| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Published: | 2012-10-18 |
| Diameter: | 1.33 inches |
| Length: | 15.60 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Skill Level: | 2 |
| Style: | Scale |
Brief
T' Estes Bullpup 12D is a sport-scale model o' a 30-some year old air-launched guided missile. T' real thin' came in several varieties that outwardly appear different; t' 12D is just one o' those types. T' real thin' be guided by a "pilot" who remotely steered this missile onto t' target. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This particular model o' t' 12D is a relatively small "Alpha" sized rocket, shiver me timbers, just over a foot in length but a few ounces more in weight and wider in diameter. I would have t' say while this Estes implementation o' t' kit is nay bad, it is lackin' in several significant ways for me so I can only give it a moderate endorsement, unless it would have proved t' fly particularly well.
It is heavy, and although it flew OK, it did nay achieve very significant altitudes. Granted, matey, I did add a small payload section, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but that added only 2 inches t' it's length and 13.4 grams o' weight, or just under 17% weight. I don't dismiss t' results o' me flight tests because o' t' payload addition; I have done this modification t' all me rockets that didn't have an included payload section, me bucko, and so I think it is fair t' compare t' performance o' this kit with t' many other kits I have built. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I suppose the performance loss was partly because o' t' 13 grams o' clay noseweight from t' kit, which o' course is needed t' keep t' length t' scale and remain stable, arrr, and partly due t' t' weight o' t' plastic tailcone. As can be expected, matey, thar be a performance penalty for bein' a scale model. Avast! T' be fair, me bucko, perhaps I didn't need t' add t' clay since I added t' equivalent amount o' weight just below t' nose. Ya scallywag! However, matey, I would rather have it over-stable than have it wreck on its maiden flight. Regardless, me reservations with this kit is nay with t' flight performance so much, and nay with t' quality o' t' parts, but in t' choice o' parts used in this particular design.
Components
T' supplied parts were all good quality, as I come t' expect from Estes. However t' overall kit has several flaws in me opinion. Well, me bucko, blow me down! First: t' use o' tacky-lookin' stick-on decals instead o' waterslide. Second is Estes insistence on usin' a way-too-short rubber shock cord attached with glue t' t' body tube. Aye aye! Third, t' lack o' a motor clip when this model can easily use one. Concernin' t' stick-on decals, I assume t' self-stick-on kind is easier for younger kids. Avast! If they want specifically t' make these kits extra kid-friendly, me hearties, they should just say so on t' package and catalog. It seems it's always a suprise with Estes as t' which kind o' decals you get! T' be fair, me bucko, for stick-on decals they are pretty good, shiver me timbers, they are thick enough t' nay wrinkle easily, seem t' have a strong adhesive, matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and appear t' have a tough, glossy finish t' them. Avast! Begad! (...but I still don't like them!)
Where Estes does excel is in t' included instructions, arrr, t' quality o' t' molded nose cone, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, and many other parts such as t' parachute material. T' balsa and body tube(s) were pretty good, me bucko, and that is what I have come t' expected from an Estes kit. They were nice enough t' include an already built parachute, however I like t' use longer shroud lines because they seem t' work better for me, so I tend to re-make them anyways. Two o' t' design features I like in this smaller rocket kit are t' boattail which looks sharp and does a lot t' reduce drag, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' reasonably wide body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!
Construction
As usual, I made several modifications t' t' basic rocket durin' construction. Begad! I do nay like friction-fit motors, so I added me own motor clip. Begad! T' do so, I either had t' cut out a portion o' t' boattail (ugly), or in me case I mounted t' motor tube just a little more (about 3/8") aft in t' centerin' rings than t' instructions state. Begad! O' course this means t' motor clip sticks out very noticeably in t' back. This be necessary t' give t' sprin' clip room t' flex outwards without bein' held in by t' stiff plastic boattail piece. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' actual supplied boattail piece is really part o' a plastic transition, and you have t' cut off t' ends o' it yourself. Easy if you have an X-acto saw, arrr, nay so easy if you don't (so just go get one now, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, you'll never know how you lived without one).
T' transition from t' boattail plastic t' t' body tube was a little off but nay much, so I had t' use a bit o' body filler t' smooth over the joints. Since t' end o' me motor tube was further aft and therefore might be a bit unsupported in t' end, matey, I took a strip o' thin corrugated cardboard and CA glued it just inside t' rather wide gap betwixt t' motor tube and t' transition end. Ahoy! Blimey! Then I filled in t' small gaps with wood glue. T' cardboard and glue both filled in t' gap and provides a stiffer support for t' end o' t' motor tube if it needs it.
