Estes - Blue Ninja {Kit} (001300) [2002-]

Estes Blue Ninja

Estes - Blue Ninja {Kit} (001300) [2002-]

Contributed by G. A. Dean

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Diameter:	1.64 inches
Length:	31.30 inches
Manufacturer:	Estes
Skill Level:	1
Style:	Sport

Rocket Pic Brief:
T' Blue Ninja is a very basic four-fin rocket in t' Estes E2X line, arrr, with one special feature, matey, me bucko, its a big rocket, ya bilge rat, usin' 24mm motors. Blimey! Ahoy! Like all t' E2X kits it builds smartly and easily without painting, usin' plastic parts except for t' body tubes. T' completed rocket sports a reflective blue finish and a big, powerful look that is a big hit with t' younger rocketeers (and some o' t' older ones!) T' completed rocket is over 31 inches tall and weighs a respectable 145 grams (5.1 oz.)

Construction:
This kit is entirely typical o' Estes E2X kits. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! It arrived in a bag with all parts present and accounted for. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' two body tubes immediately catch t' eye. Begad! Blimey! They are 12'' and 8'' inches long and over 1.6 inches in diameter (BT-60). Begad! Blimey! They are also wrapped in a reflective, me hearties, shiver me timbers, sparklin' coverin' (Estes calls it “prismatic” that gives t' Blue Ninja it's distinctive look. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' nosecone, fin can, ya bilge rat, fins and tube connector are all black plastic, arrr, and seemed well molded. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Surfaces are generally smooth, shiver me timbers, with a nice, arrr, 'satin' finish. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' fits are good and required only a little trimmin' with t' hobby knife.

Engine T' most interestin' part o' t' Blue Ninja construction be t' engine mount, which is a little different that other Estes kits. T' aft 5 inches o' t' rocket body is a molded plastic 'unit' in two halves. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! In addition t' slots for t' fin tabs, this unit supports t' engine tube and provides a mount for t' engine-retention cap. A plastic centerin' rin' (of sorts) fits over one end o' t' paper motor tube. Avast! Blimey! This rin' fits into tabs inside t' fin mount. Begad! Blimey! T' other end o' t' motor tube rests in a socket at t' upper end o' t' fin mount unit. T' top half o' t' fin-mount unit glues in place with plastic cement. A standard size 24mm motor like t' D12 or C11 will protrude about ½ inch from t' end o' t' motor tube. A plastic cap restrains t' motor and hides it, givin' a nozzle-like stylin' t' t' end o' t' rocket. Avast! Blimey! This cap twists into place with a bayonet mount, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and has appeared on several Estes E2X kits. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It’s very easy and effective t' use, if a bit heavier than a standard motor clip. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! (It may be possible t' move t' motor block forward t' accommodate t' longer E9 motors. Arrr! Blimey! I didn’t think o' it at t' time but I believe t' motor tube is long enough. Arrr! Blimey! Accordin' t' Rocksim this kit ought t' fly well on those long-burnin' motors).

Rocket Pieces T' plastic fins glue t' t' plastic fin-mount unit with plastic cement (you get t' idea) T' fins have short tabs t' align them and perhaps provide a bit o' strength. Blimey! I suspect that these fins could pop off in a hard landing, but so far ours have stayed on (despite one landin' on pavement.) It’s pretty hard t' mess-up these fins. Begad! T' biggest risk is that you will get plastic cement on t' nice smooth surface and mar it, ya bilge rat, but that can be avoided with simple precautions.

T' completed fin can fits into t' smaller o' t' two body tubes (again with plastic cement), and t' two tubes are connected with a plastic coupler. Aye aye! T' coupler is also t' mountin' point for t' shock-cord.

T' shock-cord is ¼ inch elastic, ya bilge rat, both wider and longer than one would expect from Estes (bravo!). Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Nevertheless I added a length o' Keelhaul®©™ tether, shiver me timbers, and strengthened t' top inch o' t' body tube with thin CA t' protect against “zippers”. Avast, me proud beauty! T' standard 18 in. Avast! plastic chute came pre-assembled. Arrr! I attached it t' t' elastic about 7 inches from t' nosecone.

