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. Ahoy! 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. Begad! Begad! However, in 1997 Estes introduced t' Wildfire kit (#2154, see picture), me hearties, which re-introduced this plastic piece. Avast! Well, blow me down! So I went out and bought a Wildfire kit, arrr, shiver me timbers, used t' nose cone/tail cone, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, engine mount, me bucko, and parachute and I was on me way. By t' way, matey, 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, minus tail cone), shiver me timbers, #1350 Black Hole Space Probe (confirmed), and #1904 Maverick (confirmed, arrr, minus tail cone).

Construction
Instructions were typical Estes, easy t' follow and no unexpected gotchas. As stated, t' nose/tail cone, parachute, ya bilge rat, arrr, and engine mount were from t' Wildfire kit. Begad! T' 16.5" BT-50, 2 ea. 2 5/16" BT-5, arrr, and Balsa (plans state 3/32", I messed up and used 1/8") were from me supply, shiver me timbers, primarily a Designer Special. Blimey! Blimey! T' dowels were bought from a hobby store. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Construction was per t' Estes instructions, me hearties, with t' use o' carpenter's wood glue throughout. Avast! T' only change made was that t' BT was punched along each "fin" t' allow for glue rivets. Avast, me proud beauty! Alignment was fairly easy. Begad! While t' design does nay look particularly sturdy, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, 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. Blimey! After sandin' a second coat on t' balsa parts was made with sandin' sealer and then sanded, and then t' rocket was primed with 2-3 coats sanded between. Blimey! Finally, t' rocket was painted with gloss white paint (I used t' Wal-Mart brand, which works pretty well). Avast, me proud beauty! T' tail cone was painted with gloss red and is a display only part (i.e., matey, nay used for flight). Begad! 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! Aye aye! T' insides o' t' wingtip tubes were painted flat black with regular model paint and a brush. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' final touch was a nice clear coat (again t' Wal-Mart brand). While finishin' t' rocket is more difficult and time-consumin' than doin' your typical 3FNC rocket, it was nay unduly so. Ahoy! T' final rocket looks great -- nay your typical rocket. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! 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, matey, 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. Well, blow me down! 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, matey, B4-4 (1st), arrr, shiver me timbers, B6-4, and C6-5. Ahoy! Blimey! My first flight be 22 Nov 98 at t' GAMMA monthly launch, on a C6-5 since we have a large field. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! After preppin' with 4-5 sheets o' wadding, I set it up on t' pad and let her rip. Ahoy! Blimey! Flight be 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. 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. Aye aye! T' 12" Estes parachute was 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. Arrr! Blimey! 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. 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, shiver me timbers, matey, and it's a great conversation piece at t' launches. CONs: maybe that Estes doesn't kit it any more.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5