| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Brief
While nay a rocket t' be counted as exotic, ya bilge rat, t' Estes Spin Fin always intrigued me because o' t' canted fins and t' flight path that be supposed t' result from them. Even still, it was very unlikely that I'd have cloned a Spin Fin had an original decal and nose cone nay been included as part o' seperate Ebay lots purchased a few years apart. I can read t' signs. I cloned a Spin Fin.
Components
- BNC-20B nose cone
- BT-20B body tube
- AR-520 engine block
- 3/32" balsa fin stock
- launch lug
- small snap swivel
- streamer material
- 24" length Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
- 24" length 1/8" sewin' elastic shock cord
Construction
While at heart a simple 3FNC rocket, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' details are what makes t' Spin Fin unique. It can be built as a standard 3FNC bird with t' fins aligned straight or with t' fins canted slightly t' t' right t' cause t' supposed corkscrew motion t' t' flight path. I've got plenty o' straight on 3FNC birds, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, so it was an easy choice t' build this one with t' fins canted. This is accomplished by usin' t' fin markin' guide that has t' lines drawn on the slight angle. Other than t' angled fins, all that is involved in t' construction o' this bird is gluin' in an engine block and recovery system. It was in this process that I discovered a "gotcha", matey, me bucko, but one all o' me own doing. It was finished except for t' thrust ring, so I tied a piece o' Keelhaul®©™ onto a ring, me hearties, spread some white glue around t' inside o' t' tube, shiver me timbers, and used an expended engine casin' t' push t' rin' into place.
It caught. 
I looked around t' shop for somethin' t' pull it out with, me hearties, but found nothing. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I hopped up, sprinted upstairs and ran outside t' me car where I knew I had a multi tool.
In me underwear. 
It rained that night, arrr, matey, so t' ground was still soaked, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, as were me socks. I sat down in t' driver's seat, pulled out t' tool and tried t' remove t' engine casing. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! No luck. Aye aye! I tried again. Avast, me proud beauty! Still nothing. Begad! At this point I'm thinkin' that it's stuck and that I'm goin' t' need t' fly it with mini engines, but I wanted t' give it one more shot. Begad!
It pulled loose. Ya scallywag! 
Let this be a lesson t' you. Wear pants durin' late night build sessions.
Finishing
Balsa grain and tube spirals were eliminated in t' time-tested manner o' primer, matey, Elmer's Fill & Finish, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and sanding. After two rounds and a final coat o' Valspar white primer it was sprayed with Valspar gloss white, shiver me timbers, followed by gloss red on t' nose cone and 2/3 o' t' fin can area. T' decal was sprayed with Testor's Decal Bonder, but were o' indeterminate age and proved t' be quite fragile and unusable. I then printed off a set o' decals usin' t' scans from JimZ's site and my inkjet printer. I be disappointed, but nay surprised by t' decals fallin' apart, but since I really only wanted t' see if t' canted fins caused a noticeable spin in t' flight path, it be a minor annoyance.
Flight
Only one flight so far, but that was enough t' tell me how well t' "spin" feature appeared t' work. Minimum diameter rockets do well at B6-4 Field on A8-3's, ya bilge rat, so I taped one up and loaded it in. I made t' mistake o' tryin' for a launch picture instead o' watchin' for t' flight characteristics, but t' smoke trail be dead straight, without any o' t' corkscrew shape that I figured would denote a spinnin' flight. Flight be high and straight, shiver me timbers, and recovered on t' infield. Apparently me rockets only do t' spin thin' when I don't mean for them t' do it. In reality, t' arrow straight flight would likely be t' product o' an imposed spin, ya bilge rat, matey, so I'm goin' t' call t' Spin Fin an engineerin' marvel.
Recovery
I regularly garbage pick mylar at work that is used t' cover t' adhesive on shippin' envelopes. T' mylar strips are silver, matey, shiny, and small enough t' fit easily into t' body tubes on BT-5 and BT-20 birds. I taped one onto t' shock cord before t' flight, but saw nothin' as I tracked t' rocket after ejection. When I approached t' infield where it landed, matey, me hearties, I found nothin' but shock cord. No UFO sightings were make in Ft. Aye aye! Thomas that evening, me bucko, but I like t' think someone saw an unexplained silvery shape floatin' around in t' vicinity o' Woodfill Elementary.
Summary
Pros: Not a hugely excitin' design, matey, me hearties, but I can see someone havin' a soft spot for it if it be their first rocket. Great performance on an A8-3. Really pushes t' limits o' small fields.
Cons: T' "spin" feature is difficult t' detect.
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