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Estes - Outlander (2110) [2003-2008]

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

Contributed by Eric Maher

Estes Outlander

Brief:
Next generation Mars Lander.

Construction:
The kit includes:

  • 2 BT-50 (one long, one short)
  • 1 BT-20
  • 1 large blow molded plastic piece from which you cut the nose cone, ascent module and nozzle
  • 2 die-cut paper sheets
  • 2 die cut balsa sheets
  • 18" parachute
  • Sticker type decal sheet
  • Typical Estes materials including engine mount

I bought this kit because I was looking for a more challenging build. This kit does not disappoint. The kit should be rated level 5 difficulty and not level 3. In the "good old days", I built a few level 4 kits (Mars Snooper II, Orbital Transport) and this kit has them beat in terms of difficulty.

There are some definite issues with the instructions. Most obviously, when constructing the engine mount, there is a 2" long pre-cut wooden dowel that is used to align the rings that hold the landing gear in place. You will find that this dowel is too long and must be trimmed.

I encountered some other minor problems when building. One of the fuel tanks at the top of the rocket would not lay flat because of the launch lug. I corrected this by notching the fuel tank to fit around the launch lug. On my kit, the plastic on the ascent module was particularly thin. I had to reinforce the edge with epoxy to give it sufficient strength.

In general, the quality was very good. The balsa was top notch. The die cut of the balsa and paper parts was very good. I had one circular fuel tank cap that was slightly out of round. Easily fixed with a little sanding.

To really get the model to look good, there are some extra steps you might want to take. Most importantly, you should sand the root edge of the "fin guides" round (concave) to match the curve of the body tube.

As always, read the instructions thoroughly. Make sure you understand the steps before building. Test fit your parts. This is especially important with a kit of this complexity.

Finishing:
If you want to finish the rocket as shown on the package (as I did), you will need to paint the rocket as you build. The instructions will tell you when to paint the various assemblies during construction. If you go this route, remember to sand the paint away from areas where glue is to be applied.

If I had it to do over again, I think I would just paint the model white. Painting as you build is a pain for an impatient guy like me. I used Krylon primer and paint throughout. A big plus with the Krylon is that you can recoat anytime.

The stickers went on well, but I would much prefer waterslide decals. It is difficult to eliminate bubbles under the larger decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Estes Outlander

Flight:
The rocket has been flown about 6 times so far. Each flight has been consistently good. Naturally the rocket has a very slow take off, and a tendency to weathercock. This hasn't been much of a problem though due to the low altitude flights of the rocket. Rocket has not taken any noticeable damage and the landing gear work perfectly.

Recovery:
My rocket has landed on its fins on all but one launch. It does seem to hit fairly hard but has not sustained any damage as yet. I would like to see more altitude and might try an Aerotech D in the future.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This is a great builder's kit and I would love to see Estes come out with more higher skill level kits. Minor construction problems aside, this is a super kit.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

