Estes Athena (2026)

Estes - Athena {Kit} (2026)

Contributed by Philip Wentz

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Published: 2015-07-30
Manufacturer: Estes

Brief

The Athena is an Estes Skill Level 1 kit produced during the '90s that utilized a plastic fin unit and nosecone. My Athena, originally, built in 1990, was the first craft I launched after a long hiatus from rocketry. 

Components

The components are as follows:

  • BT-50 body tube
  • Plastic fin can
  • NC-50 nosecone and insert
  • Engine mount components
  • 12' parachute, shroud lines and shock cord
  • Decal sheet

Construction

Putting together the Athena was very simple. It was one of my first builds and was made easy by the one-piece fin can. During the refurbishment all I needed to do was replace the shock cord and parachute.

Finishing

The Athena came with a set of metallic decals as well as a silver-colored nosecone. I originally opted to forgo the decals and just paint mine white, but when preparing it for flight again two years ago I decided to give it a realistic motif. This was done by painting the nose black, painting a roll pattern on the fin can and applying number and letter decals left over from a model airplane kit.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

Due to losing my first rocket (an Alpha III) because of a small field and a powerful engine, I was careful to use only B engines in my Athena back in the day. I decided to keep with this practice when beginning to launch again, as my local field was quite small. A B6-5 provided significant thrust and the rocket arced nicely before the ejection charge fired. 

Recovery

The Athena returned to earth safe and sound with its 12' parachute.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

Simple yet smart-looking, the Athena was a great addition to the Estes fleet. Mine flew just as well in 2013 as it did back in the '90s. No cons with this kit.

Overall Rating: 5

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