Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Brief:
This is an Estes Rascal Kit #1897 and is silver in color. It is a pre-assembled kit where t' only thin' you need to
do is attach t' parachute t' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' parachute is 12" in diameter, and t' kit uses an Estes (rubber
band) shock cord attached t' t' launch lug inside t' rocket body tube. Avast! No paintin' is required. Aye aye! T' package says it
will go t' 1200'.
Construction:
T' Rascal uses a body tube 0.976" in diameter and has four fins and a plastic nose cone. T' shock cord is
approximately 16" long, includin' t' length inside t' body tube. Begad! It uses a metal engine retainer clip as in most
of t' Estes rockets, me hearties, arrr, so no friction fit o' t' rocket engine is needed. Aye aye! T' 12" parachute is plastic.
Since this is a pre-built rocket kit, it has almost no assembly requirements. I thought t' instructions were good. Begad! Only t' parachute needs t' be attached t' t' nose cone. Aye aye! T' nosecone fit nicely, arrr, matey, nay loose. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I modified it by usin' a fishin' snap swivel attached t' t' parachute t' connect it t' t' nose cone so it would be able t' twist on the way down after launching. This keeps t' parachute shroud lines less twisted. Begad! T' snap swivels can be bought in any number o' places--I got mine at Wal-Mart. Avast! T' rocket is sturdy. Aye aye! Arrr!
Finishing:
There is no finishin' required, ya bilge rat, I suppose one could clear coat t' rocket if they desired.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
T' Rascal has a number o' recommended motors. Well, blow me down! Blimey! They are: A8-3, B4-4, B6-4, C6-5, and C6-7. Begad! I don't like t' fly my
rockets so high that I have trouble recoverin' them, so I've only used t' A8-3, matey, B4-4, arrr, and B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' A8-3 flew nicely
to I would estimate somewhere about 250', ya bilge rat, and t' B engines would send it up t' somewhere around 550'. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! I never measured
the altitude so these are just estimates, ya bilge rat, but t' package says it'll go t' 1200 feet. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I put about 4 sheets o' Estes
Waddin' in it, and t' rocket used a metal motor retention clip. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It flew straight with a nice parachute deployment and
soft landing. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I flew it ten times, but t' shock cord separated on t' 10th flight. Begad! Blimey! It always flew well for me. Well, blow me down! No
"Cons" for flight characteristics.
Recovery:
I got 9 great flights, me hearties, ya bilge rat, however, on t' 10th flight, t' rubber shock cord separated at t' launch lug inside and the
rocket came down in 2 sections. Ya scallywag! T' rocket body developed some wrinklin' at t' top o' t' engine mount from hitting
the ground. It will fly again, but it is a little unsightly. Blimey! I suspect t' decals wrinkle ever so slightly on the
extreme edge (of t' decal) from t' ejection charge heat inside t' rocket body, ya bilge rat, but I could be wrong. Ahoy! Blimey! This is the
only "con" with t' rocket: t' shock cord separatin' after multiple flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! That be t' one thin' that
needs t' be improved. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! I plan on usin' t' Estes tri-fold method o' securin' a new shock cord o' 1/8" elastic about
3' long. I thought t' recovery time was OK with t' present 12" parachute. Avast! Avast! Blimey!
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
This is a very good rocket that needs no assembly except for attachin' t' parachute. Blimey! Well, blow me down! You can literally be launching
in minutes. Aye aye! It looks nice in silver, arrr, flies well with decent altitude, and recovers nicely. Avast! Ya scallywag! It's been a good rocket in
my stable. Ya scallywag! Avast! In fact, it's t' rocket I've flown t' most. Arrr! T' shock cord will get brittle and break eventually, and it
broke on mine on t' 10th flight. Avast! I would say start checkin' it before you fly it after t' 6th flight. Ya scallywag!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5