Estes Star Wars Y-Wing Starfighter (RTF)

Estes - Star Wars Y-Wing Starfighter {Kit}

Contributed by Matt Gillard

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Estes

PicBrief:
A ready to fly starter kit from the Star Wars range. Possibly the best one as it doesn't have a big black tube sticking through the middle and is quite stable in flight. I got this from a Star Wars fan in a job lot. It had never been flown and was still in its box!

Construction:
 Parts list:

  • 1 pre-built rocket
  • 1 Star Wars Electron Beam controller
  • 12 inch Star Wars parachute
  • 6 motors

Everything was in "A1" condition and pretty standard for Estes. It is a ready to fly kit, and all you have to do is attach the 12 inch Star Wars parachute.

Finishing:
There is nothing to finish--it is already built and unlike some of the Star Wars models, the detail is good. It gets a five on the EMRR scale--it's an RTF!

Rocket Pic

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

PicFlight:
There is not a lot of room to get the wadding and parachute in. Apart from that, I cannot fault this rocket in design. Flights so far have been good and stable, even when there has been a bit of a breeze. The B6-2 motor is slightly underpowered for this rocket, so stick to the C motors.

Recovery:
Recovery on the 12 inch chute is good. After a few launches the Estes knicker elastic burns through. (Why don't they upgrade to Kevlar®?) Even without a parachute, this rocket can take hard landings undamaged.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This is a great Star Wars rocket, great pad presence, has a scale finish to it, and is nearly indestructible.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes Star Wars Y-Wing Starfighter (RTF) By John Lee (December 16, 2007)

    Brief: This is a ready to fly rocket modeled after the Y-wing fighters from Star Wars. It looks good, works well, and could almost be perfect (for a RTF) if not for the traditional Estes recovery failure device (shock cord). Construction: I got this rocket on eBay. It was part of a starter kit with the Estes part number of 1821. I figured that for the price I would have been ...

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