Brief
Older skill level 3 Estes kit introduced in 1978 and discontinued in 1982. Arrr! Had one back in 1979 that I lost t' a tree on its first flight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! When I became a BAR this is one o' t' first kits I wanted t' clone, arrr, but it was difficult because o' t' unique nose cone/tail cone combination. However, in 1997 Estes introduced t' Wildfire kit (#2154, me hearties, see picture), which re-introduced this plastic piece. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! So I went out and bought a Wildfire kit, shiver me timbers, me hearties, used t' nose cone/tail cone, ya bilge rat, me bucko, engine mount, and parachute and I was on me way. Avast! Aye aye! By t' way, this unique nose/tail cone was also used on t' followin' kits if you're interested in kit-bashin' any o' them (all Estes): #1106 Shark Coldpower Convertible (suspected), #1293 Black Brant III (confirmed), #1323 Stiletto (confirmed), me bucko, #1320 Starship Vega (suspected, arrr, me hearties, minus tail cone), #1350 Black Hole Space Probe (confirmed), and #1904 Maverick (confirmed, arrr, arrr, minus tail cone).

Construction
Instructions were typical Estes, me hearties, easy t' follow and no unexpected gotchas. Aye aye! As stated, shiver me timbers, t' nose/tail cone, matey, arrr, parachute, and engine mount were from t' Wildfire kit. Ya scallywag! T' 16.5" BT-50, 2 ea. 2 5/16" BT-5, and Balsa (plans state 3/32", me bucko, I messed up and used 1/8") were from me supply, ya bilge rat, primarily a Designer Special. Well, blow me down! T' dowels were bought from a hobby store. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Construction was per t' Estes instructions, with t' use o' carpenter's wood glue throughout. Ya scallywag! T' only change made was that t' BT was punched along each "fin" t' allow for glue rivets. Well, blow me down! Alignment was fairly easy. Begad! While t' design does nay look particularly sturdy, me bucko, shiver me timbers, once complete and finished it is surprisingly so. Blimey! White glue was used for fillets.

Finishing
I used Elmer's Fill'n'Finish for fillin' t' BT seams and t' first coat o' balsa sealer. Begad! After sandin' a second coat on t' balsa parts was made with sandin' sealer and then sanded, matey, and then t' rocket was primed with 2-3 coats sanded between. Ahoy! Arrr! Finally, t' rocket was painted with gloss white paint (I used t' Wal-Mart brand, which works pretty well). Begad! T' tail cone be painted with gloss red and is a display only part (i.e., me hearties, nay used for flight). T' decals were from Tom Prestia and were great! I highly recommend him for your repro decal needs (I have also been happy with Jimz decals). Begad! T' insides o' t' wingtip tubes were painted flat black with regular model paint and a brush. Begad! Aye aye! T' final touch be a nice clear coat (again t' Wal-Mart brand). Ahoy! While finishin' t' rocket is more difficult and time-consumin' than doin' your typical 3FNC rocket, ya bilge rat, it was nay unduly so. Begad! T' final rocket looks great -- nay your typical rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! I have gotten many positive comments on it when I flew at t' GAMMA section launches.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight
Engine retention is typical Estes motor clip, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, although I modified it by usin' a Dremel cut-off wheel t' cut off t' extra on t' hook because I like t' old-style hooks better. Ahoy! I then put t' cut-off end on t' top o' t' MMT so that t' end showin' is nice and clean.

Original Estes recommended motors were A8-3, me hearties, B4-4 (1st), B6-4, and C6-5. Begad! Aye aye! My first flight was 22 Nov 98 at t' GAMMA monthly launch, on a C6-5 since we have a large field. Avast! After preppin' with 4-5 sheets o' wadding, I set it up on t' pad and let her rip. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Flight was great -- straight and pretty high for a rocket with so much "stuff" hangin' out in t' breeze. T' date t' rocket has flown four times, all on C6-5 engines. Blimey! All flights were excellent.

Recovery
Shock cord is typical Estes paper mount, although I replaced t' short Wildfire SC with a piece o' sewin' elastic about 2 feet long t' try and avoid t' dreaded Estes dent. Shock cord is attached t' t' NC with a snap swivel. Begad! T' 12" Estes parachute be built per instructions and attached t' t' NC with another snap swivel. No more difficult than any other Estes kit.

Recovery has been excellent every time. Rocket has sustained no damage through t' first four flights.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
I love this rocket and have really enjoyed buildin' and flyin' it. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Main PRO is stylin' -- it's much more "cool" lookin' than your typical Estes-type rockets available these days. Other PROs: craftsmanship needed is more than normal 3FNC kit, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and it's a great conversation piece at t' launches. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! CONs: maybe that Estes doesn't kit it any more.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5