Brief:
Excelsior's Cloud Hopper is a bunny themed kit bash o' t' Estes Baby Bertha to build an OOP Estes Cloud Hopper. Avast! My kids (5.5 and 7.5) chose this rocket for obvious reasons; some o' their comments are included below. Begad! Begad! T' Cloud Hopper debuted in the 1973 Estes Catalog. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Mosquito Mike has a nice page with more history and examples o' Estes Goonybirds. Ahoy! Excelsior gets into t' fun by warnin' "Carrots nay included!"

Construction:
For $6 plus $4 shippin' you get 2 pages o' instructions includin' cardstock templates, 1 page o' decal instructions, arrr, ya bilge rat, and 1/2 page o' waterslide decals, includin' mouth and whisker lines in two color options. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! You must also buy a Baby Bertha kit ($4.69 + $5.95 shippin' from Hobbylinc) and a small piece of 1/8" balsa (since t' fins won't fit on t' pre-cut 1/16" Baby Bertha sheet). Avast! Blimey!

From t' time I ordered, ya bilge rat, it was nearly three weeks until Excelsior's package arrived. Ya scallywag! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I received an unsolicited email from Excelsior after about 10 days apologizin' for t' delay, shiver me timbers, which I greatly appreciated. T' package arrived with ample cardboard protection t' prevent bendin' o' t' decals.

Let me get me main gripe out o' t' way first, so I can focus on the positive aspects o' t' Cloud Hopper. I think $10 is pretty steep t' pay for a set o' decals and instructions considerin' it's only a couple sheets o' paper bein' mailed and free Cloud Hopper instructions can be downloaded on JimZ's site.

Excelsior's build instructions constitute a list o' exceptions t' t' Baby Bertha build, shiver me timbers, with no additional figures except an image o' t' finished model. T' instructions could be improved by replacin' their sequential numberin' with a numberin' system that referred directly t' t' Baby Bertha build steps so we know where each exception is supposed t' occur in t' build process ("Modify step 3 by..."). Ya scallywag! Blimey! Also, thar are various ambiguous references to gluin' on "wings" where some people might be confused about which fins/wings are bein' referred t' in various portions o' t' instructions. However, t' assembly order doesn't matter much and most people will get everythin' in t' right place.

T' "leg" fins are nay perfectly symmetric--there is a subtle sweep. Avast, me proud beauty! It would be very easy t' put these fins on backwards. Avast! Avast! Blimey! My rudders were also nay perfectly square, either by design or after t' kids sanded them. Thus, ya bilge rat, attention was needed t' choose t' appropriate leadin' edge. T' rudder templates include a slot for attachment t' t' horizontal stabilizer. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! I didn't notice this and had t' cut t' slots after sanding/sealin' everything. Avast! This was my fault and t' cardstock templates were excellent and indicated t' grain and proper leadin' edge on each piece.

We deviated from t' instructions in one important way. Ya scallywag! Excelsior's instructions place t' aft centerin' rin' back 1/2" from t' lower edge of t' motor mount tube, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then ask that you glue t' motor mount assembly so that t' end o' t' motor hook is even with t' bottom edge o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, me bucko, whereas t' Baby Bertha instructions ask you t' glue it so that the end o' t' motor mount tube is even with t' bottom edge o' t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! Excelsior explains that movin' t' motor forward like this improves stability. Begad! Blimey! T' engine hook in me Baby Bertha kit be one o' t' type with 3 bends in an S-shape at t' bottom, matey, nay a simple 1-bend L-shape. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Thus the difference in these two choices is about 3/4" (1/4" engine beyond MMT + 1/2" hook beyond engine). Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This left o' cavity in t' aft end o' the rocket o' up t' 1.25" in depth t' t' aft CR. Arrr! Blimey! I was concerned about nestlin' t' engine so deeply inside t' body tube and gettin' heat damage to the body and/or a thrust-cancelin' Krushnik effect. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! So I compromised and I positioned things so t' end o' t' motor itself would be even with the end o' t' body tube. My choice matches t' original Cloud Hopper assembly from JimZ's site, except that thar t' lower CR is flush with t' aft end o' the MMT.

Excelsior asks you t' add 3-4 grams o' weight t' t' nose cone t' ensure stability. Ahoy! Blimey! I'm lucky enough t' have a kitchen scale that measures in grams. Havin' deviated from t' instructions in t' placement o' t' motor, me hearties, me bucko, I used 8 grams in t' nose cone t' compensate.

We also used Keelhaul®©™® through t' (paper) upper centerin' rin' instead o' an Estes 3-fold shock cord mount.

Finishing:
After lengthy and heated negotiations, t' kids finally chose bright yellow Rustoleum gloss paint. Begad! Next came t' decals--this is what you're really buying from Excelsior. Arrr! There is a long, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, detailed page o' instructions on t' use and placement o' t' decals, along with a helpful figure. Begad! T' decals went on great despite nay usin' t' specialty decal liquids mentioned in t' instructions. Wrappin' t' decals around t' tip o' t' nose cone be a bit tricky and left some wrinkled edges that cleaned up pretty well with eventual Future Floor Polish overcoat.

PROs: great "Goony" look, me bucko, excellent decals and decal instructions

CONs: high cost, me hearties, some ambiguities in t' build instructions, questionable motor placement

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I emailed Excelsior t' day before t' launch askin' for a motor recommendation, ya bilge rat, but understandably they weren't able t' respond in time. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! So we chose an Estes B4-4 for t' first flight.

Boost was low and fairly slow t' a few hundred feet. Ahoy! Ejection was very late...that bunny was halfway back down t' Earth before he shot his laundry. Blimey! On landing, ya bilge rat, t' aft portion o' one o' t' rudders splintered. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I tacked it back together with CA and fired him again. Begad! Arrr! T' second launch was nearly identical with slightly less suspense at ejection since we knew t' delay was too long. T' same rudder broke again and needs repairs.

Both flights were somewhat squirrelly. Avast, me proud beauty! Spin a little here, matey, wobble a little there, arrr, etc. Ya scallywag! Much like a bunny avoidin' a hawk. Avast! Begad! This flight characteristic is probably caused by t' large and complex fin area and by me kids' imprecision in assembly. Ya scallywag!

Recovery:
PROs: flies fine, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ours will need a C t' put it up high.

CONs: bottom-first landings have all those fins hittin' first

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket be a nice change o' pace and an amusin' diversion. Begad! We'll keep flyin' it until one day it goes t' that great carrot patch in t' sky.

Here are t' kids' comments: "It was sort o' hard building. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It took a lot o' work. T' best part be puttin' on t' decals. It be really excitin' launchin' because you wouldn't really know when t' parachute would come out. Avast! I would say 5 stars for flying."

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5