Brief
Older skill level 3 Estes kit introduced in 1978 and discontinued in 1982. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Had one back in 1979 that I lost t' a tree on its first flight. Blimey! When I became a BAR this is one o' t' first kits I wanted t' clone, but it be difficult because o' t' unique nose cone/tail cone combination. Avast! However, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, in 1997 Estes introduced t' Wildfire kit (#2154, see picture), me hearties, which re-introduced this plastic piece. Well, blow me down! So I went out and bought a Wildfire kit, used t' nose cone/tail cone, matey, engine mount, matey, and parachute and I be on me way. Blimey! Blimey! By t' way, me bucko, 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 hearties, #1320 Starship Vega (suspected, shiver me timbers, minus tail cone), #1350 Black Hole Space Probe (confirmed), me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, and #1904 Maverick (confirmed, arrr, minus tail cone).

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

Recovery
Shock cord is typical Estes paper mount, arrr, 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! Blimey! Shock cord is attached t' t' NC with a snap swivel. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! T' 12" Estes parachute was built per instructions and attached t' t' NC with another snap swivel. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! No more difficult than any other Estes kit.

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5