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

Construction:
I used a couple small pieces o' 13mm body tube, me hearties, a nose cone from a Rogue Gnat (not exactly a true replica, matey, but close enough), ya bilge rat, matey, matey, and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. For a tubin' coupler, arrr, me bucko, I used a small slice o' a 25 year old A3-4T I found in me dad's closet, shiver me timbers, where I found a lot o' other rocket goodies as well. 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 be 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. T' illustrations were great, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! 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, me hearties, me hearties, then t' coupler be inserted into t' lower body tube. Begad! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! So, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, matey, givin' me a perfectly round tube. Aye aye! 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. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' best part about it be t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, except for t' nose cone. Arrr! 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, me bucko, since they came with no decals. Ahoy! After I epoxied everything, me bucko, I sanded it all down, shiver me timbers, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, shiver me timbers, and t' thin' looked stupid. Avast, me proud beauty! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, and it looks fairly good now. Begad! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, or t' original kit either. Blimey! Ahoy! 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, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, because I don't remember this bein' a particularly good performer when I was a kid. Ya scallywag! I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Ya scallywag! All I did was insert some cellulose wadding, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), stuff in t' shock cord, and put it on t' launcher. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' countdown came over t' PA system, and when it reached 1, 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. Begad! All future flights will be on smaller motors, me hearties, arrr, maybe even some micro-motors. Begad! Avast! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5