Brief:
A novelty rocket in the form of a baseball bat (booster) topped by a baseball.

Construction:
Two foam "bat" halves, one center core BT-20 tube, one "Bat handle" tube, two piece motor mount/clear fin unit with plastic motor retainer ring, mount for the "baseball", one 12" plastic pre-assembled parachute, one 1/8" width rubber shock cord, one connector for the "bat handle" and the barrel of the "bat", and one vinyl decal sheet.

The instructions are standard for other Estes kits, which means it is well illustrated and in an understandable and logical sequence. The model is surprisingly sturdy when completed. It is easy to build--Santa built this in one evening. Requires tube-type plastic cement and yellow wood glue. The two possible "gotchas" are the alignment for the launch rod and the shroud line attachments. There is no problem though if the instructions are followed on the launch rod alignment and just check the shroud lines before flight. Two of them in this kit were not double-knotted.

Finishing:
The only finishing required are the decals.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
We used an Estes B4-2 on its initial flight. The model boosted very straight, and the "baseball" ejected at apogee.

Recovery:
No problems on the recovery. The 12" chute is just right for the model.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This kit is one in the recent series of goofy novelty kits from Estes. Santa brought it for my 8-year old son Timmy who is a baseball nut. It is a perfect combination in this instance. When we flew it the day after Christmas, he had the fly ball in his sights, but he slipped and didn't make the catch. Error Timmy. However, I believe the idea behind these off-the-wall kits is to interest kids in rocketry. Timmy already was interested (being my son and having rocket stuff all over the house, it's hard for him not to be) and the baseball angle really worked well for Santa.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5