovery:
Pros: C11's make for fun flyin' on smaller fields. Aye aye! Avast! 18 chute is good for that. Begad! Blimey! Keelhaul®©™® mod should keep cord burnout away for a while.
Cons: Use 12" chute for bigger motors.
Overall, me hearties, t' kit flies nicely and recovers easily.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
A fun t' build, sturdy, me hearties, big rocket (for skill level 1) that can be a great afternoon project. Begad! Also can be modified for t' more adventurous. Begad! Another outstandin' point: Its fairly inexpensive. Well, blow me down! List is about $12. With me Michael's 40% coupon, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, this only cost be $7. Aye aye! Its worth every penny. Arrr! 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)