Brief:
Single state, shiver me timbers, 1:19.5 scale model o' t' German V2 ballistic missile. Aye aye! T' only skill level 4 kit Estes currently sells.

Construction:
T' kit comes with plastic nose and tail cones, four plastic sheets o' fin, me hearties, a short 4" body tube, a BT-50 for t' engine, ya bilge rat, centerin' rings, matey, two 24" parachutes, ya bilge rat, and t' usual motor retention stuff. Also, some decals for a more scale appearance.

When I first started on t' V2 I be wonderin' why it is a skill level 4 kit. T' first steps involve addin' t' motor retention t' t' BT-50 then gluin' it and t' centerin' rings t' t' tail cone. Avast, me proud beauty! T' difficulty o' t' kit is dealin' with t' fins. Well, blow me down! Four vacuum molded fin sheets are included and you are supposed t' cut t' two halves out o' each sheet then glue t' fins together. Well, blow me down! Begad! If you buy this kit please note: T' instructions simply state "Carefully remove plastic fin halves with knife." You will have a much easier time if you cut one t' two millimeters extra all around each fin. Avast, me proud beauty! A later step says t' sand away that extra material, and if you don't leave t' extra material you will have a much more difficult time assemblin' t' fins. Blimey! I learned this t' hard way!

Finishing:
Pro: With t' exception o' t' fins, construction is quick and easy - no more difficult than a skill level 2 kit. Con: T' fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! After cuttin' out each half I found they were all slightly warped and had a difficult time gettin' them glued together well.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
So far this rocket only has one flight. Begad! T' Estes documentation lists a maximum altitude o' 300 feet after a three second burn on an E9 engine, ya bilge rat, and I estimated a 200 foot altitude with a D12. Ahoy! T' liftoff was slow, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket climbed slower than any other I have ever seen. Ahoy! It is definitely nay a scale launch, ya bilge rat, but a very impressive launch and flight that I enjoyed. T' flight was straight and, shiver me timbers, even though t' fins were all warped, shiver me timbers, thar was no visible spinnin' o' t' rocket. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! One problem I found - t' instructions say t' use 6-8 squares o' wading, matey, but this didn't quite seem sufficient t' protect t' two parachutes. Aye aye! Instead I purchased a 12 inch Keelhaul®©™® pad from Top Flight Recovery. Blimey! If you like a fast launch and a lot o' altitude find another kit. But if you prefer low flights and slow climbs you will enjoy t' flight o' this model.

Recovery:
Just after apogee t' charge popped off t' nosecone, which pulled out its own parachute. Arrr! Unfortunately t' ejection charge be insufficient t' blow out t' Keelhaul®©™® pad and it stayed in t' body tube, along with t' parachute for t' body. Avast, me proud beauty! After tumblin' back t' earth and landin' in a soft field thar were four cracks in one fin and one small piece completely broken off. Avast, me proud beauty! Nothin' a little epoxy couldn't fix, and this rocket is ready for another launch. In a static test I determined t' ejection charge is sufficient t' blow off t' nosecone and blow out both parachutes IF they are on top o' t' Keelhaul®©™® pad and nay inside it.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' field where t' rocket fell was very soft, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and a lot o' other Estes rockets recovered in t' same manner without damage. Avast! Blimey! I would be happier with stronger fins, me bucko, but other than this I have no complaints.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5