Estes - Screamin' Mimi Kit

CP Method: Rocksim
CP Position From Front: 21.49 inches
Designer: Ken Montayne
Manufacturer: Estes
Model: 2185
Power: Low-Power
Product Type: Kit
Production Years: 2003-2006
Status: Out-Of-Production
Reviews
  • Estes Screamin' Mimi By Andy Miller

    The Screamin' Mimi is a single stage rocket with 18" plastic chute, 24mm motor mount, and four whistles. The kit includes one single body tube, 4 fins, four whistle fins, four whistles, and a nose cone. The motor mount is 24mm. I added 18 inches to the (too) short elastic shock cord. The instructions were well written and with good illustrations--better than some I've seen in the past. ...

  • Estes Screamin' Mimi By Fred Shecter

    Single stage with 12" parachute recovery and 4 whistles that make sound (when using D12 motors, but I heard some during one of two C11 flights. Kit includes: Estes BT-60 4 Die-cut balsa sturdy fins plus 4 die cut balsa sturdy whistle pod stand-offs Plastic nose cone Typical short shock cord (but it is 1/4" wide elastic). Extremely excellent instructions. Estes has REALLY ...

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    A diminutive scale model of a Sandia Sandhawk that's small in size but big on detail. Don't be mislead, as I was, about the skill required to build this kit. What you get for your money is a great 13mm body tube, a shorter piece of 13mm tube for the nose cone, a good quality balsa nose and a balsa plug (more on this later), a length of wire, a generous (read: twice as much as needed) amount ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Sandia Sandhawk By Manuel Mejia, Jr.

    ( Contributed - by Manuel Mejia) The BT-5 based scale model of the Sandia Sandhawk (kit KSAN-13) from Aerospace Specialty Products is among the most challenging mini motor kits that is currently on the model rocket market. The basic look of the kit seems straightforward when one see the drawing on the instructions. There is more to this than the drawing implies. Due to the small size of ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Sonda II B (Micro) By Chan Stevens

    After scoring a large quantity of very cheap MicroMaxx motors, I looked over the less-than-stellar-flying fleet of RTF's, and realized I need some real MicroMaxx rockets. ASP to the rescue, with a series of impressive micro scale offerings suitable for the craftsman. At $5, you'll either ask yourself "why did I pay more for this kit than the Quest starter kits are going for at clearance ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Sonda II B (Micro) By Peter Stanley

    Brief: This is a Micro-Maxx powered scale model of the Sonda II B from ASP. The real Sonda II B is a Brazilian sounding rocket first used in the 1970s. Construction: The kit contains 1 long body tube, 2 tube couplers, 1 styrene fin stock, 1 styrene launch lug, 1 styrene launch lug standoff, 1 wood nose cone, 1 Kevlar ® shock cord, 1 decal, and 1 mylar streamer. T ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Sonda II B By Ed Wagoner

    Brief: The Sonda II B is a 1/12th scale rocket of Brazil's largest sounding rocket of their Sonda II fleet. The Sonda II B was first flown in the early '70s and is still in use today. This kit was made by Aerospace Speciality Products (ASP). Construction: The kit included the following high quality parts: 1 Engine tube (18mm) 1 Engine block 2 Centering rings 1 ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Stubby By John Lee

    The Stubby is a simple but well thought out rocket for beginners. It's stubby appearance makes it distinctive from other "first rockets" and sets this 3FNC rocket apart from many others. It uses 13mm motors and recovers with a small mylar chute. The parts list: Body Tube Balsa Nose Cone (poor condition) 1/8" Launch Lug Engine Hook Engine Tube Engine Block Wrapped ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Super Loki Dart By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Very nice scale of a NASA workhorse, this kit can easily be a competition-level entry in either sport scale or giant sport scale. I decided to enter it in a local giant sport scale competition, and while flight results are still pending (see below), the static score placed this well ahead of the other competitors. Construction: All parts are very good quality. The kit ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Tall Boy By Chan Stevens

    This rocket is an "upscale" of the Estes Mean Machine, taking the long skinny BT-60 bird concept a bit over the top. It can be flown in any of four length configurations with the longest topping out at a testosterone-heavy 10-1/2 feet tall. For more altitude, the short version is about 34" and you can add add/remove sections to fly in between these extremes. Very serious WOW factor on the pads ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Tall Boy By Greg Deeter

    This is a 10 foot 4 inch tall rocket that is the same diameter as the Estes Mean Machine. It was one of the first I had seen available on eBay and it arrived in about a week. It was well packaged and complete. The components included were of overall high quality. Four 30" BT-60 airframes, 4" couplers, balsa bulkhead, D size 24mm engine tube, fiber centering rings, two 15" silver mylar ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products That Tube Rocket! (18mm) By Art Applewhite

    That Tube Rocket is a tube finned rocket with many extras. It flies on a wide range of motors from A6-4 to C6-7. It is easy to assemble and more durable than conventional rockets with balsa fins and is made from high quality parts. The kit contains: 1 12" White BT-50 body tube 1 5.25" Red BT-50 body tube 6 2.75" Red BT-50 body tubes (fins) 1 2.75" Red BT-20 motor mount 1 ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products That Tube Rocket! (29mm) By Joe Policy

    Brief: The Aerospace Specialty Products That Tube Rocket! is a large tube finned rocket that includes a payload bay. Easy to build but at over 4 feet tall, it is hard to store. The kit includes spacers so you can use the shorter 29mm F motors. There is even an adapter so you can it fly on 24mm motors too. Construction: The kit includes: 1 long body tube 7 short tubes ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products That Tube Rocket! (MicroMaxx) By Art Applewhite

    Brief: That Tube Rocket is a basic tube finned rocket for Micro Maxx motors. The Micro Maxx Yahoo group is an excellent resource if you want to find out more about these motors and rockets. The fins are made from 6 short sections of body tube glued to the main body tube. This makes the rocket easy to assemble and potentially more durable than a conventional rocket with balsa fins. The ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Tiny Tim Smoke By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 08/01/10) Brief: This will be a short review and may not be of much use. The Tiny Tim Smoke is a rebuild of a scavenged Tiny Tim Booster section from a staged WAC Corporal and I don't even know what kit it was. What this review does show is how seemingly non-compatible parts can unexpectedly come together to yield an interesting rocket. Co ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products Two High! By Joy Sills

    Brief: Two Stage LPR on streamer recovery. Construction: The kit includes: 2 Body Tubes Balsa Fins (4 per stage) Engine Block Balsa Nose Cone Eye Screw Engine Block Launch Lug Streamer The Two High from ASP came with all the parts listed. The kit has standard paper tubes and balsa fins and nose cone. The instructions give you a choice ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products V2 (13mm) By Dave Way

    Brief: Single stage, scale V2 kit with 13mm motor mount and parachute recovery. Construction: This kit consisted of a nicely turned balsa nose cone and lower body section, laser cut basswood fins and servo pods, and a 9" mylar chute with eye screw already mounted in nose cone. This kit is very small but with very detailed instructions. The mini V2 went together with no ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products V2 (24mm) By Mike Goss

    Intro: The Aerospace Specialty Products (ASP) V-2 is a scale model rocket kit of the German Vengeance Weapon 2 (V-2) that was developed before and during World War 2. It is approximately 1/40 scale, uses 24mm motors, (or 18mm motors with an adapter) and stands just over 14" tall. This kit requires a 3/16" launch rod as well. Construction Rating: 5 The V-2 kit arrived in the familiar ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products V2 (24mm) By Darren Longhorn

    Aerospace Speciality Products (ASP) makes a couple of different V2 Kits. This is the 1/40th scale kit, with the 24mm motor mount. The kit builds into a rocket that is 359mm long and 42mmm in diameter. Recommended engines include D12-5, E15-7 & E30-7, though the documentation states that it can be flown on B & C motors with a suitable adapter. The kit contains the following parts: ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products V2 (24mm) By Greg Deeter

    This is a small yet strong and heavy V2 which is about 1/40 scale. I ordered this kit from Rebar Rocketry on eBay at the same time I ordered an ASP Tall Boy. It was described as a "large scale" in the auction and when it arrived I was initially disappointed that it was so small. For $25 I expected a larger one. When a local club discussion came up about the vintage K24 V2 kit long out of ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products V2 By Tony Williams

    Brief: To this old rocketeer, a BT-55 based V-2 is the very epitome of a model rocket. It is instantly recognizable to just about everyone as a model of an actual rocket. Estes Industries used to sell one "back in the day" (K-22), and I've always regretted not getting one. Fortunately for born again rocketeers and hopeless procrastinators like me...and anyone who wants ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products WAC Corporal (24mm) By Robert Koenn

    Brief: Aerospace Speciality Products produces a series of scale kits in various sizes. They range from Micro-maxx motor size up to 29 and 38 mm engine size kits. I have been a fan of Andy’s scale kits for a long time and own all of his Micro scale kits as well as other mini-engine, standard engine and D engine size kits. So being a scale model fan I purchased his D engine ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products WAC Corporal (38mm) By Bob Tee

    The WAC Corporal was the United States first sounding rocket. It is a single stage kit with parachute deployment via motor ejection. Designed to mostly fly on 29mm power but you can fly it on the larger 38mm motors if you have the recovery room. I built it slightly different from the instructions at a few places. I wanted to "beef-up" a few things I felt needed it. I laminated Kevlar onto the ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products WAC Corporal w/ Tiny Tim (24mm/18mm) By Peter Stanley

    This is a two-stage scale model of the WAC Corporal with Tiny Tim Booster from Aerospace Specialty Products. It has a 24mm booster staging to an 18mm sustainer. Tiny Tim Booster Parts consist of: 1 Body Tube (BT-55) 1 Engine Tube (BT-50) 1 Stuffer Tube (BT-20) 1 Lower Telescoping Tube (19mm) 1 Upper (Short) Telescoping Tube (19mm) 1 Tube Coupler (BT-20 coupler) 3 ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products WAC Corporal w/ Tiny Tim (Micro) By Nick Esselman

    (03/19/02) I started enjoying the Quest MicroMaxx system recently and wanted to check out another company's kits. Well, there are (were) only two that had any kits. Nano Rockets and Aerospace Speciality Products (ASP). I purchased the Micro WAC Corporal with Tiny Tim Booster and the Micro Jayhawk from ASP to build on a winter vacation. Once received, I was pleased to see that even though ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products WAC Corporal w/ Tiny Tim By Nick Esselman

    The WAC Corporal is one of the most popular kits from Aerospace Speciality Products and now comes with the Tiny Tim Booster to make a two-stage, sport-scale rocket. My kit is the 18/18mm version, however, it also comes in a 24/18mm version. CONSTRUCTION: This was really the first scale kit that I have put together. It is approximately 1/12th scale. The instructions had 11 pages. There ...

  • Aerospace Speciality Products WAC-Corporal By Mike Goss

    - by Mike Goss The Aerospace Specialty Products (ASP) 18mm WAC-Corporal is a "fun scale" model of the United States first sounding rocket. It is 15.75" long when complete, uses 18mm motors, and is approximately 1/12th scale. The kit I built represents the sustainer stage of the rocket. Since I purchased my kit ASP has introduced kits that include the booster section as ...

  • Aerospace Specialty Products 18mm Parachute Duration Kit By Jack Hydrazine

    This is an 18mm parachute duration kit that you can use in competitions. Components It has balsa nose cone and fins, kevlar shock cord, and a paper tube for the air frame.  They keep the components as minimal as possible to keep the weight to a minimum to maximize your duration pleasure! /h2 No real pros or cons, just a great kit to start out with in parachute ...

  • Aerospace Specialty Products WAC Corporal (24mm) By Joshua F Thomas

    This is a replica of the late 1940s WAC Corporal sounding rocket. It does not include the 'Tiny Tim' booster, but other kits from ASP Rocketry have it with the booster as a multi-stage rocket.  The kit is all good quality materials and the instructions are extensive and have plenty of pictures. Fins are laser-cut balsawood, and tubes are standard BT-types. Shock cord uses both ...

  • Aerotech "Cheeter" By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    AT Cheetah stretched by 34" including 9" payload section. Motor tube extended to handle 11" motors and screw-on positive motor retention. Modifications: This is a fairly straight forward extension of the AT Cheetah, with extra care taken to strengthen the motor section to handle single use motors up to 11" long, particularly my favorite: the Ellis Mountain H50. I used JB Weld epoxy for any ...

  • Aerotech 24mm RMS Motor (Motor) By Kris Henderson

    Aerotech's Reloadable Motor System (RMS) 24/40 motor kit. Allows for use with Aerotech motor reload kits, which in the long run saves you cash over using single use motors. Get the same high performance flights at about half the price of single use motors. The motor casing consists of one motor tube with a forward and an aft closure. The kit without the reloads consist of three metal pieces ...

  • Aerotech 29mm RMS Motor (Motor) By Alex Rothchild

    This is a 29mm aluminum motor casing, for motors with 40-120 Newton Seconds total impulse (ranging from E to G). It is a bit pricey at $50 for the casing, but a G motor costs only $10-12 instead of $20 or more for a single use motor of the same total impulse. The casing is only three pieces, a long casing, a forward closure, and an aft closure, both of which screw into place in the casing. ...

  • Aerotech 29mm RMS Motor By Geoffrey Kerbel

    (by Geoffrey Kerbel - 12/12/06) Brief: The AeroTech 29MM RMS is a reloadable motor casing for mid-power flights with "E" through "G" power reloads. This is a system that allows the flier to put their own motors together with the power requirements to suit their rockets power capabilities. AeroTech calls this their hobby loads and no special certification is needed ...

