Brief:
Estes has released a new, jazzed up version o' t' Alpha III t' celebrate Estes Industries' 40th Anniversary. Aye aye! It is a limited edition kit.

Construction:
T' kit is shipped in t' new bagged "half-box" with card packagin' protectin' 4 o' t' 6 sides. Well, blow me down! T' kit arrived complete, however due t' t' packaging, t' body tube was dented in t' middle. Begad! Aye aye! T' kit is much like t' normal Alpha III with black plastic parts and a fancy red holographic body tube. Avast! T' parachute came pre-assembled as per t' new trend with Estes' models. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Decals are metallic self adhesive stickers.

Estes' customer service department was very friendly and promptly sent a replacement tube as soon as they were available (~5weeks). Arrr! I had picked up me kit so early, they had just shipped out t' last o' t' first batch o' kits and were awaitin' parts!

Construction went smoothly except for one part. Begad! T' new launch lug is a shaped plastic plate with 2 luglets. Well, blow me down! Begad! This was t' be glued t' t' metallic tube after scrapin' away t' finish t' bare paper -- Hah! T' special wrap is one o' t' most durable I've seen from Estes for their E2X line o' kits. Begad! I ended up changin' me knife blade and carefully outlinin' t' lugplate with t' fresh tip. Ahoy! I then gently peeled t' wrap off, usin' t' tip t' get started at one corner. Younger rocketeers will need assistance with this step. After that, t' assembly be easy.

Finishing:
As with all E2X kits from Estes, t' parts come prefinished, ya bilge rat, except for t' application o' decals. Aye aye! T' ones supplied had a golden metallic finish. Aye aye! These are paper backed, so one can nay soak them in water and soap solution for ease o' alignment. Ahoy! T' body tube circular decal applied easily and smoothly. Ahoy! T' 3 fin decals are a bit oversized for t' fins .... this is apparently just like t' original Alpha decals Estes supplied.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
As usual, me bucko, this Alpha is a typical starter kit model and performed flawlessly on A's through C's. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! As usual, it has t' quick change clip and requires a couple squares o' wadding. I did me standard cold weather preparation for overcast days usin' lots o' red chalk powder t' dust t' parachute.

Recovery:
For once, Estes got t' shock cord length right. T' red chalk left a good dark spot in t' sky for tracking. T' model popped at apogee and t' chute filled almost immediately and floated down for soft landings.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
Estes did a nice job with this updatin' o' t' backbone o' their kit line. Aye aye! Other than t' problem with t' launch lug mounting, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it was a quick, arrr, easy build with great flight characteristics.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5