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Estes - Executioner (1951) [2002-]

Manufacturer:Estes
Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Contributed by

estes_executioner-sizeBrief:
This is a single stage "E" engine, three fin rocket built for parachute recovery.

Construction:
The Executioner kit includes one 65mm body tube made of wrapped cardboard. There are three pre-cut plywood fins. A 24mm engine mount and centering rings are included, as well as an E engine spring clip motor retainer. The shock cord supplied is 1/4" rubber band material. The nose cone hollow molded plastic. A 24 inch parachute is included with the hardware.

The instructions are easy to follow and no templates are necessary as the fin slots in the body tube are pre-cut. No special tools were required for assembly. This rocket goes together as easy as the 1973 Estes Alpha® beginners rocket and even looks like an up-scaled version of the Alpha. All personal supplies were purchased from Hobby Town USA™ in Charlottesville, VA.

estes_executioner-paintedDue to the tremendous body tube size, this kit would be excellent for payloads such as an altimiter or camera. I did not want to use an entire package of recovery wadding on every flight, so I purchased a Flis Kits™ engine baffel kit off of the internet. This was money well spent. The baffel seems to ease the force of the ejection charge and definately requires less wadding. Using the baffel, the rubber shock cord never burned at all during four E motor flights.

Finishing:
I had to sand out the fin slots a little bit as the supplied plywood fins were a little bit too tight. Estes supplies "Executioner" decals as well as a red sort of radiation symbol and several smaller "Estes" decals.

For finishing, we used some inexpensive grey automotive primer from the auto parts store. Then a base coat from a Testors™ small white enamel spray can. The color was applied with Testors™ silver and red spray enamel. Regular 3/4" masking tape as well as scotch tape (for a finer line) was used in combination with newspaper to get a unique, but easy paint pattern.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

estes_executioner-upandawayFlight:
We used an E9-6 for most flights. This engine is perfect for the Executioner. The motor is held in by the supplied motor clip. Even though we put a Flis Kits™ ejection baffel kit inside the rocket two pieces of blue wadding were used just to be sure. A 3/16" X 4 foot music wire launch rod was used and worked well.

The Executioner launches are exciting and it flies very nicely. Each flight it was visible all the way through apogee due to it's size! Nice straight boosts with easy recoveries on the supplied 24" chute.

Recovery:
After four nice flights there was no damage at all to this big bird. I believe the ejection baffel helps in this regard. The materials supplied by Estes™ are good and this model is easy to assemble.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
Overall this is a good kit for getting into the higher power rocket motors. It is easy to assemble for anyone who has built a rocket model before. What I really enjoy about the Executioner is the slow lift off's. I was able to snap an "action" shot for the first time with this model. It size allows the camera something to focus on. It doesn't just dissapear into the sky as so many smaller rockets do.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other:
After losing this rocket in a high tree, I found the body tube on the ground about a week later! I had to make a new shock cord mount. I used an old Bic disposable razor handle to cover up and hide the shock cord knot "bump" on the outside of the body tube. After painting it looks like a RCS (reaction control motor) or an LOX fuel port!

