Brief:
T' Estes BLU-97B Cluster Bomb Model Rocket Kit is one o' four new Estes "Military" kits recently released; a nice salute t' our boys overseas. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I purchased t' kit on August 11, 2003, matey, as soon as I saw t' first ones in t' store and had it built and flown by t' followin' weekend. Ya scallywag! I have t' say all four o' t' new Estes kits are pretty cool, ya bilge rat, but this cluster bomb with its short, stout look and unique nosecone really caught me attention. Blimey! Moreover, it comes with four cluster bombs that are ejected at apogee and descend on their own streamers. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! For these reasons, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it just had t' be t' first one from t' group t' be built.

Construction:
T' kit comes in two styles, shiver me timbers, a "Launchable" you can find at Wal-Mart or a standard bagged kit you can find at t' hobby shops. Avast, me proud beauty! Both are identical in parts, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, matey, but I chose t' build t' bagged version. Well, blow me down! Included is a BT70 tube, motor mount, arrr, retainer, shiver me timbers, cardstock centerin' rings, arrr, me hearties, shock cord, parachute, instructions and balsa fins pre-cut for thru-the-wall mounting. Aye aye! Arrr! Also included are polystyrene halves for both t' tailcone and nosecone. Begad! T' nosecone is a very unique shape so it appears that moldin' it in halves be a better way t' produce it.

This is an 18mm kit that accordin' t' t' packagin "reaches 390'"...well, shiver me timbers, I decided t' weigh it t' see and found that t' model came in at a whoppin' 4.2oz, without glue or paint. I am guessin' it would finish at around 6oz, shiver me timbers, makin' it pretty heavy for a C6, me bucko, arrr, hence I decided t' modify it right out o' t' box as a 24mm model...this turned out t' be a good decision and I was able t' make t' changes with only an additional 24mm motor mount tube and block; all t' other parts remained stock.

Construction began by modifyin' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I cut a 5" piece o' 24mm LOC motor mount tube, me hearties, then cut t' bottom o' t' tailcone t' enlarge it about 1/4" so t' mount could pass through. Aye aye! t' Estes CR's were opened up t' 24mm and I used a coupler tube as an outer sleeve t' hold t' retainer in place. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! T' retainer be put in a vice and I bent t' lip outwards, me bucko, 1/4" from t' tip after it was flattened. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! T' upper retainer tip now pointed toward t' outside o' t' rocket and has t' rip thru t' CR and 1" long black coupler in order t' fail...I also glued in a motor stop inside t' motor mount t' accommodate t' new E9 motors. Begad! For smaller 24mm or RMS I can use an adapter.

Needless t' say t' conversion was very easy; five inches o' 24mm tube, a 24mm green motor stop and a BT55 coupler t' hold t' retainer on were all t' extra parts needed...all t' others were easily modified t' make them work. Begad! T' entire tailcone was assembled usin' yellow glue, plastic cement and 5 minute epoxy. Blimey! Aye aye! It was glued into t' body tube and t' nosecone halves were assembled, then fit t' t' bodytube. Aye aye! Begad! Note that I added an 18" piece o' 1/8" tubular Keelhaul®©™ on t' lower motor mount assembly for part o' t' shock cord assembly...also, t' shock cord included in t' kit is only about 12" long...WAY too short so I cut a new piece from stock about 30" long and tied it t' t' Keelhaul®©™ cord, arrr, then covered it with some heat shrink tube.

I managed t' resize t' fins so they would fit t' larger motor mount. T' fins are TTW, shiver me timbers, which is a nice touch for a small model, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but they needed shortened in depth since t' new motor mount was a larger diameter. Aye aye! Begad! I also "dry rubbed" some Elmer's wood filler into t' grain on each o' t' balsa fins. Ya scallywag! Begad! I thought about replacin' them with ply or basswood, but decided against it since t' supplied balsa is very dense and hard. Well, blow me down! I fine sanded each fin edge, arrr, then mixed up some o' that 5 minute clay putty type epoxy I had and used it t' fill t' gap where t' motor mount extends past t' tailcone. It made for a nice and smooth transition.

Next I began installin' t' fins. Five minute epoxy was used and I did two at a time, matey, usin' a stick t' keep them aligned. Begad! Avast! Once all four fins were done, matey, I sanded t' body tube t' prep it for launch lugs and primer.

T' kit comes with two launch lugs, placed at t' bottom and very top o' t' BT. Begad! I placed one at t' bottom and one around mid point instead o' t' top...just a personal preference. Ahoy! Blimey! As it turned out, t' bottom o' t' upper lug is where CG is, a nice locator if questioned. Additionally, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I cut two pieces o' scrap 3/32" balsa from t' fins 1/8" wide and t' length o' each lug. Begad! Begad! T' lug was mounted t' each balsa "spacer" usin' Alphaetic Resin. Avast! Arrr! I also used epoxy for actually mountin' t' lugs t' t' BT.

