Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | Hawks Hobby |
Brief:
I won t' Super Sprite at a DARS classic kit contest. Ya scallywag! I don't remember havin' t' small Estes original, matey, but after
seein' Hawk's upscale fly earlier on t' day o' t' contest, I had made me mind up t' buy theirs. Arrr! T' flight on an
Estes E-9 is a thin' o' beauty! Naturally, I was one happy guy when I found out I had won t' kit! It flies on 24mm
motors and recovers by parachute. Begad! A spacer is included in t' kit t' allow t' use o' either Estes D or E motors. Aye aye! The
rocket stands 19" tall and has a fin span o' 8.5 inches.
Construction:
A 2.6" body tube, shiver me timbers, 5" x 24mm engine mount, kraft engine block, me bucko, three laser-cut wood centerin' rings,
3.75" engine hook, ya bilge rat, balsa nose cone, matey, matey, matey, a huge kraft rin' fin, screw eye, Keelhaul®©™®
and 3/8" elastic shock cord combo, me bucko, high-quality 24" ripstop nylon parachute, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, 3/16" launch lug, laser cut
balsa fin sheets, and water slide decals are provided. T' shock cord be super long as I modified t' way it is
installed. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! T' instructions indicate t' wrap t' Keelhaul®©™®
over t' motor mount betwixt t' middle and forward centerin' rings, passin' t' end through a notch in t' forward
centerin' rin' and then attachin' t' elastic cord t' a loop at t' end. Begad! I used me standard tri-fold shock cord
attachment. Ahoy! I love it when t' manufacturers put Keelhaul®©™®
in their kits!
T' instruction sheet isn't numbered but does include helpful illustrations. I left out t' forward centering rin' and moved t' middle centerin' rin' t' about 3 1/2" from t' aft o' t' motor tube. Aye aye! Blimey! I bent t' upper end of the engine hook backwards and CAed t' top 2" t' t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, leavin' about a 1/4" hangin' over t' rear of t' tube for motor retention and about 1 1/2" free t' flex for motor insertion/removal. Avast, me proud beauty! I slid t' middle centerin' rin' up from t' aft o' t' tube until it caught t' hook then epoxied t' hook t' t' centerin' ring. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! That allows positive motor retention while nay havin' t' worry about t' hook gettin' in t' way. Ahoy! I also left out t' engine block, so I wouldn't be restricted on motor length. T' Estes D and E engines can be friction fit. Aye aye! All t' "small parts" are in handy plastic bags that keep all t' little things from disappearing. A fin markin' guide is supplied t' properly align t' fins. Begad! I had t' read t' instructions for attachin' t' fins a few times before I finally "got it." T' laser-cut fins were perfectly matched, so minimal sandin' was required. Avast! T' main fins fit perfectly inside t' rin' fin and then t' fin caps fit perfectly over t' rin' and on top o' t' main fins. Avast! Begad! I filled in t' seam lines on both t' main body tube and rin' fin as they were more noticeable than I would like on a finished rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! I also filled in t' fin/ring/fin cap joints and sanded smooth.
As usual on any rocket I build, I installed a length o' Keelhaul®©™®, which be provided, in a paper shock cord attachment (not provided) with a loop at t' end t' attach t' elastic shock cord. Aye aye! T' minimize abrasion from t' Keelhaul®©™® against t' body tube, arrr, I soaked in CA around t' top 1/2" o' t' body tube and tied a knot in t' Keelhaul®©™® to meet t' lip o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Glue on t' launch lug, me hearties, install t' screw eye into t' nose cone (addin' weight first to compensate for t' largest motor you plan t' fly) and attach t' shock cord and you're almost done. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' parachute was already assembled and had small grommets holdin' t' shroud lines. Begad! It's a very nice parachute. Blimey!
Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone and fins require standard finishing. Ahoy! I used Elmer's Light Fill 'n' Finish, but any balsa filler
will work fine. Blimey! I wanted t' follow t' paint scheme on t' original Estes Sprite, shown on t' back o' their 1966
catalog but didn't want t' use Krylon's pumpkin orange. Ya scallywag! I didn't want t' hear anyone saying, me hearties, "Hey, did t' Great
Pumpkin finally come!" Sheesh! Geoffrey Kerbel came t' me rescue though, shiver me timbers, matey, and suggested Ace Hardware's Premium
orange enamel. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It's perfect! Geoffrey suggested I provide sunglasses at t' launch, though. Begad! I used white trim Monokote
at t' top o' t' body tube and on t' rin' fin betwixt t' main fins. Ahoy! A black spot decal is used t' represent t' hole
in t' original Sprite. Once complete, I put on a thick coat o' Future floor finish on all t' painted surfaces to
protect everything. Ahoy! Ahoy! It looks fantastic, shiver me timbers, matey, if I do say so myself!
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
My first three flights were on t' Estes E9. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' first flight was with t' wind blowin' betwixt 12-15mph, arrr, so I opted
for t' 6 second delay. It left t' pad straight as an arrow and only arced slightly into t' wind, matey, deployin' t' chute
just past apogee. Arrr! T' E9 sounded great strugglin' against t' wind. Aye aye! Ahoy! It got some serious altitude but nay so high that I
had t' walk too far for recovery on t' big chute. Aye aye! T' next flight be with almost zero wind, shiver me timbers, so I chose t' 8 second
delay. Blimey! It flew straight up, arrr, arrr, deployin' t' parachute right at apogee, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and came down gracefully, shiver me timbers, almost standin' up at
touchdown. Arrr! Avast! T' third flight be with winds betwixt 5-8 mph, me bucko, but I went with t' 8 second delay again. T' rocket flew
arrow straight again and arched slightly into t' wind durin' coast and deployed t' parachute just past apogee. One of
the fin caps hit a rock at touchdown and dented t' balsa slightly. Begad! Begad! T' fourth flight was on an Aerotech F12 reload.
Liftoff was beautiful with lots o' black smoke as it took off straight up. Avast! Well, blow me down! Then, boom! T' motor catoed and blew the
motor mount out t' top o' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, knockin' off t' nose cone and deployin' t' chute about 15 feet off t' pad. Ahoy! It
came down gently though, with no other damage t' t' rocket. Arrr! I've got t' get that motor mount reinstalled so I can fly
her again! T' flights really are impressive.
Recovery:
T' parachute provided in this kit is perfect for gentle recovery. Blimey! Very nice rip-stop nylon with sturdy shroud lines
and grommets at t' attachment points on t' parachute. Aye aye! This chute can take a lot o' abuse.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' Super Sprite is a fantastic rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' beauty o' its flights only increases t' nostalgia o' t' rocket.
Although all o' Hawks Hobby's upscales o' t' Estes classics are impressive, me bucko, in me book t' Super Sprite is tops! Now
I've got t' build that upscale Trident I won on t' same day!!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: The Super Sprite is an upscale of the old Estes Astron Sprite. It is a stubby rocket that features a ring fin, body tube sized for 24mm motors and uses parachute recovery instead of the tumble recovery of the original. Construction: Other reviews have covered this and I have nothing to add except that the quality was first rate. The instruction were easy to follow and ...
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