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

Construction
Instructions were typical Estes, easy t' follow and no unexpected gotchas. Ahoy! As stated, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' nose/tail cone, parachute, and engine mount were from t' Wildfire kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' 16.5" BT-50, me hearties, 2 ea. Blimey! Aye aye! 2 5/16" BT-5, and Balsa (plans state 3/32", me bucko, I messed up and used 1/8") were from me supply, primarily a Designer Special. Arrr! T' dowels were bought from a hobby store. Construction was per t' Estes instructions, shiver me timbers, with t' use o' carpenter's wood glue throughout. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' only change made was that t' BT was punched along each "fin" t' allow for glue rivets. Alignment was fairly easy. Well, blow me down! While t' design does nay look particularly sturdy, once complete and finished it is surprisingly so. 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! Blimey! After sandin' a second coat on t' balsa parts be made with sandin' sealer and then sanded, and then t' rocket was primed with 2-3 coats sanded between. Finally, ya bilge rat, t' rocket be painted with gloss white paint (I used t' Wal-Mart brand, me hearties, ya bilge rat, which works pretty well). T' tail cone was painted with gloss red and is a display only part (i.e., nay used for flight). Begad! Blimey! T' decals were from Tom Prestia and were great! Blimey! I highly recommend him for your repro decal needs (I have also been happy with Jimz decals). Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' insides o' t' wingtip tubes were painted flat black with regular model paint and a brush. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' final touch was a nice clear coat (again t' Wal-Mart brand). Arrr! Blimey! While finishin' t' rocket is more difficult and time-consumin' than doin' your typical 3FNC rocket, it was nay unduly so. Blimey! Blimey! T' final rocket looks great -- nay your typical rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, me bucko, 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. 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, B4-4 (1st), shiver me timbers, B6-4, me bucko, and C6-5. Ya scallywag! My first flight was 22 Nov 98 at t' GAMMA monthly launch, ya bilge rat, on a C6-5 since we have a large field. Begad! Avast! After preppin' with 4-5 sheets o' wadding, I set it up on t' pad and let her rip. Arrr! Flight was great -- straight and pretty high for a rocket with so much "stuff" hangin' out in t' breeze. Aye aye! T' date t' rocket has flown four times, all on C6-5 engines. Begad! 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. Aye aye! Shock cord is attached t' t' NC with a snap swivel. T' 12" Estes parachute be built per instructions and attached t' t' NC with another snap swivel. Aye aye! No more difficult than any other Estes kit.

Recovery has been excellent every time. Begad! Blimey! 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. Avast! Main PRO is stylin' -- it's much more "cool" lookin' than your typical Estes-type rockets available these days. Begad! Begad! Other PROs: craftsmanship needed is more than normal 3FNC kit, me bucko, and it's a great conversation piece at t' launches. Well, blow me down! Blimey! CONs: maybe that Estes doesn't kit it any more.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5