Brief:
T' Estes Python-4 ASRAAM Model Rocket Kit be t' last o' t' four new models I had t' build which were introduced recently by Estes. Begad! I have already completed the other three and have been workin' diligently on this one. Arrr! Blimey! Actually we've been buildin' two o' them; me son and I are workin' in parallel, matey, although I tend t' build a bit faster than him. T' kit is one o' four new Estes "Military" kits recently released and is by far t' most unique of the group. Blimey!

Construction:
As with t' other new kits, ya bilge rat, you can purchase either t' bagged or Launchable version from many retailers. Well, blow me down! In t' package you will find die-cut fins, body tube, tailcone, me hearties, transition, me hearties, plastic nosecone, me hearties, clay for noseweight, parachute, and instructions. I was impressed with t' quality o' components.

I built it stock with only a few changes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used dual Keelhaul®©™® threads for shock cord and made one other minor change. A steel leader was connected directly t' t' nosecone loop and a longer shock cord was tied t' he swivel end o' t' leader. Somethin' important t' note; thar were major changes in t' kit compared t' t' instructions. Aye aye! T' front page o' t' instructions has templates for body wraps, shiver me timbers, but one be t' BT55 sized and t' forward tube is showin' as BT20. This is wrong! Blimey! Apparently they printed t' instructions, me bucko, me bucko, then changed t' forward bodytube t' a BT55 before shippin' t' production kit. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! This also means that references t' t' included transition can be ignored, as it is not used for t' model. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey!

Construction began with t' motor mount assembly, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which went together well. I did use Keelhaul®©™® thread for t' shock cord here and lengthened t' elastic cord t' 30 inches. Moreover, me bucko, t' parachute was up-sized t' a purple Estes 18" chute. Aye aye! T' new Estes tailcones are pretty sweet and allow you t' use thru-the-wall fin mounting, me bucko, which is a great method for buildin' strong. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' twelve fins were all dry rubbed with Elmer's Filler, then sanded t' match and I put leadin' edges on each fin. All four canard fins were epoxied t' t' upper nosecone/bodytube assembly.

T' lower fins were a bit different...You have t' install card stock templates that "raise" t' area around t' Strake Fins. Avast! At t' time I built me kit, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it didn't have these in t' kit, so I built it without them. A few days later, however, arrr, I saw t' paper raisers in me son's kit...they are pretty cool and I was a bit bummed I didn't add them. Ahoy! Once t' fins were mounted, matey, I installed t' "Stab" fins in front o' t' lower ones and clamped them in place until t' glue dried. Make sure you align them well; someone else showed up t' our club and had these strake fins crooked, which made his model twirl and fishtail durin' powered flight.

Next, arrr, I added epoxy fillets for strength. Begad! Avast! Once all twelve fins were done, I added fillets t' t' four upper fins on t' nosecone. Finally, me bucko, I used Alphaetic resin t' attach t' launch lugs. Ahoy! Aye aye! I used a piece o' scrap balsa betwixt t' body tube and launch lug as a standoff t' protect t' finish from bein' scraped by the launch rod.

Finishing:
I spent several days priming, me bucko, sandin' and paintin' t' model. Begad! Krylon gray primer was used, followed by Krylon White for t' lower body tube section and Krylon Medium Gray for t' upper body tube. Arrr! Begad! T' upper fins were painted first in white, then masked a couple days later for t' gray. Well, blow me down! T' rocket flew without decals for it's first three flights, me bucko, me bucko, but I did eventually put them on and it looks like a new model. Aye aye! One item t' note on t' finishing...the lower bodytube is actually done in very light gray, almost a "dirty white" color. I did nay notice this until I had already finished t' lower BT. Avast! For this reason, I didn't use t' supplied white stripes on t' lower BT, as they would nay have shown.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
IT be time t' launch. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! All o' t' other three new Estes Military kits had already gone up several times, so it was time t' give t' ASRAAM its chance. Blimey! I prepped t' Python-4 with a C6-5 for it's first flight, me hearties, added tissue, me bucko, me hearties, and packed t' chute. It be placed on t' pad and t' countdown be on. Well, blow me down! It has a very unique look sittin' on t' pad and those dual canard fins at t' nose made it look pretty tough! Blimey! It looked even better when t' button be pressed and the ASRAAM rose off t' pad under power. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! The flight was straight and true, but late on t' ejection.

Recovery:
Ejection happened on it's way down, shiver me timbers, but t' parachute deployed and t' rocket landed safely. Begad! Upgradin' t' parachute was a good choice as t' model appeared to be a bit heavier than it should, probably due t' t' extra paint I used to get a good finish. Begad! I prepped t' model and launched it once more, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, this time on the C6-3. Begad! Begad! It was a perfect flight, arrr, arrr, with ejection happenin' right at apogee and it landed without a scratch. Avast! Well, blow me down! I had flown all four new models several times in one day and wound up puttin' three more flights on this bird. Ahoy! T' model flies great on C6-3s, me hearties, but this is one I would build again on 24mm power, matey, just so I could use a variety o' motors and get a bit more altitude. I may try an 18mm RMS...it should do well there!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Estes Python-4 ASRAAM Model Rocket is a challenging, matey, yet fun kit t' build. With it's swept back fins and long bodytube, me bucko, me hearties, it has a graceful yet meant-for-business look about it. Arrr! Ya scallywag! A few items needed upgraded during construction, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, otherwise t' kit be built stock. Avast! Begad! Be careful o' t' instruction cut-out bodytube wraps and don't follow t' directions for those, matey, but rather use t' lower BT wrap for markin' t' upper tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! You also may consider upgradin' it t' a 24mm motor, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, as it weighs nearly 4oz dry. Blimey! Ahoy! Still, it is a good flier right out o' t' box, ya bilge rat, me bucko, designed very strong with good quality parts. Moreover, ya bilge rat, it has a real clean look that's an eye catcher at t' field. I recommend t' kit t' anyone interested in tryin' one o' t' most unique models I have built t' date, matey, t' ASRAAM Python-4.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5