Estes - Micron (876) [1989-1991]
Contributed by John Lee  Brief: Most of my recent project have involved making repairs but you can only sit around waiting for glue to dry for so long before wanting to try something new. This was at the top of the "quick and easy" pile so I got started on it. Construction: The kit provides for a paper tri-fold mount but I wasn't having any of that. I ran a piece of Kevlar® under the aft end of the engine hook and tied it around the motor tube. I secured the Kevlar® with some yellow glue. The end was then passed through the body tube and I was able to pull the mount into place without a bulge showing. The aft end of the motor tube should have been flush with the body tube but mine sticks out about 1/8". As a general rule, I prefer the wraparound fin guides to the end marking guides and this kit came with the former. It was cut out from the instruction sheet, taped into place, and the lines for 4 fins were transferred. They lines were then lengthened with an angle and pencil. I put a bit of yellow glue on the root edge of each fin, pressed it into place, and removed it to dry in order to form a double glue joint. While waiting for the glue to dry, I used tube plastic cement to glue the base of the plastic nosecone into the cone itself. A bit more glue was applied to the root edges of the fins and they were put in place. All of the fins were filleted and the launch lug was set in the crook of one fin and the BT. Finishing: The primed rocket was then lightly sanded and given 2 coats of gloss white. The spray booth was otherwise occupied so more traditional methods were employed: I stuck on a dowel sunk into the yard. I covered up the entire rocket except for the nosecone in foil and painted the cone with gloss black. That gave me something to hold on to. When the masking was removed, I had a simple but neat little rocket. All that was left was to apply the decals. There was a roll pattern around the top and an Estes logo. They added a bit of color to this project and I think it looks pretty sharp. Construction Rating: 5 out of 5  Flight: Video of the first flight can be seen here. Almost immediately, another club member arrived. We both prepped our rockets with me choosing to give the Micron another shot. This time was on a 1/2A3-2T. It again boosted well, deployed a bit early, and recovered safely despite the streamer not unraveling all the way. Video of the second flight can be seen here. Recovery:
Flight Rating: 4 out of 5 Summary: Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Flight Log
What You Can Do
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CONs: It hit me in the head!