    Flight Log

    DateRocket NameMotor(s)AltitudeNotes
    2004-02-12Donald Besaw's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Nice first flight, slow liftoff and boost to maybe 150 feet tops and deployed the chute 50-75 feet...
    2004-04-24Donald Besaw's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Nice flight up to about 150 feet. Recovered nice and slow on an Estes 24 inch chute although it...
    2004-04-24Chan Stevens's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Horribly underpowered, deployed about 15 feet off ground
    2004-05-08Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Flight 3. Great boost on E9-4! Parachute snarrled on the rocket. No chute. Landed feet first...
    2004-05-08Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Second flight was repeat of flight #1. Same grass kept it from sticking the landing.
    2004-06-05David Logan's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Perfect motor for this rocket. Flew to about 400 feet. Recovered using a 20 inch nylon chute with...
    2004-06-26David Logan's Estes OutlanderE9-4- another great flight on the E9 motor. Landed on it's side in some waist high grass about 150 feet...
    2004-07-16Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderD12-3- First flight after repairing broken legs and housings. Another great boost and chute deployment,...
    2004-08-04Tim Anderson's Estes OutlanderC6-4- should have a ejection delay of 2 instead of 3, still with the nose heading down by the time it...
    2004-08-04Tim Anderson's Estes OutlanderC6-3- rocked got windcocked from the get go even with little to no wind. even after a VERY late...
    2004-08-04Tim Anderson's Estes OutlanderA8-35 feet Tried A8-3 Engine for a picture,Rocket left launch post then fell to the ground and ejected there.
    2004-09-05Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Field size and winds were marginal for this one today. Pushed my luck but was rewarded with a...
    2004-12-02Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Good flight.
    2004-12-02Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Always a fun flight on an E9.
    2004-12-03Donald Besaw's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Beautiful slow and straight flight, deployed the chute just as it began to turn over and head back...
    2005-03-06Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Another great boost for this one, but the landings stink. This time the plastic tubing connecting...
    2005-04-17Bob Harrington's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Engine blast off deflector plate burned through elastic cord holding leg and one leg ripped off....
    2005-05-04Donald Laskey's Estes OutlanderB6-2-
    2005-05-15David Logan's Estes OutlanderE9-4- another perfect flight, landed about 50 yards from pads using a 22 inch chute with spill hole.
    2005-05-29John Caramagna's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Followup to the B-6 launch. Vehicle boosted to about 10-12 feet then turned parallel to ground...
    2005-05-29John Caramagna's Estes OutlanderB6-2- Slow lift-off but very straight to about 40 feet (?). Chute ejected well but shroud line tangled...
    2005-06-18John Caramagna's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Thought it would work better with longer launch rod. Assumed last engine was faulty but could not...
    2005-06-18Larry Zeilmann's OutlanderC11-3- Perfect flight, good chute, low altitude, no damage.
    2005-06-23Donald Besaw's Estes OutlanderC5-3- Very nice flight, flew great on this motor. Too bad Estes doesn't make these anymore. Recovered...
    2005-06-25Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Perfect boost with good 4 point landing.
    2005-06-25Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Another good boost -- didn't stick the landing.
    2005-06-25Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderF21-4- Holy cow. Whatta crazy fun flight. Insane boost on White Lightning. One gear housing shredded...
    2005-07-16Steve Fisher's Estes OutlanderB6-4- 2nd attempt of this rocket. Perfect arch and chute deployment. Not to high but landed with a...
    2005-07-16Steve Fisher's Estes OutlanderB6-4- 1st flight. Chute got tangled on deployment. Landed on side. No damage. Will retry.
    2005-10-22Bob Harrington's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Nice boost. Chute was slightly scorched and only partially opened. The landing was hard and a leg...
    2005-10-29Chris Guidry's Estes OutlanderD13-4- Nice flight but chute scorched and did not open. Minimal damage. Repairable.
    2005-11-30Jon Revelle's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Parachute tangled with leg and came down fast. Broke the rubber leg joint tube thing. Not worth...
    2005-12-23Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderE18-4- Insane boost! Marvelous smoke and flame. Perfect four point landing, but bounced back into the...
    2006-03-18Larry Zeilmann's OutlanderD12-3- Burn through shock cord, major damage, brocken legs, being repaired
    2006-04-01Lance Souther's Estes OutlanderE9-4- Awesome flight on this motor...at least 700 feet. I used two 18 chutes. It landed on all 4 but...
    2006-04-01Lance Souther's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Nice flight nearly straight up...guessing about 375 feet. Used 24 nylon parachute, landed a...
    2006-04-29Clive Davis's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Modified to fly on 24 mm motors. Added some clay to nose. Flight was picture perfect straight...
    2006-05-28Chris Kraemer's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Good second flight - late parachute ejection
    2006-05-28Chris Kraemer's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Rocket canted over immediately after leaving lauch rod. Crashed prior to parachute ejection. ...
    2006-06-24Jason Lenentine's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Good flight, landed on all fours in tall grass but toppled over. I think I typed this flight log...
    2006-07-29Glenn Weiss's Estes OutlanderC6-3- Good first flight, boosted 150-200 ft, at ejection one parachute shroud line snapped so it did not...
    2006-08-22Clive Davis's Estes OutlanderD12-5- Boost was good. 3 second delay would have been better. One of the legs snapped off on landing. ...
    2006-10-07Geof Givens's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Modified for 24mm and 1oz nose weight. Action-filled flight (but totally stable) with slight arc...
    2006-11-11Geof Givens's Estes OutlanderD12-3- Wife swore NC was too tight. She was right. Core sample utter devastation. Can't even count the...
    2006-11-25Glenn Weiss's Estes OutlanderD21-4- Awesome loud and fast boost on the D21! Came down gently but with the slight wind did not stick...
    2007-03-31Glenn Weiss's Estes OutlanderC6-3- A complete disaster. Ejected maybe 10ft. above ground and core sampled, causing serious internal...
    2008-01-13Jon Chrisman's Estes OutlanderD10-3- Sputtered on the pad, but once motor fully lit made a nice arching flight to about 200 feet..Crowd...
    2009-06-20Kathy Miller's Estes OutlanderD12-3-
    2009-09-12 Kathy Miller's Estes OutlanderD12-5-
    2009-11-07Cliff Oliver's Estes OutlanderD21-4-
    2012-02-26 Stephen Fitton's OutlanderC5-3200 feet Textbook flight with slow liftoff, very steady boost with very slight inclination into the wind. ...
    2012-03-10 Stephen Fitton's OutlanderC5-3150 feet Another low but very nice flight

