Brief:
Estes classic Alpha is your standard 3FNC LPR model, me hearties, probably in continuous production longer than any other model rocket in history. Ahoy! It is a simple, straightforward build, me hearties, listed as a skill level 2 build. Blimey! Compared to the model airplanes I fly, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, it's somethin' a newbie could take on as a first project, matey, shiver me timbers, especially if he or she had a little guidance.

With its wide selection o' motors and quick assembly, arrr, it's a perfect all-around rocket, and t' body tube is large enough t' take up t' a 24" parachute should you feel t' urge t' enter parachute endurance competition.

Construction:

T' kit consists of:

• BT-50 Body Tube, me bucko, XX" long
• PNC-50 blow-molded plastic nose cone
• Three laser cut balsa fins, arrr, 3/32" sheet
• 18 mm motor tube, matey, 2.75" long
• 2.75" steel motor retainer
• BT-20 t' BT-50 fiber motor mount adapter
• 1/8" white rubber shock cord
• 12" pre-assembled parachute
• Self-adhesive decal sheet
• 2 pages o' instructions

T' Alpha comes in a plastic bag, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, which seems t' be a returnin' trend in Estes products. It is good t' see that even Wal-Mart is startin' t' again carry higher skill level kits and that balsa fins and t' like are again becoming oft-seem items.

A nice new advance be t' addition o' laser-cut fins (more on that later), me bucko, me bucko, arrr, which provide better cuts and speed finishing.

I started construction with t' body tube and motor mound, ya bilge rat, per t' instructions (which I'm nay used t' following, ya bilge rat, me bucko, being a model airplane guy who is used t' nay even havin' instructions), and decided t' modify t' model by extendin' the motor tube 3/8" out t' back o' t' body tube t' allow a tail cone t' be built around it. Aye aye! There was a slight dink in t' motor tube, but a quick coatin' o' CA on both ends o' t' tube fixed this imperfection and ensured good wear resistance. Ya scallywag! While I was at it, I hardened t' nose end o' t' tube with CA t' provide resistance against impacts and mishandling. Total time for assemblin' t' motor tube and installin' it in t' fuselage was less than 5 minutes.

As a bit o' personal whim, I glued bits o' 3/16" balsa around t' exposed end o' t' motor tube and sanded this mess down into a small tail cone. Arrr! This mod provides a nice effect, but should be considered with caution, as it places the motor 3/8" aft o' t' design location, me bucko, shiftin' t' CG in t' wrong direction. Well, blow me down! Before movin' on, I hardened the tail cone with CA and sanded t' body tube thoroughly t' minimize t' spirallin' groves in t' body tube.

Fin installation comes next, arrr, me bucko, and t' paper tube markin' guide provides accurate positioning. Some might find it hard t' use, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but I had t' marks on in less than 30 seconds. Now it was time t' deal with t' fins, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and here I ran into a squawk about t' kit. T' laser cuttin' does nay go all t' way through t' balsa, matey, so t' fins must still be carefully cut out o' t' carrier sheet. Blimey! While this is ok, arrr, me bucko, matey, I've come t' expect laser cuttin' t' allow me t' punch t' parts right out. Other than this minor issue, t' fin stock was just t' right density, arrr, and t' laser cuttin' was clean, featuring minimal burn marking. I planed and sanded t' fins t' a streamlined shape, shiver me timbers, hardened t' tips with CA, and had t' fins all installed very quickly. Avast! I should add that t' sharp tips are vulnerable in a hard landing, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and I chose t' round them slightly. Arrr! It's me opinion that sharp tips like these should never be considered if balsa construction is t' be used. Begad! Begad! I supposed a few bits o' carbon tow would allow me t' retain t' sharp tips, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but that wasn't on me agenda. Arrr! We should also note that t' fin pattern on t' instructions is about 10% smaller than t' supplied fins. Begad! I'll take t' larger size, thank you. Begad! Aye aye! I attached t' fins with CA and used the same for filleting. Well, matey, blow me down! With those long, matey, sweepin' fins, a hard landin' could break t' fins loose unless they are firmly mounted. These shouldn't ever come loose with that CA on them.

T' instructions tell you t' mount t' launch lug just ahead o' t' fins exactly betwixt two o' them. Avast! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! A fine practice, but mountin' it against one o' t' fins eases alignment and reduces drag. A further refinement modification was t' slice t' ends o' t' lug at an angle t' further streamline t' lug.

Estes is still usin' rubber shock cords, which I would prefer they stopped, but that's another story. Begad! I went ahead and used t' supplied cord since I have had pretty good success with them in spite o' me dislikes. Aye aye! T' cord was respectably long, but a 50% length increase would be a very wise move. Arrr! T' paper shock cord mount is another beef of mine, me bucko, me bucko, but they can be made t' be reliable if glued in place very firmly, which I made sure t' do.