Normally I would scrap t' Estes paper-fold shock cord mount idea and attach some Keelhaul®©™ t' an ejection baffle, but since this rocket is a bit short I though I'd skip t' baffle to save more room for a parachute. Well, blow me down! I chose to use a piece o' Nomex instead of waddin' though. Ahoy! Begad! For this rocket, I attached a small loop o' Keelhaul®©™ strin' tightly glued t' t' inside body tube about an inch and a half down from t' top end o' t' body tube. Begad! T' prevent zipper damage, t' Keelhaul®©™ does nay quite reach out past t' end o' t' tube. That loop is used t' tie t' shock cord rubber t' t' rocket body. Both ends o' t' Keelhaul®©™ thread be frayed t' give t' Keelhaul®©™ more gluin' surface against t' body tube. I've used this method on at least four other rockets now and (knock-wood) never had a problem with it yet. I will also use a much longer (3 or 4 feet) shock cord rubber t' prevent t' inevidable dings and gouges when t' nosecone springs back. Why all t' trouble? Some day t' rubber will deteorate and need replacin' even if it doesn't break sooner. It is a major pain t' sand out t' old cardboard/glue mount just t' put another one in. With t' Keelhaul®©™ loop and a fishin' swivel, arrr, I can change it daily if I want t' with no fuss.
I also added a short 2" section o' payload tube t' t' top o' t' rocket, arrr, usin' a tube coupler with a disk o' thin plywood glued into it t' act as a bulkhead. Avast! T' coupler/plywood saves space over a solid balsa bulkhead, matey, and makes it easy t' insert a very secure small loop o' Keelhaul®©™ t' act as a lightweight and flexible screw-eye. I did screw up a bit with t' payload section though. Well, blow me down! In me haste t' get t' rocket built, I glued t' forward fins onto t' main body tube end, matey, and nay further up on t' payload end where I wanted to, so me rocket will nay have t' front fins just behind t' nose cone as t' real missile appears. Avast, me proud beauty! Eh, me bucko, me hearties, it was only sport-scale anyways. T' keep t' kit length t' Estes scale, me bucko, I could have cut 2 inches off t' main body tube instead o' addin' another 2 inches, but since this is a rather short rocket, I didn't want t' use up some o' the small parachute space.
Lastly, arrr, ya bilge rat, another modification I started doin' t' me rockets is t' split t' launch lug in half and spread t' lugs apart on t' body tube a few inches or more fore and aft. This makes t' model stay straighter on t' launch rod while thrustin' off t' pad. Begad! After seein' a lot o' slo-mo video o' me single-lug rockets twistin' all sorts o' ways durin' launch, I'm pretty sure I'll get better, straighter launches with t' wider set lugs. It's way t' fast t' see with t' naked eye, but some o' those launch videos looked pretty ugly with those models usin' a single, short launch lug.
Finishing
To save some finishin' labor, me hearties, I cover me balsa fins with plain paper secured with photo-mount adhesive. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In a matter o' minutes I get a very smooth surface without t' endless cycle o' balsa fillercoat sealin' and laborous sanding. I believe it may add just a little strength t' t' fins also.
Finishin' this model is pretty easy. Aye aye! Begad! If you are careful t' nay get any plastic cement on t' nosecone or boattail, me hearties, t' plastic parts are pretty smooth and required only very light sandin' on t' seams. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! I did need t' fill-in t' boattail-to-body tube joint though. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Although I personally don't care, me hearties, t' body tube's spiral seams are certianly visible after three coats o' primer and three paint coats. Begad! If this model had good quality water-slide decals then I might be bothered t' fill them in, but those stick-on decals will look so ugly you won't notice t' tube spirals.
Paintin' is easy because thar be only one color: white. Begad! No maskin' is required. I do recommend usin' at least three coats o' clearcoat after t' stick-on decals are applied, me hearties, t' help keep them on tight.
Construction Score: 3
Flight
I thought that the 'pup would fly pretty well. Avast, me proud beauty! It's small size makes me believe it is light, so it should go up fast and high even on smaller motors, right? In reality it is quite heavy for its size, so don't expect high altitudes. I also thought t' 12" chute would be a little much for such a small rocket on B and C motors though, but because it can't go very high its chances o' gettin' lost are very small.
