Brief:
Old skill level 2 Estes kit that was introduced in 1971 as a Citation Series kit and continued in production through 1986. Always wanted one back in my first incarnation as a rocketeer, and decided to clone one when I came across an old Mean Machine nose cone. Using that cone and my "bin-o-parts" made cloning the kit a snap.

Construction:
Instructions (downloaded from JimZ) were typical Estes in quality but decidedly more fun with the "fake German language" stuff -- check JimZ if you don't know what I'm talking about. You may also want to check out the plans for the Der Big Red Max, as they contain many of the dimensions for both kits. I cut a piece of BT-60 to 9 1/8" per the plans, and cut the fins from 1/8" balsa. I debated for awhile whether to put in a 24mm motor mount, but decided to keep it stock and use RMS if I wanted a D launch (more on that later). Construction was typical 3FNC according to the instructions, using carpenter's wood glue throughout. White glue was used for filleting.

Finishing:
I used Elmer's Fill'n'Finish for filling the seams and the balsa grain. After sanding, I used a few coats of primer sanding between coats. Finish coat was gloss red Wal-Mart brand on the bottom section, and gloss black Wal-Mart brand for the nose cone. I had to do some sanding on the old nose cone to get a nice smooth finish. I noticed some thin spots during this process but didn't think anything about it at the time. The decals were ordered from JimZ and were excellent (I also highly recommend Tom Prestia's decals). The finished product looks great and never fails to generate a comment or two from BARs when I fly it at the local GAMMA section launches.

Construction Rating: 5

Flight:
Engine retention is typical Estes motor clip, although as is my practice I used a dremel cut-off wheel to cut off the extra on the hook. I then mount the hook with the cut part internal so the setup looks like the old Estes hooks. Original Estes recommended motors (per 1984 catalog) are B4-2 (1st), B4-4, B6-2, B6-4, B8-5, C6-5, and C6-7. My first flight was 20 Dec 98 at the GAMMA monthly launch, on a C6-5. After prepping with cellulose wadding, it was ready to go. Flight was really nice, although not as high as I had expected. And of course it generated a lot of comments as these are not seen that often but everyone pretty much knows them. The same day I launched it on a D13-7 reload, and the flight was AWESOME! However, the old nose cone just couldn't handle the air pressure from the hotter motor and ended up cracking in several places (see pictures). Messed up the finish some, but what the heck -- it was a great flight. To date the rocket has flown 10 times, all on C6-3/5 engines except the one reload flight. All flights have been excellent; generally very straight and little if any weathercocking.

Recovery:
Shock cord is typical Estes paper mount, with a long piece of 3/8" sewing elastic, attached to the nose cone with a snap swivel. An 18" parachute is attached to the nose cone with another swivel. Piece of cake. Recovery has been very good every time. Yet to sustain any damage (due to recovery anyway), although the 18" chute is somewhat large and I've gotten a lot of drift on windy days. A 12" chute would probably work well also.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary:
This is a great rocket and a great conversation piece among all the BARs out there who remember it as one of the all-time favorites from Estes. Even though it's only a 3FNC rocket, it's dimensions and decor make it a great looking rocket. PRO: looks, nostalgia, simple to build, flies nicely. CON: (reaching) 12" chute might be better, especially in wind; old nose cone can't handle RMS flights.

Overall Rating: 5