Estes SDI Satellite

Estes - SDI Satellite {Kit} (2003) [1989-1992]

Contributed by Frank Casey

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: Estes

estes_SDI-Satellite1Brief:
This is a single stage low power kit. Aye aye! Aye aye! It has a very unique appearance. Ahoy! Some people like t' look while others think it's one o' t' ugliest rockets ever made.

Construction:
Parts List:

  • Main body tube
  • 8 Fuel tank tubes
  • Nose cone
  • Engine mount tube
  • Launch lug
  • Engine hook
  • 2 Centerin' rings
  • Die-cut balsa sheet
  • Die-cut card (contains 16 round punch-outs for fuel tank ends)
  • Decal sheet
  • Clay weight
  • Parachute
  • Tape disks
  • Rubber shock cord
  • Shroud line
  • Shock cord mount
This rocket has a very unique nosecone. Begad! It also has six lower fins and two mid fins (solar panels). Aye aye! T' build was very enjoyable. Ahoy! It's very different from any 3 or 4 fin rocket build and should be attempted by an experienced builder due t' all o' t' fins and tubes that need t' be applied t' t' main body tube. Everythin' was laid out very well in the instructions and I found no gotcha's at any point durint t' build process. Ahoy!

estes_SDI-Satellite2Finishing:
Finishin' was fairly straight forward. I used sandin' sealer on t' balsa areas and primed t' entire rocket with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Gray Wet or Dry Sandable® primer.

T' body paintin' was fairly easy bein' silver and white. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' nosecone takes some additional care since it calls for white, gold, matey, matey, silver and black t' be applied t' t' various sides o' this multi surfaced nose cone. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It's hard to really call it a nose cone since it looks like none that I have seen before. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! In t' end I used Testors enamel for the gold and black sections and it came out very nicely.

I did have some problems with one o' t' solar panel decals. Avast, me proud beauty! I applied all o' t' decals without too much difficulty but went back t' try and fix t' position o' one o' t' solar panel decals and it promptly started t' fall apart. Ahoy! I was able t' fix things for t' most part but if you look close you can see that a few bits and pieces are missing.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I've flown this rocket four times on Estes C6-3 engines. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I didn't want t' go with t' B6-4 since I have heard that it can be a nail bitin' flight if this rocket doesn't grab enough altitude.

Each flight was made in perfect t' near perfect conditions i.e. Ahoy! no wind. Begad! It flew well on three o' t' four flights. Ahoy! One one flight t' chute tangled and it came down quickly. It was close enough t' t' pad that I snatched it before it hit t' ground so no damange ensued. Begad! Aye aye! I'm bad at estimatin' altitude but I would guess that each flight the rocket be in t' 200-300 foot range.

Recovery:
T' flights were great and t' rocket is a big hit with spectators due t' it's unique appearance.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great OOP Estes kit. Ahoy! I really wish that Estes would brin' this one back. Begad! I know some think it's ugly but I think it's a beautiful old classic and I would really like t' build another.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other:
One tip I would empart t' anyone wantin' t' build this old kit. Rember that t' waterslide decals are old and probably nay as durable as they once were. Treat them with care and don't manipulate them any more than you have to. They can and do start t' come apart after too much handling.

Other Reviews
  • Estes SDI Satellite By Frank Casey

    Brief: I chose this rocket because I was sick of all the "normal" looking rockets. In New Zealand, only Quest and SOME Estes kits are available, and a look through what was available in NZ made me realize that, on the most part, they all looked the same. Then I came across this little beast! A very unusual "rocket" indeed. Looks just like its full-sized counterpart, ...

Flights

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