Brief:
T' Estes Eagle Rocket Boosted Glider is an easy t' build E2X level rocket that is fun t' build and even more fun t' fly.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• BT-20 Engine Tube with Eagle decal already applied
• Engine block
• Engine hook
• 12" boom
• Red plastic nose cone with insert
• 2 pieces clay weight
• 1 large and 1 small steel ball for glider cone weight
• Rubber shock cord
• 30" plastic streamer
• 2 pieces red vinyl tape
• Black glider nose cone
• Glider carrier
• Fuselage
• Glider hook
• Tail adapter
• Heat reflective tape
• Horizontal stabilizer
• Vertical stabilizer
• Win' with Eagle decal already applied

You start by gluin' t' engine block inside t' engine tube, then insert t' engine hook and glue t' glider carrier over t' hook. Blimey! T' instructions recommend usin' plastic cement, me bucko, me hearties, but I do nay trust cementin' plastic t' cardboard, so I opted for 5 minute epoxy. I believe CA would have worked fine as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! You then wrap a piece o' red vinyl tape around t' exposed cardboard t' finish off t' engine tube assembly.

T' red nose cone is for t' engine tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! You stuff one o' t' pieces o' clay into t' nose cone and then glue on t' insert with plastic cement. Begad! T' shock cord be t' new rubber band type that Estes has switched to. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I just do nay trust them, so I used Keelhaul®©™on t' tri-fold mount with a piece o' elastic tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™. Avast, me proud beauty! T' streamer is then attached t' t' shock cord and t' other end t' t' nose cone. Begad! Arrr! This completes t' engine tube assembly.

T' black nose cone is for t' glider. Aye aye! It gets two steel balls inserted into it with a small piece o' clay t' hold t' balls in place. T' nose cone is glued t' t' end o' t' fuselage. I had a little problem here because t' end o' t' fuselage goes into t' clay o' t' nose cone. Avast! I was a little concerned because t' instructions tell you t' put t' plastic cement on t' part t' goes into t' clay. Arrr! Blimey! I test fit t' fuselage and only put glue on t' parts that did nay touch t' clay. Well, blow me down! It was a fairly tight fit t' get t' nose cone all t' way on, me bucko, matey, but was fine once t' glue set up.

You then insert t' tail boom into t' fuselage. Aye aye! Aye aye! Follow t' instructions carefully as t' boom can go in two ways but only one is correct. You are then told t' use plastic cement t' glue t' fuselage t' t' boom. Ahoy! I opted for CA instead since t' boom is some type o' carbon fiber and I wanted a good solid connection. T' tail adapter is then glued t' t' other end o' t' boom, and again, arrr, matey, me hearties, I used CA. T' win' saddle has double stick tape which you peel off t' outer coverin' t' expose t' sticky side. I added several small drops o' thick CA t' t' tape around t' edges which I think will help hold t' Styrofoam win' in place in t' event o' a hard landing. T' glider hook is glued t' t' slots in t' wing.

T' tail adapter also has double stick tape, me hearties, which I also strengthened with CA. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' horizontal and vertical stabilizers are just white Styrofoam with no decals. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions tell you t' color t' horizontal stabilizer with a black marker. I used a wide tipped Sharpie marker, black on one side and red on t' other. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I also colored t' vertical stab as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once t' horizontal stab is in place, you then need t' attach t' reflective tape t' t' top o' t' horizontal stab. Begad! Blimey! This is t' help reflect t' heat from engine exhaust and is a nice touch. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once t' vertical stab is in place, matey, me hearties, you take t' remainin' piece o' red vinyl tape and wrap it around t' front edge o' t' stabilizer. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I believe this is t' help strengthen t' joint.

Lastly, you just need t' balance t' glider. Arrr! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! T' bottom o' t' win' has two red dots which are t' balance points. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! You just add clay t' t' front o' t' fuselage until you can balance t' glider on your finger. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I do nay like t' look o' gray clay stuck in t' front o' t' fuselage, I would have preferred that thar be a container o' some sort t' hide t' clay, ya bilge rat, I may add somethin' later if it becomes a problem. It definitely detracts from t' appearance.

Finishing:
No finishin' is required. Aye aye! Begad! You can opt t' use a marker t' color t' horizontal and vertical stabilizers. Ya scallywag! I would have liked t' seen decals for both t' help match t' rest o' t' glider. Begad! There needs t' be a better way t' add clay t' t' front o' t' rocket for balancing.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was on a B4-2, t' smallest recommended motor. Arrr! Blimey! T' whole unit had a fairly straight flight t' about 250 feet. Aye aye! Blimey! Good separation on t' booster but t' glider came down fairly steep and hit hard on t' grass. Ahoy! It did nay do this when I made me "hand tossed" test flights. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Fortunately, me bucko, thar was no damage. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! T' booster came down quite nicely on its streamer. Blimey! It's hard t' follow both pieces when you launch alone. Blimey! Blimey! I removed some nose weight for t' second flight on a B6-2, me hearties, this time t' glider came down much more gently. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! However, it did nay fly in a circle as mentioned in t' instructions. Blimey! Blimey! I went all out on t' third flight with t' maximum recommended motor, matey, shiver me timbers, a C6-3. This time, t' unit reached almost 500 feet and t' glider came down a long way from t' pad. Ahoy! Nay sure why it is nay circling, matey, so I will have t' play with it some more.

Recovery:
Aside from t' fact that t' glider never did circle, it be still fun t' watch. Begad! Just make sure you balance t' glider properly before you launch and you should have no problems. T' booster section had perfect landings each time on t' streamer with no problems.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a fun rocket t' fly and it is very fast t' build--this one would be great for kids. Begad! T' decals are impressive and t' overall quality is good for an E2X rocket. Arrr! Arrr! I think decals for t' stabilizers would really have set this rocket off.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5