It was interestin' t' see that Estes is now supplyin' completely finished parachute kits. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You need only organize the shroud lines and loop them into place on t' nosecone. Ahoy! Blimey! T' yellow and black checkerin' on t' chute looks cool and might seem like a high-vis scheme, but I'd prefer a solid color, ya bilge rat, preferably red, as it is visible from a much longer distance than checkering. Begad! Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Still, me bucko, it's a respectable chute, arrr, and t' material looks stronger than what I've seen in the past with Estes kits.

Total assembly time was about an hour and a half, matey, arrr, and without me mods and extensive sanding, it could have been cut to 45 minutes.

Summary:

Great kit, good instructions, ya bilge rat, laser cuttin' is a nice finish.

Laser cuttin' needs improvement, arrr, and t' shock cord and attachment could be re-done for better durability and functionality.

Finishing:
T' nose cone has most o' t' flashin' and mould seams removed, arrr, but I went ahead and sanded it as smooth as possible. T' plastic sands easily t' a good finish.

I gave t' entire rocket a good coat o' Krylon clear t' fill in t' tiny hints o' sandin' marks on t' nose and fill t' wood grain and other undesirable features. Ahoy! T' result be pleasing.

After procrastinatin' a bit, I decided nay t' fly t' model until it was completely finished. Begad! Out came t' paint. I gave it several coats o' Krylon satin white, which produced a decent finish, ya bilge rat, but failed t' fill in t' wood grain (will I ever learn t' use sandin' sealer?). Begad! Ya scallywag! Still, me hearties, me hearties, t' result wasn't bad, me hearties, though t' tube spirals remained somewhat visible. I painted t' nosecone in red gloss, shiver me timbers, and nay havin' blue paint on hand, colored one o' t' fins blue by adherin' blue tissue paper t' it with spray adhesive and sealin' t' edges with CA. Yup, a trick from model airplanes. Ya scallywag! Avast! Minimal weight gain, too!

With t' paint dry, I moved on t' decals. Ahoy! Estes apparently supplies self adhesive decals with everythin' now. I'm not a huge fan, matey, but bein' terrible with water slides, it's for t' best where I'm concerned. Avast! Other than t' fin decals bein' a little oversized, thar were no issues, ya bilge rat, and t' decals went on fine. Don't forget though, that with self adhesive, me hearties, me bucko, thar's no second try!

After everythin' be finished, me hearties, matey, I gave t' whole model a final coat o' Krylon gloss, and oh how it shines! Blimey! So in conclusion, arrr, me bucko, me only qualm is with t' oversized fin decals. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Can't fault Estes for t' wood grain thing, arrr, me bucko, as that be my fault (the instructions say t' use sandin' sealer).

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Estes recommends a long list o' motors for this rocket. Begad! Basically it'll take nearly any 18mm motor you feed it. Well, blow me down! The instructions say t' use an A8-3 for t' familiarization flight, me bucko, but I didn't want t' use up all o' mine, so started with a B4-4. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' launch was straight as an arrow, me hearties, me bucko, no weathercockin' despite significant winds. It probably went 800' up, arrr, ejectin' just a tad past apogee.

My second flight was on a calmer day, so I used a C6-5. Launch was again dead straight, me hearties, me hearties, matey, with ejection right at apogee. I inclined t' rod about 10 degrees t' better center t' rocket on t' field (a good choice as I later saw), me bucko, matey, so it would have ejected prior t' apogee had I gone for a straight launch. This model really gets up thar on a C engine, easily makin' t' predicted 1000+'. Begad! A very impressive show!

Recovery:
Recovery was flawless both times. Blimey! T' little 10" chute is a little marginal on visibility, but let's face it, t' only way t' improve and still get a safe scuttle rate would be t' make it day-glow red. Arrr! T' decent rate is just right, me hearties, though it would need a streamer for small fields. From a C engine, it takes roughly 2 minutes to come back down.

In detail, on t' first flight, me bucko, shiver me timbers, with ejection just past apogee, t' model drifted back overhead and be carried to the edge o' t' field. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! No damage from recovery, me bucko, and t' decent was stable, matey, with just t' usual rockin' about. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! No dents from t' somewhat short shock cord, either, and it did remain in good condition. With 5 sheets o' recovery wadding, there be zero scorchin' o' t' chute.

T' second flight was also very good, me bucko, matey, and I was able t' catch t' model as it descended down. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Centerin' the trajectory on t' field was a good idea, as it came down just short o' some trees. Begad! Descent be very stable, with almost no rockin' about by t' end o' t' descent. Ahoy! I would say t' chute is just right for this model in standard use, shiver me timbers, and seems very durable. Avast! T' rubber shock cord is just fine, too, so long as you keep it out o' UV radiation.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Alpha built great other than me minor squawk about t' fins and shock cord and finished out lookin' just fine. Ya scallywag! Weight is respectable, me bucko, resultin' in a very high performance rocket that is still large enough for easy flight preparation and motor installation/removal.

T' flights are great and stable, insensitive t' wind. Ahoy! Aye aye! Recovery system works great, me hearties, and it will take virtually any engine you can fit inside it. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! There is sufficient room for a 24" chute if you're willin' t' let things get a little tight, me bucko, so it's usable for competition, too.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5