  • Aerotech Airspike By Tim Burger

    ( Contributed - by Tim Burger) Brief:  An easy to assemble mid-power rocket complete with an ejection baffle and a pair of Econojet motors. Forward:  One of the members of my NAR section saw a bulk pack of Aerotech kits advertised for an amazing special price by one of the on-line vendors. He asked if anyone was interested in going in on a pack (a dozen kits) and splitting ...

  • Aerotech Arreaux By Glynn Germany

  • Aerotech Arreaux By Steve Bloom

    4 points The kit comes well packaged and all the parts were there this time.  On other Aerotech kits I've built I've had missing parts.The instructions are well written and easy to follow with good drawings.A few changes are recommended however.  The shock cord attachment right at the top  of the engine mount is seen as a problem by me.Even with the cooling mesh installed the ...

  • Aerotech Arreaux By Jarret Winkelman

    Single stage with cargo bay and parachute recovery. The kit comes with 2 body tubes. One being the payload section and one being the fin section. It also has 3 plastic (very strong!) fins included. The centering rings are almost unbreakable and the nose cone is very solid. The instructions were very good although the kit is pretty straight-forward. There are a few illustrations and I don't ...

  • Aerotech Arreaux By Solomon Westerman

    High-Performance, Payload Rocket. Your standard 3FNC (3 Fins and a Nose Cone) rocket on the outside, but has a complex interior. As with my other Aerotech kit, one page was missing (payload construction) and substituted for another page already printed. But the rocket construction was pretty simple, so you could figure it out. The only thing different is the FinLock rings, which glue ...

  • Aerotech Arreaux By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is a single stage, 29mm, easy to build, yet very durable rocket kit from AeroTech. My first AeroTech kit was the Cheetah and I was so pleased with it that I ordered and built this Arreaux, the G-Force, Mustang, Sumo, and Wart-Hog all at the same time. I built this rocket two years ago, installed the recovery system about a month ago, painted it on a Friday night, and flew it the ...

  • Aerotech Astrobee-D By Ken Bracey

    The Aerotech Astrobee D Kit is one of the tallest Aerotech Mid power kits. It is a scale replica designed to fly on F and G motors. The rocket separates at the middle and both sections recover separately on their own chute. The kit comes complete with detailed plans of the actual Astrobee 'D' and the usual Aerotech features such as ejection cooling mesh and a no-wadding-required baffle system. ...

  • Aerotech Barracuda By Alejandro Bulaevsky

    Brief This is a single stage, easy to build rocket. It is a big rocket that files on E through G motors. Construction All of the parts were there and in good condition. They were made out of high quality cardboard and plastics. The instructions were easy to follow and the assembly order was easy. It all fit well and was a snap. My only problem with it was that it was too easy to build. I ...

  • Aerotech Barracuda By Dan Patell

    A single-stage, E-G powered kit with parachute recovery. The kit included a nose cone, two 1.9" body tubes, a tube coupler, shock cord, three fins, two launch lugs and the whole motor mount system. The instructions were pretty easy to follow, as are the other Aerotech kits I have built (Arcas and Initiator). If you complete the kit per instructions, there shouldn't be any real hassles. The ...

  • Aerotech Black Diamond By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    (by Dennis McClain-Furmanski - 05/01/05) Brief: This is an AeroTech Mustang fin can with longer carbon fiber body. Modifications: After an incident involving high speed soil mechanics, I had previously modified an AT Mustang by extending the body (see mod article "MOOSEtang"). After several successful flights, it again suffered a top soil overdose and provided me with yet ...

  • Aerotech Cheetah By Walter Kjellander

    The Aerotech Cheetah is a high-performance mid-power rocket. The rocket is single stage, and goes over 3000' on a G motor. The kit comes with a single body tube, a nose cone, three (3) plastic clipped-delta fins, a parachute, a shockcord, and motor mount components. The motor mount components are the motor tube, two (2) fin-locks, two (2) centering rings, an ejection baffle, cooling mesh, ...

  • Aerotech Cheetah By Greg Deeter

    This kit right here, I now have to thank, for getting me super re-addicted to rocketry. My last launches back in the early 80's saw D's as being high power. After getting very interested again a few months ago, I bought about 50 different kits and of them all, this one was my favorite, and I picked it for my first mid-power, and flew it today on an F50-6T. Truly amazing. I built it stock just as ...

  • Aerotech Deja Vu By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    ( Contributed - by Dennis McClain-Furmanski - 12/21/04) Brief: Recycled of bottom 1/4 of Mirage with different parts and design. Modifications: Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding between myself and instructions for the Slimline retainer, the Mirage shown here on EMRR (as Mirage Tail cone mod) lawn darted from 800'. Single use motors require the spacer ring with the S ...

  • Aerotech EconoJet BlackMax (Motor) By Peter Riddell

    New AeroTech F23 and G38 Econojets AeroTech's Econjet BlackMax review is provided courtesy of: AeroTech's new BlackMax line a big hit! The last monthly launch of the Superstition Spacemodeling Society for 1999, held Saturday, December 11th, was a truly remarkable event. Not so much because there was a huge turnout, or a large number of people certified, but ...

  • Aerotech EconoJet F20 (Motor) By Alex Kowaleski

    A 65 newton seconds EconoJet composite propellant motor by Aerotech The first time I used one of these motors was this spring. It was my first mid-power motor, and I was very eager to try it. So, I, with the help of my friends, loaded up the rocket that I was using this motor on (A scratch built rocket called the Hari Hunter) As I had only used black powder motors, the roar and ...

  • Aerotech EconoJet G35 (Motor) By Dave Stout

    Photo courtesy of Aerotech 29mm composite motor. Flight: I tried this motor out in my scratch-built "Thunderstruck". It's built of LOC and Aerotech components, 2.25" OD X 43" long, and weighs 18 oz. The motor took a moment to pressurize, then SHOT the rocket off the pad. It is loud, raw, smoky and fiery. The guys at the CMASS launch all stopped to watch this one go, and they're used to H, ...

  • Aerotech EFC-1 (Electronics) By Al Gloer

    A timer based deployment system that attaches to the forward closure of Aerotech style RMS motors. The forward end piece threads into one end of the tube and the other end of the tube threads onto a special Aerotech RMS forward closure. To complete the system a special plugged forward closure is required and they are currently available in 29mm, 38mm, and 54mm. This device uses a glow ...

  • Aerotech G-Force By Dan Schneider

    Aerotech's 4", G-powered, parachute recovered rocket using their proprietary LABYRINTH ejection baffle system. Pros: Big (for Aerotech) Easy to build, very nice flyer Cons: Limited recommended motor range. Very thin fins. Pricy. Being my first 4" kit, my first impression was WOW! There's something very nice about being able to get your hands into the airframe to work. All the parts listed ...

  • Aerotech G-Force By Ryan Chavis

    Great flight for my L1 cert launch! Flies slow and smooth, lots of fun! Overall Rating: 5

  • Aerotech G-Force By David Kneble

    This is a great mid-power flyer with two downsides, limited range of motors, high price. All the normal components: Two 4" tubes, an ACE nosecone, 42" parachute, bulkhead equipment, motor tube, CR's, baffle system, elastic 12' shock cord, fins. Instructions are very simple if you have built any other Aerotech kits. If not, then read through them and make sure you understand them. If you ...

  • Aerotech G-Force By Darwin May

    Brief: The G-Force is a single staged, parachute recovered large model rocket. There were 2 4" body tubes that were made out of the AT tubing. I opted to design the rocket for a payload by not gluing the nose. It has 3 fins made of EXTREMELY thin plastic that look just like the Sumo fins. The motor mount was 24" by my best guess, and made from thick cardboard. The shock cord appears to be 12' ...

  • Aerotech G-Force By Kyle Cornelius

    Large mid power model for low altitude flights. Very good materials except the coupler which needs to be beefed up Very quick assembly with major problems in construction. The instructions were pretty straightforward. The fins could be sturdier, but I have flown this rocket 10+ times with only a cracked joint. Very good major components. Finishing: Easy to finish, except for its size, ...

  • Aerotech G77 RMS Motor (Motor) By Dick Stafford

    This is a brief review of Aerotech’s new G77 Redline reload kit for the 29/120 case. The reload kit contains the typical components: Nozzle, liner, two propellant grains, forward and aft O-rings, forward and aft fiber insulators, ejection charge adhesive disk, FirstFire igniter, ejection charge container/cap, delay element, delay insulator, delay O-ring, delay spacer, and forward ...

  • Aerotech G79 RMS Motor By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a comparison review of Aerotech’s new G79W, including the new 29/120 RMS case. Construction: Although this product was introduced at LDRS 23 in July 2004, my casing (S/N 037) has a manufacturing date of 1/8/02. This product was obviously in the works for a while. The case is new and is not interchangeable with the 29/40-120, but the closures are the same as ...

  • Aerotech HV ARCAS By Chris Raymond

    Large single stage rocket which is a replica of the high-velocity version of the Arcas sounding rocket. The HV Arcas came in a sturdy box . All the parts where there when it arrived. The instructions were easy to follow and had a lot of illustrations. The parts all fit and if assembled right is very study. No special tools were needed. Finishing: I painted it like the box . It was easy to ...

  • Aerotech HV ARCAS By Jack Caynon

    ( Contributed - by Jack Caynon - 04/07/08) Brief: Mid-power rocket modified to be a Level 1 Certification Rocket. Modifications: The rocket is a strong flier on G motors and is an even better flier on 29mm H motors so it is suitable as a Level 1 Certification Rocket. To modify it to fly on a 29-180 motor, I used an Aeropack 29mm motor retainer designed for cardboard tubing. ...

  • Aerotech HV ARCAS By John Yurcina

    A great scale model of the HV ARCAS sounding rocket. Nothing more to say! This kit came with two body tubes, four fins, three centering rings made of "aerofibre" material, and a large hollow plastic nose cone. The instructions that came with this kit were *very* easy to follow.... Everything fit into place as planned, I had no problems. I used 30-minute epoxy and medium CA ...

  • Aerotech Initiator Starter Set By Bob Albright

    Aerotech - Initiator Starter Set review is provided courtesy of: It was my 14th birthday-- my birthday present was a mid-power starter set. My dad and I headed down to the hobby shop to browse the selections. This particular shop had two choices. The NCR Phantom 4000 set and the Aerotech Initiator set. We looked at each and chose the AT Initiator, not only was it a good value, but it looked ...

  • Aerotech Initiator Starter Set By Bob Albright

    The Initiator is a good looking, mid powered rocket that flies on 24mm and 29mm rocket motors. The starter set comes with everything needed to build and launch the Initiator. The Initiator comes with (1) main body tube, a motor tube, 3 fins, a nose cone, a gas baffle system and recovery system. The starter set also includes a launch pad, launch controller and 2 motors. The Initiator is one ...

  • Aerotech Initiator Starter Set By Andrew Godbold

    The recovery system on this rocket is a large yellow parachute. Although this chute is very large it can be hard to see at a great distance. The only problem with this chute is that it easily catches in trees and this was the fate of my rocket. This kit comes with one body tube without a payload section. There are also a motor mount tube, molded plastic nosecone, and 3 through the wall ...

  • Aerotech Initiator Starter Set By Chris Bovia

    Easy to build kit - especially with the online tutorials that I managed to save as I was unable to find them more recently.  Painted the rocket white with a red nosecone.  So far it works great! Components Made as per kit plans and included supplies.  Built with 5min epoxy to withstand higher impluse G flights. /h2 Kit came with everything including ...

  • Aerotech Initiator By Mark Van Luvender

    Brief: The Initiator is a single staged mid power rocket designed to fly on 29mm E-G motors (RMS and SU), as well as some 24mm motors (RMS and SU) with the supplied adaptor. This is an excellent kit for people making the jump to mid-power from model rockets. Construction: The kit contains:- 1 body tube (2.6 inch diameter), A 29mm motor tube, nose cone, Three sturdy ...

  • Aerotech Initiator By Harry Holmes

      This model is straight forward in its design and construction. Read all instructions before beginning and test fit all parts before cementing. Very little is needed to make a clean and precision assembly. Aerotech sells a good kit. The plans call for the use of medium CA. Always keep debonder close when using CA. I did not need it, but could have. Greg Burke, SoAR's president, used ...

  • Aerotech Initiator By Taylor Jessee

    Brief: Nice mid power rocket kit that's cheap and flies great! Construction: It came with a 39"x 2.6" body tube, 3 fins, 2 square launch lugs, 13" nose cone, 29mm motor tube, 2 2.6" x 29mm centering rings, 17' shock cord, and a 24" parachute. Instructions were easy to follow with good illustrations. It was very easy build with no alignment issues and ...

  • Aerotech ISQY Tomahawk By Kevin Fisher

    Brief: This was my first Aerotech rocket. I found it easy enough for a rocketeer that has built 5 or so smaller rockets. This is a good rocket it you are just getting into the Aerotech Engines or not familiar with CA glue. It is NOT staged but has an 18 inch 'chute. On a F25, It goes about 1500 feet. Construction: All the parts were there and none were broken. The packaging is GREAT. It ...

  • Aerotech ISQY Tomahawk By John Coker

    The AeroTech I.Q.S.Y. Tomahawk kit was the third rocket I build and the first mid-power one. This is AeroTech kit #89014. Kit information and a full-size picture of the front of the package is here as well as a very nice drawing of the rocket by G. Harry Stine. The Tomahawk is a scale rocket, although it's clear the kit isn't meant for meticulous scalers. Finish is rough in some places ...

  • Aerotech ISQY Tomahawk By Barry Harmon

    This is Aerotech\'s semi-scale model of the IQSY Tomahawk sounding rocket. Components The kit includes:  1 slotted body tube 1 payload section Plastic nosecone 4 plastic fins  2 FIN-LOK rings 29mm motor tube 2 centering rings Tube coupler Bulkhead 2 screw eyes Motor hook Ejection gas baffle Stainless mesh \"wadding\" Thrust ...

