Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.75 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Odd-Roc |
Brief:
New mini motor E2X series all plastic rocket with streamer recovery.
Construction:
T' kit included t' two body halves, nose cone & insert, me bucko, clay for nose weight, motor mount tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, retention hook, retainer ring, shock cord, matey, streamer and decals.
T' instructions were t' typical Estes material complete with illustrations and text and are very simple t' understand.
Estes recommends that you use tube-type plastic cement t' assemble this rocket however, arrr, I used thin viscosity CA glue t' assemble mine and it worked great. Blimey! I also recommend this if you have a steady hand on t' bottle as thin CA tends t' run very easily.
T' construction starts with t' motor mount assembly. I trimmed back t' retention hook so it wouldn't interfere with t' motor exhaust. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Next, you pack t' clay into t' nose cone and glue on t' insert. Begad! Aye aye! On this rocket, one end o' t' shock cord is tied into a double knot and t' free end is inserted through a slot in one o' t' body halves. Ahoy! Arrr! T' motor mount is now glued into t' body half with t' slit for t' motor hook and afterwards, me hearties, t' two halves are then glued together. Now t' launch lug is glued onto t' pegs on t' aft body half.
PROS: Fast and simple assembly.
CONS: Can't think o' any.
Finishing:
There is any real finishin' o' this rocket due t' t' pre-colored parts. Well, blow me down! Begad! All you do is stick on t' decals and that's it. Well, blow me down! Overall, t' finished rocket looked kind o' cute.
PROS: No paintin' required.
CONS: None noted.
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
This is where t' cons o' t' model begin t' appear. T' recommended motors for this rocket are t' 1/4A3-3T, 1/2A3-4T, shiver me timbers, A3-4T, A10-3T. Avast, me proud beauty! This rocket does require waddin' and because o' t' small diameter tube, shiver me timbers, me hearties, careful packin' is mandatory. T' motor hook holds t' motor in place for t' flight(s) dependin' on how many flights you get before t' plastic melts.
For me first and only flight, I used a 1/2A3-2T instead o' t' 1/2A3-4 because I prefer t' shorter delay for these clay weighted models. Avast! T' rocket zipped off t' pad and turned into t' wind. Due t' t' sun, I lost sight o' t' rocket until after t' streamer deployed.
PROS: None
CONS: Somewhat hard t' track especially in direct sunlight because o' t' colors chosen.
Recovery:
With t' streamer and all t' clay in t' nose cone, t' rocket fell rather fast and landed with a small thump. Begad! Blimey! After I recovered t' rocket, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I noticed that it had been severely melted and bent in t' middle from t' heat o' t' ejection charge and t' body be split open at t' aft which also did a great job o' makin' t' rocket un-flyable.
PROS: None
CONS: T' plastic used melts WAY too easily from t' ejection charge.
Flight Rating: 1 out o' 5
Summary:
At this point, matey, I really cannot recommend this rocket. Arrr! My recommendation is that you add a few bucks and buy a better kit. Ya scallywag! Luckily t' rocket only cost about $3.19.
Main PROS: Easy assembly, no paintin' required.
Main CONS: T' plastic used melts too easily.
Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5
Brief: I saw a picture of this rocket as a new release from Estes a while back and thought that it looked like a lot of fun. I reminded me of the GoonyBird series whI thought was very creative. I did not pay much attention to the spec's on this rocket and was in for a suprise when I saw it at the hobby store the other day. Boy is it small, I almost missed it on the pegboard it so small. ...
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