    Comments:

    J.R. ()

    Ok, I have one of these and have had fairly good luck with it. The only issue I have with it is DO NOT USE ANY B MOTOR WITH IT. A C6-3 in light winds is OK to fly in but DO NOT USE ANY SMALLER MOTOR. -Jon

    D.W.G. (May 5, 2004)

    When painting before building, here is how you deal with the pencil mark problem and glue bonding issues" Mark the tubing per instructions. Take some 1/8" masking tape (or narrower) and plase the tape on the tube wherever a glue joint will go. Paint the tube like normal. Remove the tape, and you wherever the tape was, this is where the parts go. You can also paint first, then mark with pencil, erase were the pencil lines will show, and use a hobby knife to remove the area of paint where glue should go. Either way has its advantages and disadvantages. Also... go with a 24mm motor mount... some thinking will be involved due to the complexity of the size.. but I do agree... that is to big and expensive of a rocket for 18mm motors.

    R.M.F. (May 27, 2004)

    Regarding 'peel & stick' decals: Add a drop or 2 of dishwashing detergent to a small bowl of water. Use a brush to wet the area where the decal will be placed. This allows you to poke and prod the decal into position w/o it getting stuck in the wrong place. Use a paper towel to soak up the excess water and allow to dry.

    D.L. (June 6, 2004)

    I built mine with a 24mm motor mount. I flew it on 6-5-04 with an E9-4, to about 400 feet. This is a perfect motor for the Outlander. No nose weight was added, and it showed no signs of instability. I recovered it using a 20 inch chute with a spill hole, and it nailed the four legged landing. I agree with the others, it's way to heavy for a C motor.

    M.M.Jr. (January 16, 2005)

    The most dangerous kit ever issued by Estes Industries in history. The Estes Outlander kit, introduced in 2004, is a beautiful static model. When properly painted, it is a fantastic sight to see on the shelf. However, as a safety officer for my club, I will order grounded ANY Estes Outlander anyone try to fly off the club field using a black powder 18mm motor. At four ounces, the rocket is just TOO HEAVY to fly using a C motor. With all of those lovely appendages, it is also TOO DRAGGY for C powered flight. A few club members reported seeing their Outlanders crash under power. The vehicle will arch over and hit the ground under ANY TYPE of wind. The one vehicle I saw in flight arched over and crashed into a parked pickup truck that belonged to a member. The owner then threw the excuse for a flying rocket into the trash and walked off in disgust. The only way to safely fly this vehicle is to either use a Aerotech 18 mm D motor or use some type of Estes 24 mm motor D or E motor. This would give the vehicle enough lift to clear the pad and enough altitude to make for a good flight. In the Outlander's current, manufacturer specified configuration, it is UNSAFE to fly. Estes Industries needs to recall the Outlander kit and retrofit them with a 24 mm mount for D and E motor usage. With minor modifications, it would cease being a flying short range attack missile and become a neat vehicle to fly. For those who own an unbuilt Outlander, be sure to discard the 18mm mount and convert the vehicle for a larger motor. It is rare for Estes Industries to issue a rocket that is this badly designed. It was as if it was never flight tested before it was released. However, Murphy's Law happens even to the big rocket manufacturers. Rocketeers, note this warning and fly safe. Happy flying!

    K.F. (July 8, 2010)

    I had one of these and really enjoyed building it. In order to build this successfully, you definitely have to follow the directions. My biggest mistake with this rocket was following Estes' motor recommendations. My first flight was on a C6-3. Lift-off was slow and at about 50 feet altitude, the rocket nosed over completely and hit the ground, shattering almost every component of the kit. In nearly 30 years of model rocketry, I had never had a rocket perform so poorly on its maiden flight.

    Stephen Fitton (February 28, 2012)

    The Outlander will fly decently on an old Estes C5-3 if you can lay your hands on some.  With the modifications suggested for a 24mm motor, a C11 will probably be the best for small fields yet yield a safe trajectory.

    If I built another one, I would ignore the box scheme and the prepainting of subassemblies and just airbrush the assembled vehicle white.  It lands pretty hard and if you didn't dilligently sand away paint from glue joint areas parts will pop off.  Easier to assemble it without paint (and make gererous fillets on the gear covers to gearbox tube) and then deal with the paint afterward.  At its weight and with the fragile Estes recovery system, it won't have a super long flying career anyway.  Oh, and the stick-on decals are pretty much a joke.  They love to peel off on their own and they hate silver paint.

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