I also finished t' nosecone assembly. I cut a 1/2" hole in t' back o' t' plastic nosecone, me bucko, me hearties, then laminated a plate from two 3/32" pieces o' Basswood, glued cross-grained for strength. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I installed a 2 1/2" long x 3/16" Eyebolt and coated t' inside nut and washer with 5-minute epoxy. Blimey! Aye aye! A BT20 Coupler was slid over t' bolt and glued in place. Avast, me proud beauty! I mixed up and poured in some West Systems 205 Epoxy into t' tube, then poured in some Lead Shot on top o' it. Blimey! West Systems was used since it is thin and allowed t' shot t' scuttle t' t' bottom. I capped it with a washer and nylon lockin' nut. Avast! Blimey! T' assembly be fitted into t' lightweight nosecone, then I drilled and countersunk four holes and used #4 screws t' retain t' plate t' t' back o' t' nosecone.

I used 5 minute epoxy for small fillets, then spent some time sandin' each fillet and I applied a few coats o' white base Primer. Once it dried, ya bilge rat, matey, I added several coats o' Gray Primer and it was left t' dry overnight. Arrr! I wetsanded t' nosecone and Bodytube with 320 Grit and it came out pretty smooth. Well, blow me down! Both t' Bodytube and Nosecone were primed once again with t' final coats o' white primer, arrr, which will make a good base for t' olive drab green paint. Blimey! Avast! Paintin' always takes a while...Prime...wait a day, Sand, shiver me timbers, Prime, wait more, etc...

Note, ya bilge rat, t' stock nosecone is .5oz and t' clay is .5oz, totalin' 1.0 ounce for t' stock setup. Begad! Ahoy! My nosecone with lead shot is 2oz...givin' me that added margin o' stability. Avast! Also, with t' extra weight, it may no longer be able t' fly on a C6...somethin' I was thinkin' o' long before I modified it and I took this extra weight into consideration when upgradin' it t' a 24mm mount. As a final touch, me bucko, t' parachute was upgraded t' a 18" Estes, me bucko, matey, then after a few flights were made, I upgraded again t' an 18" nylon chute.

Finishing:
I wound up usin' olive drab Testors paint and it covered t' Krylon primer very well. Three coats were applied, then I let it sit for three days before masking. I masked off t' nosecone tip and painted it with two coats o' Testors chrome spray paint. Begad! It covered perfect and dried fast. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I removed t' maskin' then spent time on t' Bodytube. Avast! Ya scallywag! Decals for t' model are peel and stick, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which look pretty good, arrr, but be careful as a few were nay cut all t' way through. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' model was finished and I waited a couple days for t' Chrome t' dry before applyin' Dullcoat t' seal t' model and protect/flat out t' decals.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Launch day came and I was pretty excited. Ahoy! I prepped t' model with a C11-3 for it's first flight. Blimey! I still use tissue waddin' for that nostalgic effect and packed it, then rolled each cluster bomb streamer and placed them over t' wadding. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Come t' find out, t' cluster bombs act as an additional shield t' prevent meltin' o' t' parachute. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Next t' shock cord and parachute was packed and nosecone installed. Begad! T' model weighed in at 6.4oz dry, ya bilge rat, so we were lookin' at a near 8oz flight. Avast! T' model be placed on t' pad and t' countdown be on. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It lifted aggressively off t' pad, ya bilge rat, very cool looking, me hearties, and reached about 100'. Aye aye! T' flight was straight and flawless, even with some wind. Obviously nosecone weight was right on.

Recovery:
T' model arced over and ejected just slightly down, a good effect for t' cluster bombs which released along with t' chute. T' 18" parachute was a good choice, ya bilge rat, me hearties, allowin' t' model t' descend gently back t' t' ground. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' cluster bombs came in and all landed within a 10' circle, right next t' t' model. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It be a great flight. Next, me hearties, I launched it several times on a D12 and once more on a C11. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Each time it flew flawlessly and only one bomb was lost t' t' high weeds. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! What a great day o' flying.

Since t' first flights in mid August, I have put over 30 flights on t' Cluster Bomb. Avast! It has flown on C11-3, matey, D12-3, matey, E9-4 and E18W-4 motors multiple times. Begad! Ahoy! T' E18 White Lightnin' flight is awesome!!! Picture a model just over a foot long with a flame longer than t' rocket! I wound up depletin' me entire stock o' E18's, ya bilge rat, nine flights in all and need t' restock again. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Moreover, t' little bird is stout enough even with balsa fins, arrr, t' handle t' E18 and more...I think t' TTW (thru-the-wall) fin mounts make a difference here.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
In summary, t' BLU-97B Cluster Bomb Model Rocket Kit from Estes is one very unique model and a great flier! I highly recommend this rocket t' everyone, arrr, but do recommend you do t' motor mount upgrade. Blimey! Avast! With that said, me bucko, you will wind up with what I feel is one o' t' best kits Estes has made t' date, T' BLU-97B Cluster Bomb!

FYI, matey, ya bilge rat, at printin' o' this review, I have just completed t' construction o' an upscale version o' this kit. Begad! Blimey! It is 77" tall, 12.75" in diameter, me bucko, me bucko, weighs in at around 30lbs and is capable o' flyin' on K-M motors...look for a review on it soon as it is in it's finishin' stage.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5