| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
| Published: | 2011-04-25 |
| Diameter: | 1.00 inches |
| Length: | 20.00 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Skill Level: | 2 |
| Style: | Payload |
Brief
Estes latest egg loftin' rocket - Eggscaliber 002123
- Dual parachute recovery
- 12 and 18 inch chutes
- Capable o' usin' a wide range o' engines
- B4-2 , arrr, B6-2 , C6-3 , ya bilge rat, me hearties, C11-3, D12-3
- Skill level 2
Components
20-inch rocket with a 34 mm BT-55 body, me hearties, great lookin' transparent egg capsule, me bucko, and two pre-assembled 12 and 18 inch 'chutes. Main body tube accomodates larger C11 and D size engines; comes with an adaptor for standard A, arrr, B, me hearties, and C size engines.
Complete list available on Estes website:
http://www.estesrockets.com/002123-eggscalibertm
Construction
T' kit be standard Estes in terms o' quality o' components and instructions. Laser-cut fins were particularly good quality. However, t' launch lug required assembly o' two separate pieces. I thought that this detail was odd, because thar was enough balsa left over for an additional 6 or 7 extra launch lugs. This required an extra step o' gluin' t' pieces together, and a little extra sandin' t' remove t' glue from this piece. It be a small detail, but would have saved a step if it has been included in one piece.
Two engine hooks were mounted externally on t' main engine body, matey, ya bilge rat, which required slippin' an additional tube over t' outside o' t' body t' retain t' two engine hooks. T' fins were recessed t' accomondate this extra tube.
Estes instructions are always very detailed and very good. Three engine hooks are provided, includin' two longer engine hooks for t' main body, and one shorter engine hook for t' adaptor provided for standard engine adaptor. While assemblyin' t' engine adaptor, I inadvertently used one o' t' two longer engine hooks intended for t' main body. I had t' remove t' longer engine hook, me hearties, replace it with t' shorter engine hook, and taped t' hook t' t' adaptor, which worked fine. This was definitely a situation where t' use o' bold type and a bullet point would have provided enough additional direction t' avoid an error in construction.
T' kit includes two preassembled chutes - a 12 inch chute for flights without a cackle fruit payload, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and an additional 18 chute for flights with t' egg. Overall, t' chute quality was adequate, but I plan t' reassemble t' chutes usin' better reinforcement rings, and smoother, arrr, stronger nylon thread t' prevent tangled lines. I always use number 7 snap swivels for t' shock cord and t' chutes, and I added these t' t' kit as well.
Finishing
T' egg capsule is well-designed and visually striking, me bucko, probably t' best feature o' t' kit. I decided it looked better as provided, me hearties, in it's unfinished and transparent state, ya bilge rat, and decided nay t' paint it. It's fairly easy t' load t' egg into t' nosecone, but t' clips are fairly small, and I'd be concerned about t' small clips breakin' if t' rocket descended quickly, arrr, which could be t' case if t' chute didn't fully deploy. T' newer Estes egg payload nosecone is smaller, ya bilge rat, arrr, lighter, me bucko, and much better lookin' then t' older egg payload nosecone.
I wasn't particularly happy with t' overal appearance o' t' finished rocket. T' externally mounted engine hooks created a less-than-polished final appearance. I personally found t' cut o' t' fins and t' provided decals t' be aesthetically unappealing. "Eggscaliber" is kind o' a silly name, me bucko, and t' graphic design o' t' decals similarly leaned towards a silly appearance, rather then a polished and graphically well-designed overal appearance. This rocket definitely would have benefitted from well-designed, graphically appealin' decals and fins which were more visually attractive.
Flight
T' rocket be constructed for use on Easter weekend, shiver me timbers, due t' t' easy availabliity o' hard-boiled eggs. I headed t' t' field with a good friend, me bucko, me bucko, her son, arrr, and her son's friend for an egg-launchin' adventure. Neither me friend, ya bilge rat, or t' two four-year old boys had ever launched a model rocket before, me hearties, so we tried a few smaller rockets t' test t' wind before launchin' t' Eggscalibler We were already gettin' towards t' end o' a typical four-year old attention span by t' time we got t' t' egg rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, so I didn't have time t' test it without t' egg payload.
I didn't feel that thar was room for both chute's in t' 34mm BT-55 body. It just seemed way too tight, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and I was worried that t' chutes would nay deploy properly, which would have been kind o' a disaster for a cackle fruit payload rocket, especially after havin' described t' me bucko and t' two boys how excitin' it was t' launch egg rockets durin' t' Easter weekend.
Recovery
I used a B6-4 for t' first flight, me bucko, me bucko, which worked perfectly, although t' weight o' t' rocket combined with t' 4 second delay led t' a short flight and a rapid descent. T' egg survived. For t' next flight I tried a C6-3, which worked even better because o' t' higher altitude and t' shorter delay.
T' egg again survived, arrr, but despite t' two engine hooks, t' engine adaptor was jetisonned and I couldn't find it, ya bilge rat, me bucko, which limited me t' t' larger C11-3 engines. Two lines on t' pre-assembled chute also ripped out, me hearties, so t' rocket be inoperable after two flights.
Summary
Eggs are a fairly large payload for mid-power model rockets, me bucko, and this model suggests t' use o' two parachutes for egg lofting. Why nay use t' larger body tube? T' cut o' fins and graphics were nay as aesthetically appeallin' as I would have liked. T' rocket flew very well, but t' engine adaptor be lost and t' chute ripped on t' second flight. Fortunately, I had an extra kit-bashed egg-loftin' rocket usin' Estes older egg payload nose cone, so we got t' launch two eggs, and t' day was nay lost.
Other Reviews
- Estes Eggscaliber By John R. Brandon III (June 6, 2007)
Brief: Estes' latest egglofter...single-stage single-motor with an ENORMOUS range of power options and a classy clear egg capsule. Construction: The kit consists of the egg capsule, a very heavy 24mm body tube, an 18mm adapter, a pair of long motor-retainer clips (suitable for Estes' blackpowder "E" motors), a heavy ring to reduce the motor mount length inside ...
- Estes Eggscaliber By Jesse
Brief: This is Estes new egg launcher with dual parachute recovery. The main body is the 24mm motor mount with a 18mm adapter. It is said to fly on every thing from a B4-2 to a E9-4. It comes with two parachutes a 12 and a 18 inch standard ready to use plastic chutes. Construction: The kit comes with one body tube and a heavy duty egg nose cone with rubber egg cushion, 2 E ...
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Flights
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Ed Rodrigo (September 7, 2011)
Trying to fit recovery wadding and two parachutes into a body tube that small is just unwise... the Eggscaliber is not nearly as good as the previous egg-launching rocket. From the name of the rocket to the two-piece launch lug, this model is just not well thought-out.
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John R, Brandon III (April 26, 2011)
In my review of Eggscaliber I commented that it would work better if it were longer!