Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Length: | 24.88 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 4 |
Style: | Scale |
Brief:
This is a good, me hearties, me hearties, clean, me bucko, shiver me timbers, single staged rocket which uses an 18" plastic
parachute for recovery.
Construction:
There is a single body tube, with three fins. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' construction is very simple,
and t' design is very basic.
T' construction was fairly simple with an overall basic design. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Estes instructions were very thorough, and I be nay confused at any point. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' only problem I had was with t' fit o' t' couplin' betwixt t' body tube and the payload area. I had t' cut off one layer o' t' red paper in order t' fit the two pieces together, shiver me timbers, but otherwise thar were no problems. Blimey! Begad! I didn't use the 'antenna' that were provided, as it would just add extra drag.
Finishing:
I just finished this rocket with conventional spray paint. Ahoy! Aye aye! A couple coats of
primer, me hearties, then a few each o' gloss black and white t' their corresponding
regions. Arrr! Avast! T' finishin' near t' tail fins be difficult as t' gloss white had
to extend partly betwixt t' fins. I think it might be easier t' paint t' fins
first and t' body tube separately and then epoxy them together, t' get the
best finish.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' recommended motor was a D12-5, but Estes has unfortunately discontinued
this size. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I have t' go t' t' C11-5 and D12-3. Aye aye! Blimey! T' C11-5's were great. I got
many great flights with this size, which were all visible with a clear sky.
When I launched t' D12-3 t' rocket went almost out o' sight, but I forgot to
put waddin' in and t' parachute partially got scorched. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Even though thar was
almost nothin' slowin' t' rockets decent it be perfectly intact when it
landed about 50ft. Begad! Blimey! away from t' launch site in a pile o' snow. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I decided that
the rocket could handle an E9-6, so I launched one o' with that as well. Aye aye! Blimey! I lost
site o' it as it passed through some clouds at about 1200 ft, matey, but then saw it
about 20 seconds later passin' through them, safely floatin' down. Blimey! Blimey! It landed
about 100 ft. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! away from t' launch site (0-5mph o' wind). Avast! Blimey! All t' flights were
perfectly straight and extremely predictable, this is a great rocket.
Recovery:
T' only problem is this rocket doesn't need a parachute so large. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I cut a 2
inch hole in t' top o' t' parachute t' help it descend faster, matey, but it still
took well over 2 minutes on t' D12-3. Blimey! T' shock cord bent t' body tube at the
top on t' D12-3, shiver me timbers, so I didn't use any more D's on it. I think you could almost
recover this thin' without any recovery system at all. Ya scallywag!
Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5
Summary:
This rocket was easy t' build, flew great, me bucko, ya bilge rat, almost too great, as I lost it on my
last launch o' t' day. Avast! Only con is that thar aren't too many engines you can
use standard on this thing, and t' D12-3 is nay recommended. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I'm goin' t' try
an Aerotech E30 on this, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I don't know what it will do with almost triple the
force o' t' Estes D's. Aye aye! Just don't launch this with a delay time o' less than 3
seconds. Blimey!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Brief: This model is a scale model of a Canadian Atmospheric Research Vehicle. It has a single Estes parachute. Construction was fairly easy, except for one part. In making the motor mount, I made some mistake (can't remember) and had to rip the mount out. I would suggest being careful in making the mount especially when this model is the first friction fit kit you have ...