| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2021-04-04 |
| Diameter: | 0.74 inches |
| Length: | 16.80 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Style: | Sport |
Brief
T' Estes Xtreme appears t' be an elongated clone o' t' Estes Hi-Filer. Ahoy! Comparison o' t' Xtreme vs t' Hi-Flier:
- T' body tube (BT) is 12 inches vs 9 inches. Aye aye! Ahoy!
- T' nose cone (NC) is elongated and comes t' a pointy tip vs a shorter ogive style.
- Because t' Xtreme is longer in both t' BT and NC, me bucko, thar be no need t' add clay weight t' t' nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! (Clay weight is used in t' Hi-Flier NC)
- Card stock fins are used instead o' balsa.
Components
- Body Tube with slit cut out for engine hook
- Plastic nose cone
- Engine hook, shiver me timbers, me hearties, thrust ring, and hook retainer ring
- Launch lug
- Tube t' insert thrust rin' inside BT
- Elastic shock cord
- Cardstock fins
- Mylar steamer
- Self adhesive decals
*Note: t' body tube received be crushed. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Contacted Estes customer service and they asked for a photo o' t' damage. Begad! Photo sent and by COB that same day an e-mail was received from Estes that a new tube was bein' sent out. Kudos for their customer service.
Construction
T' instructions were straight forward and easy t' follow. Ahoy! Deviations from t' instructions as follows:
Instead o' gluin' t' elastic shock cord inside t' body tube, matey, 130lb kevlar thread be attached t' t' thrust ring. Begad! (See attached pic). Ya scallywag! Blimey! On a small diameter tube I find t' shock cord mount inside t' tube inhibits t' release o' t' streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! To attach t' cord t' t' ring, ya bilge rat, cut a small "V" slit over in t' outer edge so t' thread can rest inside o' it. Avast, me proud beauty! Tie a knot around t' rin' and use a dab o' thin CA t' hold it in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! When t' rin' is glued inside t' tube, thread t' cord out t' back o' t' push tube. Ya scallywag! When t' glue dries, me bucko, drop t' cord back through t' body tube so it comes out t' other end for later attachment t' t' nose cone.
T' card stock fins seemed a bit flimsy so they were laminated with paper. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Six pieces o' paper were cut a bit larger than t' shape o' t' fins so thar would be over-hang. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Usin' an elmers glue stick, apply glue t' one side o' t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Apply t' paper in a sweepin' motion from left t' right. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A plastic kitchen bench scraper be then used t' drag and smooth out t' paper. Repeat on t' other side and for t' remainin' fins. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Fins were left underneath a heavy book overnight t' dry and stay flat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' next day a hobby knife was used t' trim off t' excess paper. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Thin CA be applied t' seal t' edges and then lightly sanded smooth. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Please note that super glue was nay applied t' t' fin edge that would be glued t' t' body tube. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Fins were attached t' t' body tube with a bit o' thick CA. Avast! Blimey! Titebond II wood glue be then used t' apply fillets.
Finishing
When assembly was completed a coat o' Rustoleum Painters Touch 2x gray primer was applied. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' primer dried it was sanded with 220 and then 400 grit sandpaper. Ya scallywag! A second light coat o' primer be applied then another light sandin' o' 400 & 600 grit. Blimey! Rustoleuem painters touch 2X gloss black and red was used for t' final colors. Avast! T' upper body tube was painted black first with several light coats. Well, blow me down! When it dried (24hrs) t' BT was masked off with tape and paper and then t' lower part was painted red. Avast! A bit o' improv be used with t' supplied decals. Ahoy! Avast! T' tips o' t' fin decals were cut off and used t' create t' "X". Ahoy! Arrr! Three light coats o' Rustoluem clear gloss was applied t' seal everything.
Flight
First flight was with an A8-3. T' delay was too short as t' rocket be still climbin' when t' ejection charge went off. An A8-5 would have been better. Begad! Flight was fairly straight and true given t' winds. Avast! Second flight be a B6-4 and t' ejection seemed t' occur right at apogee.
Recovery
T' mylar streamer is very easy t' see in t' sunlight as it descends. A slightly larger streamer would be nice t' slow t' recovery just a bit. Ya scallywag! However, arrr, me bucko, t' current size o' t' streamer does make for quick recovery and therefore quick turnaround for multiple flights. Well, blow me down!
Summary
T' Xtreme looks very sleek and slender with it's elongated NC. Begad! However, for comparison, t' Hi-flier is a very similar lookin' rocket that is a few dollars cheaper with balsa fins. From a cost perspective, you may wish t' go with t' Hi-Flier. Ya scallywag! If you want a taller rocket with a pointy nose cone, then t' Extreme is for you. It's basically what style speaks t' you?
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