Brief:
This is a re-release o' t' early 80's Estes kit. A 1/9th scale model o' the famous U.S. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Army surface-to-surface, supersonic ballistic missile. This highly detailed model comes with pre-shaped, accurately scaled fins and molded plastic nose cone. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Spectacular recovery with giant, shiver me timbers, dual 24" parachutes. Begad! It makes an impressive display model.

Construction:
This be t' Maxi Brute version from Estes. Well, blow me down! T' kit I purchased was undamaged and all parts were accounted for. This kit comes in a large box which included, one 2.6" diameter 14" long body tube, arrr, launch lug, arrr, ya bilge rat, plastic nose cone, plastic boat tail and nose cone attachment that you have t' cut through the middle t' separate, arrr, shiver me timbers, blown plastic fins that you cut out, as well as blown plastic spin nozzles that you also cut out. Aye aye! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! Additional items include two cardboard centerin' rings, arrr, standard Estes engine hook and 24mm motor mount tube, two 24" pre-assembled plastic parachutes, ya bilge rat, various templates t' be used for cuttin' out balsa parts, matey, one 3x3" piece o' 1/8" balsa and one 1"x4" piece o' 1/32 hard balsa-type wood. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' instructions that came with this kit were o' t' usual Estes quality. Very clear with good illustrations. Well, matey, blow me down! One thin' you need t' do is t' be sure to read t' extra set o' paperwork that comes with t' kit. Begad! There is one set of papers that explains how t' kit uses t' original set o' assembly instructions, ya bilge rat, then goes on t' list t' changes in t' re-release and what parts/construction steps have been omitted. I o' course did nay discover this until t' instructions said t' use t' glue capsule that is included with the kit t' glue t' spin jets onto t' nosecone. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! This is one o' t' omitted parts. Now I guess you just use liquid plastic cement, which worked just fine, arrr, since they did nay indicate what t' use now that t' glue capsule is no longer included.

T' actual buildin' o' t' kit be pretty challenging. This kit is a level 3 but I would rate it a level 4. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I have built several level 3 kits and this one was t' most challengin' because o' t' detail work. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! For t' most part, shiver me timbers, it starts out with t' basics: construct t' standard motor mount, insert into the body tube, glue t' usual way, etc. Ya scallywag! T' challengin' part comes in when you have to start by cuttin' out t' fin halves and makin' a flange t' glue them together. Ya scallywag! I made me first modification here. Avast, me proud beauty! As I be tryin' t' glue t' fin halves together, shiver me timbers, I thought that these fins are goin' t' break t' first time it lands--or at least pop off. Aye aye! Blimey! I did nay want this t' happen and decided t' beef up t' fin unit quite a bit.

I took two sheets o' 3/16" balsa, made eight 6"x6" squares, glued two pieces together with t' grain runnin' in t' opposite direction (so I now had four 6"x6", arrr, 3/8" thick pieces) and cut out new one piece fins. I could have used four 3/8" thick pieces, ya bilge rat, but by gluin' two 3/16" pieces together with t' grain in opposite directions, it is very strong and does nay flex along t' grain. Arrr! I left tabs on t' root edge so I could mount them through t' wall for added strength. Blimey! I then sanded them down to re-create t' high center points. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I used an orbital sander t' do this which only took about five min. Aye aye! per fin. After cuttin' slots in t' boat tail for the fins, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I used epoxy t' attach them on t' inside t' t' motor mount tube. Ahoy! For even more added strength, me hearties, I filled t' hollow boat tail with expandable foam. Needless t' say, this thin' is as strong as a rock now.

Another modification I made be t' use Keelhaul®©™® cord attached t' t' centerin' rin' and Keelhaul®©™® cord attached in a loop, per instructions, t' t' inside o' t' nose cone. Betwixt this I added a five foot piece o' 1/4" elastic shock cord. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then attached a 30" chute t' t' elastic cord about 6" down from t' nose. T' instructions say t' attach elastic shock cord t' t' centerin' rin' and attach a 24" chute t' t' other end. T' nose also gets a 18" piece of elastic shock cord and it's own 24" chute. Blimey! Aye aye! I used Keelhaul®©™® on t' centerin' rin' since t' elastic would burn through in two flights. Begad! Then I attached t' nose cone and rocket together because I just like it that way by puttin' a five foot piece o' shock cord betwixt t' nose and body so that on ejection they would nay slap together.

