Brief:
T' Super Flea was a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, matey, matey, and it was t' first kit I ever purchased with me own money. There be nothin' really special about them, me hearties, me hearties, but it has a sentimental value for me, shiver me timbers, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, who is no longer with us. Ya scallywag! So, I kind o' built it as a tribute o' sorts.

Construction:
I used a couple small pieces o' 13mm body tube, matey, a nose cone from a Rogue Gnat (not exactly a true replica, matey, but close enough), me hearties, and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. Avast! Blimey! For a tubin' coupler, arrr, I used a small slice o' a 25 year old A3-4T I found in me dad's closet, where I found a lot o' other rocket goodies as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' shock cord is very un-Estes like; I made it out o' a 3 foot section o' elastic thread, whereas t' original was t' old flat elastic that Estes was pretty stingy with. T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Begad! T' illustrations were great, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. Ahoy! T' only thin' I didn't like about t' original kit be t' shock cord mountin' method: t' shock cord was wrapped around t' tube coupler, then t' coupler be inserted into t' lower body tube. This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Begad! So, arrr, shiver me timbers, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, givin' me a perfectly round tube. I coated t' fins and nose with a thin coat o' 2 hour epoxy for durability, then painted t' whole thin' with testor's Aluminum. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' best part about it be t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, me bucko, except for t' nose cone. So I bought a fistful o' Gnats from Lawn Dart Rocketry at LDRS and used one o' those.

Finishing:
T' rockets always looked kind o' plain, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, since they came with no decals. Arrr! After I epoxied everything, me hearties, me hearties, matey, I sanded it all down, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, shiver me timbers, and t' thin' looked stupid. Begad! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, me bucko, and it looks fairly good now. Nothin' difficult about this rocket, or t' original kit either. Ya scallywag! Way better than t' junk Estes puts out now- NO PLASTIC! I would give this rocket a 5 if it wasn't for t' goofy shock cord mounting.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My memory must be cloudy, arrr, me hearties, because I don't remember this bein' a particularly good performer when I be a kid. I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, arrr, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Avast! Aye aye! All I did was insert some cellulose wadding, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), stuff in t' shock cord, shiver me timbers, and put it on t' launcher. T' countdown came over t' PA system, and when it reached 1, shiver me timbers, that be t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all was t' smoke. All future flights will be on smaller motors, maybe even some micro-motors. T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

Recovery:
Recovery works well, even without a streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Nay too fast, ya bilge rat, no drifting, me bucko, and no damage on landing. I am startin' t' see some charrin' around t' base o' t' fins though, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but that's easily repairable. Ya scallywag! This is almost t' easiest t' prep rocket I've ever had, and thanks t' t' epoxy, me bucko, pretty near indestructible.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Main pros: Easy t' prep, good recovery system with t' mid-body separation, and eye-poppin' flights. Avast! Cons: too small t' see at apogee, arrr, and too fast t' watch on a "big" motor. Best o' all, t' thin' cost just over a buck.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5