  • Aerotech ISQY Tomahawk By Paul Gray

    (by Paul Gray)  Background There have been many rockets named "Tomahawk" used over the past few decades. This Tomahawk was built and flown during the International Quiet Sun Year (1967) to research the Earth's atmosphere. Therefore, this Tomahawk sounding rocket is known as the IQSY Tomahawk, marking the time when it was built and flown. The real IQSY Tomahawk was produced ...

  • Aerotech ISQY Tomahawk By Jerry O'Sullivan

    This is a nice semi-scale model of a sounding rocket. Decals are used for scale details like bolts, etc. so it's pretty easy to get a good looking model. Built per instructions, you can fly it on E-G engines, and of course, requires no wadding as AT kits use an effective baffle system. Construction is easy although I modified the kit to accept an altimeter bay built into the coupler for dual ...

  • Aerotech ISQY Tomahawk By Neil Thompson

    ( Contributed - by Neil Thompson) Brief: A nice scale model by Aerotech consisting of 1 stage, a nice nylon parachute, and through the wall fins. Construction: 2 tubes, 1 main, one payload section. 4 fins, 2 centering rings, made of Aerofiber. I do not know the lenth of the shock cord or motor mount, but I am guessing 6 ft, and 2 Ft. respectivly. PROs: Easy build Good ...

  • Aerotech Mantis (Other Product) By Michael Karp

      Can handle 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 launch rods and is adjustable for wind elevation. Construction : Quality: All the parts were there and I even got a few spare parts!  The quality of the the materials is good even though it looks kind of cheap. . . being mostly made of plastic. Instructions: They were missing. They were missing. I called Aerotech who directed me to their website ...

  • Aerotech Mantis (Other Product) By R. J. Talley

    Well, here's a little product review for the boys at Aerotech. Your "Mantis" pad leaves much to be desired. It's too big for Estes stuff and too small for the NCR size mid-power rockets. Today, I took my NCR Patriot and attempted to put it on the Mantis Pad as a static display. While the pad holds it without danger of tipping, it will not do so in a vertical position. The swing arm of the ...

  • Aerotech Mirage - Tail C By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    (by Dennis McClain-Furmanski - 09/09/04) Brief: By setting the motor tube a few inches aft, it allowed a PML urethane tail cone and Slimline retainer to be added. Modifications: The motor tube had to be moved aft of its normal position, 11/16" forward of the aft end of the body. The exact distance needed was simply to match the motor tube through to tail cone and seat it in ...

  • Aerotech Mirage By Douglas Gardei

    The Mirage was the second medium-power rocket and the first Aerotech kit that I built. In addition, this kit is the largest rocket that I have ever built, towering 87" (that's 7'- 3"!).It is 2.6" in diameter and weighs 31 ounces.It flies with 29mm motors. In a nutshell, it's a whole lot of rocket! The kit comes with three body tubes with couplers, plastic nose cone, and launch lugs. Due to ...

  • Aerotech MOOSEtang By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    ( Contributed - by Dennis McClain-Furmanski - 12/21/04) Brief: This is an AeroTech Mustang made longer with an additional body and payload section. Also installed PVC motor retainer. Modifications: Not being content to leave well enough alone, I took one of my favorite flyers and stretched it out to double its original size. I got the parts listed above directly from AT since I ...

  • Aerotech Mustang By Mark Fisher

    Aerotech has long been known to high power rocketeers for their fine motors and sturdy kits, but not too many model rocketeers have used their products. They're a lot more expensive than the average entry level stuff; the Initiator start set isn't cheap (Discount Rocketry has it for a reasonable $115.95), nor is their Interlock Launch Controller if purchased separately (I paid $39.95 for mine, ...

  • Aerotech Mustang By David Urbanek

      Brief:  Good entry level rocket for Mid-Power. There's one on every shelf on every hobby shop in America. Construction:  Solid stuff through out. Thick body tube, plastic fins, plastic motor mount cage. It has a baffle and a motor clip. Initially I thought about deleting the motor clip so I could use H motors in it. Typical lack of perspective thought. I'm glad I ...

  • Aerotech Mustang (Modification) By Jack Caynon

    Brief: Modified to incorporate anti-zipper design. Modifications: This modification doesn't require any special tools, however, it does require an Aerotech 1.9" coupler. First, I used a hacksaw to gently cut the airframe into two parts, the lower part of the airframe with the fin slots should be 10.5" long. Then I tossed aside the engine retaining hook and used a 29mm Slimline motor retainer ...

  • Aerotech Mustang By David Kneble

    ( Contributed - by David Andrew Kneble - 07/20/01) Brief: The Mustang is a rugged single stage mid-power rocket. It is easy to construct and flies on a wide range of motors from D-G. it is a perfect rocket for someone trying to get into the world of mid-power rocketry. Construction: The Mustang consists of a 24mm motor adapter tude, adapter rings, an E spacer tube, a thrust ring, ...

  • Aerotech Mustang By Carl Tulanko

    The Aerotech Mustang is a Sport model using a 1.9" body tube and is 32" in length. It has a four fin configuration and has been designed to handle motors from the E thru G range. Aerotech kits are like the Cadillac of model rockets and this one is no different. High quality components and rugged yet simple design are what you expect to see when purchasing one of these kits. Thick walled ...

  • Aerotech Mustang By Andy Tate

    ( Contributed - by Andy Tate - 04/10/02) Brief: Single stage mid power parachute recovery kit. Construction: Kit includes 4 "Trapezoidal with modified double wedge airfoil" fins, 1.9" body tube, Aero-Fibre" centering rings, 5:1 ogive nose cone, 6' elastic shock cord, and nylon parachute. This is extremely easy to put together. The instructions are clear ...

  • Aerotech Mustang By Darwin May

    The Mustang is a single stage mid power rocket. The Mustang was my first mid power and first Aerotech kit. I opened the box to find one tube, a 5:1 ogive nosecone, 4 trapezoidal fins, and a beefy motor mount. The centering rings were made of black fiber material, very stiff. The shock cord was about 6' long. The nose was made out of plastic and was tethered to the end of the MMT by the ...

  • Aerotech Mustang By Kris Henderson

    Brief: This is a basic 4FNC kit that flies on 29mm and 24mm motors. Construction: The kit contains one thick body tube with pre-cut fin slots and pre-cut slots for launch lugs, 4 trapezoidal plastic fins with modified double wedge airfoil, 29mm motor mount, 24mm motor adapter, plastic nose cone, long shock cord, and 16" chute. THe kit des not include a payload section. ...

  • Aerotech RMS 29/180 H128W By Lance Alligood

    ( Contributed - by Lance Alligood - 03/30/05) Brief: The AeroTech H128W-M is a high power rocket motor reload. This is arguably the most popular reload used for certifying Level 1 with because of its general easy availability, low cost, and that so many rockets perform well with this particular motor. You must be Level 1 certified (as recognized by NAR, Tripoli, and/or CAR) to ...

  • Aerotech RMS 29/240 H180W By Lance Alligood

    ( Contributed - by Lance Alligood - 03/30/05) Brief: The AeroTech H180W-M is a high power rocket motor reload. This is arguably the most popular reload used for certifying Level 1 with because of its general easy availability, low cost, and that so many rockets perform well with this particular motor. You must be Level 1 certified (as recognized by NAR, Tripoli, and/or CAR) to ...

  • Aerotech RMS 29/240 H210R (Motor) By Aaron Stanley

    The Aerotech H210 Redline RMS reload is a great motor to use for one of those rockets after you certify level 1. It has nice long bright red flame and just pushes the rocket off the pad like a bullet out the gun. You got to keep your eye on your rocket when using this motor because it gets your rocket moving really fast. RMS hardware parts: 29mm aft closure 29/240 case 29mm ...

  • Aerotech RMS 38/240 H123W By Lance Alligood

    The AeroTech H123W-M is a high power rocket motor reload. This is arguably the most popular reload used for certifying Level 1 with because of its general easy availability, low cost, and that so many rockets perform well with this particular motor. You must be Level 1 certified (as recognized by NAR, Tripoli, and/or CAR) to purchase and use one of these reloads. The reload includes the ...

  • Aerotech RMS-24/40 Motor (Motor) By Taylor Jessee

    The RMS case is real handy for sending small rockets high or just buying cheap motors for your bigger rockets. The case itself cost $40 but you do get to buy those less expensive reloads, which you start saving money after about 9 flights. The components to this motor are the casing, two end closures, and a tube of grease. The instructions in the kit are easy to follow once you get the ...

  • Aerotech Strong Arm By Mason Hazzard

    The Aerotech Strong Arm rocket is a mid power rocket designed for "E" through "G" impulse motors. It is a sleeker version of the ARM-78 STARM and is on retail for about $70. I found it on sale for about $50, and couldn't resist. This will be my first "real" mid power kit and my first good rocket to get to use reloadable motors on. Components The kit comes in one of Aerotech's ...

  • Aerotech Strong ARM By G. A. Dean

    Brief: Aerotech's take on the often modeled Navy Standard ARM is the "Strong ARM". It's not a particularly close scale rendition, but the result is good looking and well suited to F and G motors, particularly the EconoJets. There's a bit more to build in this kit than in the Aerotech Initiator or Mustang, but not so much that builders new to mid-power should be scared ...

  • Aerotech Sumo By Joe Cacciatore

    Single-stage, single-engine rocket with piston ejection system and is suitable for Level 1 attempts. This Aerotech rocket has the standard Aerotech through the wall Fin-Lok™ system and components except the nose cone is a different material than the other Aerotech's. It is gray and presumably stronger. It has 4 fins about the size of the Astrobee D but reported thinner than the ...

  • Aerotech Sumo By Taylor Jessee

    Brief: This is a pretty simple rocket to build that is very neat and flies great. It is a single staged rocket, flies on mid and high power motors. Price is a little high but not too bad. Construction: The kit includes: 1 4" diameter cardboard body tube 4 fins 2 centering rings 1 motor tube 10' elastic shock cord 1 nose cone 42" parachute The ...

  • Aerotech Sumo By Wesley Egan

    Brief: This is a very sturdy 4 inch diameter, 39 inch tall advanced model rocket made by AeroTech. It is a stubby model capable of handling anything from G to H power, sports piston ejection, and comes equipped with a 29mm motor mount. Construction: The component list for this rocket is: 1 4 inch diameter, 23 inch long pre-slotted cardboard body tube 4 pre-shaped ...

  • Aerotech Wart-Hog By Kevin Fisher

    ( Contributed - by Kevin Fisher - 10/21/00)  Brief: This is a great rocket. This is a great rocket. It was the second mid power rocket I built and it was very challenging yet easy enough for the average builder. This is the same for all Aerotech kits.  This kit runs on Aerotech composite motors. I would use an E15-4W at the least.  Construction:   As with all ...

  • Aerotech Wart-Hog By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is a single stage 2.6" diameter by 37" tall rocket currently in production by Aerotech. It is called an "Advanced Model Rocket". Construction: I do not consider this to be an "Advanced Model Rocket" as it was quite simple to build. The first Aerotech kit that I built was a Cheetah. I enjoyed that one so much I purchased the Arreaux, ...

  • Aerotech Wart-Hog By Frank Casey

    Brief: This is a very versitile kit made by Aerotech. The motor selection is excellent. this rocket can fly on 24mm and 29mm single use or RMS motors. The kit provies a 29mm mount and a 24mm mount adapter. Construction: The parts are top quality, sturdy and include: Motor adaptor tube Adaptor rings E spacer tube Thrust ring Thrust ring flange Motor tube ...

  • Alien Enterprises Monocopter M-24 By Herb Estus

    Photo courtesy of Alien Enterprises      Monocopter 24 by Alien Enterprises Kit no. M-24. Monocopter made to fly on 24 mm motors The Kit includes: Carbon veil 4" X 13" Carbon rod 3/16" X 12" Carbon strips ¼" X 5" X .007" Aluminum tube 5/32" OD X 3" Spruce block Hex nut (2) ¼"-20 Plywood 1/16" X 3" X 12" Pre-Shaped Airfoil ...

  • Allan McDonald's Truth, Lies, and O-Rings (Book) By Robert A. Morstadt

    Very early in the Challenger investigation Allan McDonald realized that he must keep extensive notes of the day-to-day happenings, because the question of personal liability could arise someday. Those notes became the basis for this book and his care for details are clearly shown. This is a “must-read” book for anyone who wants to become familiar with the Challenger accident and ...

  • Altimeter One, Altimeter Two (Electronics) By Rich DeAngelis

    The Altimeter One is a very small and easy-to-use altimeter for model rockets, airplanes, kites and even birding. Jolly Logic's Altimeter Two is similar, but has specific features for model rockets only, and is a bit more sophisticated and a bit more expensive. I bought mine for $50 (Altimeter One) and $70 (Altimeter Two). This was money well spent as these altimeters have enhanced ...

  • Always Ready Rocketry Basic Blues 3 By Robert Barkley

    What a great group of components. Blue tube is my new favorite medium for high power rocketry.  Heavy duty and durable.   Components Blue tube - 'nuff said The fins were cut very well, a bit of sanding, sealing, and they were flight worthy. Nose cone is of good quality, minimal prep to paint the plastic nose cone /h2 First experience working with ...

  • Always Ready Rocketry Blue Tube 2.0 (Other Product) By Cliff Oliver

    This review is focused more on the Blue Tube 2.0 material than the rocket I built. The rocket was constructed pretty much like any other HPR rocket - with three 'glassed fins and an altimeter bay for the dual recovery system. I acquired the Blue Tube 2.0 items from Always Ready Rocketry. I had heard the good and the bad points of the original Blue Tube and wanted to find out how the 2.0 ...