T' "Pros" for this kit are t' easy, kid-friendly assembly (no CA or knives required). Begad! Arrr! Instructions are typically Estes, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which is t' say easy t' follow and well illustrated. Ya scallywag! T' rocket feels quite sturdy, arrr, me bucko, but if you use plastic cement as recommended thar could be some separated parts after hard landings.

Finishing:
T' only finish step be t' application o' stick-on decals, t' large "Blue Ninja" on t' rocket body and vaguely oriental designs t' t' fins. While effortless, ya bilge rat, t' finish o' this rocket is one o' its strong sellin' points. Well, blow me down! Begad! It's a sharp-lookin' rocket right-out o' t' box, me bucko, which was important for me 7 year old.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
To date we have only flown t' rocket on C11-3 motors (small fields and strong winds). Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Rocksim puts apogee with that impulse around 300 feet, me bucko, and that seems about right. Boost has always been straight and deployment close t' apogee. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket comes off t' pad slowly and looks large and impressive in flight. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A D12-5 flight is predicted t' go t' 700 feet. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This ought t' be a very predictable rocket, arrr, shiver me timbers, so I fully expect those flights t' be very successful too. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Estes recommends a 3 second delay on t' D12, me bucko, but Rocksim shows t' D12-5 t' be t' better choice. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! These E2X rockets generally are built right t' t' predicted weight, so t' Rocksim performance ought t' be accurate.

RockSim

T' motor-retention cap extends beyond t' end o' t' motor a bit t' create a "nozzle" effect. Ya scallywag! These caps make prep somewhat easier, arrr, and look better that a metal hook, matey, ya bilge rat, but it is a bit o' a reach t' get t' igniter properly secured in t' motor nozzle. Blimey! We had a couple o' misfires caused by igniters that dropped out or broke. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Nay a big deal, me bucko, me hearties, but somethin' t' think about when you prep this rocket.

On t' last flight t' prismatic blue wrap started t' unwind from t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! It’s a small flaw easily repaired.

Recovery:
T' Blue Ninja recovers on a standard Estes plastic 18in chute. Ahoy! Blimey! This chute has worked well for us, in terms o' size and decent rate. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! On t' last flight t' chute suffered some meltin' and burn holes, but brought t' rocket back just fine. Begad! Blimey! T' body tube is wide and long, ya bilge rat, so sealin' it with waddin' is difficult. I be usin' Rogue Permawadding, which be undamaged, matey, but obviously some o' t' "hot stuff" got by.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a fine kit for beginners, and ought t' be a breeze for anyone with plastic model experience. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flights are impressive and dependable on t' recommended engines. Aye aye! There is no balsa in this kit, and it is really nay so much “built” as “assembled”. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I usually prefer a more traditional kit, matey, but I can appreciate what Estes is doin' here. Ahoy! I bought this kit for me kids, me bucko, principally me seven year old. That t' Blue Ninja is “easy-to-build” is a nice thin' for him, ya bilge rat, but t' most important feature is that it’s “easy t' get right”. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I may find t' “made-by-Cub Scouts” look kind o' charming, but he is embarrassed by it. Arrr! I’ve also seen beginners discouraged by t' poor flyin' characteristics o' their early attempts. Arrr! My kids love t' fly this rocket. Begad! They built it, it’s big, me bucko, me bucko, it flies well, arrr, and they get admirin' glances when they take it t' t' pad. I think this kit is goin' t' give a lot o' beginners a good first experience in rocketry, matey, and encourage them t' continue on.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews

Estes Blue Ninja By Herb Estus
A E2X series Easy to build kit. The Kit contained: BT60 body tube 12" BT60 body tube 8" PNC-60AH nose cone 1/4" 36" shock cord Engine mount tube 18" plastic parachute engine block 4 plastic fins 2 piece plastic engine mount plastic rear engine mount centering ring Plastic tube coupler with a place to hook shock cord to Instructions where easy to ...

Flights

Comments:

P.J.B. (July 14, 2002)

I cut the engine block shorter to accept the E9, can use the cut piece to use D12. The plastic twist retainer melts over time, makes it hard to get off. I replaced the chute with a ripstop streamer, as on the E9, it will hit about 1400 feet.