    Flight Log

    DateRocket NameMotor(s)AltitudeNotes
    2001-11-11Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Nice first flight. Chute tangled a bit though, no damage. Ready for an E9-4.
    2001-12-30Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Beautiful flight. Nice long burn. Perfect recovery. Awsome rocket/motor combo.
    2002-02-23Jason Myers's Estes ExecutionerE15-7- Another straight up and fast. 7 sec. was too long. slight zipper. Some shroud lines tore through...
    2002-02-23Jason Myers's Estes ExecutionerE15-4- Straight up and beautiful. Screams on the E-15W. Flew to around 1000 ft. 18x30 chute was too big....
    2002-04-09Jason Vennard's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- First flight, cocked right off the rod 20degrees to the north, 24 nylon chute/spillhole, deployed...
    2002-04-27Jason Myers's Estes ExecutionerF12-5- Roared up with a thick cloud of smoke. Great flight. Went up to around 1300-1400 ft. The 24 nylon...
    2002-05-11Herb Estus's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- nice flight. Deployed just past apogee
    2002-05-14Jason Vennard's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- 2nd Executioner after loosing first one on E-9. This time D power, good flight, heatshield and 24...
    2002-05-26Joe Cacciatore's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- First ever Estes E engine flight and rocket. Takeoff OK but half the chute lights detached and...
    2002-06-02Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Nice slow and loud launch. Recovered close, no damage.
    2002-06-08Andy Hobbs's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- great flight, nice long burn, reefed and cut spill hole,close recovery
    2002-06-08Andy Hobbs's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- lots of altitude, loud fast launch, cut spill hole reefed chute, caught a gust of wind and nearly...
    2002-06-08Joe Cacciatore's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Another good boost on an E9. Unfortunately it drifted and landed on the roof of the highschool. I...
    2002-06-11Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Perfect flight. Very long walk on recovery. No damage.
    2002-06-13Chris Stevenson's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- This was my first 'E' flight. Flew very well. I was excited to see the power of an 'E' motor....
    2002-06-22Herb Estus's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Nice flight and recovery
    2002-06-29Joe Cacciatore's Estes ExecutionerD12-5- This rocket flys good on a D12-5 too. Lands close.
    2002-06-29Joe Cacciatore's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Great flight; much higher than I would think on a D12-3.
    2002-07-07Ernie Jones's Estes ExecutionerF21-4- Econojet was great went about 1500ft. fast and straight eject just short of apogee.
    2002-10-05Randy Powell's Estes ExecutionerF20-4- Maiden flite on this one.It boosted great with some weather-cocking.Had another long delay...
    2002-10-20Randy Powell's Estes ExecutionerF20-7- needs shorter delay and a bigger chute.
    2003-01-26Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Very nice flight. Moderate walk for recovery, gets about 550-600 feet with the E9. No damage.
    2003-03-15Tim Morris's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Super flight and very impressive. Lost it in a very tall tree.
    2003-04-06Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Great flight with another close recovery. No damage. This rocket/motor combination rules!!!
    2003-04-13Matt Vennard's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- First flight for my Executioner. Needs an E engine, but overall pretty decent. 16 nylon chute,...
    2003-04-19Randy Powell's Estes ExecutionerF23-4-
    2003-06-21Ron McFerren's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- First flight for this bird. Went up nice and slow. Crowd really liked it. Wind carried it quite...
    2003-06-24Jason Smith's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- 2nd Launch. Rocket launched straight, approx 100ft turned slightly north. Apogee again was...
    2003-06-28Joe Alain's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Rocket lifted slowly and majestically. I substituted an 18 nylon chute for the 24 that was...
    2003-06-28Joe Alain's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- This motor combination really got the rocket off the pad in a hurry. A real crowd pleaser! The...
    2003-07-18Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Very nice flight. Long walk for recovery. No damage.
    2003-08-03Rocky Firth's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- First flight. Modified with rail buttons.
    2003-08-03Rocky Firth's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- Great flight. First flight for this one on an AP motor.
    2003-08-24Rocky Firth's Estes ExecutionerD15-7- Core Sample! Delay was way too long. The front body section will have to be replaced, but it will...
    2003-09-21Kenny Powell's Estes ExecutionerG38-7- I beefed it up. Flew great. Maybe 1800 feet. Building a new one to fly on a H-123.
    2003-09-21Randy Powell's Estes ExecutionerF20-4- good flite
    2003-10-12Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Loud lumbering boost with strong weathercocking. Perfect ejection at apogee, and great chute...
    2003-10-12Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Long slow boost with a lot of weathercocking. Weak ejection blew nose cone but not parachute....