  • Always Ready Rocketry Predator Jr. By Ken Tsai

    Brief: I often fly underpowered. I like low and slow for the most part, and enjoy watching the entire show rather than seeing a rocket disappear into the sky and waiting impatiently attempting to re-acquire it. Sometimes, though, it's fun to see a rocket just disappear in an instant. Of course, building rockets that can survive high g-force abuse requires more strength. Without ...

  • American Alliance Rocketry F2 Avenger By John Lee

    This is a longneck, futuristic fighter that flies on 24mm motors. While looking over the AA site, I decided that there were several rockets I liked the looks of and the Avenger was one of them. I ordered it along with a few others and soon had a box of rockets begging for my attention. There was also a note saying that a part for the Avenger was out of stock and that it would be shipped ...

  • American Alliance Rocketry M15 Snake By Joy Sills

    Brief: A fun LPR kit that utilizes "Snake Recovery: 5 sections blow apart, yet remain attached for an interesting 'flight of a snake.'" A kit thats slightly out of the ordinary. Construction: The parts list: 3 0.74" x 3.125" Body Tubes 1 0.74" x 3.625" Body Tube for fin can 3 Couplers Engine Block Two-piece Plastic nose cone ...

  • American Alliance Rocketry M4 Noxious By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Brief: This is a MPR rocket that uses D and E class motors with parachute recovery. Construction: Parts list: 3 body tubes one nose cone engine block engine hook 3 centering rings 18" parachute with shroud lines and rip-stop disks 1 1/2" shock cord 1 1/4" inch cord tube coupler bulk head balsa fin stock 2 launch ...

  • American Alliance Rocketry NB5 Emulator By John Lee

    Brief: The NB5 Emulator from American Alliance is part of their ongoing "story" of a Pan-American Alliance fighting back after being devastated by aliens. The "NB" of the name stands for "New Beginnings" and it is supposed to be a probe to seed other planets. Rockets from American Alliance tend to have a "different" look about them. I have ...

  • Anchor Parachutes Hemispherical Parachutes By Dave Stout

    ( Contributed - by Dave Stout - 07/27/05) Brief: Anchor parachutes are multi-paneled, shaped parachutes. They are available in quarter-sphere and hemisphere shapes. Construction: The construction of these parachutes is absolutely first rate and are comprised of 6 or 8 separate color panels. At the seam where the panels join is a hollow sleeve. The nylon shroud lines are sewn ...

  • Andrew's Rocketry Shop Patriot By BRADLEY L SMITH

    This is a simple Skill Level 1 low-power build that was a fun evening. The kit couldn't be any simpler to build and the instructions were awesome. It will be a nice addition to my Patriot Battery when the weather breaks for painting. Components Nothing surprising here, a simple nine-inch body tube, plastic two-piece nosecone, a motor block, launch lug, and rubber shock cord ...

  • Animal Motor Works Blue Baboon By Jeff Boldig

    I bought this kit from AMW at LDRS 36 at MDRA.  They told me it was the first Blue Baboon kit they had sold.  It is a blue fiberglass 3 inch diameter kit with a black fiberglass nose cone and fins.  It is a dual deploy kit with a 54mm motor mount tube. Components It has a fiberglass spiral wound black nose cone with a black fiberglass tip pre-glued to the nose ...

  • Animal Motor Works M2500 Green Gorilla (Motor) By Jack Caynon

    The Animal Motor Works (AMW), which has recently merged with Cesaroni Technologies, M2500 Green Gorilla is a high power rocket motor reload for AMW's giant 75-7600 motor casing . This 40.9 inch motor casing fits 3 inch motor mounts and the reload is the most powerful commercial 3-inch motor reload in our hobby. You must be Level 3 certified (as recognized by NAR and Tripoli, Level 4 for CAR) ...

  • Animal Motor Works Red Rhino By David Hunt

    The Red Rhino is a small 38mm thin-walled fiberglass rocket named after one of the Animal Motor Works (AMX) reload propellant types. AMX held a design competition December 2015 and my design was selected for this kit.  Components Components: Pre-Slotted Lightweight Thin-Wall Fiberglass Airframe G10 Fins (black) Black Injection Molded Polycarbonate Nose Cone ...

  • Animal Motor Works Red Rhino By

  • AntiGravity Research Corporation Extreme 2-Stage By Frank G. Whitby

    Brief: Extreme 2-Stage is a complete kit for a two stage water rocket from Anti-Gravity Research. This is one of a several water rockets available at AntiGravity. Extreme 2-Stage is a very simple, high flying water rocket that should prove to be very safe and easy for children. The rocket derives its impulse from a bicycle pump and a small amount of water in each of 2 water bottles. ...

  • AntiGravity Research Corporation High Altitude Pro Edition By Frank G. Whitby

    Brief: High Altitude Pro is a complete kit for a single stage ring fin water rocket from Anti-Gravity Research. This is one of a several water rockets available at AntiGravity. High Altitude Pro is a very simple, high flying water rocket that should prove to be very safe and easy for children. The rocket derives its impulse from a bicycle pump and a small amount of water in a 2-liter ...

  • Apogee Books Creating Space (Book) By Duane Boldt

    Brief: Creating Space by Mat Irvine illustrates the history of the Space Age through models. It is a 352 page book with a forward by Sir Arthur C. Clark. Chapters: Early Dreams Wartime Experiences Optimistic Times Man in Space The Missile Connection One Small Step Gone to Launch Messages from Orbit Edge of Space The reusable Spaceship Islands in the Sky ...

  • Apogee Components Apollo Capsule Set By Gordon Agnello

    ( Contributed - by Gordon Agnello - 08/01/01) Brief: This is the new Apollo Capsule and escape tower set for the yet to be released 1/70th scale Saturn 1B and Saturn V. Construction: The set comes in a sealed double plastic bag (one for the escape tower and ACR's and one for the capsule). It is all injection molded styrene plastic. No instructions are provided or needed but I'm ...

  • Apogee Components Aspire By Greg Elder

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport ...

  • Apogee Components Avion By Glenn Little

    Brief: A skill level I rocket kit made with components of higher quality than is typically seen in similar kits by other companies. It teaches techniques that aren't seen in other skill level I rockets. The Apogee website has a newsletter archive that includes an article about building a payload into this rocket. This (among some others) was a modification I did complete. ...

  • Apogee Components Avion By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Apogee recently introduced this potential build/fly candidate as a basic Alpha class model. 3FNC design, 18mm motors, and fairly nice-looking. It also flies well and can potentially be a soccer field flyer on A motors. Construction: Apogee's part quality is usually excellent, though in the past I've had some issues with the die-cut fins which tend to have crumpled ...

  • Apogee Components Blue Streak By Moira Jean Whitlock

    Brief: Single staged, lightweight model with three swept back fins, coming with choice of 10.5, 13, and 18mm motor mounts. Meant to demonstrate performance differences between these three motor types. My guess is that it is meant to show observers that the 10.5mm motors boot models higher. Apogee gives great service. I ordered this rocket online along with others and it arrived in less than five ...

  • Apogee Components Building Skill Level 2 Model Rocket Kits (Book) By Daniel Kirk

    Brief: PDF format video-book on CD-ROM for Macintosh and Windows computers. The package contains 1 CD-ROM. As a kid, I built Skill Level 1, 2, and 3 rocket kits, but looking back I would not call myself a Skill Level 3 rocketeer. I could follow most of Estes instructions and usually produce a rocket that would fly reasonably well, but there were things I didn't understand, like sealing ...

  • Apogee Components Building Skills Level 1 Rocket Kits By Greg Elder

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport ...

  • Apogee Components Centrix (Mod) (Modification) By Peter Clay

    Brief: My Centrix kit and two A2-7 motors arrived a few days before Christmas 1998. (Having spent my rocket budget on HPR, I had ordered the minimum needed to get this thing in the air.) As soon as I had the kit out of the box I knew it was something very, very cool.  Centrix is the most basic kit for Apogee's 10.5mm micro-motors and is optimized for their characteristics. It is ...

  • Apogee Components Centrix By Seth

    (by Seth)  My order of a Centrix, 1/4A2-4, and 1/2A2-6, arrived in about 6 days in a box much small than I had expected, these are little dinks after all.  Centrix The instructions are very similar to Estes', and the kit is very straight-forward. I put rounded edges on the 3 nicely die-cut balsa fins, filled w/fill n finish, and glued to the body tube with tacky glue. Next ...

  • Apogee Components Delta III By John Coles

    ( Contributed - by John Coles) Brief: A nicely detailed scale model of Boeing's newest launch vehicle, with 18" parachute recovery. Construction: Quality: The kit arrived missing the parachute, but that was quickly resolved via an e-mail to Apogee. Other than that, the kit arrived in good shape. Most of the parts in this kit are of excellent quality. The nose cones and nozzles ...

  • Apogee Components Diamond Back By Sandy Houston

    The Apogee Diamondback is an 18mm single stage streamer recovery model which stands just over 30” tall. While it does have three fins and a nosecone, this is not a typical 3FNC like you would find at the local superstore. This kit's pedigree is obviously from a stable which is rooted in mid-power rockets, as the kit features components that tend toward the mid-power standards. The ...

  • Apogee Components Diamondback By Chan Stevens

    Looks can be deceiving on this bird--it's a single-stage that could pass for a two-stager and is an 18mm bird that is begging to be promoted to 24mm. It's good to see Apogee add something to their modroc line, especially something with such cool looking fins. As is typical with Apogee, my kit arrived well packed a mere two days after placing the order along with a couple free goodies ...

  • Apogee Components Fix-It Epoxy Clay (Other Product) By Scott Pearson

    Recently Apogee released a two-part epoxy with the consistency of modeling clay. The epoxy clay is similar to regular epoxy as it comes in two parts, part A and part B, that must be mixed together to activate it. It comes in two small tubs and weights ¼ pound and is scooped out instead of squeezed. According to the Apogee Web Site "Once mixed together, the clay is still pliable for ...

  • Apogee Components Heli-Roc By Chan Stevens

    Brief: A basic Rota-roc style helicopter (fixed blade), this is a reliable design and definite crowd pleaser. There's just something cool about a true helicopter recovery rocket. Construction: The kit arrived within 3 days of placing my order online and all components were complete and good quality. Parts list includes: BT-5 body tube 10.5mm motor tube and centering ...

  • Apogee Components Heli-Roc By Alan Rognlie

    ( Contributed - by Alan Rognlie)  I purchased this kit in the summer of 1997, intending to build it for the C HD (Helicopter Duration) event at MWRC-97. Unfortunately, this model is designed for 10.5mm or 13mm motors, so it wasn't appropriate at the time and I set it aside. We're holding a B HD event at 14AL-98 and Apogee makes 10.5mm B motors, so I decided to put this together to have ...

  • Apogee Components Hydra By Moira Jean Whitlock

      This is a three finned egglofter designed for NAR egglofting competitions. Everything arrived undamaged and all the parts were there. The fins are precut balsa. The fins are precut balsa. The body tube is spiral wound paper as is the motor tube and two sets of centering rings.   There is a balsa launch lug offset, as the nose cone is much wider than the body. The launch lug is 1/8 ...

  • Apogee Components Mass Driver By Moira Jean Whitlock

    - by Moira Jean Whitlock Brief:   This rocket is special in that it uses apogee's 10.5mm engines and it is also designed for the payload lofting NAR competition. So, it comes with a tubular device for holding a standard payload mass, and it can fit into the payload section of the main body. It is three finned and recovers with an 8-inch chute to make tracking easier. Construction: ...

  • Apogee Components Medalist Motors By Nick Esselman

    (10/10/01) Apogee's Medalist composite motor offerings allow a flier some variety to the standard suite of motors. Especially for 18mm rockets that consistently fly on Estes and Quest motors. Here is what Apogee says about their motors: " The Medalist line of rockets motors feature ultra - high-energy composite propellant and are designed for special applications: either high ...

  • Apogee Components Micro Motors By Thomas Beach

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport ...

  • Apogee Components Micro V2/Blitzkrieg Booster By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 06/20/02) Brief: What? No more 10.5mm motors for your Apogee Micro V2? No problem! See how I built an adapter unit to let my Micro V2 fly on 13mm motors. Construction: The major parts include: - One completed Apogee Micro V2 - 1 ¾" of 13mm tubing - ¼" of a mini motor casing - ¾" of a micro motor casing - ...

  • Apogee Components Micro V2 By Frank Burke

    - by Moira Jean Whitlock Description: Single staged 10.5mm motor (1/4 A through A in Apogee motors) rocket that is a minute scale model of the V2. Pros and cons of construction: All parts specified were there and undamaged. I got the kit less than a week after I ordered it, and it was securely packed in styrofoam popcorn in a strong postal box. The nose cone is solid lightweight balsa ...

  • Apogee Components Micro V2 By Frank Burke

    Apogee - Micro V2 ( Contributed - by Frank Burke)  The kit came bagged nicely with a nice set of instructions. The body and tail tube were a nice quality white tube, but the body tube wasn't cut cleanly. I re-cut the ends and CA'd them for toughness. The tail cone is pre drilled, and other than needing some sanding on the end to square it up, and to make it fit into the body tube, ...

  • Apogee Components Micro Whirl-A-Tron By David Urbanek

    ( Contributed - by David Urbanek) Brief: A high performance, contest quality helicopter rocket. No burn strings here! Construction: Materials were strictly top shelf. Body tube, vacuformed nose cone, balsa fins and rotor blades. Especially important is the molded hub and piston. You might consider buying this rocket just for the quality parts. The instructions are very good and ...

  • Apogee Components Model Rocket Propulsion By Tim Wood

    By Tim Van Milligan  Published by Apogee Components, Inc.  ( Contributed - by Tim Wood For many model rocketeers, technical reports were an important part of learning the hobby. Both Estes and Century published numerous such reports covering different aspects of the hobby, and they helped many a rocketeer learn about the technical aspects of the hobby. Apogee Components, a ...