T' last challengin' part was t' construction o' t' launch lug mounts. Two are decorative and two are actually used t' mount t' lugs. Aye aye! You have t' use the templates that Estes includes t' cut out very small balsa pieces and then sand and glue together. It is nay really that hard t' cut them out, me bucko, it is gluin' them together that be t' tough part. Aye aye! They are so small, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me hearties, it is hard to hold them without gettin' t' much glue around and keepin' them from shifting.

Finishing:
First, ya bilge rat, t' instructions say t' paint t' rocket "Artillery Green". I looked everywhere for that color and could nay find it. I settled on "Medium Green" from t' Testors Master Series line o' paints. Arrr! I suppose you could use "Olive Drab" but I did nay think it looked as nice as t' medium green. Ahoy! I figure if it is a scale kit, and I took t' time to build it as close t' scale as possible, me hearties, arrr, then Artillery Green should exist. Ya scallywag! Avast! The "updated" instructions did nay say anythin' about t' paint color changin' names, but I suppose that back in t' early 80's when this kit was introduced, me bucko, matey, shiver me timbers, t' paint name may have now been changed t' "Medium Green".

T' other thin' I did nay like was t' peel and stick decals after I had them on. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Again, since this is a scale kit, me bucko, I would have preferred t' water slide type. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Peel and stick may be easier, arrr, but they leave a big lip on t' edges of t' decal because they are very thick. Water slide decals are very thin and when dry, me hearties, are almost flat with no lip edge.

Before painting, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I applied three coats o' sandin' sealer t' t' fins sandin' betwixt each coat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Paintin' was simple and straight forward since it is all one color. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I applied two coats o' Krylon white sandable primer, then two coats o' Testors medium green. Begad! Blimey! I had no problems applyin' t' decals, and after they were on I applied two coats o' Krylon clear matte finish. Begad! Blimey! Total weight was 15oz after paint. Blimey! Blimey! This is only one ounce more than t' specified weight o' 14oz on t' package. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My guess is that t' weight on t' package was a little high because I can't believe I only added 1oz o' weight betwixt t' heavier balsa fins, epoxy, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and foam inside t' boattail.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight I flew this on t' recommended Estes D12-3. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! Weather was optimal and t' rocket looked great just sittin' on t' pad. Avast! Upon ignition it roared t' life and lift-off was great. Avast! Nay too slow and nay too fast. It went straight and reached an altitude o' about 250ft.

T' next flight be on an Aerotech E18-4. Again, weather be optimal. No wind and very clear. Well, blow me down! T' E18 made it roar off t' pad much faster than t' D12 and it went much higher. I would guess about 400 t' 500 feet this time. Begad!

Recovery:
Recovery be successful on t' D12. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' 30" chute popped just after apogee and since thar was little t' no wind, me hearties, t' rocket came down about 100ft from the pad. Recovery on t' E18 seemed perfect. Ahoy! Blimey! This motor had a longer delay by one second, but since it was a more powerful motor it coasted a bit longer than the D12 and t' chute popped at just t' right time. Begad! Blimey! This time it landed a little farther from t' pad.

After t' two flights, me bucko, thar be some slight zipperin' on t' edge o' the tube from where t' Keelhaul®©™® cord would pull against it at an angle. T' cords looked in good shape with no burn through and t' elastic shock cord had no visible signs o' wear, shiver me timbers, or black burn marks.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall I think this a great kit and looks great as a display model. Aye aye! Blimey! You don't see many o' these around at club launches and that's what I think makes it pretty unique. Blimey! Blimey! I think it is a bit pricey though, shiver me timbers, as I paid about $43.00 for the kit. That is a good price but still on t' high side.

It is definitely nay a kit for beginners, shiver me timbers, me bucko, hence t' level 3 rating, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, but if you take your time on it, it will turn out spectacular.

I like t' looks o' t' finished kit so much that I would like t' make a 2, or 3x upscale version o' it t' fly on either 29mm or 38mm H and I motors. Arrr! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5