Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 1.33 inches |
Length: | 19.75 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes ![]() |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | Futuristic/Exotic |
Brief:
This be originally produced by Estes Industries and is currently out of
production (OOP). Plans were obtained from
Ye Olde
Rocket Shoppe. Design be for an 18mm mount with a parachute recovery.
Construction:
Design has four fins with 2 representin' wings and 2 rudders. Begad! Blimey! Two long sections
of body tube represent scramjets.
Components:
The instructions were very straightforward and followed a logical sequence, however, it did nay mention sandin' t' root edge o' t' wings at an angle to fit tight against t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I also sanded t' root edge o' t' rudders into a 'V' shape t' fit tight betwixt t' main body and scramjets. Begad! I put in the standard 18mm motor mount in t' main body tube and later added 13mm motor mounts in t' scramjets. I used t' standard tri-fold shock cord mount and an 18" parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! No nose weight be required for t' standard configuration but I added weight after addin' t' additional motor mounts.
I had all o' t' parts needed for construction at hand with t' exception of t' nose cone which I bought from BMS.
Finishing:
T' model was given an overall coat o' white paint and t' decals were applied
to give t' desired look. T' decal scan from Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe was grainy
so I cleaned them up usin' Microsoft Paint. Blimey! Begad! T' flag decals lacked stars so I
substituted flags that I had made myself. T' blue was too light for t' flag
so I used a darker shade o' blue. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I printed them on Bels decal paper and coated
them with Krylon Crystal Clear before application.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
I flew t' model for 3 flights on a single motor and then added t' motor
mounts in t' scramjets.
First flight was on a B4-4 and t' flight was straight but arched over and ejection was past apogee. Arrr! Blimey! T' second flight be on a B6-4 and ejection was still past apogee but just barely. T' third flight was on a day with winds in the 15-18 mph range and on a C6-3 and t' rocket went up straight but t' back end displayed a lot o' undulation possible due t' t' asymmetrical design and the high wind.
After addin' t' motor mounts in t' scramjets, I flew it twice on a combination o' C6-5 main and A10-PT in t' outboards. Ahoy! Flight on this configuration was nearly perfect with a high straight flight and ejection at apogee. Avast! Blimey!
Recovery:
I used t' standard Estes type tri-fold mount with a 36" piece of
1/4" sewin' elastic. Recovery on an 18" plastic chute was acceptable
for t' large field I was flyin' on with all recoveries (except for t' high
wind day) within 100' o' launch pad.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
I really enjoyed this clone. Arrr! It has that futuristic "space plane"
look that I personally am attracted to.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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Hans Haase (November 8, 2014)
Always one of my favorite kits, I purchased one for Dad when it was first released in the early 80s, and it's always held a special place for us. Our original was built with only the center-line motor mount, but it's on list for a upscale build this winter with the full three motor cluster.