    2003-11-15Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- E9 is a little under powered, but it flew. Arced pretty good into the wind, and recovered just...
    2003-11-15Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE30-4- Aerotech E30-4T is a great motor for this kit. It gets it up and going straight. Nice flight and...
    2003-11-16Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Great flight. Nice straight boost up to about 500-550 feet. Great recovery. Landed about 50 feet...
    2003-12-17Michael Robbins's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Roaring launch with nice smoke trail. Ran to where the rocket was going to land and caught it.
    2004-01-18Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Very nice flight. The E9-6 also works great in this rocket. Recovered fairly close to pad. No...
    2004-02-28John Arthur's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Perfect flite. Recovered 30 ft from the pad.
    2004-03-07Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Very nice flight to about 550 feet. Moderate walk for recovery. No damage.
    2004-03-20Ron McFerren's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Another great flight for this rocket. Recovered on a Rockethead Rockets 18-inch chute.
    2004-04-03Matt Vennard's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Good flight, recovered fine on 16 nylon chute.
    2004-04-04Jason Vennard's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Well now this may be the best flight yet put it back up with a little more power, again a...
    2004-04-04Jason Vennard's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Best flight we've had on this one i think, nice slow and straight boost, looked great. Recovered...
    2004-04-11Jason Vennard's Estes ExecutionerF21-6- Awesome very fast boost on this light rocket built completely stock, deployment right at apogee...
    2004-04-17John Hardy's Estes ExecutionerD12-5- Estimate AGL about 3-400ft. Good motor for small fields.
    2004-04-18John Hardy's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- 18 ripstop nylon chute a must ! Just wish I had added a kevlar shock cord or at least some decent...
    2004-05-16Serge Zoruba's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Flys to managable heights (500-600 feet) under 5-10 mph winds with an E9-4. Ejected 24 inch nylon...
    2004-05-16Serge Zoruba's Estes ExecutionerF21-6- Super loud takeoff with amazing 3-4 feet of piercing flame from the F21-6W. We had 200 spectators...
    2004-06-06Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Slow loud boost, arching into the wind. Chute ejected fine but hesitated a few seconds before...
    2004-06-10Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Beautiful flight, I have never seen this rocket fly this straight as it did on this flight. Very...
    2004-06-26David Logan's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Excellent flight and recovery using a 20 inch chute.
    2004-06-26David Logan's Estes ExecutionerF21-6- Landed hard and crumpled tube just above fins recovering with a 7x70 inch streamer. Still a good...
    2004-06-27Mark Van+Luvender's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- Awesome flight! Screamed off the pad, arched, and ejected. Came down about 75 yards from the pad.
    2004-06-27David Logan's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Repaired, good flight, struggles all the way up. Used a 20 inch chute for close but safe landing....
    2004-07-04Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Drag Race. Beautiful boost angled heavily into wind. Ejected just past apogee. Chute cleared body...
    2004-07-06Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Drag race against a friend's Executioner. Having two E9 powered rockets rip into the sky at the...
    2004-07-09David Henry's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Another nice flight, but it drifted into the long grass this time.
    2004-07-09David Henry's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Maiden flight on my Executioner, and my first flight over D power. Neraly hit the pad on the way...
    2004-07-09David Henry's Estes ExecutionerF21-4- Wow - this rocket really moves on an F21! Didn't see the ejection because it was so high and it...
    2004-07-19David Henry's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Slightly windy (random gusts) but nice flight nonetheless. After 4 flights I think it's finally...
    2004-08-15Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Good flight and short walk for recovery.
    2004-08-15Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Good rocket and motor combination
    2004-08-20Alex Jordan's Estes ExecutionerE9-4600 feet Nice strait boost, very little spin. Boost was a little slow though, want to try on an F21-8....
    2004-08-28Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerF21-8- Delay too long. Shrouds tangled and shredded. Landed inparking lot and suffered minor damage to...
    2004-10-23Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE15-4- Nice flight but had a bonus delay. Chute stripped upon ejection and landed on the roof of a...
    2004-10-30Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Good altitude and stable flight. Good recovery with no damage.
    2004-11-01Warren Evans's Estes Executioner4xE9-4- The smoke trail was great and the use of a rail just added to it
    2005-01-01Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- The Executioner has returned to flight status in a big way since the previous mishap. An E9 drag...
    2005-01-09Bruce Canino's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Good Flight
