| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2014-01-13 |
| Diameter: | 2.00 inches |
| Length: | 35.30 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Style: | Futuristic/Exotic |
Brief
This is a sci-fi inspired kit recently released by Estes. Begad! Ya scallywag! It uses t' same nose cone as t' Interceptor E and Cosmic Interceptor, me hearties, only pre-colored silver and black.
Components
Where t' begin, me hearties, ya bilge rat, Nose down? T' nose be t' same one as on t' Interceptor E/ Cosmic Interceptor, shiver me timbers, only it's been pre-colored silver with black for t' cocpit windows. Body tube is also pre-colored silver, and comes pre-slotted for t' mountin' tabs on t' fins. And about t' fins, nay a big fan o' these fins. Begad! Ya scallywag! Yep, they do t' job, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, but they are a plastic, 2 piece assembly molded in black. Aye aye! Avast! Good for t' "no paintin' required" description on t' box, arrr, but they feel kinda weak. Avast! T' fins also get capped with those orange "gun pods" which look cool, ya bilge rat, and hold t' tips o' t' fins together. Ahoy! Next be t' motor mount, heavy wall 29mm for t' tube, but t' centerin' rings are, agian, matey, molded plastic. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Bein' an interior part, shiver me timbers, it does nay matter that they are black, but they are. Well, blow me down! So be t' new, 2 piece, arrr, shock cord mount, molded black plastic. Parachute is 18 inch nylon fabric, with 8 shroud lines, and is pre-sewn. Begad! Lastly, t' launch lugs are, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, you may as well guess, molded black plastic. For those noticin' a pattern, arrr, thar be nay 1 piece o' wood anywhere on this kit. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Just paper tubes and plastic.
Construction
Lets see, arrr, Pro's and con's. Aye aye! It be really fun for me buildin' this kit. Begad! T' only part prep that was needed for any o' t' parts was a light scuffin' where ever any glue joint was t' happen, arrr, and nay much glue was needed. Well, blow me down! Begad! It goes together, me hearties, per t' instructions, me bucko, with 30 minn epoxy and thin CA glue. Avast! This makes t' build time much faster than "normal" rockets. That makes for a big Pro for me, me hearties, as I enjoy t' build process a lot. Avast, me proud beauty! But it also makes t' build over too fast for me liking, arrr, as this kit had nothin' new for me t' learn while buildin' it.
Finishing
Finishing, almost non-existant. Begad! Ahoy! All t' exterior peices are pre-colored t' same as t' box art, so t' only finishin' prep is a light wipe down with an alcohol rag t' shipshape t' surface prior t' decal placement. Begad! And those decals?? "Pressure Sensitive Transfer Decals", which means STICKERS!!! Stickers belong on a kids kit, ya bilge rat, nay a Pro Series kit. Avast! However, ya bilge rat, arrr, they do stay stuck on durin' flight, so Estes at least used t' right adheasive on these ones.
Flight
Flight, me hearties, t' fun part. Aye aye! Estes calls out for one o' their new, 29mm black powder F15-6 engines for t' first flight o' this one. Aye aye! My only problem is me local hobby store does nay yet have this engine (as o' 11/09/13). So I had t' improvise, and ended up usin' an Aerotech F22-6 reload in me 29/40-120 Aerotech casing. Ya scallywag! I never bough an F load for this casin' before, matey, but it goes together t' same way as t' E and G reloads for this case. Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!
But t' flight is perfect, straight up, slight arc over at apogee, and perfect ejection right after apogee. It would nay suprise me if I got a little higher than t' advertised 1600 feet on t' box.
Recovery
As mentioned in t' components block, shiver me timbers, she comes with an 18 inch nylon parachute. Aye aye! Fearin' for t' safety o' me new rocket and t' reload casin' in her, arrr, I substituted an extra 24 inch nylon chute I had in t' range box. Avast! Maby this be a bilge-suckin' Idea, as t' shock cord and parachute got tangled on those orange "gun pods" on t' end o' t' fins. But she still came down slowly enough t' nay recieve any damage on landing. Ahoy! Begad! Perhaps it is a common failin' for all sci-fi rockets that t' parachute gets tangled on t' fins. Begad!
Summary
Fun kit t' build and fly. Avast, me proud beauty! I will need t' try this one agian with it's 18 inch chute t' see if thar be a difference in tanglage.
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Flights
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