Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 1.35 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
E2X single-stage LPR with parachute and plastic fins.
Construction:
Parts list:
Construction is extremely easy. This is how it goes:
That's really all there is to it. The launch lug is already attached when you buy it along with the shock cord being mounted. The fins are a solid piece with the fin can halves.
The illustrations in the instructions are the typical Estes fare and are more than adequate for a build of this simplicity. There was a step included for removing any excess plastic flashing before gluing the two fin can halves together but this was not necessary on my kit since there wasn't any excess flashing.
PRO: Hardly any place to go wrong
CON: Not much challenge if you are looking for one
Finishing:
The finish for the entire model is a chrome-like plastic from the tip of the nose cone to the trailing edge of the
fins. The body tube itself is covered in a reflective silver single piece wrap.
The decal is a self-adhesive sticker, printed to match the style of the rocket. The one problem I had was that the cutting on the edges of the decal went entirely through the backing and separating the decal from the underlying paper was troublesome at first.
Something that I had never seen before was a decal that was included which listed all the recommended motors. The instructions suggested placing it near the bottom of the rocket as an easy reference for what motors to use. Very handy!
Construction Rating: 4 out of 5
Flight:
Flight for this rocket is very straightforward. The motor retention is via a screw-on cap which goes on over the
motor. The flier inserts the motor, screws on the cap, then inserts the igniter and plug. Nothing more required.
Wadding is required, and the chute (being plastic) needs to be packed carefully and inspected carefully before each flight to ensure that all of the shroud lines are properly secured.
As for the manufacturer's recommended motors, 4 are listed, but I can only recommend 2. The A8-3 had quite a few people at my club nervous about recovery. It only flew to about 100 feet, and the ejection charge went off at around 30 feet. It was very underpowered on this motor. The B4-4 was also recommended, but failed to get much altitude as well. Of the other two motors, the C6-5 was nearly perfect, although the delay was a bit too long. But of the motors recommended, it flew the best on the C6-5.
Recovery:
The shock cord in use is the new Estes "rubber band" style cord and is pre-mounted inside the body tube.
While this makes assembly easy, it also makes it harder to replace should the cord become damaged during the life of
the rocket.
The supplied chute was more than adequate to bring the rocket down safely, even when one of the shroud lines pulled loose.
Flight Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary:
PRO: Very flashy, very easy to build, prep, and fly. Good kit for someone who wants to feel that they've assembled
their own rocket but isn't ready for something more challenging.
CON: Recommended motor list needs to be revised to eliminate the A8-3.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
E2X single-stage rocket kit with silver metallic finish. Components Components: Nose cone Body tube (launch lugs and elastic shock cord pre-installed) 2-piece plastic fin and engine module Parachute Construction is quick and easy. Glue the 2-piece plastic fin/engine module together Glue the body tube to the fin/engine module ...
I totally agree with the other comments. This rocket is a quick build and a great flier! I built it in an afternoon with a five-year old boy, and we flew it later that afternoon. We used each of the three recommended enginesm and each flight was perfect. The Estes standard two-piece engine/fin module makes this rocket both robust, and simple to fly. The bright silver finish looks great, and definitely makes it easy to track. I highly recommend this rocket as a quick, simple, reliable, good-looking and great-flying introduction to rocket construction for a small child.
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D.L.K. (January 10, 2008)