    2005-02-05Aaron Stanley's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Perfect flight. The Estes D12-3 doesn't get the Executioner that high up maybe 150 feet up. All a...
    2005-03-15Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Beautiful flight, very nice straight boost to 600 feet. Recovered close to pad on an 18 inch...
    2005-03-19Jason Vennard's Estes ExecutionerF21-6- Another very nice flight, good straight boost and deployment of 24 chute. Unfortunately it caught...
    2005-03-19Peter Reed's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- flew great, ejection a little after apogeee but otherwise, straight and true. Nice to watch, big...
    2005-04-02Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerF21-4- Spark fell from nozzle, slight delay, then POW! shot off the pad with impressive trail of smoke...
    2005-04-02Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Long slow boost with gentle arc. Good deployment of new 18in Thrustline ripstop chute. Gentle...
    2005-04-03Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Perfectly straight boost. Clean ejection of 18 nylon chute. Gentle landing @ 39 sec.
    2005-04-16David Dye's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- E9-6 delay is too long. But I really like the long burning E9 motor. Nice, slow boost. Way late on...
    2005-05-07Aaron Stanley's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Great flight for NARTREK bigger then D motor.
    2005-05-29Peter Reed's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- good flight, good recovery, delay shoudl be shorter
    2005-05-29Peter Reed's Estes ExecutionerF24-5- this took off great on this motor, great altitude, great flight, will definitley fly this on these...
    2005-06-28Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Considerable arc during boost and ejected rather late but everything held together. No damage.
    2005-07-09Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- Good straight flight, good motor and delay combination. Recovered without damage under a 18 inch...
    2005-08-06Ron Mahinske's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Went up about 600'.
    2005-08-13Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Another great flight. Almost got the power lines.
    2005-08-13Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Great flight and recovery.
    2005-08-27Clive Davis's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Great motor for this rocket. Perfect flight, beautiful recovery.
    2005-08-27Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- Short delay but didn't zipper. Rocket landed on road and smashed the tip on one fin.
    2005-09-10Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE9-4-
    2005-09-18Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Long slow arcing boost. Perfect ejection and deployment. Safe landing. Perfect demo flight.
    2005-10-01Bill Pate's Estes ExecutionerF21-92500 feet Lot of bang for the buck with this combination. Pretty good for an Estes rocket on the F motor. ...
    2005-10-16Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Long slow boost with gentle arc into wind. Nose popped just past apogee, and this time chute...
    2005-10-16Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Long slow boost with gentle arc into wind. Nose popped just past apogee, but chute was stuck in...
    2005-11-03Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Flew with wind due to rod whip but deployed OK and recovered without damage.
    2005-11-03Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Good staight flight up, good deployment and recovered without damage.
    2006-01-07Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerF21-8- Good flight and recovery with this motor and delay combination. No damage to rocket.
    2006-01-07Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Good Flight and Recovery
    2006-03-05Ron McFerren's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Another great flight on a perfect day for flying. (C.R.A.S.H. launch)
    2006-04-22Chan Stevens's Estes ExecutionerE9-6-
    2006-05-13Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE30-7- Fast!
    2006-05-21Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Long slow boost. Clean ejection. Landed on one fin first, then took an unlucky tumble that...
    2006-06-26Richie Brunjes's Estes ExecutionerE18-7- Flies real nice , will try shorter delay
    2006-06-27Richie Brunjes's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- No time for another RMS, but wanted to get it up before the rain got heavy. Nice flight
    2006-07-23Richie Brunjes's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Delay too long but still a nice flight and perfect recovery
    2006-07-29Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- Good boost and delay combo.
    2006-08-19Clive Davis's Estes ExecutionerE15-7- Motor sputtered, but lift-off was fantastic. I love this motor. The 7 second delay was WAY too...
    2006-09-03Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Straight boost to ejection at apogee. Hot sun made nose cone stick in body tube. Airframe...
    2006-09-09Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- 7th flight on this rocket. Not a mark on it.
    2006-09-09Rod Thrasher's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Flew into wind and drifted back nicely.
    2006-09-10Richie Brunjes's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Looooong delay , separated .
    2006-10-07Todd Mullin's Estes ExecutionerE9-6-
    2006-10-07Todd Mullin's Estes ExecutionerE9-6-
