Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 1.64 inches |
Length: | 30.25 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes ![]() |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
This is a new Skill Level 1 kit from Estes designed t' fly on t' new C11 motors. It is a tall, me bucko, ya bilge rat, BT-60 based 3FNC design with through-the-wall fins, me hearties, and a 24mm motor mount.
Construction:
T' kits parts were all in excellent condition. Avast, me proud beauty! T' BT-60 has 3 slots on one end o' t' tube for t' TTW fins. Avast! Die cut fins were high quality, shiver me timbers, arrr, as were all t' other parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Elastic shock cord was longer than expected, but still a bit short. Ahoy! Nose cone was excellent w/o any flashing. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Bonus: A BT-60 t' BT-55 plastic transition piece comes attached t' t' nose cone, me bucko, me hearties, but is nay needed in t' kit. 18" parachute is pre-assembled.
T' instructions & assembly were very straightforward and clear. Avast, me proud beauty! Construction was easy, and took little time. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is a cool lookin' kit which was fun t' build with me 2 year old daughter (who picked t' kit out at t' store). T' TTW fins fit extremely well, me bucko, me hearties, me hearties, and went on w/o a hitch. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! No special tools or techniques were needed. Blimey! Aye aye! I did a mod on t' shock cord usin' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' motor mount, me hearties, matey, and runnin' it up t' body, finally tyin' it together with t' elastic shock cord. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor block instructions are intended t' accommodate t' standard 24x70mm "D" motor casing, and can be easily modified t' accept t' larger (94mm) "E" engines, arrr, me bucko, which is how I did it.
Finishing:
Finishin' was standard stuff, arrr, although I let me chief construction assistant be t' director o' finishing. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I primed t' kit (after fillin' a couple tube grooves), shiver me timbers, then painted it gloss white. Begad! Blimey! T' remainder was done w/ markers by me daughter in whatever color she chose. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! Its quite a sight! Blimey! :). T' 'normal' fill/prime/paint would be straightforward for this kit.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
It flies nicely on C11-5's. Arrr! I used that twice as I was usin' a small field. Aye aye! Straight boost t' about 400 feet, with deployment just past apogee. Begad! T' 18" chute is probably a bit big if you're usin' a D or E engine. Arrr! A D12 would do nicely. Avast! An "E" would send this out o' sight. Avast! (much like it does t' a modified Blue Ninja).
Recovery:
Pros: C11's make for fun flyin' on smaller fields. Ya scallywag! Avast! 18 chute is good for that. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Keelhaul®©™® mod should keep cord burnout away for a while.
Cons: Use 12" chute for bigger motors.
Overall, t' kit flies nicely and recovers easily.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
A fun t' build, arrr, sturdy, matey, big rocket (for skill level 1) that can be a great afternoon project. Also can be modified for t' more adventurous. Another outstandin' point: Its fairly inexpensive. Avast! List is about $12. Well, blow me down! With me Michael's 40% coupon, arrr, me bucko, this only cost be $7. Begad! Aye aye! Its worth every penny. Well, blow me down! Let t' kids paint it! Its a nice big canvas for it!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Your basic rocket design: body tube, nose cone, three fins, engine mount, and parachute. It is basically and upscaled version of the Alpha. The kit consists of: 2 12" BT-60 body tubes with one pre-cut for TTW fin mounts 1 Tube connector for BT-60 1 5" BT-60 nose cone 1 1/8" thick balsa sheet w/ die cut fins 2 1" long x 3/16" diameter launch lugs 2 cardboard centering ...
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A. (November 13, 2002)