Construction Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Estes ![]() |
Brief:
T' Estes Monarch is a single-staged skill level 1 rocket that uses 18mm motors, me hearties, parachute recovery, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and sports an unusual fin pattern. Begad! T' rocket stands in a 17.25", and flies well, unique fins and all.
Construction:
T' components for t' Monarch are what you might expect o' a skill level 1 Estes rocket: die-cut balsa fins, me hearties, a section o' BT50 airframe tubing, plastic nosecone, me bucko, me bucko, a motor mount with retainin' hook, a 12" parachute, and elastic shock cord. Aye aye! T' kit even comes with a couple o' peel and stick decals.
T' instructions for this kit are easy t' follow, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' illustrations are clear and comprehendible. Begad! Like many skill level 1 rockets, arrr, no fancy tools are needed for this kit. Arrr! I used Elmer's Carpenter's Glue for t' whole assembly, with t' exception o' t' nose, which mandated plastic cement.
You might think that 2 pieces o' balsa are joined t' form each fin on this rocket. From me experience, that is true, me hearties, though nay by design. Well, blow me down! Blimey! In actuality, each fin should be one piece, ya bilge rat, but 2 o' t' 3 from me kit were broken across t' shortest span before I even freed them from t' balsa sheet. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I ended up adherin' t' pieces back together, sandwiched t' fins in wax paper and placed a college dictionary on top o' them for good measure.
After t' fins were repaired, matey, I sanded them as evenly as I could. Arrr! Sandin' all t' edges was tricky in those tough t' reach narrow areas o' t' span. I used an emery board at one point.
T' fins are surface mounted, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which is fine for a rocket o' this size. T' ensure a better glue joint, shiver me timbers, arrr, I roughed up t' airframe with 220 grit sandpaper and poked a series o' holes down each line where t' fin root would attach. I did this so t' glue would seep inside t' airframe and form "rivets." I have found this technique works well for surfaced mounted fins.
T' last heads-up for t' construction o' this rocket be t' shock cord. Begad! T' mount itself be t' basic Estes paper fold glued inside t' airframe, me bucko, which I feel is fine for this light rocket. Begad! Begad! T' shock cord was too short for me liking, so I threw it out and replaced it with 3 feet o' sewin' elastic.
Regardin' construction, pros are:
Cons:
Finishing:
Before I glued anythin' t' t' airframe, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I filled and sanded t' tube spirals with Elmer's Fill and Finish. Begad! I did t' same for t' grain on t' fins and paid close attention t' t' repaired spots.
I gave t' rocket a shot o' white Krylon primer, shiver me timbers, sanded lightly, ya bilge rat, and then gave it two coats o' Krylon Gloss Teal. T' decals are plain (black and white), arrr, but I added them on a whim anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! Lastly, me bucko, I coated t' rocket with Krylon Clear.
Were I t' rate this rocket on t' construction alone, me bucko, I would give it a 2 simply because I believe t' fins are difficult t' work with, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, if nay waitin' t' break in t' package.
Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5
Flight:
Flight preparation o' t' Monarch is easy enough: a bit o' wadding, ya bilge rat, matey, fold t' chute and pack it all in t' airframe. T' motor is held in by t' retainer clip, so one need nay fuss with friction fitting.
T' first motor I used in this rocket was an A8-3, me bucko, matey, which proved a modest yet pleasant flight. Begad! Begad! T' next launch be on a B6-4, which is also seemed like a good motor for this rocket. Begad! In either case, t' rocket flew incredibly straight, me bucko, ejected without incident, and be recovered without any damage.
Recovery:
As for flight recovery pros and cons, matey, they are:
Pros:
Cons:
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' Monarch certainly does have a unique appearance. Arrr! Blimey! At t' same time, ya bilge rat, t' fins that provide that are incredibly fragile and difficult t' sand on some o' t' edges. Begad! Blimey! Before I bought t' kit, arrr, I tried t' verify that t' balsa stock was undamaged, but it was virtually impossible t' see through t' packaging. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' sheet was undeniably flat, but still 2 o' 3 fins were broken. Begad! Blimey! I would speculate that this isn't uncommon for this rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! I ultimately think Estes would be better off havin' each fin consist o' 2 pieces. It seems breakage would be minimized and one could effectively sand each piece before puttin' them together.
On t' other hand t' rocket flies great.
Overall from me experience with this rocket I rate this rocket at a 3 1/2 simply because o' t' trouble I had with t' fins.
Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5
Brief: The Monarch features a unique fin configuration and parachute recovery. Construction: This kit comes with a plastic nose cone, one body tube, three die-cut balsa fins, cardboard motor mount tube with two centering rings and a metal retainer clip, an 18-inch flat elastic shock cord, and a 12-inch parachute. The nose cone has minimal flash and mold lines. The fin balsa is good ...
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