    2006-10-07Todd Mullin's Estes ExecutionerE9-6-
    2006-10-28Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Ugly flight. Struggled off rod in strong west wind, then turned south nearly horizonal. Max...
    2007-01-02Donald Besaw's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Another awesome flight of the Executioner. This rocket looks like it has gone through the war but...
    2007-01-20Aaron Stanley's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Great flight and recovery.
    2007-01-20Aaron Stanley's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Another great flight and recovery.
    2007-04-28Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerF21-4- Brief hesitation, then POW! Screamed off the pad straight up. Perfect deployment. Safe landing...
    2007-04-28Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerF24-4- Good straight flight. Delay a little short but no damage.
    2007-05-19Mike Sebesta's Estes ExecutionerF12-5- Medium speed liftoff with nice smoke trail and some weather cocking to about 800 feet. Safe...
    2007-05-19Mike Sebesta's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- Fairly fast liftoff and straight flight to about 800 feet.
    2007-05-19Mike Sebesta's Estes ExecutionerE28-4- Fast, loud liftoff with straight flight to about 800 ft. Not much visible flame on blue thunder...
    2007-05-19Mike Sebesta's Estes ExecutionerE9-4- Nice lumbering liftoff, but a bit underpowered in the wind as it weathercocked quite a bit.
    2007-06-02Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-6- Nice flight and recovery.
    2007-07-21Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)D12-3- Nice slow liftoff. Hard landing with fin creating a wrinkle in body tube. Minor paint chipping.
    2007-07-28Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)E9-4- Went straight up. The E motor is much better than a D. Perfect ejection and recovery. Small Estes...
    2007-08-05Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)D12-5- Another dent in the end of the body tube - but safe recovery.
    2007-08-11Hank Helmen's Estes ExecutionerE9-4603 feet Nominal Boost. Good Altitude. PDT company picnic. Caught rocket on recovery parachute, not far...
    2007-08-25Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)E9-4- Nice slow takeoff. Hey - no damage this time on ejection.
    2007-10-27Bob Cox's Estes ExecutionerE30-4- Fast straight boost. Nose blew at apogee, but Nomex chute protector got jammed in body so chute...
    2008-01-26Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)D12-3- Perfect Flight. Launch was cooincident with another rocket on a pad 30' away. VERY Cool.
    2008-02-23Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerD12-5- Nominal Flight
    2008-02-23Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)D12-5- Nice flight.
    2008-04-26Mike Sebesta's Estes ExecutionerF39-6- Fast, loud liftoff and straight flight to about 1200 ft. In bright sun, couldn't see flame on this...
    2008-05-31Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)H165-10- Rebuilt with new Loc 2.56 tube and LOC nosecone. 29mm MM. 18 oz. rocket screamed off the pad with...
    2008-06-14Dwayne Shmel's Executioner (RIP)G64-10- Great launch (only it's second flight) High winds drifted the rocket 3,300 feet to the east into...
    2008-06-15Aaron Stanley's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Perfect Flight.
    2008-07-12Joe Alain's Estes ExecutionerE18-4- The perfect motor/delay for this rocket! Great flight and deployment at apogee; however, the chute...
    2008-08-19Hank Helmen's Estes ExecutionerE9-6600 feet Nice straight boost. Beautiful impressive flight. Flies just like the old Estes Alpha, only Bigger...
    2008-08-19Hank Helmen's Estes ExecutionerE9-6605 feet Another nominal launch and flight. Unfortunately during recovery rocket floated slowly over very...
    2008-08-29Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-4-
    2008-10-11Ron Mahinske's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Went up maybe 200'
    2009-05-17 Leigh Metzroth's Estes ExecutionerD12-3-
    2009-07-04Michael Emerick's Estes ExecutionerE9-6-
    2009-07-05Mike Lysic's Estes ExecutionerD15-7- Excellent boost, straight up! Too bad the 7 sec. delay was more like 10-12 secs. Ejection occured...
    2009-07-12Leigh Metzroth's Estes ExecutionerD12-3-
    2009-07-18 Mike Sebesta's Estes ExecutionerE11-3- Nice slow liftoff with lots of black smoke and slight weathercocking to about 500 ft. Good motor...
    2009-07-25Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-4-
    2009-08-15John Venable's Estes ExecutionerE15-7- First flight on a composite. Perfect for this bird. Fllawless flight and my son saves the day by...
    2009-09-13Leigh Metzroth's Estes ExecutionerD12-3-
    2009-09-19John Venable's Estes ExecutionerE15-7- Nice flight to 1000' until the ejection charge failed. Landed hard,cracked ttw fin and lower tube....
    2010-02-14Leigh Metzroth's Estes ExecutionerE9-4-
    2010-03-06Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-6-
    2010-08-21Stephen Harper's Estes ExecutionerD12-3- Second flight was better than the first. Probably about 450 feet. Awesome flight.
    2010-08-21Stephen Harper's Estes ExecutionerC11-3- My first flight of this rocket was with a C11-3. It was very slow and didn't go that high. I...
    2010-08-21Stephen Harper's Estes ExecutionerE15-7- 3rd flight on Aerotech motor. This rocket ROCKS! It flew very very high and extremely fast. I...
    2011-01-29Andrew Grippo's Estes ExecutionerE9-4-
    2012-02-11Matt Mahoney's ExecutionerE9-4-

