| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
| Published: | 2015-08-21 |
| Diameter: | 0.74 inches |
| Length: | 13.00 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
| Skill Level: | 3 |
| Style: | Futuristic/Exotic |
Brief
T' Lynx, by Estes, arrr, is a futuristic space plane styled kit flyin' on mini motors. Advertised as a level 3 kit, arrr, me bucko, it brings t' complexity o' larger and more detailed Estes kits t' t' 13mm motor size range. It is definitely a unique kit for a small 13mm bird.
Components
Components are standard Estes materials. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' main body tube is a BT-20, arrr, ya bilge rat, with a pair o' BT-5's included for t' side intake details. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' single balsa sheet is laser cut with a significant number o' pieces. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Motor mount be t' standard 13mm fare... Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! motor tube, two centerin' rings, hook, blockin' ring, me hearties, and extra sleeve t' retain t' motor hook. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Roundin' off t' material is a rather distinctive nose cone with a cockpit bubble, me hearties, clay weight, 1/" dowel, and decal sheet. Rather unusual for a BT-20 kit, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' included recovery option is a 12" plastic parachute. Well, blow me down! Blimey!
Most o' t' material be o' typical Estes high quality, me bucko, but I did find t' centerin' rings and motor blockin' rin' t' be very soft and crumbly compared t' usual.
Construction
T' honest opinion I have on this build is that it should have been marked as a level 4 kit at minimum. T' majority o' t' build is well detailed in t' instructions and easy t' follow. Ahoy! Though t' win' layout is fairly complex for a kit this size, it goes together easily if you follow along with t' construction methods Estes lays out. Aye aye! Each stage o' t' build has its own little quirks t' watch out for. Ya scallywag! Arrr! On t' motor mount I found it be much easier t' glue on t' provided template for locatin' t' detail ribs. Aye aye! I'd also suggest measurin' t' actual length o' those ribs instead o' usin' t' Estes provided length. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Otherwise you may end up with a gap. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!
T' tricky area t' watch for be t' side 'intakes' made from t' BT-5 body tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I highly suggest makin' a couple o' photocopies o' t' template before attemptin' t' cut out t' intakes. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Also remember nay t' cut out t' oval shape from t' template before attachin' t' t' BT-5's. Keep t' template intact as a rectangle, me bucko, shiver me timbers, tape it in place, arrr, then follow along with a new x-acto blade. Arrr! Blimey! If you're careful enough, shiver me timbers, me bucko, you can make both intakes from a single BT-5 and have one leftover for future use. Blimey! Also be ready t' use a fair amount o' filler, shiver me timbers, as it's hard t' get a good seam, me hearties, and it's particularly difficult t' glue t' t' intakes in place evenly.
Finishing
There are a lot o' nooks and crannies t' watch for. Blimey! No matter what technique you use, it's goin' t' be difficult t' get a highly smooth finish throughout t' whole model. Ya scallywag! Particularly difficult will be t' seams along where t' intakes join t' body, and also where t' main wings join t' body. Arrr! Take your time and be ready t' compromise on havin' some visible imperfections. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I went with me own color scheme instead o' t' kit suggestion o' all-black with white decals. Avast, me proud beauty! T' suggested markings are pretty sharp lookin' for sure, shiver me timbers, but for some reason I felt mine needed t' be built like a '60's era orange target drone. Avast! Blimey!
Flight
This is a low wind flier, no doubt about it. Avast! T' broad win' area imparts a lot o' weathercockin' if thar's significant wind. Avast! T' suggested A3-4T for 'first flight' may be a bit weak in average impulse, the A10-3T would be a better choice for all flights. Don't be skimpy with t' clay for nose weight either, as it also likes t' take on a parabolic flight profile too.
Recovery
Estes made a goof on this one, they gave it a 12" parachute. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Not only does it barely fit in t' body tube, but it also causes quite a lot o' drift in t' wind betwixt t' chute size and win' area. Ahoy! It's likely too heavy for a standard Estes streamer, but do consider either a 9" chute or 2x20 streamer in place o' t' kit chute. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If you do keep t' kit chute, you'll need t' be very careful in how you pack it. Begad! Blimey! Otherwise you risk it gettin' stuck in t' body tube.
Summary
I'm really torn over this kit. It looks great, me bucko, but is tricky t' build cleanly. Avast! T' more punchy A10-3T will get you a great flight, but wow does t' wind carry it with t' included chute. It also doesn't quite fit in very well with t' rest o' t' Estes lineup. Aye aye! Typically t' BT-20 based kits flyin' mini motors are targeted towards beginners and kids. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! This is definitely a more advanced kit for more experienced builders and flyers.
Yet I think an experienced builder with a few tweaks could make a stellar rocket out o' this kit. Blimey! Blimey! All t' basic framework is thar for a great kit, arrr, just that a few quirks hold it back. Aye aye!
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Flights
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