Brief: T' Dagger is an E2X skill level 1 kit from Estes and, ya bilge rat, a "cousin" t' t' Rampage and Bandit kits. It's a single stage payload rocket with parachute recovery.

Modifications:
Recovery system, ya bilge rat, as described below.

Construction:
T' components consisted of:

• 1) bt-1090(1.09")x11" body tube
• 1) bt-1090(1.09")x6" payload tube
• 1) nc-1090 nose cone
• 1) plastic tube coupler
• 1) plastic shock cord mount with shock cord lock assembly
• 2) plastic launch lugs
• 3) plastic fins
• 3) plastic engine mount pieces
• 1) front engine ring
• 1) aft engine ring
• 1) paper engine mount sleeve
• 1) engine hook
• 1) plastic chute,shroud lines,tape rings,and elastic shock cord pack
• 1) set o' pressure sensitive decals

T' kit is packed in a nice cardboard box,rather than t' typical plastic bag. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' instructions were easy t' follow and t' illustrations were very helpful.

T' engine mount assembly consists o' a 3-part cage and 2 end caps with a paper sleeve inside.T' engine hook is sandwiched betwixt t' sleeve and cage

T' instructions called for t' use o' (tube -type) cement but I used CA throughout t' process. I have noticed that Model cement has a tendency t' distort plastic parts and can get brittle over time.

There be a very small amount o' flash that needed cleanin' up, shiver me timbers, nay a bad mold job at all, ya bilge rat, but somethin' t' keep an eye out for when assemblin' any plastic parts together. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! T' overall fit o' parts was very good.

T' sustainer tube comes pre-slotted and has correspondin' holes for t' (2) launch lugs and t' shock cord mount. Attention should be made t' t' alignment o' t' engine mount assembly inside t' body tube. Ahoy! I dry fitted a fin thru t' slot immediately after insertin' t' glued motor mount t' make sure t' alignment was correct. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' launch lug holes must be aligned with t' holes in t' sustainer at t' same time. Aye aye! I encountered no problem and t' fit be perfect.

Next, shiver me timbers, glue is applied t' t' fins and a template is provided t' check alignment T' launch lugs are simply glued in also. Ya scallywag! Care should be taken in alignin' t' 2 launch lugs as they can easily rotate in t' hole before t' glue sets. Begad! Alignin' them by "eye" is good enough.

A knot is tied in t' end o' t' shock cord and t' shock cord is than fed thru t' shock cord mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' shock cord mount is then inserted into a hole in t' body tube from t' outside and a plastic clip is glued and inserted into t' body tube and forks over t' shock cord mount.

This proved t' be a little tricky because its hard t' reach thru t' small body tube t' align t' clip, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but, with a little effort, it went together fine. Aye aye! I only used model cement on this part because I didn't want me finger attached t' t' rocket.

I substituted a 6" piece o' Keelhaul®©™ strin' for t' shock cord and than tied a 18" piece o' sewin' elastic t' t' other end if t' string. Avast! Blimey! I than glued t' payload section t' t' nose

T' final buildin' step is t' cut out and assemble t' chute and attachin' it t' t' bottom o' t' coupler on t' payload section.

Finishing:
T' kit comes pre-painted with a pink sustainer tube, ya bilge rat, arrr, a silver payload tube and black fins and black nosecone. Ahoy! T' decals are yellow, me bucko, pink and black.

T' overall scheme didn't appeal t' me, so I opted t' paint everythin' red and leave t' silver payload tube unpainted. Ahoy! I did use t' 2 "Dagger" decals.

T' final product ended up lookin' very nice and I applied a thin coat o' Future floor wax just t' gloss it up a bit and blend t' decals in a little better.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' finished rocket seemed t' be very sturdy so I decided t' use t' highest rated motor (C6-5) for me first three flights. Begad! T' motor hook fit well and held t' motors firmly.

Each time I used 3 pieces o' wadding. I cut t' spill-hole from t' chute and applied some baby powder before foldin' and insertin' t' chute.

I did find t' payload adapter t' be a little loose, so I applied a small amount o' tape t' t' adapter at t' launch site. I plan t' wick some CA onto t' inside o' t' sustainer tube for strength, arrr, so it will probably nay need t' tape afterwards.

I was impressed with t' way t' rocket "snapped" off t' pad. Begad! All three flight were pretty straight and apogee was around 1000 ft. T' chute seemed t' deploy very close t' appogee.

Recovery:
T' spill hole be definitely a must even on t' windless day I launched.

T' finished rocket is light and weighed out exactly t' Estes claim o' 1.9 ounce.

T' finished rocket is sturdy enough t' handle a fast decent landing. Arrr! On a windy day I would probably reef t' chute as well as use t' spill hole.

I wish Estes would use t' Quest type o' shock cord system, me bucko, me hearties, (as I did) and nay be so stingy with t' shock cord length.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros- Easy t' build, good overall design, strong, ya bilge rat, and a good flyer.

Cons- typical (too short) Estes shock cord, prone t' burn in half very easily.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5