Construction

Most o' this kit is typical Estes easy building.  Build up a motor mount, put on some fins, glue together t' body tube, mount t' 'chute, ya bilge rat, and off you go. Ya scallywag!  T' only real quirks with t' kit come from t' fins and recovery mount. Arrr! Ya scallywag!   T' fins are made for through t' wall mountin' t' t' motor tube, arrr,  but you need t' cut t' slots yourself. Begad!  This isn't difficult at all, ya bilge rat, just that most kits these days have t' slots pre-cut. Ahoy!  Patience and a new #11 blade make it very easy t' do. Aye aye! Ahoy!  You also do need t' be careful with t' measurements o' t' centerin' rings onto t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!  But again, patience makes this step easy as well. Begad!  Just keep an eye that your fins are straight, and use a jig if you have one available. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!  It's real easy t' get your fins all crooked in a hand-cut slot. Ya scallywag! Avast! Adhesives are up t' you, as this is a cardboard kit, no special tools or materials are needed. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!  

T' only real negative for t' kit is that Estes insists on usin' their tri-fold mountin' for t' recovery harness on this kit, matey, me bucko, along with a length o' elastic. Aye aye! Blimey!   I'd suggest replacin' this with 1/8" kevlar, arrr, epoxy t' recovery line t' t' motor tube, shiver me timbers, and use a nomex wrap on t' parachute.  A 3" rocket o' this size has grown beyond waddin' and elastic.

T' body tube layout, me hearties, and long coupling, me hearties, even make a conversion t' dual deploy possible. Aye aye!  Just watch your CG if you start modifyin' this kit at all. Begad!  T' three backward fins move t' Cp forward a fair amount compared t' t' Leviathan fin layout. Avast!  Nose weight will likely be needed if you put an av-bay in t' coupling.