  • Apogee Components Monocopters By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford) Brief: "Monocopters", by Francis G. Graham, provides a brief history of "single-winged, powered vehicles". It is 70 pages long, including the index. Graham, for you rocket history types, was one of the founding members of what is now the Tripoli Rocketry Association (circa 1964). He is now a physics professor at Kent State. This ...

  • Apogee Components Nike-Hercules (Plan) By Michael Rangitsch

    This is a sport scale version of the Nike Hercules anti aircraft missile. Extremely challenging to build.  The plans are available from Apogee Components . Booster is a cluster of four (4) 13mm tubes staging through a transition piece to a single 18mm sustainer. Apogee supplies the plans for all the balsa parts and the paper transitions and shrouds. All other supplies are the ...

  • Apogee Components RockSim (7.x) Design Software By Joe Policy

      Description: I purchased my copy of RockSim directly from the Apogee Rockets website over a year ago. The cost was only $95.00. I selected the immediate download option versus waiting for a CD to be mailed to me. When you make the purchase, you will receive an authorization to download the software from Apogee using a one time only login and password. I had no problems downloading the ...

  • Apogee Components RockSim Design Software (2.x-4.x) By Larry Rubanka

    This program is an ideal design and analysis tool for the  rocketry hobbyist. RockSim version 4.0 costs $50.00 US, and upgrades are available for $15.00 to registered owners of previous versions.  A demonstration version and many design samples are available from the Apogee web site. I ordered RockSim from the Apogee web site.  My credit card was billed accurately, and the ...

  • Apogee Components RockSim Design Software (2.x-4.x) By Moira Jean Whitlock

    This is computer software whose purpose is to aid model rocket designers in choosing materials, motors, and parts for a stable rocket flight. There is a data base of known manufacturers and parts and you can create custom parts yourself. You can simulate flights with chosen engines and get a predicted altitude and speed. You can also see if your chosen delay allows ejection at apogee or ...

  • Apogee Components Saturn 1B (1/70th) By Tim Doll

      (L) Estes K-29 Saturn 1B - original restored with Apogee Capsule (M) Apogee Saturn 1B (R) Clone of Estes Little Joe with Apogee Capsule The Apogee Saturn 1B is a 1/70th scale model of the 1960’s vintage NASA booster. Originally called the Uprated Saturn before being renamed the Saturn 1B, it was used for unmanned test flights of the Apollo capsule, and to ...

  • Apogee Components Saturn 1B (1/70th) By Chan Stevens

    Let me preface this review by pointing out that I have never paid more than $100 for a rocket, and my previous experience with Apogee and the daunting $175 price for this rocket set my expectations outrageously high. That said, this kit has exceeded them in every way. It is a magnificent kit for the serious modeler, though even moderately experienced modelers will not find this an intimidating ...

  • Apogee Components Saturn V (1/70th) By Vince Felix

    Components include: three (3) main body tubes, four (4) main fins, clay for nose weight, four (4) centering ring die cut sheets, two (2) shock cords made from Kevlar 100# & 300# (5 and 7 feet), and also two (2) Nylon parachutes 60" & 36 ". (Note: a full parts list is available from Apogee here in PDF .) The instructions for this Apogee 1/70 Saturn V kit are remarkable! Instead of your ...

  • Apogee Components Saturn V (1/70th) By Tim Doll

    The Apogee Saturn V is a 1/70th scale model of the magnificent NASA Saturn V moon rocket. A companion kit to the Apogee Saturn 1B, this is a large rocket standing over 62 inches tall and 5.6 inches in diameter. The large size and high level of detailing make this an impressive rocket. I've built two Apogee Saturn V’s - one a ‘flyer’, the other a display model which is ...

  • Apogee Components Second Stage - Advanced Model Rocketry By Joe Talento

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. ...

  • Apogee Components SR-72 Darkbird By Patrick Wright

    Brief: Rear engine type mini-motor powered boost glider. Designed to imitate the appearance of the SR-71 spyplane. Construction: According to a note in the kit, Apogee had a supply problem with the nose cones. So as to not delay delivery any further Apogee vacuformed their own nose cones as a substitute. The note went on to say that the vacuformed nose cone probably wasn’t ...

  • Apogee Components SR-72 Darkbird By Alan Rognlie

    Apogee - SR-72 Darkwing ( Contributed - by Alan Rognlie)  The SR-72 is an ejecting power-pod boost glider, much like one of Astron Mike's Marauders or the Estes SR-X, with an overall length near twelve inches and wingspan of about 7-1/2 inches. It is designed to be used with 13mm mini-motors. When the power-pod is ejected, it releases the elevons for glide. Tim (van Milligan) packed ...

  • Apogee Components Super Centrix By David Urbanek

    ( Contributed - by Alan Rognlie)  I wanted to get a sample of Tim Van Milligan's kits, so I included a Centrix and its booster when I ordered some items from Apogee Components. I call this version a "sport" model because it uses a launch lug. For competition (AL14-98?), I'll build an extended one (for tracking powder) without the lug and use a tower for the launch. The ...

  • Apogee Components Super Centrix By David Urbanek

    Introduction This was the first rocket my buddy, Greg Vose, built. I looked at it and thought he was going to be greatly disappointed. We'd go to the launch and he'd watch F, G and H motors and then slap this dinky rocket on the pad with a 1/2 A motor and feel . . . tiny. Well, the experience was anything but disappointing. It's a tiny rocket, sure, but it flies straight and true and really ...

  • Apogee Components Texas Twister By Hank Helmen

    Brief: The Texas Twister is a paper body tube and balsa fin model rocket with three moveable fins that flip into position to spin the vehicle during recovery. The fins are pulled into recovery position using three tiny rubber bands supplied in the kit. A nifty piston and lock system unlocks the fins from boost position using ejection charge gas pressure. Construction: This is a ...

  • Apogee Components The Paper Chaser (Plan) By Nick Esselman

    ( Contributed - by EMRR) On a cold day this winter, I discovered this rocket plan amongst my papers that was shipped with an order from Apogee . Looking through my parts I had everything I needed, as well as some Apogee Micro Motors . So I built The Paper Chaser. The Paper Chaser's fins are the only unique feature. They are constructed of "index card-stock" and extend ...

  • Apogee SledgeHammer (Plan) By Frank DeAngelo

  • ARA Press Level One Certification By Marlin Meyer

    ( Contributed - by Marlin Meyer - 07/25/10) Brief: New ARA publication by Tim Quigg. This is a How-To Guide for Level One Certification in NAR or TRA. A short but very complete and helpful guide for anyone wanting to attain their level 1. 52 pages (including table of contents, index, and about the author) Chapters include: The Beginning Getting Started High Power ...

  • ARA Press Rocket Science By Steve Ainsworth

    ( Contributed - by Steve Ainsworth - 12/15/09) Book Review: I have known David Ketchledge longer than he has known me. After I first re-discovered rocketry in 1994, I was fortunate enough to get a copy of his article on Vertical Trajectory Systems (VTS) in the now defunct HPR magazine. David’s article provided the first steps for my efforts on building a rocket with an active ...

  • ARA Press Saucer Fleet (Other Product) By James Gartrell

    Brief: Jack Hagerty and Jon Rogers newest book, The Saucer Fleet, is just outstanding. Seriously! I could hardly put it down once I started reading. It is every bit as good as the Spaceship Handbook. It’s a different subject, of course, but Jack and Jon wrap up the flying saucers in their own unique veil. The approach to presenting them really is fascinating. We got hints about it in the ...

  • ARA Press Saucer Fleet By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 11/16/09) Brief: The Saucer Fleet is the latest release from Jack Hagerty and Jon Rogers of Spaceship Handbook fame. This 330 page hard-cover book features detailed information on famous flying saucers depicted on the big screen, television and print, including: The Day the Earth Stood Still War of the Worlds This Island Earth ...

  • ARA Press Seize the Sky By Mario Perdue

    ( Contributed - Mario Perdue - 04/24/10) Summary: A Builder's Guide to Model Rocketry. I bought this book shortly after I saw on the Rocketry Forum that it was available. 222 pages containing a wide variety of subjects including Motors, Recovery Systems, Payloads, Trends, Work Area, Tools, Adhesives, Flying info, Building Technics and 25 building projects. A great addition to any ...

  • ARA Press Spaceship Handbook (Other Product) By Dick Stafford

    This book provides almost 5 lbs of information on theoretical, fictional, and real (but not developed) spacecraft that is sure to please rocketeers, space enthusiasts, and amateur sci-fi historians alike. It documents 75 spacecraft and provides detailed drawings, historical backgrounds, plot summaries (for purely fictional craft), and mission backgrounds (for potentially real craft). Its ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets 13mm Six (Plan) (Plan) By Todd Mullin

    The Six is another great free downloadable paper rocket available from Art Applewhite Rockets. It is a 13mm streamer or tumble recovery model that requires some fairly good craftsmanship skills. If you have never tried to construct a paper model (or fold origami) you might be better off starting with another one of Art's free download. There are very few materials required to build this ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets 13mm Six (Plan) (Plan) By John Lee

    My NAR section will soon be doing a "Make and Take" session at a local museum for kids. We are limited to an extremely small launch area surrounded by lots of big, rocket eating trees. Art Applewhite was kind enough to allow us to build a bunch of his Qubits (with special artwork) for the kids. I also wanted to launch a few other things but not anything that would pain me greatly to lose. I ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets 3-Stage Cluster Cone (Plan) By John Lee

      3 stage cone rocket, 3 x 24mm first stage cluster, 18mm second stage, 13mm sustainer, and aerobrake recovery. Some time ago, Art Applewhite gave me one of his 13mm Qubit rocket kits at an Alamo Rocketeers launch. It has worked great ever since and while the "saucers" don't exactly appeal to me aesthetically, they have found their place in my grand scheme of thing because the field I ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Bumble Bee Monocopter (13mm) By Chan Stevens

    This is one of the many new Applewhite monocopter designs recently introduced. Monocpoters, in general, are one of the strangest things you'll ever see fly and this one is reliable and easy to build. The parts were sealed in a plastic bag and included: 3/32" basswood stock for support pieces 3/32" basswood wing/blade (2x3) 1/4" dowel balance beam (2) 3/16" dowels for upports ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cinco 38mm By Donald Besaw Jr

    The Art Applewhite 38mm Cinco is a five sided pentagon shaped flying saucer with a 38mm motor mount. Like all other Art Applewhite saucers, this one is recovered using Art's aerobrake recovery. This kit came in one of Art's heat sealed thick plastic bags and included the following components: 1 foamboard top 1 foamboard bottom 2 cardboard seams 1 6 inch long 38mm motor mount ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cinco 38mm By John Lee

    This is a simple 38mm high power saucer that incorporates an aerobrake recovery system. This was my Level 1 attempt. Since my club's field is fairly small, I wanted a high drag rocket that is hard to mess up. Naturally, I thought of Art Applewhite. The kit consisted of: 2 marked foamboard shrouds 2 glue strips 38mm motor mount tube. Also included was an easy to follow ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cinco Saucer 13mm (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: It looks like FlisKits has some catching up to do because Art Applewhite has gone right past two (Deuce), three (Tres), and 'four' (Quad? Quatro?) and jumped straight to 'Cinco' (Spanish for 'five')! I might come as the bearer of slightly bad news by telling you that cinco/five has to do with how many sides, not how many motors are in this rocket... I can assure you though ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cinco Saucer 13mm (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: This is a free, easy, 13mm, paper shroud saucer which uses an aerobrake recovery. The 13mm Cinco is a diminutive version of Art Applewhite's Cinco saucer. It is not a kit, per se; it is offered as a free download in the form of a PDF file on his web site. Construction: This rocket is made from a single sheet of Card stock. You download the PDF, put a piece of card ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cluster Flying Saucer (10") By Greg Lane

    Cluster Flying Saucer Kit with 3 complete interchangeable motor mounts that can be changed at any time. Components include cardstock to form the top and bottom, fiberglass tape, foam backed board, 75mm core tube, and motor mount tubes. The assembly is a departure from the usual 3 fins and a nosecone rocket. The included assembly instructions are straightforward and include helpful ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 13mm (Plan) By Donald Besaw Jr

    This is a new style UFO from Art Applewhite Rockets. It is a flying cone. This is the 13mm version. There are 13mm, 18mm, 24mm and 29mm versions available as well as several colors. Mine is the florescent yellow color. This kit included the top sections, reinforcing strips, nose cone shock cord anchor, thrust ring, nose cone base, bottom, motor mount and nose cone tubes and a thin elastic 24 ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 13mm (Plan) (Plan) By Donald Besaw Jr

    It appears that the 13mm Cone Rocket kit I reviewed previously has been discontinued in favor of this new free downloadable Cone Rocket. I however received this one free with an order. The kit was printed on a single sheet of cardstock with the top and bottom sections, motor mount tube and instructions. The instructions for this rocket are very easy to understand. Even a beginner could ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 18mm By Nick Esselman

    Here's a new twist in Art Applewhite's UFO-series of rockets.... the Cone Rocket! I'm calling it a Cone UFO just to keep with the theme of what Art Applewhite Rockets seems to have a knack (and niche) in. This is the 18mm Orange version. There are also 13mm, 24mm, and 29mm versions in Stars & Stripes, Mirror Gold, Silver, Yellow and Texas Special.    Also, in keeping with ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 18mm By Blake Eric DeMarcy

    Brief: This is a conical design offered by Art Applewhite. It flies straight as any other rocket. Construction: When I got the kit, it had 2 body tubes. One was 18mm and the other was 19mm. The kit also had 2 sheets of cardstock, a piece of foamboard with pre-printed markings, 36 inches of elastic, and instructions. Construction is covered by the above review. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 24mm By Dave Stout

