Estes - Phoenix Bird

Manufacturer: Estes

Construction Rating:
Overall Rating:

Contributed by Michael Schmid

Brief

This is a remake of the old Centauri classic. I was a bit disspointed by Estes' choice not to use the original kit's plastic fin can, nose cone, and body coupler.

The instructions for building the kit have a fatal flaw. The kit uses through-the-body-tube fin mounting, and, if the directions are followed, the builder will NOT be able to insert the engine mount as the fin tabs stick well inside the body tube. Fortunately, I saw the problem before glue was applied.

My solution was to glue the engine mount in place first, then cut a notch in the fin tabs so they would slide over the lower centering ring when inserted through the body tube. This probably makes for a better-built kit, but someone who just follows the instructions will have "issues."

The fin stock was very smooth, the laser cuts were nice and crisp, the separate "tips" of the fins, however, gave me some trouble as they had a tendency to snap off.

First flight is coming up as soon as the snow melts.

Components

Two white body tubes
Laser-cut balsa fin stock
Balsa nose cone
Balsa body tube connecter
Rubber shock cord
Plastic parachute (preassembled)
Engine mount
Two launch lugs
Self-stick decals
Instruction sheet

Construction

Pros:

Laser-cut fin stock made short work of prepping the fins for sealer
"Sticker" type of decals are crisply printed, and very flashy

Cons:

The instructions for building the kit have a fatal flaw (described above).

Overall, with the fin issue, I can't give the kit a better grade than "poor" because an inexperienced modeler will very likely run into big problems. Estes needs to revise the instructions.

Finishing

Sanding and painting the balsa wood fins and nose cone was pretty much standard practice - a few coats of sanding sealer, sanding between coats, final sanding, two coats of gloss enamel paint. Painting the fins was done after they had been sealed and attached to the model. The directions are not very clear as to where the color separation line should be, but looking at the photo of the competed model, it's pretty easy to "guesstimate."

The "sticker" type decals were very nice, true to the original.

Construction Score: 1

Flight

Has not been flown yet.

Recovery

Has not been flown yet.

Flight Rating:

Summary

The fin vs. engine mount issue is a big problem that needs to be addressed by the manufacturer. Estes does own the rights to the plastic fin can. It should be used for the kit.

Overall Rating: 2

Flight Log

Date	Rocket Name	Motor(s)	Altitude	Notes
2011-02-26	Mark H's Estes Phoenix Bird	B4-4	63 feet	This model was a bit overweight and I didn't realize it until it arced over and plowed into the...
2011-02-26	Mark H's Estes Phoenix Bird	C6-5	289 feet	This flight weather cocked into the wind and only reached 289 feet.
2011-02-26	Mark H's Estes Phoenix Bird	C11-5	415 feet	Quick and straight flight. Recovered close by. No damage.
2011-02-27	Mark H's Estes Phoenix Bird	D15-7	959 feet	A very quick liftoff. The 7 second delay being about perfect. Too bad it landed it the parking...
2011-02-27	Mark H's Estes Phoenix Bird	D9-7	591 feet	Igniter clips held and followed it up the rod. Rocket left on a 30 deg angle. Should had tied...
2011-04-09	Mark H's Estes Phoenix Bird	E9-8	1422 feet	Red Glare X. Decent altitude. Moderate drift on 12" chute. (Photo by C. Taylor)
2011-07-03	Mark H's Estes Phoenix Bird	D12-5	629 feet	Good flight.

Comments:
Kristian Holvoet (September 2, 2011)
"The instructions for building the kit have a fatal flaw. The kit uses through-the-body-tube fin mounting, and, if the directions are followed, the builder will NOT be able to insert the engine mount as the fin tabs stick well inside the body tube. Fortunately, I saw the problem before glue was applied."

Same thing with Estes Cosmic Explorer. At least the Cosmic Explorer had a red errata sheet, but still. It is disappointing that Estes has had these quality control issues (really, errononeous instructions?).
- Post a Comment -
You must be logged into RocketReviews.com to post a comment.

eBay Offers:

NEW! Estes Phoenix Bird Kit Skill Level 1 3024
>>> Product Details >>>

$9.49
End Date: Monday Jun-4-2012 5:09:50 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $9.49
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Estes Phoenix Bird Model Rocket Kit
>>> Product Details >>>

$20.75
End Date: Thursday Jun-21-2012 20:31:43 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $20.75
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Estes Phoenix Bird Model Rocket (550 ft, SK1)
>>> Product Details >>>

$14.14
End Date: Thursday Jun-7-2012 18:15:05 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $14.14
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

NEW! Estes Phoenix Bird Kit Skill Level 1 3024 NIB
>>> Product Details >>>

$22.59
End Date: Tuesday Jun-12-2012 13:25:49 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $22.59
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Estes Phoenix Bird Flying Model Rocket kit#3024
>>> Product Details >>>

$21.45
End Date: Saturday May-26-2012 14:42:12 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $21.45
Buy It Now | Add to watch list

What You Can Do

- Link to this Page -

You can link to this page using the following HTML or BB Code.

Text Link in HTML (for web sites)

<a href="http://www.rocketreviews.com/estes-phoenix-bird-michael-schmid.html">Estes - Phoenix Bird - Review by Michael Schmid</a>

Text Link in BB Code (for forum posts)

[url=http://www.rocketreviews.com/estes-phoenix-bird-michael-schmid.html]Estes - Phoenix Bird - Review by Michael Schmid[/url]

Select the appropriate above text with your mouse then "right-click" and select "Copy." Then, paste the text into your web site's code or a discussion forum post.