| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2015-07-30 |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
Brief
T' Athena is an Estes Skill Level 1 kit produced durin' t' '90s that utilized a plastic fin unit and nosecone. Ya scallywag! My Athena, arrr, originally, me bucko, built in 1990, was t' first craft I launched after a long hiatus from rocketry.
Components
T' components are as follows:
- BT-50 body tube
- Plastic fin can
- NC-50 nosecone and insert
- Engine mount components
- 12' parachute, me bucko, shroud lines and shock cord
- Decal sheet
Construction
Puttin' together t' Athena be very simple. Ya scallywag! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It be one o' me first builds and was made easy by t' one-piece fin can. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Durin' t' refurbishment all I needed t' do was replace t' shock cord and parachute.
Finishing
T' Athena came with a set o' metallic decals as well as a silver-colored nosecone. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I originally opted t' forgo t' decals and just paint mine white, but when preparin' it for flight again two years ago I decided t' give it a realistic motif. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This was done by paintin' t' nose black, arrr, paintin' a roll pattern on t' fin can and applyin' number and letter decals left over from a model airplane kit.
Flight
Due t' losin' me first rocket (an Alpha III) because o' a small field and a powerful engine, I was careful t' use only B engines in me Athena back in t' day. Begad! I decided t' keep with this practice when beginnin' t' launch again, me hearties, as me local field be quite small. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! A B6-5 provided significant thrust and t' rocket arced nicely before t' ejection charge fired.
Recovery
T' Athena returned t' earth safe and sound with its 12' parachute.
Summary
Simple yet smart-looking, ya bilge rat, t' Athena be a great addition t' t' Estes fleet. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Mine flew just as well in 2013 as it did back in t' '90s. Ahoy! Blimey! No cons with this kit.
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