    Brief: The Art Applewhite Cone rocket is a single stage, cone stabilized rocket. Construction: Art's rockets are amazing. They are comprised of a small number of lightweight parts. This kit comes with a 1/4" foamcore board with printed patterns, a piece of gold mirror cardstock with patterns printed on the back, a piece of plain cardstock with parts printed on it, two nice ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 24mm By Dick Stafford

    I have really been digging Art's saucers and now Art is branching out to other designs. As the name indicates, this rocket is a simple cone that flies on 24mm motors. This seems to be the next logical step after the Delta saucer design, which is sort of a hybrid between a classical saucer and a cone. Materials: Two sheets of cardstock for the shrouds One piece of foamboard for the ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 24mm By Bob Cox

      Diameter: 5.5 inches (14cm) Height: 4.75 inches (12 cm) Weight: 1.3 oz (35 gm) Finish: I built the Mirror Gold version. Other patterns available include Stars and Stripes, Texas Special, Silver, Fluorescent Orange, Fluorescent Yellow, Fluorescent Green, Hot Pink, and plain White. CONSTRUCTION: Parts: All parts are packaged in a heat-sealed clear plastic bag with no ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 24mm By David Urbanek

    Brief: It's an unusual cone rocket. No fins, but the nose weight makes it stable. Pre-printed paper cone, so you don't need to paint it. Very simple to prep. Construction: You have to be ready and willing to roll cones out of light cardstock. There is also a short piece of nesting body tubes, and some foam board for the base and mid-section bulkhead. If you're not used to ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 29mm By Moira Jean Whitlock

    Brief: Single staged conical rocket that flies on 29mm motors and recovers by a combination of tumble recovery and shock cord. The light weight of the rocket makes a streamer or parachute unnecessary. Construction: The kit comes in a sealed plastic envelope with two body tubes, namely, a 5 inch length of 29mm motor tubing and 5 inches of BT55 motor mount tubing. The rocket has no ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Cone Rocket 29mm By Douglas Gardei

    Cone rocket that sports a 29mm motor mount. The 29mm Cone rocket contains a 29mm motor tube, which loosely fits inside a larger diameter tube, that is used as the Cone's center tube. An elastic cord is included for recovery. Two pieces of foam board are used to make the centering rings. Several sheets of cardstock are used to make the body of the rocket. To build this rocket, you will need ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Crew Exploration Saucer By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 04/17/06) Brief: I really like my Art Applewhite 6" Delta saucer . However, since it appears that it will last for many, many more flights, I didn't think I needed a second one just yet. So what to do with my Spaceship Earth Delta? Modifications: I began by constructing the Delta : Cut and form the top and bottom shrouds and the ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 13mm (4") (Plan) By Dick Stafford

    This is a review of Art Applewhite's newly released 4" ‘Delta' saucer, which flies on 13mm motors. The main difference between his Delta saucers and his standard line is that there are no fins, and both the top and bottom shrouds extend to the motor mount. This makes them simpler to construct, less expensive, and fly higher than the standard saucers. Parts Note: This kit includes the ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 13mm (4") (Plan) By Kevin Timmins

    Brief: The 13mm Art Applewhite Delta Gold Flying Saucer kit was donated to me by EMRR for review. As one would expect from Art Applwhite, the kit is well designed, and meant to fly on Mini 13mm motors. The kit contains:- Set of clear photo illustrated instructions, A 13mm motor tube One sheet of Gold card (printed on reverse with all parts) Sheet of foam poster board, ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 18mm (6") By Nick Esselman

    (07/01/03) I finally got around to purchasing a couple of Art Applewhite's Flying Saucers. Been meaning to, just never got around to it. When I did, I was glad he accepted PayPal. Made it very easy. I purchased the Gold 6" 18mm Delta Flying Saucer and the Gold 4" 13mm Delta Flying Saucers. I'm writing the review for the 18mm version because there isn't currently a review on ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 18mm (6") By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    ( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller - 07/24/06) Brief: I was fortunate enough to win this kit as a prize for entering my Barbsari B-Prize design into Descon 15. I asked for and received the Spaceship Earth version. I was amazed at how quickly the shipment arrived after I'd specified what version I'd like. Mondo kudos to Art Applewhite for fantastic service. Construction: The ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 24mm (6") By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a review of Art Applewhite's newly released "Delta" saucer, which flies on 24mm motors. The main difference between his Delta saucers and his standard line is that there are no fins, and both the top and bottom shrouds extend to the motor mount. This makes them simpler to construct, less expensive, and fly higher than the standard saucers. The Kit includes: One sheet of ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 24mm (6") By Taylor Jessee

    Brief: I have always liked UFO type rockets like the Estes Snitch which I was glad to find out about these good quality kits that are high drag and dying to fly. Construction: The kit includes: 7" of cardstock for shrouds foamboard 24mm motor tube The instructions were very easy to follow. I think it went together very nicely. It was kind of tricky cutting the ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 24mm (6\") By Peter Davidson

    Brief: This is a very nice simplified version of Art's Original Flying Saucer rockets which flies great and can be launched on a wide variety of 24mm motors. Construction: I ordered Art's 24mm 'Flames' Delta and included in the kit is: One sheet of cardstock to make up the top/bottom shrouds and shroud tabs. One pre-marked 7" piece of foamboard to make up the ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 29mm (7.5") By Lance Alligood

    Picture courtesy of Art Applewhite      Brief: Have your club launches become rather routine? Are you looking for something to get everyone's attention when it's on the ground as much as in the air? Are you looking for something that's easy to recover? What if I told you it was inexpensive too? Art Applewhite's 29mm x 7.5" Delta Flying Saucer is all that ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 38mm (10") By Will Marchant

    Brief: This is an easy to build, single stage flying saucer that needs no recovery system. It is an easy way to certify level 1 for high power. Relatively slow ascent and limited altitude mean a short walk during recovery. Construction: A central paper/foam laminate "plate" with a 38mm motor mount tube installed perpendicular to the plane of the plate makes the main ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 38mm (18") By Dick Stafford

    This was a pre-production version of the kit and its construction varied somewhat from the production model. Nonetheless, it is representative of the performance you should expect from the production model. I have tried to indicate where the production model varies, however, these notes may not be all-inclusive. This rocket is a huge, 18" diameter, Level 2 capable version of Art's Delta ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Delta Flying Saucer 38mm (18") By Matthew McFarland

    Brief: This is a beautiful HPR saucer that wows the crowd with great boosts and long aerobrake recoveries. Construction: This kit comes essentially as three kits. There are the saucer itself and two motor mount kits: one for 54mm motors and one for 38mm motors. The saucer is a single central body tube, a launch lug that mounts inside the body tube, three foam sheets, and some ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Double Helix (13mm) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: The Double Helix is another new twist on the monocopter (pun intended)--it has two wings and flies on two motors. In fact, it's more or less two 13mm Helix Monocopters stuck end to end. Technically, it's not a monocopter but a bi-copter. Construction: The parts list: Two 1/16" Basswood sheets One 24mm tube Two BT-5 motor mounts Two ¼" ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Double Helix (13mm) By John Lee

    Brief: The Double Helix is a great variation on the simple monocopter design from Art Applewhite. It is extremely simple to build and goes together quickly. It's also even more fun to fly than the Helix. I was lucky enough to get to watch the flights of the prototypes as Art was developing this line and now it seems like he is the source of a monocopter renaissance. It's a lot of ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Double Helix (18mm) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: The Double Helix is another new twist on the monocopter (pun intended)--it has two wings and flies on two motors. In fact, it's more or less two 18mm Helix Monocopters stuck end-to-end. Technically, it's not a monocopter but a bi-copter. Construction: The parts list: 3/32" Basswood sheet 29mm tube Two BT-20 motor mounts ¼" launch lug ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Double Helix (18mm) By John Lee

    Brief: Art Applewhite has recently been promoting a series of monocopters and, in the case of the Double Helix series, bicopters. The 18mm version of the Double Helix is not as simple as its 13mm sibling but neither is it very difficult. Mostly though, they are fun to watch and fly. Construction: The kit comes with instructions, a piece of basswood that must be cut to ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Dragonfly Monocopter (18mm) By Dick Stafford

    You have to love a rocket that assembles quickly and that can be flown in your front yard (and not that big of a front yard either)! That's what you have with the 18mm Art Applewhite's Dragonfly. I brought this kit, a hobby knife, a ruler, a pencil and some Elmer's Glue with me on a short business trip. I was successful in building the kit while in the hotel one night and finished ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Dragonfly Monocopter (18mm) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This was the first monocopter kit released by Art Applewhite . He previously published a free plan for a monocopter built from Popsicle sticks and now has a 13mm, two 18mm and a 24mm version. The Dragonfly flies on a variety of 18mm black powder motors and features an 8" wing. Construction: This monocopter consists of the following parts: Wing - one ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Dragonfly Monocopter (18mm) By Glenn Little

    Brief: I won this rocket as part of an EMRR giveaway, which was really exciting for a variety of reasons. Aside from this being my 15 seconds of international fame, I've wanted some rockets I could launch in a small area (such as my 30' x 20' front lawn or the street out front) since all the local fields are now full of various summer crops that make flying impossible. (Can you say ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer (12") By Dick Stafford

    When he was Beta-testing his 12" saucer line, Art graciously provided sent me several sets of blank white shrouds for experimentation. With the scarcity of 29mm AP motors, I decided that three E9's would be cool, so I modified one stock ‘kit’ for a 3 x 24mm mount. Before reading this review, I suggest you first read my review on the stock Fluorescent Green Flying Saucer . ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer (Aeroshell) By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 04/01/03) Brief: When he was Beta-testing his 12" saucer line, Art graciously provided sent me several sets of blank white shrouds for experimentation. I had recently seen an article on the PEPP Aeroshell in an issue of Sport Rocketry , and decided to build something similar using the extra saucer components. Before reading this review, I suggest you ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 18mm (6") By Nick Esselman

    Art Applewhite Rockets has really become the U.F.O.-type rocket supplier. He carries various styles (saucer, delta, cone, qubits) and various sizes (6", 7.5", 9", 10.25", 12") and various patterns (smiley, earth, fire, tiger) and lastly motors (micromaxx, mini, 18mm, 24mm, 29mm, 38mm). If you're looking for a U.F.O.-type rocket, then Art Applewhite Rockets is the place to start. I have to ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 18mm (6") By Tim Burger

    A flying saucer kit with pre-printed graphics and balsa fins. I won this kit as a prize a couple of years ago at one of our KCAR club contest launches. Art had joined our Yahoo group and donated some kits to the club for prizes. Thanks for the kit, Art! Most model rocket kits come in a long slender bag, but not this one. As kits go it's quite flat and wide. The kit comes in a large flat ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 24mm (7.25") By Dick Stafford

    This is the 7.25" version of Art's saucer line. Like the larger 9" version, this saucer flies on C11-0 and D12-0 motors. The saucer's card stock shell is pre-printed in an USAF motif. Art now offers several designs, various colors, and blank versions of his 6", 7.25", and 9" saucers. The components are the same as the 9" version (but smaller, of course): Preprinted card stock comprises ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 24mm (7.25") By Mike Salter

    (by Mike Salter) Brief: This is another of Art's flying saucer collection, this one is 7.25" in diameter and will fly to heights between 150 to 300 feet. Construction: All of the components were of high quality, the tube was neatly cut and the fin material was basswood for extra strength. The top and core sections are made of card stock and the bottom is a plastic party ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 24mm (9") By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 06/20/02) Brief: This Flying Saucer has a 24mm motor mount and is designed to fly on C11-0 and D12-0 motors. It is comprised mainly of pre-printed card stock and splits into two parts at apogee, both of which use tumble recovery. At the time of writing, this saucer is also offered in USAF and Smiley Face print schemes, or in blank card stock. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 29mm (10.25") By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 11/15/02) Brief: I don't know what Art is feeding his saucers, but they just seem to keep gettin' BIGGER. His latest offering is 10.25 inches in diameter and flies on 29mm motors. The construction is almost identical to his 7.5 and 9-inch saucers, with a few components beefed up a bit. This one is fluorescent orange, but he also offers a 'Texas ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 29mm (10.25") By Bob Goffena

    Brief: Won this Art Applewhite saucer kit as part of the 2009 EMRR Rocket Video Contest . www.artapplewhite.com offers numerous cool oddrocs in various styles (saucers, pyramids, monocopters, hourglass/spools, etc) and sizes (i.e. 4" to 18" diameter saucers). I had been thinking about scratch building a saucer for sometime, and am glad I got hold of this kit first. The ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer 38mm (12") By Dick Stafford

    Art has continued to expand his line of saucers, adding a 12-inch saucer with a 38mm motor mount and either a 1/4-inch launch lug or optional ACME conformal rail guide. The recommended motors include the Ellis Mountain H48, all Aerotech 38/240 RMS, and all Cesaroni Pro38 one and two grain motors. This kit would serve nicely as quick, easy, and inexpensive way to Level-1 certification. Add a ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer on 29mm By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 04/19/08) Brief: This is kinda a "cheap shot" as reviews go. An upgrade to 29mm would be obvious on a new kit. In fact it's pretty obvious on a built one too. Modifications: I replaced the motor tube, which included trimming the internal fins and adding new lugs. Construction: One Art Applewhite Rockets Flying ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Flying Saucer Spyder (4") By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford) Brief: When I reviewed Art's 10.25", 29mm saucer, I said, "I don't know what Art is feeding his saucers, but they just seem to keep gettin' BIGGER". Now I am not sure where he gets his materials. I accidentally squirted some liquid plant fertilizer on my 4" Delta saucer...and look what happened! But seriously, as I mentioned in ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Helix (13mm) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is an extremely simple monocopter design that uses a section of 24mm motor tubing as the central hub. Its construction is identical to its bigger 18mm cousin. As a result, much of this review is cut-and-pasted. New/different material is thus in bold . Construction: The parts list: 1/16" Basswood sheet 24mm tube BT-5 motor mount &fra ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Helix (13mm) By John Lee

