Brief:
This is a basic single stage, four fin, ya bilge rat, me hearties, plastic nosecone rocket. It is a ready t' fly kit with minimal assembly which is t' attach t' parachute and you're done. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A pretty basic rocket usin' standard B and C 18mm rocket engines. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Estes item/kit number 002457.

Construction:
T' rocket out o' t' box has two tubes that go together at a coupler joint which is also t' separation point for t' parachute ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! T' upper tube is 4.25 inches long without t' nosecone or coupling. T' lower tube is 8.5 inches long without t' plastic fin can. T' nosecone is glued into t' top o' t' upper tube, and t' fin can is glued onto t' bottom o' t' lower tube. Arrr! T' shock cord be t' standard Estes rubber band material. T' nosecone is plastic as well as t' fin can. Ahoy! T' tube is wrapped in a gold prismatic type wrap. Begad! It uses a plastic cap t' hold t' engine in t' rocket, ya bilge rat, t' same as t' Estes Chrome Dome, Metalizer, etc. Avast! T' rocket has minimal parts.

Since this is a Ready T' Fly rocket, ya bilge rat, thar be no assembly required, T' only assembly t' rocket has would be t' attach t' parachute shroud lines t' t' rocket's shock cord since thar be no nosecone t' attach it to. Begad! T' nosecone is already glued onto t' top o' t' upper tube by t' factory and is nay accessible t' attach a parachute. Ya scallywag! On me rocket, me hearties, arrr, I used a simple 3 inch long rubber band t' attach a fishin' snap swivel t' t' shock cord, me bucko, and t' parachute shroud lines are connected t' t' snap part o' t' swivel. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I feel it pays for itself in less tangles and twisted up parachute lines. Aye aye! T' instructions were short because thar be no construction, matey, only attachin' t' parachute t' t' rocket. Avast! I thought they were fine. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' only modification I made was t' use a fishin' snap swivel that I bought in Wal-Mart, matey, but they are available in any store that sells fishin' supplies.

Finishing:
No finishin' was required since t' body tubes are in a gold wrap. There was one problem, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' wrap started t' unravel on me rocket and I had t' use a bit o' epoxy glue t' fasten it back down so it wouldn't unravel t' rest o' t' way. Aye aye! So far it has held with no problems. Avast, me proud beauty! I've heard that usin' super glue on t' wrap causes t' color t' come off, me hearties, but I can't verify that. Begad! That's why I used epoxy. Ahoy! Begad! You could probably use contact cement with no problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
So far it's flown nicely. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' flights have been straight. Ya scallywag! On t' first flight, t' parachute got tangled around t' rocket's fins so it landed a bit harder, me bucko, matey, and had no damage. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' next two flights were great. Aye aye! They were straight with a nice parachute ejection at apogee. Begad! Well, blow me down! I think t' plastic fins take a lot o' punishment without bein' damaged. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm nay sayin' that they can't be damaged, but they are a robust or solid design. Blimey! I've used B6-4 motors so far. Aye aye! I would have tried a C motor but t' wind be stronger that day when I flew it for t' second and third flights and I wanted t' keep t' flights lower.

Recovery:
I've heard from some people that t' plastic engine retainer cap may slightly deform from t' engine exhaust heat if C engines are used. Begad! There is no damage from t' B engines; t' cap did get very slightly pitted from t' exhaust. Avast! I have an Estes Metalizer that has t' same cap. Avast, me proud beauty! It slightly deformed on one flight usin' a C engine, me hearties, but never again on t' other flights usin' C engines, and I'm still usin' it with no problems. Avast, me proud beauty! Maybe it was a bad engine for that one flight? T' Prospector did have straight flights whenever I've flown it. Avast! T' parachute descent be a little faster than t' other rockets I have, but I had no problems. Aye aye! Begad! I guess if you wanted t' slow it down you could use a 15 inch nylon one. Ahoy! T' rocket body tube is big enough t' accommodate t' nylon parachute if you choose t' change it. I haven't had any damage so far in t' three flights with t' nosecone hittin' t' body tube durin' t' parachute ejection. Well, blow me down! That's a good thin' since you can't access t' bottom o' t' nosecone t' extend t' shock cord because t' upper body tube is glued t' it by t' factory.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I feel it's a good rocket overall. Begad! Blimey! I would have liked t' extend t' shock cord, shiver me timbers, but it seems t' be doin' all right t' way it is. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! It appears t' come down just a little bit faster than me other rockets with t' 12 inch parachute, me bucko, but it has no damage either. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I would recommend addin' t' fishin' snap swivel usin' a 3 inch rubber band. Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket flies straight, me bucko, and thar be lots o' room t' pack t' shock cord and parachute in t' body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
I like t' color and it looks nice. Avast, me proud beauty! It also is a nice big rocket, taller than t' Chrome Dome and HiJinks/Rascal rockets. So far in t' last three flights it has performed well, only t' parachute got tangled on t' fins durin' t' first flight, ya bilge rat, and it landed with no damage anyway. Begad! Avast! T' next two flights were straight with no problems and had soft parachute landings. It still looks like t' day I took it out o' t' box - in excellent condition. Blimey! I'll be flyin' it more often.