Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Brief:
This Ready to Fly (RTF) Starter Set comes with launch pad and controller. It
was released in 1998 and is now Out of Production. It comes with a silver
glitter body tube and purple plastic fins and nose cone. Also included is a
pack of large sized glitter for special effects upon ejection.
Construction:
This kit is premade and ready to fly. I made a slight modification to the
recovery system by substituting a
Thrustline
12" purple ripstop nylon parachute for the plastic one that was included
with the set. This I attached to the nose cone with a #7 swivel.
Premade, ready to fly.
Finishing:
No finishing is necessary but I sprayed two coats of clear coat over the rocket
to keep the body tube wrap from unraveling. This also gave a nice shine to the
fins and nose cone.
Construction Rating: 5 out of 5
Flight:
This is my daughter's first rocket and it flies real nice, however I didn't
have any luck with the glitter effect at ejection. I wrapped some glitter up in
the wadding and that's where it stayed, all the way to the ground. First flight
was on an Estes A8-3 and preparation was typical for a rocket using wadding.
The rocket achieved a height of approximately 200 feet and landed about 75 feet
from the pad with no damage. Any higher and the glitter trick would be a waste
anyway. But it is able to fly on 'B' and 'C' engines also.
Recovery:
The rocket utilizes a skimpy through-the-wall shock cord of insufficient
length, but so far no problems.
Flight Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary:
This a fun rocket and a good one to introduce my daughter to rocketry. Too bad
the glitter special effect hasn't worked properly. I'm afraid it was a
short-lived gimmick.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
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