Brief:
T' Super Flea be a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, and it be t' first kit I ever purchased with me own money. Avast, me proud beauty! There be nothin' really special about them, but it has a sentimental value for me, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, me bucko, who is no longer with us. So, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 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, but close enough), arrr, and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. Aye aye! For a tubin' coupler, me hearties, 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. Begad! Begad! T' shock cord is very un-Estes like; I made it out o' a 3 foot section o' elastic thread, ya bilge rat, whereas t' original be t' old flat elastic that Estes was pretty stingy with. Blimey! T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Avast! T' illustrations were great, me hearties, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, then t' coupler was inserted into t' lower body tube. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, shiver me timbers, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! 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! T' best part about it be t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, shiver me timbers, 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, me hearties, me hearties, since they came with no decals. Blimey! After I epoxied everything, I sanded it all down, shiver me timbers, matey, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, and t' thin' looked stupid. Aye aye! Begad! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, and it looks fairly good now. Aye aye! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, or t' original kit either. 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, matey, me bucko, because I don't remember this bein' a particularly good performer when I was a kid. I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! All I did be insert some cellulose wadding, shiver me timbers, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), stuff in t' shock cord, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and put it on t' launcher. Blimey! T' countdown came over t' PA system, me bucko, and when it reached 1, that was t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, matey, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all was t' smoke. All future flights will be on smaller motors, matey, shiver me timbers, maybe even some micro-motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

Recovery:
Recovery works well, even without a streamer. Nay too fast, 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! This is almost t' easiest t' prep rocket I've ever had, and thanks t' t' epoxy, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, pretty near indestructible.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5