Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Length: | 24.88 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 4 |
Style: | Scale |
Brief:
This is a good, ya bilge rat, me hearties, clean, single staged rocket which uses an 18" plastic
parachute for recovery.
Construction:
There is a single body tube, with three fins. Blimey! T' construction is very simple,
and t' design is very basic.
T' construction was fairly simple with an overall basic design. Begad! Blimey! T' Estes instructions were very thorough, and I was nay confused at any point. T' only problem I had was with t' fit o' t' couplin' betwixt t' body tube and the payload area. Well, blow me down! I had t' cut off one layer o' t' red paper in order t' fit the two pieces together, but otherwise thar were no problems. Begad! Begad! I didn't use the 'antenna' that were provided, as it would just add extra drag.
Finishing:
I just finished this rocket with conventional spray paint. Avast! A couple coats of
primer, then a few each o' gloss black and white t' their corresponding
regions. Avast! T' finishin' near t' tail fins was difficult as t' gloss white had
to extend partly betwixt t' fins. Ahoy! I think it might be easier t' paint t' fins
first and t' body tube separately and then epoxy them together, t' get the
best finish.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' recommended motor be a D12-5, shiver me timbers, but Estes has unfortunately discontinued
this size. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I have t' go t' t' C11-5 and D12-3. Arrr! T' C11-5's were great. Ya scallywag! I got
many great flights with this size, which were all visible with a clear sky.
When I launched t' D12-3 t' rocket went almost out o' sight, arrr, but I forgot to
put waddin' in and t' parachute partially got scorched. Ahoy! Even though thar was
almost nothin' slowin' t' rockets decent it be perfectly intact when it
landed about 50ft. Begad! away from t' launch site in a pile o' snow. I decided that
the rocket could handle an E9-6, so I launched one o' with that as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I lost
site o' it as it passed through some clouds at about 1200 ft, but then saw it
about 20 seconds later passin' through them, me hearties, safely floatin' down. It landed
about 100 ft. Avast! Begad! away from t' launch site (0-5mph o' wind). Well, blow me down! All t' flights were
perfectly straight and extremely predictable, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, this is a great rocket.
Recovery:
T' only problem is this rocket doesn't need a parachute so large. Avast! Blimey! I cut a 2
inch hole in t' top o' t' parachute t' help it descend faster, shiver me timbers, but it still
took well over 2 minutes on t' D12-3. Arrr! T' shock cord bent t' body tube at the
top on t' D12-3, matey, so I didn't use any more D's on it. I think you could almost
recover this thin' without any recovery system at all. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey!
Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5
Summary:
This rocket was easy t' build, arrr, flew great, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, almost too great, matey, as I lost it on my
last launch o' t' day. Well, blow me down! Only con is that thar aren't too many engines you can
use standard on this thing, and t' D12-3 is nay recommended. Ahoy! Ahoy! I'm goin' t' try
an Aerotech E30 on this, me hearties, I don't know what it will do with almost triple the
force o' t' Estes D's. Ya scallywag! Just don't launch this with a delay time o' less than 3
seconds. Avast!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Brief: This model is a scale model of a Canadian Atmospheric Research Vehicle. It has a single Estes parachute. Construction was fairly easy, except for one part. In making the motor mount, I made some mistake (can't remember) and had to rip the mount out. I would suggest being careful in making the mount especially when this model is the first friction fit kit you have ...
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