On my initial test flight, t' motor hook got snagged on t' clothespin used t' hold t' model above t' blast deflector, so it only went 4 inches at best! It never left t' rod. Oops, matey, me bad. Ya scallywag! (Is that why Estes didn't put a hook on this model? I'm kidding.) I re-tried it with another B6-4 and was suprised t' see it only reach 124 feet apogee and made a maximum speed o' 55 mph. Begad! Ejection occurred 1-1/2 seconds after apogee, and it descended 37 feet in that time so t' parachute only deployed at 87 feet. Aye aye! Nay only did I learn that t' B6-4 is nay too powerful for this rocket, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but it also told me NOT t' try t' A8-3 even though Estes recommends it. I recommend usin' t' B6-2 unless you built it very light, ya bilge rat, but I'll need a few more test flights t' be sure o' that.
For t' next test flight I used a C6-5, also recommended by Estes. Avast! It reached a just-acceptable apogee o' 300 feet exactly while goin' as fast as 83 mph. Blimey! Blimey! It be a bit windy on this launch day, and t' rocket also weathercocked into t' wind and flew almost horizontal for about 300 feet. Most significant about this flight: t' 5 second delay be way too much. T' actual motor I used had a real-life delay time o' 6 seconds, shiver me timbers, allowin' t' Bullpup t' plunge 118 feet before ejection at 182 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' speed o' t' descent caused all six shroud lines t' tear from t' stock Estes parachute (I didn't modify it), and t' rocket came down without the parachute material after only a 13 second flight. Well, blow me down! T' good news is that it struck t' grass at about 48 mph and survived without any damage because o' its small size. Begad! I would definately recommend a C6-3 motor instead, arrr, as this rocket reached its apogee in 2.9 seconds. Take this with a grain o' salt however, as me model is a bit heavier and longer so it is likely a bit too over-stable and it weather-cocked into t' wind significantly. It might fly a bit higher and faster in calm conditions and need more delay, me hearties, but me gut says it still won't need that much delay; stick with t' B6-2 and C6-3.
Recovery
Recovery materials is Estes weakness. Ya scallywag! Avast! Nay only did they seem t' discontinue other parachute sizes, (they used t' ship with 8", 10", matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and 14" 'chutes at least), me bucko, but they offer a lousy mountin' method for a much too short shock cord. They need t' provide longer shock cord rubber and a more useful mountin' method.
Summary
Pros:
Overall quality o' parts is high. Ya scallywag! T' plastic nosecone was very good. Aye aye! Other plastic parts, parachute, balsa and body tube was certianly OK, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but nay overly remarkable, they were t' usual decent quality Estes stuff. Instructions were very clear, me bucko, ya bilge rat, except for havin' t' cut them up and destroy them t' make t' tube markin' guide (I don't have a Xerox at home!).
Cons:
Shock cord mountin' - lame at best. Shock cord length - so short it's almost comical.
Lack o' a motor clip - subjectin' us t' tape-friction fittin' is just cruel, but easy t' modify. I understand that they may have tried t' keep t' tail cone lookin' scale-like though.
Major con: stick-on decals
Heavy for such a small rocket, matey, arrr, altitudes are nay very impressive. Avast! It apogee'd at 124' on a B6 and 300' on a C6. Might do better in calm/light wind though.
Overall Rating: 2
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Flights
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Rich DeAngelis (November 26, 2012)
I sent the reduced-weight Bullpup 12D Iris up again, with a C6-3 motor. This time it was able to make an apogee of 430 feet (good enough!). It also broke the 100 mph barrier. The delay of 3 was a good choice for this flight.
The next test flight was a B6-2. This flight was even more disappointing than the B6-4. The 2 second delay was good, but it only made 102 feet going up to 66 mph. Not too impressive, and barely enough altitude to know with confidence that the parachute will unfurl and work. The B6 didn't handle the wind very well either, turning a lot.
I would recommend sticking to a C6-3, and use the -5 only if it is extremely calm.
Peter Balchunas (June 24, 2015)
I just received this rocket with a few others, that I bought off of Ebay from a seller. I too was surprised to find "NO Engine Hook". Reading the above comments, will go with the C6-3 engine. Even though it says to use
the recommented engines.
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Rich DeAngelis (November 21, 2012)
I'm not giving up on the Bullpup just yet. I have modified it and removed about 13 grams of noseweight clay - co-incidentally almost exactly the amount of weight I added with the 2-inch payload tube and bulkhead. So now my rocket is about equal to the "stock" weight but still just a bit longer. It is now using a 14" parachute. I hope to get closer to 400 feet with the C6-3 motor, and over 100 with the B6-2. Waiting for a good day to launch these next test flights.