    Brief: The Helix is an innovative and simple monocopter design from Art Applewhite. It is extremely simple to build and goes together quickly. It's also a hoot to fly. I was lucky enough to get to watch the flights of the prototypes as Art was developing this line and now it seems like he is the source of a monocopter renaissance. It's a lot of fun. Construction: The ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Helix (13mm) By Chan Stevens

    Brief: After reading a number of very positive reviews of the various new Applewhite monocopters, I decided to pull the trigger and order a couple myself. I was pleasantly surprised, when in addition to the pair I ordered, Art slipped one of these 13mm Helix kits in as a free bonus. I decided to quickly jump on it and am offering up this third opinion with another solid e ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Helix (18mm) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is an extremely simple monocopter design that uses a section of 29mm motor tubing as the central hub. Construction: The parts list: 3/16" Basswood sheet 29mm tube BT-20 motor mount ¼" dowel ¼" launch lug This kit requires Elmer's Glue All, and an X-Acto knife with a new #11 blade. It's almost so easy that it ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Helix (18mm) By John Lee

    Brief: The Helix is an innovative and simple monocopter design from Art Applewhite. It is extremely simple to build and goes together quickly. Its also a hoot to fly. This 18mm variant is the largest of the series which can be built "right out of the package". The 18mm Double Helix and above require a small amount of sawing. This one requires only a razor knife for ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Helix (18mm) By Matt Gillard

    Brief: The 18mm Helix is a monocopter from Art Applewhite's new range. I got the kit as part of a set of six rockets Art sent me for placing in EMRR's youth participation contest. I gave 4 of the rockets to members in my club, keeping this one for myself, as I'm really liked the Popsicle stick monocopter that Art gave the plans for on TRF. Construction: The kit comes in a ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Helix (24mm) By Dick Stafford

    This is the 24mm version of Art's Helix monocopter . It will fly nicely on any 24mm short delay, plugged, or booster motor. Parts list: 1/8" Basswood sheet 38mm tube BT-50 motor mount 3/8" dowel ¼" launch lug If you have built one Helix, you have built them all. I know that sounds corny, but they all have the same basic components and construction techniques. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Hornet Monocopter (18mm) By Bob Cox

    The Hornet is the second 18mm monocopter released by Art Applewhite. Similar to his 18mm Dragonfly but with a shorter wing, the Hornet claims to have a more aggressive flight profile. Parts list: Wing--2"x6"x1/8" basswood plank Balance Beam--8"x1/4" dowel Support Dowel--2.75"x3/16" dowels (qty 2) Center, Center Support, and Motor Support- 2"x3.25"x1/8" basswood Motor ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Hourglass 13mm By Nick Esselman

    (11/01/04) I find Art Applewhite's U.F.O.-type rockets to be outstanding for front yard flying. His newest addition is actually more of a Spool Rocket than U.F.O., but incorporate many of the same building techniques. So I added a 13mm Hourglass Rocket to my existing Art Applewhite Rockets collection. The kits come in a variety of colors (as usual) and my particular one is bright orange. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Hourglass 18mm By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Brief: This is another interesting kit from Art Applewhite. It’s an hourglass shape and a variation on the spool rocket design. Construction: The kit includes: Foam board Printed colored card stock 18mm engine mount with an engine hook Instructions Like many of Art’s kits, this one was opened and built in less than an hour. As the instructions say, ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Hourglass 18mm By John Lee

    Brief: This is a easy 18mm, tumble recovery oddroc. Art Applewhite is known for making odd rockets. His hour glasses are no exception to this. A variation on a spool rocket, the hourglass looks odd but flies well and uses a minimalist approach to make something unusual and fun. Construction: The kit comes with a piece of printed cardstock (mine was yellow), a piece of ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Hourglass 24mm (Long) By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The 24mm Long Hourglass is a spool-like rocket that uses many visual cues and construction techniques from Art Applewhite's other designs. As with all of Art's kits, the Long Hourglass relies on a high drag design to limit altitude and create a tumbling, aerobrake recovery for a safe, close return. And did I mention, SPOOLS RULE! Construction: The build is like building one ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Hourglass 24mm By Dick Stafford

    Brief: Art’s latest product line is the Hourglass. The Hourglass rockets resemble spool rockets. They have top and bottom circular plates with two cones between the plates providing the hourglass shape. They are currently available in 13mm, 18mm, and 24mm sizes with all sizes coming in several colors. This review is for the 24mm versions. The shorter version uses Estes D12 length ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Hourglass 24mm By Bill Eichelberger

    This odd-roc is an hourglass-shaped, incredibly (and some might say surprisingly) stable, small field flier. Very easy to build and entertaining to fly. The parts list: One brightly colored pattern sheet (hot pink in my case) One sheet of foamboard 24mm engine tube Engine hook I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I found that I'd be reviewing this product, but ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Micro Maxx BIC Stic By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 05/10/02) Brief: This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. Plans for other BiC® rockets are available here on EMRR ( BiC® ARCAS and the Double Tree Pen Roc ) and you can download the plan's for this one from Art Applewhite's site. What you get here is a kit, with all the parts included. Construction: The following parts are ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Micro Maxx Flying Saucer (Plan) (Plan) By Dick Stafford

    The name is the description. This is a simple rocket constructed entirely of card stock. This kit consists of a single page of printed card stock and includes a page of instructions. To assemble the rocket, you need scissors, an X-acto knife, white glue, and crazy glue (CA). The major components include: upper and lower cones, an inner core section, a single piece fin unit that is folded into ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Micro Maxx Flying Saucer (Plan) By Mike Salter

    Brief: I started out buying a pack of Micro Maxx motors and was looking for something to fly them in. I wanted to launch from my back yard which is pretty small so I was looking for a low flying model. I found the plans for Art's flying saucer available, for free, on his website so printed them off. Art's MMX saucer is very small and constructed from card and glue. The whole set of plans and ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Micro Maxx Qubit (Plan) (Plan) By Matt Gillard

    Having built all of Art Applewhite's 13mm paper rockets, I'd thought I'd have a go at the baby versions: the tiny MMX paper rockets. There are four per sheet, two Qubits (one called dicey), a Scimitar, and a Stealth. They are nearly the same as their bigger brothers except they are vented at their apex--MMX motors don't come in a plugged version. This review is for the MMX Scimitar. The ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Micro Maxx Qubit (Plan) By Blake Eric DeMarcy

    A super simple Micromaxx rocket. It is free for all at Art Applewhite's website . All you need is a sheet of cardstock. This review is for the dicey and qubit. The sheet comes printed with four rockets on it: the dicey, qubit, stealth, and scimitar. No instructions are included but these are so simple! Just cut one out, fold here, fold there, glue here, glue there, done. Finishing: No ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Popsicle Monocopter (13mm) (Plan) (Plan) By Matt Gillard

    A great and cheap to build monocopter. Flies well on an A motor. I first found out about this rocket via The Rocketry Forum. Within a day of seeing the post, I had started to build the monocopter. Not much is needed to build the monocopter: 6 lollypop (popsicle) sticks (UK call popsicle sticks lollypop sticks) 2 3" x 5" index cards 18" of nylon cord--I used cotton thread. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Priority Stealth 29mm (Plan) By William Carpenter

    The Priority Stealth is a mid-power rocket from Art Applewhite Rockets that flies on 29mm motors. As the name implies, it is a version of Art's Stealth design, which has versions from 13mm all the way up to 54mm. What makes the Priority Stealth unique is the fact that it is made from a 7"x7"x6" Priority Mail box (hence the name) or any other thick, corrugated cardboard box. Modifications: ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Pyramid 13mm (Plan) By Donald Besaw Jr

    The Pyramid is a free downloadable 13mm four-sided pyramid rocket with tumble recovery, although I received this one free with an order from Art Applewhite. The kit came printed on a single sheet of cardstock with the top and bottom as one whole section, motor mount tube, and instructions. This rocket is very easy to build and requires very little time and extra materials. All that is ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Pyramid 18mm By Dave Hein

    The 18mm Pyramid is a saucer-style rocket that flies on 18mm motors. At ejection, the motor mount separates from the main body then the motor mount tumbles to the ground while the main body gently floats to the ground. This kit consists of two sheets of printed cardstock with four pages of detailed instructions with pictures. There are four main sub-assemblies: the main body, motor mount ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 13mm (Plan) By Lance Alligood

    Another breakthrough kit from Art Applewhite. Art steps out of his saucer designs for something more square. If you thought Art's saucers were easy to build, he has outdone himself with the Qubit design! It still relies on his draggy ascent and aerobrake recovery though. Best of all, this kit is available for free to download from his website. The rocket is made from one piece of ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 13mm (Plan) (Plan) By Michael Rangitsch

    One of the neatest designs I've ever seen, it looks like three faces of a cube. This has got to be the simplest rocket ever designed. Cut out the pattern, make a few folds, and within about 5 minutes you have a flyable rocket. No tubes, construction is from a single piece of heavy cardstock. No hardware, simply cut, fold and glue; and you have a rocket. You can't beat the price, either, it's ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 13mm (Plan) (Plan) By Dick Stafford

    This is a 13mm version of Art's larger 24mm Qubit. This is the first all cardstock kit I've built that is intended for 13mm motors. It is a free download and is contained entirely on one sheet of colored cardstock, including the instructions. I built a beta version that was pre-printed and one that I printed myself. The latter is called 'Dicey' as it resembles a die. I know this may be ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 13mm (Plan) (Plan) By John Lee

    This is a 13mm, paper rocket designed with an aerobrake recovery. The 13mm Qubit is one of Art Applewhite's free downloads. It can be found in several versions including this plain version on his website . Pick the version you want and download it as a PDF. This rocket is made from a single sheet of card stock. You download the PDF, put a peice of cardstock in the printer and print it out. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 18mm By Dick Stafford

    This article will discuss Art’s set of 18mm Qubits--the plain variety, the Stealth, and the Scimitar. I got sets of both plain white and florescent orange, but you can get various other colors (at the time of writing: hot pink, neon yellow, and fluorescent green) and a limited edition NSL 2004 Commemorative version. These kits, like the previously reviewed 13mm Qubits, are very ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 2.0 13mm (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: The Qubit 2 is an updating of Art Applewhite's venerable Qubit rocket. The original was intended to fly only on Estes A10-PTs. Since those are getting hard to come by, Art redesigned and released this version. Like it's predecessor, it is available as a free download from his site, www.artapplewhite.com . The Qubit is a high drag rocket that scoots upward, quickly comes to ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 24mm By Dick Stafford

    The Qubits (and their variants) are the latest creations out of Art Applewhite's lab. Once built, the Qubit resembles a cube that flies with one of its corners facing upward. I say the Qubit resembles a cube because the bottom faces are missing, which allows the motor mount to be recessed into its body structure. This configuration and orientation allows the Qubit to fly without the added ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Qubit 29mm By Lance Alligood

    Another excellent and creative design from Art Applewhite that has similar flight characteristics to Art's saucers: high drag, low altitude, and aerobraking recovery. The Qubit resembles a partial cube or a tetrahedron with square (instead of triangular) sides. The kit has the following parts: 1 x 29mm motor mount tube 3 x 6" square pieces of foamboard 1 x 8" equilateral ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Ring of Fire By Dick Stafford

    The  Ring of Fire  is Art's latest kit and, as Art states, is the "epitome of Minimalism." Since the beginning, Art has pioneered the use of simple, low tech components - plastic plates, foam board and cardstock. Who else provides a kit that has been printed on a computer? However, the  Ring of Fire  actually uses REAL ROCKET PARTS!  Exactly two of them. This kits ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Scimitar 13mm (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: Art Applewhite comes up trumps again. Like the 13mm Qubit, the Scimitar is free to download from his website and is easy to build and fly, except this one flies even better. It still uses airbrake recovery, but the flight is much more interesting! Construction: Art's website has two Scimitars to download: one designed in 2004 and one in 2006. The main difference is the ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Scimitar 13mm (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: The 13mm Scimitar is a simple rocket made from a paper shroud. It was designed by Art Applewhite and is available free through his website. All you have to do is download the PDF file and print it out on suitable stock. The Scimitar spins as it ascends, flips over at apogee and uses aerobrake recovery. Construction: The only real material for the rocket itself is some ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Scimitar 18mm By Matthew McFarland

    Brief: This is a neat little aerobrake design that flies great with a lot of spinning! Construction: The kit consists of two sheets of cardstock, a motor hook, and the instructions. The instructions are easy to follow and have great illustrations that spell everything out easily. I found that it only took 25 minutes to cut out all the parts and assemble it! The parts fit ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Scimitar 24mm By Kevin Timmins

    This design is fantastic. A pyramid shaped cone rocket with swept edges that really make it spin. Another great design. The kit contains 1 x 49mm motor mount tube 3 x square pieces of foamboard 1 x 6 " triangular triangle piece of foamboard Cardsrock template with the panel shapes & rod guide layout 3 page manual on A4" paper , which was very detailed & full of ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Scimitar 29mm By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    29mm Pyramid saucer type Parts List: 3 - Rectangle foam-backed boards 1 - Triangular foam-backed board 1 - 29mm MMT 1 - 3-page instructions This new kit from Art Applewhite Rockets is definitely one of the more unusual designs that Art has designed. The package came much faster than I expected via Priority mail. It arrived in perfect condition. The kits contents were ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Scimitar 29mm By Ken Tsai

