Brief:
A 1/35 semi-scale model o' t' rocket used t' launch America's first satellite. This be t' same scale as t' Estes Mercury Redstone and Mercury Atlas.

Construction:
No plastic parts in this kit with t' exception o' t' booster adapter, spin bucket and t' Explorer I payload. Body tube is a one piece Centuri ST-20. Motor tube is a short length o' BT-20 and t' centerin' rings are fiber. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I replaced t' rubber shock cord with sewin' elastic, and t' original 1/8" launch lugs with 3/16" lugs.

This was a skill level 4 kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' oversize fins were built up from 2 fin halves glued together. Ya scallywag! T' fins were easy t' carve a good lookin' bevel into. Engine mount was a standard mount that I've built dozens o' times. Arrr! Blimey! I built it with epoxy t' give me t' option o' usin' Aerotech power later, me bucko, should I choose to do so. I added a 1/4" long piece o' spent engine casin' t' t' top of the motor clip for added strength. Begad! Blimey! T' fin alignment guide had 2 lines per fin, and you centered t' fins betwixt t' 2 lines. This helped me get t' fins on very straight.

T' only problem I gad be gluin' t' spin bucket t' t' top o' t' booster adapter. Arrr! Blimey! T' fit be too loose and I never did get it t' align correctly. Begad! Blimey! As a result, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' top o' t' model has a small but noticeable tilt t' it.

T' instructions call for you t' fly without t' Explorer payload, matey, but I opted t' build a cradle for t' top section a la t' Redstone, and recover the model in 2 sections. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I used an 18" chute for t' main section, and a 12" chute for t' top section.

Finishing:
There were no decals for t' roll pattern at t' bottom o' t' booster, so you have t' paint it in yourself. Aye aye! Begad! This came out lookin' pretty good, matey, certainly better than t' one piece roll pattern decal Estes is usin' for t' Mercury Redstone. Ya scallywag!

T' old black stripes had flaked a bit over t' years, ya bilge rat, so I replicated them with black trim Monokote. Begad! Blimey! T' instructions were very clear about placement of the decals. Ahoy! Blimey! Interestingly, ya bilge rat, you are instructed t' place t' horizontal stripes first, ya bilge rat, arrr, then t' diagonal stripes last. I realized too late that, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, had I done it in t' reverse order, t' intersection o' t' diagonal stripes would have been covered up by t' horizontal stripes. Avast! Blimey! T' "UE" decals were still usable and look good on t' model.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' C5-3 is hardly available anymore, so I used t' C6-3. Arrr! T' motor is held in place by old-fashioned motor clip Estes used for years. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I had no problem gettin' t' motor into or out o' t' model. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Preparation is easy, t' body tube is long enough t' hold a generous amount o' waddin' and still have room for 2 parachutes. Avast! Ahoy!

This model isn't exactly a fast flier, but it was very stable, with ejection very near apogee on both flights. Aye aye! Flights were nay vertical, but more of a long, arrr, arrr, graceful arc. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I think that t' C5 would have given a more vertical flight due t' its higher initial thrust spike. Avast, me proud beauty! Both times t' model recovered without damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I look forward t' tryin' this model out on D13 power someday. Ahoy!

Recovery:
T' Jupiter-C requires t' standard recovery system upgrade that every experienced rocketeer should use. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This is typical o' kits from this era. Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This model is an excellent addition t' me fleet. Arrr! It goes well with t' Redstone and Atlas. Aye aye! I would have given it a higher rating, but t' problem with aligning the spin bucket gave me fits. Aye aye! Begad! If Estes ever re-releases t' kit, ya bilge rat, me hearties, they'll need to fix that feature.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5