Estes RediRoc Raider

Estes - RediRoc Raider {Kit}

Contributed by John Lee

Construction Rating: starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Manufacturer: Estes
Estes Rediroc Raider

Brief:
While making a good faith effort to finish the rockets I had started, I once again found myself at the shop with glue and paint drying and nothing to do so I opened this "kit" in order to occupy a little time.

Construction:
The components of this rocket are nothing more than a white Styrofoam shell and a motor tube with a few crack and peel stickers to liven things up.

Finishing on this one comes before assembly. The foam was lightly sanded and then it was put in the spray booth. The instructions recommended only a few types of paint and these included spray enamel. I went with a Rustoleum blue and lightly dusted the shell, hoping that the paint would be almost dry by the time it settled. It was built up slowly in this way until I was confident enough to give it 2 real spray coats.

With the painting done, the real assembly could begin. I located the motor tube and saw that it was indeed sealed at one end. The tube was inserted into the hole in the foam and construction was over. No glue was needed.

Estes Rediroc RaiderEstes Rediroc Raider

Finishing:
Final finishing involved placing the stickers. I don't like crack and peel stickers but they do have their place in a simple project like this. They also really dressed things up. My big complaint is that they were not well thought out. The ideal arrangement as given on the box was not possible because all of the stickers, the triangles in particular, had the same orientation. Those that worked fine on one lobe of a fin looked bloody awful on the other because the angles did not complement each other.

Construction Rating: 2 out of 5

Flight and Recovery:
When it came time to fly, I found I had no A10s laying about and decided to chance things on an A3-4. The motor had an igniter inserted and was stuffed into the tube. It was a fairly tight fit. It was then taken out to the pad and I realized that for all its simplicity, its not a bad looking little rocket.

When it was launched, I was unprepared for how fast it scooted and had trouble whipping around fast enough. The launch coincided with a gust of wind and it weathercocked, arcing over my head.

Estes Rediroc RaiderEstes Rediroc Raider

It landed a few yards away with no harm done and I decided to try it again on another occasion when I had some A10s. A video of the flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:
I did not expect much of the rocket and was not disappointed. That being said, it's not bad. It's fun. It's different and it's a kid magnet. The old guys at the club paid a lot more attention to it than I would have expected.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes RediRoc Raider By John Lee

    Brief: An all foam plastic (TufLite) ready to fly tumble rocket. Construction: There are only three parts: the "rocket" itself, an engine tube, and a decal sheet. There isn't much in the way of construction, just a quick sand down with fine sandpaper and then slide the engine tube into the base of the rocket. The tube does not require gluing as it is a tight fit. ...

Flights

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