Brief:
E2X single-stage LPR with parachute and plastic fins.

Construction:
Parts list:

• 1 body tube
• 2 fin can halves (with fins pre-assembled)
• 1 plastic nosecone
• 1 plastic parachute (pre-assembled)
• 1/8" launch lug (pre-attached)

Construction is extremely easy. This is how it goes:

1. Glue two fin can halves together.
2. Glue fin can into body tube
3. Attach shock cord and parachute to nose cone
4. Attach self-adhesive decal.

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