Brief:
T' Estes Monarch is a single-staged skill level 1 rocket that uses 18mm motors, me bucko, parachute recovery, ya bilge rat, and sports an unusual fin pattern. Begad! T' rocket stands in a 17.25", arrr, and flies well, unique fins and all.

Construction:
T' components for t' Monarch are what you might expect o' a skill level 1 Estes rocket: die-cut balsa fins, shiver me timbers, me bucko, a section o' BT50 airframe tubing, me bucko, plastic nosecone, a motor mount with retainin' hook, a 12" parachute, and elastic shock cord. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! T' kit even comes with a couple o' peel and stick decals.

T' instructions for this kit are easy t' follow, and t' illustrations are clear and comprehendible. Arrr! Like many skill level 1 rockets, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, no fancy tools are needed for this kit. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! I used Elmer's Carpenter's Glue for t' whole assembly, matey, with t' exception o' t' nose, ya bilge rat, which mandated plastic cement.

You might think that 2 pieces o' balsa are joined t' form each fin on this rocket. Ya scallywag! From me experience, that is true, though nay by design. Arrr! Begad! In actuality, each fin should be one piece, but 2 o' t' 3 from me kit were broken across t' shortest span before I even freed them from t' balsa sheet. Avast! Blimey! I ended up adherin' t' pieces back together, me hearties, sandwiched t' fins in wax paper and placed a college dictionary on top o' them for good measure.

After t' fins were repaired, I sanded them as evenly as I could. Sandin' all t' edges was tricky in those tough t' reach narrow areas o' t' span. Arrr! Blimey! I used an emery board at one point.

T' fins are surface mounted, me hearties, which is fine for a rocket o' this size. Begad! T' ensure a better glue joint, I roughed up t' airframe with 220 grit sandpaper and poked a series o' holes down each line where t' fin root would attach. Ya scallywag! I did this so t' glue would seep inside t' airframe and form "rivets." I have found this technique works well for surfaced mounted fins.

T' last heads-up for t' construction o' this rocket be t' shock cord. T' mount itself be t' basic Estes paper fold glued inside t' airframe, shiver me timbers, which I feel is fine for this light rocket. T' shock cord was too short for me liking, so I threw it out and replaced it with 3 feet o' sewin' elastic.

Regardin' construction, pros are:

• Easy t' follow instructions & illustrations.

Cons:

• Fragile fins that are difficult t' sand.
• Insufficient shock cord length.

Finishing:
Before I glued anythin' t' t' airframe, I filled and sanded t' tube spirals with Elmer's Fill and Finish. Well, blow me down! I did t' same for t' grain on t' fins and paid close attention t' t' repaired spots.

I gave t' rocket a shot o' white Krylon primer, me hearties, sanded lightly, matey, and then gave it two coats o' Krylon Gloss Teal. Ya scallywag! T' decals are plain (black and white), but I added them on a whim anyway. Avast! Lastly, arrr, arrr, I coated t' rocket with Krylon Clear.

Were I t' rate this rocket on t' construction alone, arrr, I would give it a 2 simply because I believe t' fins are difficult t' work with, if nay waitin' t' break in t' package.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight preparation o' t' Monarch is easy enough: a bit o' wadding, matey, fold t' chute and pack it all in t' airframe. T' motor is held in by t' retainer clip, shiver me timbers, arrr, shiver me timbers, so one need nay fuss with friction fitting.

T' first motor I used in this rocket was an A8-3, ya bilge rat, which proved a modest yet pleasant flight. T' next launch was on a B6-4, me hearties, shiver me timbers, which is also seemed like a good motor for this rocket. Begad! Aye aye! In either case, ya bilge rat, t' rocket flew incredibly straight, arrr, me hearties, ejected without incident, me bucko, and was recovered without any damage.

Recovery:
As for flight recovery pros and cons, shiver me timbers, they are:

Pros:

• Stock 12" chute seems adequate for this rocket.
• Easy t' prepare for flying.

Cons:

• None, assumin' t' stock shock cord is replaced with an ample amount.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Monarch certainly does have a unique appearance. Ya scallywag! At t' same time, t' fins that provide that are incredibly fragile and difficult t' sand on some o' t' edges. Before I bought t' kit, me hearties, matey, I tried t' verify that t' balsa stock was undamaged, but it be virtually impossible t' see through t' packaging. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' sheet was undeniably flat, but still 2 o' 3 fins were broken. Begad! I would speculate that this isn't uncommon for this rocket. Ahoy! Arrr! I ultimately think Estes would be better off havin' each fin consist o' 2 pieces. Ya scallywag! Begad! It seems breakage would be minimized and one could effectively sand each piece before puttin' them together.

On t' other hand t' rocket flies great.

Overall from me experience with this rocket I rate this rocket at a 3 1/2 simply because o' t' trouble I had with t' fins.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5