Estes Red Alert

Estes - Red Alert {Kit} (893) [1991-1992]

Contributed by John Lee

Construction Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Manufacturer: Estes
(OOP) Estes Red Alert

Brief:
This is a simple, matey, matey, high-performance OOP rocket from t' Estes catalog o' '91 and '92.

Construction:
It includes an engine block, shiver me timbers, paper shock cord mount, launch lug, ya bilge rat, lug offset, shock cord, streamer, me hearties, ya bilge rat, screw eye, balsa nose cone, BT-5, and 3 die-cut fins. Well, blow me down!

T' build is easy and instructions are excellent.

I sanded t' fins t' an airfoil shape, me hearties, filled t' tube spirals, me hearties, me bucko, and painted it with a sky blue metal flake paint for an eye candy look t' try t' improve on the spermatozoa look. Arrr! T' kit does nay come with decals but does include a foil wrap that doesn't fit.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
PROs: Flown on 1/4A3-3T, me hearties, matey, 1/2A-2T, A10-3T, and A3-4T. Arrr! Blimey! It flies great. Avast! Blimey! You would think t' bulbous nose cone would slow it down, but it doesn't. Aye aye! Blimey! It is fast, straight, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and high. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! CONs: You have t' be careful nay t' knock t' nose cone off when you're puttin' it on t' launch rod.

Recovery:
PROs: It always comes streamin' back. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! CONs: It always comes back.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

(OOP) Estes Red Alert

Summary:
Do you have a rocket in your box that's impossible t' kill? Here's mine. Avast, me proud beauty! I've launched this one probably 20 times with no damage, nay even a broken fin. Begad! (I have replaced t' shock cord a couple o' times o' course.) It is usually used for wind testin' t' find out if it's possible t' launch a real rocket. Begad! Begad! I built this as an example at a build session. We got a closeout package deal o' a large lot for cheap. Ya scallywag! This gets me nomination for t' ugliest Estes rocket of all time.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes Red Alert By John Lee (October 19, 2008)

    Brief: Next week, my club is going to have an informal 13mm duration competition. I never win these things, but I do like to take part. With only a week to go, I realized that I didn't have anything ready to enter and started looking through the inventory. I found the Red Alert. It seemed light and would go pretty high on an A despite the draggy nose cone. Besides, it was near the ...

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