Brief:
A single-staged, futuristic design, featurin' several tube diameters. Ahoy! T' Solar Probe was available from Estes from 1991 t' 1993. Blimey! Aye aye! T' design carried hints o' a Centuri influence.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 BT-60 body tube, 5" long
• 1 BT-50 body tube, 7 3/8" long
• Four fins, me hearties, balsa, 1/16", arrr, each fin o' 2-piece construction
• 1 BT-20 engine mount tube, me hearties, 2.75" long
• 2 2060 centerin' rings
• 1 steel engine hook
• 1 12" plastic parachute
• 1 paper transition pattern sheet
• 1 wood dowel, me bucko, 12" long
• 1 decal sheet

T' instructions were o' standard Estes quality o' t' period. That is, arrr, arrr, me bucko, well illustrated and in logical order. There are two identical 20/60 paper transitions, matey, one betwixt t' BT-60 main airframe t' t' "upper stage" and one that forms a tail cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Experience with paper transitions would be helpful in t' construction o' this model but not critical. T' upper BT-50 body tube creates t' illusion o' a payload section. Aye aye! Blimey! However, this portion actually contains t' 12" parachute that be t' recovery system. T' portion o' t' BT-50 immediately forward o' t' 20/60 paper transition is surrounded by a series o' small pieces cut from t' wood dowel, termed "reactor vanes". T' fins were on a die-cut sheet and easy t' separate. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Each fin consisted o' a main lower portion and an upper fairing.

Finishing:
T' only wood t' be filled be t' fins, shiver me timbers, which I did with three coats o' SIG brand sandin' sealer. Ya scallywag! I sanded between coats with 320 grit, then 400 grit, ya bilge rat, finishin' up with 600 grit sandpaper. Blimey! T' entire model was shot with one coat of Krylon gray primer then with two coats o' Krylon gloss white. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! After allowin' time for drying, me hearties, t' fins and nose cone were masked off and sprayed with Krylon cherry red. Avast! Begad! T' decals were good quality, and they were nay those nasty stickers.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
If care is used in alignin' t' four fins, me hearties, this model will turn in arrow-straight flights every time. Over t' years, I've used all manner o' B and C motors in this model, arrr, me hearties, all with great results.

Recovery:
T' shock cord attachment be t' standard Estes type tri-fold paper mount. T' shock cord is 1/8" wide rubber about 12" in length. Blimey! This has proved adequate over t' years. I was a bit concerned at first with t' parachute stowage arrangement [BT-50], matey, matey, but this also has proved reliable.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: This model always reminded me o' an oversimplified version o' t' old Centuri Laser-X. That's nay a bad thing--and I always expected t' see toothpicks on t' fin tips! It's an attractive design and even today draws attention at t' pads. Ahoy! It can easily be cloned today.

CONs: T' only thin' I can think of, shiver me timbers, and, this is minor, t' fins are a tiny bit thin for me tastes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If I cloned it today, I'd use 3/32" balsa.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5