J.R. (September 2, 2002)

I did the usual Kevlar® cord treatment in place of the shock cord. THEN square knotted the shock cord to the Kevlar® cord. Soaked the upper tube with CA to help prevent the zips, and when the blue plastic started to unravel, I put a few dabs of plastic cement and it stays put. I wonder if you could laminate foil to the motor mount ring to make it last longer...hmm..

J.C.S. (November 12, 2003)

This is a perfect "first rocket" for 24mm motors. Very easy to build (I did it with my 7 year old) and cheap enough that losing it isn't a big deal. If you have a large field, this rocket flies great on an E9-6. I'm looking forward to trying it on an E30 and maybe an F21 sometime. I tried it on a C6-3 with an adapter but it was underpowered. C11 works well on tiny fields. Both of the other guest opinions are right on the money. If you want to fly it more than a few times, definitely insert a long peice of Kevlar® cord in-between the rocket and the far too short Estes shock cord. Gluing down the end of the blue wrap is also a must if you don't want it to turn into a Silver Ninja. Make sure you cut the cardboard spacer in half so you can fit Estes E and the longer Aerotech 24mm motors.

A.M. (June 7, 2004)

Great Rocket. I just left the engine mount and let the E stick out a little. I also trashed the retainer ring to rely on a friction fit. When launching with an E9, I just took off the parachute and used a nose blow system which pretty much let the rocket set itself on the pad(safely). Great rocket with an E9, can be spotted easily high in the sky because of its reflection. Once, I had it land in a goat pasture and the goats destroyed the parachute which is another reason that nose blow came into play.

J.H. (June 15, 2004)

Not so great of a first flight. It reminded me why I do not like plastic fins, they seem to fall off. I did lose one fin but plan on making my own out of balsa. Yes, the blue did start peeling back. I took the top part of the blue foil off and now it is silver and blue. Yes, my parachute melted. Need to use more wadding and definitely a longer shock cord. I flew on a D. I think once I make these adjustments it will do fine though.......but then I will have a different rocket than the one that comes in the kit.

B.C. (July 7, 2004)

Great kit for beginners. Big and good looking. Easy to build right. Superb job in molding the fin can/engine mount assembly - no trimming required. Only complaint is too-short elastic shock cord

C.J.B. (February 20, 2006)

Have flow the Blue Ninja on C11's and D12-3 engines, it really soars on the D's. The blue covering peeled off the top of the 8" tube, but PVA glue is fine to fix it with. I fly rockets on a beach, and have no trouble with fins breaking or coming off. The ony trouble I haveis the cardboard getting wet on the sane, again PVA glue on the inside of the 12" tube prevents is expanding when wet.

B.G.A. (February 27, 2006)

The Blue Ninja is an awesome rocket. For an E2X rockets, this one is a keeper. It flies great on C11's, and on D12's, it soars. C11's are good for it on a small field. I have 3 now, one the blue wrap is completely off (renamed the Silver Ninja), and the kids love it when I drag race them.

D.L.K. (January 7, 2008)

This is a great rocket to modify to fly on E motors. I replaced the parachute with a streamer made from caution tape and lengthened the shock cord. I used epoxy for the motor mount and fins which has held up great so far. I also replaced the screw on motor retainer with a metal retainer clip is had for an E motor. This kit is a great kit for those looking to try flying larger motors at half the price of other kits.

J.G. (April 23, 2008)

This is a really nice kit. It flies beautifully, and can take a real beating. We have probably flown ours about 10 times now, always on a D12-5. We have had two major crashes, once where a parachute failed to deploy correctly, and a second where the body separated from the chute/nose cone. In both cases, I was sure we were going to find a destroyed rocket waiting for us. To my surprise, there was only minor damage (to the bottom launch lug) from the first crash, and NO damage from the second crash. The engine retainer ring begins to "melt" over time with heavy use, but Estes will send you a new one if you ask for it. We like the characteristics of this rocket so much that we are going to build a "stretched" version of it that can fly on E engines. Look for it in the mods section in a few weeks.

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