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Estes - Outlander (2110) [2003-2008]

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

Contributed by

Estes Outlander

Brief:
Based on the Mars Lander design, this is clearly one of the best-looking designs of Estes 2004 fleet. I really wanted to like this. Really. Unfortunately, this great design was very poorly executed and the result is a very disappointing performer. At nearly $30 retail, I can't recommend this kit unless it's for display and being built by someone with considerable patience. If you really want to build this one, you'd better buy two, as the first once will be chalked up to a learning experience.

Construction:
The hefty price is because of the parts list. This has lots and lots of parts. BT-60 tubing for the main body (6" and 2"), a BT20 motor mount tube (more on this later), 4 large BT-50 tanks (3" each), 8 smaller tanks (BT-20 x 1.5"), a molded plastic combo transition/nozzle/nose cone, balsa, dowels, lots of cardboard rings and end caps, a beautiful sheet of decals, and assorted hardware and recovery gear.

I honestly don't think this rocket was built by the person writing the instructions. I'm not sure it was ever built prior to release, period. While the instructions were generally clear and accurate, there were a couple of mistakes and the suggested techniques result in a very flimsy construction job.

The instructions carry a warning/suggestion that if you want to follow the standard color scheme, you should paint several parts before assembly (legs, tanks, body tubes, plastic parts and "gear box assembly"). I really liked the color scheme on the header card (base of blue with red and silver accents/trim), so I went with the paint-before-assembly plan.

Construction starts with cutting the dowels used to trim the landing gear. The template calls out some very specific angles, which were hard to match, but minor errors are not critical. Next, the dowels are inserted into flexible rubber tubing that acts as a hinge, with a small plastic BB inserted into the center as a stop.

The rest of the landing gear is assembled from balsa leg center sections and cardboard trim pieces. The feet are very short centering rings with a couple of cardboard disks for caps. Pay very close attention to the instructions, which clearly show which disks to use for this step--there are several different sizes involved, and they can easily be mixed up if you're not careful. Once completed, the leg assemblies are then painted red/blue/silver.

After completing the leg assembly, the "gear housing" covers are made from a couple of balsa covers with a pair of small balsa spacers sandwiched between. The instructions note to paint this after assembly, though I found it nearly impossible to paint the inside area very well.

The plastic parts need to be cut apart from a single mold then trimmed. The cut lines were not well marked, although fairly well illustrated in the instructions. This was tough plastic and I chewed through a fresh blade on this. Most of the plastic parts are then painted.

The motor mount assembly requires some patience and correction of minor problems. The centering rings are mounted to fairly precise dimensions, and this is on purpose. There's also a 2" dowel that is mounted on the tube to keep the rings aligned, but this dowel is incorrectly sized, and needs to be 1-7/16" long instead. Otherwise, the rings won't fit to spec. The centering ring alignment and spacing is critical because they serve as mounting points for the landing gear.

With 12 different tubes and each getting cardboard disk end caps, the tank assemblies are simple but time consuming. If you want a great-looking finish, filling these spirals will drive you nuts. Here's a tip though: since only one side of the tanks are visible and mostly covered by decals, only a light filling of one side is necessary. Finished tanks are then painted silver. I would also recommend applying the decals after painting rather than after they are mounted.

Next, the body tubes are marked with lots of lines. Tank alignment lines, leg housing lines, launch lug lines, etc. Wait a minute. Aren't these the tubes I'm PAINTING before assembly?! What good does marking do when the marks get covered with paint?! This is boneheaded. You have to choose to either align things by eye after paint, mark a painted tube and try to hide the lines after assembly, or mark, assemble, then paint, which in my opinion would be enormously difficult. I did at least use the tube marking guide to cut out the sections for the legs to slip through.

Once the body tubes are marked/painted(???), the gear housing is attached. Since I painted, I had to tack it on with a couple of drops of CA. I can't think of anything else better for bonding painted wood-based parts, but if anyone reading this has a better idea, post it as a comment. The CA bond is not a very strong one.

After bonding the gear housing to the motor tube, the legs are secured with elastic, and then kept in place by slots in the nozzle, which caps the end of the BT-20. Cardboard caps cover the slots, securing the legs in the housing.

Construction wraps up by gluing the upper body tube to the BT-20 motor tube assembly, then attaching the tanks to the upper and lower body tubes. Again, with painted surfaces, I found myself tacking these on with CA and given my lack of alignment lines, this was very difficult getting everything to fit. The ascent module (large plastic transition section) slides over the upper body tube, capped by the nose cone/end cap.

Finishing:
I don't know whether to ding the finishing or the construction, but bonding a large, heavy, clunky rocket on painted surfaces is a very bad idea. Painting such intricate details, with lots of nooks and crannies after assembly is also a very bad idea. I'm leaning towards dinging the construction but not the finish, because after building, this is a very cool looking rocket.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
Wrapping up construction, I picked up the very heavy (over 4 ounce) rocket, and couldn't believe it was using an 18mm motor. (Ignoring Aerotech's hard-to-find 18mm D motors, this meant using a C6-3.) I think this is seriously underpowered on a C6-3 and the only reason I can think that Estes would also recommend B4-2 or B6-2's would be for flying in a school gymnasium. Heck, you could even go with an A8-3 and fly it in your living room, assuming you have vaulted ceilings! (Note to kids: don't try this at home! I was only kidding.)

The first flight, on a beautiful but breezy (8-10mph winds) day was with a C6-3. As I called for the heads up flight, I feared the wind and weathercock would prove more than the puny C6 could overcome. Sure enough, about 25 feet up, the Outlander veered into the wind at a nearly 90 degree path, peaking at about 75-80 feet up but 50 yards out. The 18" plastic chute deployed about 10 feet off the ground, and the crash landing wiped out 2 of the 4 fins/legs and one of the tanks.

The repairs won't be too bad, but this clearly can't handle any kind of wind at all.

Recovery:
PROs: landed close to the bad, don't have to worry about busting the ceiling on our waiver...

CONs: horribly underpowered, unstable in moderate winds.

Flight Rating: 1 out of 5

Summary:
Great looking design, but destined to be a static display only unless it is upgraded to 24mm motors.

Overall Rating: 2 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.

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