Brief:
T' Super Flea was a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, matey, and it was t' first kit I ever purchased with me own loot. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! There was nothin' really special about them, me hearties, but it has a sentimental value for me, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, ya bilge rat, 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, a nose cone from a Rogue Gnat (not exactly a true replica, shiver me timbers, arrr, but close enough), and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! For a tubin' coupler, matey, I used a small slice o' a 25 year old A3-4T I found in me dad's closet, shiver me timbers, me bucko, where I found a lot o' other rocket goodies as well. Ahoy! Aye aye! 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. Well, blow me down! T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Well, blow me down! T' illustrations were great, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. T' only thin' I didn't like about t' original kit was t' shock cord mountin' method: t' shock cord was wrapped around t' tube coupler, arrr, then t' coupler be inserted into t' lower body tube. Arrr! Avast! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, matey, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Begad! So, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, me hearties, arrr, givin' me a perfectly round tube. Arrr! I coated t' fins and nose with a thin coat o' 2 hour epoxy for durability, me bucko, matey, then painted t' whole thin' with testor's Aluminum. T' best part about it was t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, 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, since they came with no decals. Aye aye! After I epoxied everything, shiver me timbers, I sanded it all down, me hearties, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, ya bilge rat, and t' thin' looked stupid. Ahoy! Aye aye! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, and it looks fairly good now. Blimey! Aye aye! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, arrr, or t' original kit either. Ya scallywag! Avast! 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, 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, me bucko, me bucko, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Arrr! All I did was insert some cellulose wadding, matey, shiver me timbers, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, stuff in t' shock cord, arrr, and put it on t' launcher. Begad! Aye aye! T' countdown came over t' PA system, and when it reached 1, ya bilge rat, that was t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, me bucko, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all was t' smoke. Avast, me proud beauty! All future flights will be on smaller motors, matey, maybe even some micro-motors. Ahoy! Begad! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5