    Comments:

    J.M. (May 21, 2002)

    I also really like this kit. I found the construction to be a breeze as stated. I did make some minor modifications to mine though. I replaced the elastic band with about 7 feet of 1/8" nylon rope for the shock cord. I also tried an 18x30" mylar parachute from another kit instead of the plastic Estes chute. I removed the forward piece of metal on the motor hook so I could use 24mm RMS motors rather than limit myself to the Estes E's. The adapter provided works great for a spacer for AT's 24mm casings.:-) First flight was with an AT single use E-15, 4. Flight was straight up and very high. Estimated around 1000 ft. Ejection was perfect at apogee and it floated downward. I realized the 18x30" chute was way too big for this light rocket. The second flight, I used another E-15 but a 7 sec. delay. 7 sec. was too long and the shroud lines on the mylar chute ripped through 3 of the 8 holes. The chute didn't open properly and it came down hard. Suffered 2 cracked epoxy fillets and about an 1/8" zipper. Repairable. I fixed the cracks with CyA and also switched to a 24" nylon parachute. The last launch I went to, The Executioner flew on an AT RMS F-12, 5. Thick black smoke and she was gone! Estimated altitude was around 1300 ft. Once again, perfectly straight flight. ejection was just after apogee and it floated down nicely with the new chute. This time, I also used a piece of 9x9 Kevlar® for flame protection as the 2.56" body tube is a wadding hog. I do feel the $32.00 price tag is a bit high for this bird although it is a great flier and could be radically modified for larger, more powerful motors. I'd put this right up there with the Big Daddy as an Estes favorite for mods!

    J.S. (February 18, 2003)

    The Executioner is a well-designed rocket that gives stable, predictable flights every time. The AeroTech E15-4 is a perfect motor for it. Some day when there is no wind I will try it on an F21. I almost never build an Estes kit stock, and the Executioner was no exception. I built it so that it separates in the middle rather than at the nose cone, a configuration similar to the anti-zipper design invented by Stu Barrett. I put generous epoxy fillets on the fins, and I threw away the Estes shock cord and used an 8-foot piece of elastic instead. With these modifications, the Executioner will be able to withstand E and F flights with ease. As other reviewers have noted, the flimsy plastic Estes parachute is not very appropriate for this rocket. Instead, I use a 16-inch or 18-inch nylon chute, depending on how much wind there is. If you have some basic rocket-building experience and you want to get started using composite motors, the Executioner would be a good choice, provided that you fillet the fins with epoxy and upgrade the parachute and shock cord.

    J.A. (June 28, 2003)

    The main review for this kit is pretty accurate. This kit looks great with the suggested paint job. It just requires a high level of patience and skill to achieve it! Since I opted out of commercial pin striping, I had to rely on brush paints. My rocket ended up looking real nice. The paint job and size of the rocket definitely gets attention at the launch site. I didn't discover any problems with my fin slots. The plywood fins on this model are real nice. Kind of reminded me of the North Coast kit line quality. My only disappointment in the kit is that the rest of the kit falls short in the durability department. I would like to see Estes provide a thicker walled air frame to go along with the nice fins. For about $35 you should expect a little bit better body tube than the standard BT-80 which is what you get. I made several modifications on this bird that beefed it up a little. I did this knowing that I would probably be flying this kit mainly on Aerotech Reloads. First, I replaced the BT-50 motor tube with a length of Loc/Precision 24mm body tube. I have had problems with the Estes tubes as far as holding up to the heat of the motors. Second, I added some wire to the foreward centering ring similar to what North Coast use to call a "Gorilla Mount." This is simply some wire that you make fishing leaders with. After looping it through the centering ring and epoxying it in place, I made another loop at the other end several inches below the top of the rocket. At this loop I attached a generous amount of 1/4" elastic shockcord (roughly 3 times the length of the rocket). I use this mount quite often on larger rockets and it works great. There was another modification that I made to this rocket. I used two (2) 1"x1/4" launch lugs. Finally, I substituted an 18" nylon chute for the 24" plastic Estes chute that comes with the kit. I flew my Executioner today for the first time at our monthly South Louisiana Rocketry (SOLAR)launch. First, I flew it on the recommended E9-4 Estes engine. There was no wind and it was somewhat overcast. The rocket lifted off the pad slowly and gracefully. The 4 second delay was perfect as the rocket arched over and deployed right at apogee. Because of the slow liftoff, even with a 5' rod and no wind, I wouldn't recommend this motor with any brisk winds. On the second launch I used an E18-4 White Lightning. This was an incredible launch! This time it jumped off the pad and went much higher, I am guesstimating somewhere around 1,000', although I might be wrong. However, I built it pretty light so I might not be too far off. The 4 second delay was again perfect and I recovered the rocket down range in great shape. Two perfect flights and deployments and not even a scratch! The 18" chute works well with this rocket. This bird is extremely stable and flies majestically. I really like it and can't wait to fly it again at our next month's launch. J. A.

    R.B. (October 5, 2005)

    This was my first experience with a larger rocket and decided to assemble it completely stock. The instructions were easy to follow and I didn't have any trouble putting this rocket together. All of the parts fit really good with each other. For my first 2 launches, I used the Estes E9-4 engines. There was about 5 mph wind present. Both flights went up smoothly, but tended to drift quite a distance. I was able to recover the rocket unharmed each time. On another day, with no wind, I loaded the rocket up with an Aerotech F21W-4 engine. The flight up was absolutely beautiful. It went about 1150 ft straight up. Unfortunately, it suffered some damage to the rocket during recovery. The end of the tube was zippered about an inch and the tube looked to be squished down at a few of the spiral seams at the upper end of the tube.. I was a little disappointed because of the time I had spent filling in the spirals, but I still can't complain too much as the motor was a little more powerful that what was recommended. Overall, this has become my favorite rocket to date and I can't wait to build another one, which I plan to reinforce in order to hold up to the F21W motor.

    A.P. (December 19, 2006)

    I purchased this and a Dyna Star Rising Star at the same time and was far more impressed with the quality of the Dyna Star product. However, this still makes a great addition to any collection. Some of the parts needed triming, but it went together fairly easy. The suggested paint scheme seemed too challenging for my limited talents so I just painted the entire body a light grey with a hot red nose cone that matched the decal and it looks great. So far three launches and no mishaps other than the stock parachute became so tangled that I replaced the parachute with an Top Flight parachute, longer shock cord, and a swivel from Discount Rocketry.

    C.S. (December 27, 2007)

    I would not have rated the construction such a generous 3.5 out of 5. The materials are just not up to expected MPR quality level: - the 7/64" plywood is 3-ply; soft, thin (but clear) veneer over very crumbly middle. The veneer dents too easily, the leading edges don't hold an edge well, and the tips break too easily. - the BT80 tubing is just a little too thin. Although, this helps save weight so the rocket can fly well on E9s. - the slots in the airframe tubing are slightly under 7/64" and so require widening. - the 24" plastic parachute is not right: too big, not enough drag, too thin. Again, the compromise of plastic vs. nylon is saving weight to be able to fly on E9s. - other similar kits include a baffle. You can add some stainless steel scrubbie to the long motor mount stuffer tube. As others noted, heavier BT50 would have been nice here. For the price, get a similar sized LOC kit with nylon parachute and good 5-ply plywood and sturdy tubing, and you can fly up to H motors. Or, get a Dynastar kit with good quality light parts and stay with D, E, and F motors. Or, clone the kit yourself for less than half price.

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