    Brief: I received this kit as a prize for the Roam the Site contest. As a recent BAR, I found this kit - this genre, more correctly - very intriguing. There was nothing like it when I was first building rockets in the late 70's. The Simitar family of kits are pyramid shaped saucers using engines ranging from 13mm up to 29mm. Construction: 3 sides, 1 bottom plate, and a engine tube. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 13mm (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: This is a free-to-download 13mm cardstock version of Art Applewhite's Stealth rockets available for download at Art's website . I received my 13mm Stealth from Art as a free gift alongside a 24mm Delta saucer. Construction: The rocket is made from one piece of cardstock which has the instructions along with the pattern for the rocket and motor mount printed on it. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 13mm (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: The 13mm Stealth is a paper rocket based upon Art Applewhite's Qubit design. It is a free rocket and all that is needed is to print the design available from his website. The basic stealth design is found here ,but I used the Black Stealth variant . The only difference is that the black version is "pre-blackened" so it will print out with the finish. The rocket ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 18mm By Matthew McFarland

    Brief: This is a cute single stage aerobrake triangular saucer that rotates slowly on ascent and descent Construction: This kit contains the instructions, two printed sheets of cardstock and a motor hook. The instructions were clear and logical. The rocket is quite easy to build. I built one, my 4 year old built one, and my 11 year old nephew built one all in under an hour. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 24mm By Peter Chestna

    The Steath is a unique kit that is easy to build, quick to prep and a great flyer. The spinning flight is sure to turn heads and its flight characteristics make it ideal for small fields. Kit Contents: Instructions 24mm Motor Mount tube Template for sides of rocket 3 pieces of foamboard for sides 1 piece of foamboard for bottom or rocket This kit is extremely easy ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 29mm By Nick Esselman

    After flying a number of Art Applewhite's kits on 13mm - 24mm, I have moved up one notch to a Stealth 29mm. Will I fly this in my front yard? No, but I'm expecting the same fun, low altitude performance as I have had with the other variations. The Stealth design is actually shared in many ways with the Qubit and Scimitar . The Qubit has a straight lower edgy, the Scimitar has a half-moon ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 38mm By Donald Besaw Jr

    This is a L1 capable 38mm MPR and HPR version of Art Applewhite's Stealth Qubit. This is also a prototype version, not a production kit. The kit came with: 3 foamboard side panels 1 bottom bulkhead 1 38mm 4" motor mount tube 1 marking guide The instructions consist of three pages with text and black and white photos, all of which are typical Art Applewhite material and ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Stealth 54mm By Greg Lane

    Brief: A three sided pointy shape with jagged edges like the B2 Stealth Bomber. See the pictures. This rocket has nothing in common with a three fins and a nosecone rocket except a motor tube which is 54mm. Construction: The Stealth 54 is constructed from foamboard. It uses quarter round molding to join the three sides. Fiberglass cloth is supplied to reinforce the rocket. ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Super Cinco By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is an upscale of Art's 13mm Cinco flying saucer. (The original is a free kit available as a download off Art's website.) I built this after Art's Ultra Delta and couldn't believe it has even fewer parts: three total. That's it! The kit is all cardstock and can be built with either an 18mm or 24mm motor mount. Construction: It consists of two sheets of cardstock, ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Super Cinco By Matt Gillard

    Brief: The Super Cinco is an all cardstock UFO style tumble rocket. The rocket kit allows you the choice of either an 18mm or 24 mm motor mount. I had built three 13mm Cincos before from a free rocket that was sent out from a UK model shop and two others from Art's website. Construction: The parts to the rocket kit consists of two sheets of bright orange card with the rocket ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Super Scimitar By Blake Eric DeMarcy

    A very simple rocket that is capable of EXTREME spinning! This review is for the super scimitar. My Scimi (yes i call scimi, prnounced like semi) is florecent red but looks more like some shade of orange. Still happy. It comes printed on two sheets of cardstock and can be built in less than an hour. I ordered it along with a Green Stealth. You choose your color. The intructions are very ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Super Stealth By John Partridge

    Brief: This is an Art Applewhite “saucer” kit. The kit is printed on quality card stock and although the Stealth title might imply that it is black like the military stealth aircraft, this refers to the design of the Super Stealth and is actually available in several colors. I chose a fluorescent yellow just so I could see it better. There is also a choice of 18mm or 24mm ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Super Stealth By Blake Eric DeMarcy

    Brief: This is a cool high-flying rocket for such a draggy design. It is made with slow spinning in mind and can be built for either 18mm or 24mm. I chose 18mm. Construction: You get two pieces of cardstock and 3 sheets of (very clear) instuctions. Construction goes the same as the qubit and scimitar. You just have to cut jagged edges instead of curves such as the scimitar ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Turbo Delta Flying Saucer 18mm (4") By Mark Kulka

    Brief: A new version of Art's popular 18mm Delta Saucer that has been streamlined in profile and in price. After seeing how this new version flies, you may have to revise your notions about the potential performance of UFO-style rockets. Construction: This kit was tucked in as a complementary gift with my recent order of a couple of Art's saucer kits. At the time, it had not ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Ultra Delta Flying Saucer By Dick Stafford

    This is a simplified version (if you can believe that) of Art's 24mm Delta Flying Saucer . The kit is all cardstock and can be built with either an 18mm or 24mm motor mount. The kit contains two sheets of cardstock, containing seven parts to be cut out. Materials required are scissors, hobby knife with new blade, Elmer's white glue, new or used engine casing, cellophane tape, and ballpoint ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Ultra Delta Flying Saucer By Bob Cox

    Overview A cardstock flying saucer that can be built to fly on 18mm or 24mm engines. Kit Specifications Diameter - 6 inches (15cm) Height - 2.75 inches (7cm) Weight - 0.5 oz (12gm) Background: Art Applewhite specializes in finless rockets that can be built from cardstock and foamboard. He sells a kit called the Delta Flying Saucer that is built from cardstock ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Whirlwind Monocopter (24mm) By Dick Stafford

    The Whirlwind Monocopter is the 18mm Dragonfly's bigger brother and flies on 24mm motors. I had the opportunity to build and test a beta version, which was known as the Cyclone. The differences between the beta and production models are minimal. Wing: Basswood, 2" x 10" long Balance Beam: Long dowel Center, Center & Motor Supports: Basswood and short dowels Motor Mount Tube: ...

  • Art Applewhite Rockets Yamikazi By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 10/24/07) Brief: This is a quick and dirty saucer-style rocket based on a yarmulke that I got at a Jewish wedding that I attended. The way I built it, it was ARF (almost ready to fly), but then, I cheated! Modifications: I was thinking about building a custom core for the yarmulke when I found the Ultra Delta Saucer fit just nicely. I cut a ...

  • Art of Scale Model Rocketry Black Brant VI (Plan) By Frank Ross

    Brief: 18mm Scale model of Canadian Black Brant VI sounding rocket. Construction: BT-50, 18" PNC-50, 4:1 ogive 1/8" LL, 2" basswood fins, 4 from plans 18mm mmt (tube, block, 2 rings, engine hook) 12" parachute elastic shock cord, mount Single-page, easy to follow instructions for a simple, scale model rocket. The plans include a simple ...

  • Arthobby.com Colibri V-1M (Modification) By Chan Stevens

    This is a tale of how someone with little or no knowledge of rocket gliders or radio control was eventually able to convert a wonderful glider, through a series of failed attempts and bad ideas, into what has wound up being a decent, if not great, flyer. In the hands of someone with more experience, this would be a piece of cake and an outstanding flyer. Once I stumbled and bumbled through to a ...

  • Astro X Black Zombie 1-B By Andy Hobbs

    (by Andy Hobbs) Brief: This is a heavy mod of the Astro X Rockets Black Zombie 1-B. This kit is from Hobby Time . (They also make a Wasserfall kit.) Modifications: I did quite a few modifications to the kit so a standard kit review wouldn't be fair. It comes with a 24mm motor mount but the number and size of the fins are similar to an Estes Phoenix so I opted to use a 29mm ...

  • Atlantic Iris By Mark Sunderland

    Atlantic Rockets - Iris (by Mark Sunderland)  The Atlantic Rockets Iris is one of my favorite rockets, because it is always a good stable flyer. It flies well with a variety of motors.  Construction:  The instruction sheet was very basic, but if you've built a few kits, this shouldn't be a problem. I saved the Motor mount tube and rings they gave me for another rocket, ...

  • Atlantic Rockets ASP By Jim Stuckman

    - by Jim Stuckman  The Atlantic Rockets Atmospheric Sounding Projectile (A.S.P.) is considered a Large Model Rocket (LMR) and is designed to use composite E & F Motors. It is an impressive model when assembled, 2.6" diameter and 50" long. If you are thinking about trying something a little larger than Estes has to offer, this could be a kit for you. CONSTRUCTION: ( ...

  • Atlantic Rockets IRIS By Bob Wicker

    ( Contributed - by Bob Wicker) Brief Standard four fin configuration, with nylon parachute. Construction Packaging was standard plastic with enclosed directions and photo of the completed model. All the parts were included and in good shape. The directions are clear and accurate, the model is not difficult, anyone with some experience will have no trouble. It is laid our EXACTLY ...

  • Atlantic Rockets V2 (ARCRK) By Frank Burke

    ( Contributed - by Frank Burke)  This kit is a really nice sized V-2, for D-12-5 and E-15-7 engines, and possibly lower thrust 24mm F engines.  The kit came nicely bagged, and had a fairly thorough two page instruction sheet, with a third page of drawings. The construction is of Estes' type 2.6" body tube, Estes' type nose cones (bottom cone cut off to the proper ...

  • B2 Rocketry Company Cert 3 Parachute By Douglas Gerrard

    The following excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the link above. (Extreme ...

  • B2 Rocketry Company SkyAngle Parachute (Other Product) By Bob Thompson and Sunny Sisk

    The following article is from "High Power Rocketry" magazine. This information represents only a small portion of the contents of "High Power Rocketry". We strongly suggest that you subscribe to "High Power Rocketry". By doing so you will find many color pictures, articles, launch reports and projects primarily associated with High Power Rocketry activities.  For more information, use ...

  • B2 Rocketry Company SkyAngle Parachute By Darrell Mobley

    B2 Rocketry - Sky Angle Parachute review is provided courtesy of: b 2 Rocketry's NEW 'SkyAngle' Parachutes! Savannah, Georgia -- Competition has always bred innovation and consequently innovation has led technology. Given such, new technology is indeed brewing in this Southeastern Georgia town, in the form of innovative recovery devices. Savannah, Georgia, USA is the home of Mike ...

  • Ballistic Bob The Christmas Tree By John Thompson

    Brief: The Christmas Tree is a unique and festive rocket to fly for the holidays. It is light enough to where you really does not need a parachute. It flys straight, and it is straight forward in design. My son and wife had fun decorating the Tree before its maiden flight. I have flown it at least ten times now and it is always an eye catcher. Construction: Two 29 milimeter body ...

  • Balsa Machining Service Astron Drifter (Clone of the Month) By John Lee

    The Atron Drifter is an old line Estes kit that Balsa Machining produces a kit for. The kit comes with materials except for parachute and decals. I got a set of the classic decals from Excelsior. The kit is also sold without plans but a web address is given to download them. The first step in construction is to locate the coupler tube and the ring(s) intended to be fitted to the end. I was ...

  • Balsa Machining Service Astron Drifter By Chan Stevens

    Balsa Machining Service began offering a Clone of the Month kit in the spring of 2008. Under this program, an old classic kit would be offered in bag-of-parts format (no instructions), minus any chute or streamer, and pre-order only. By accumulating all the orders, Bill could run a single large batch, have little or no leftover materials, and make this a very affordable offering--kits ...

  • Balsa Machining Service Astron Invader (Clone of the Month) By Chan Stevens

    Best described as a flying pie plate, this is another in the BMS clone of the month program offerings. This particular kit is a clone of the K-19 Astron Invader, introduced in the 1966 Estes catalog, making the original only a year younger than this modeler. Designed to be a spit-motor glider, it's a very finicky design but worth the effort for a decent glide. There is a bit of ...

  • Balsa Machining Service Astron Invader (Clone of the Month) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: I won this kit in EMRR's end-of-2009 Quarterly Rocket Give-Away, so I'll first give a hat tip to Nick. {TIP} This clone of the Estes K-19 Astron Invader is a odd-roc glider that has been described as a Flying Pie Plate . Its flight profile has been questionable, so Of Death belongs in the nickname too. So, that's what I'll call mine. After reading the reviews and given my ...

  • Balsa Machining Service F.S.I. Viking (Clone of the Month) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Viking is the initial monthly offering (hopefully to be followed by more) by Balsa Machining Services. Originally produced by Flight Systems, Incorporated, the Viking is a unique looking tube finned, minimum diameter bird with what should be the potential for "outasight" flights (to borrow an old Estes phrase). The parts list: 2 T50H body tubes 9" length 3 bias cut T50H tube ...

  • Balsa Machining Service F.S.I. Viking (Clone of the Month) By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This was the first of BMS's recent Clone of the Month program offerings and is a reproduction, slightly upscaled, of the 1971 Viking I produced by Flight Systems Inc. There were 4 versions of the Viking that year with minor differences in length and tube/fin styling. This version uses purely tube fins for stability with none of the fin tabs or braces used in other versions. ...

  • Balsa Machining Service School Rocket By Geof Givens

    Brief: The BMS School Rocket is a small, traditional 4-fin rocket. BMS is a good low-power parts supplier for scratch builders. This the first time I built a pre-packaged kit from them. It is 14" long with BT-50 airframe and 18mm motor mount, weighing only about 1 1/2oz finished, much of which was extra nose weight we added (see below). My daughter and I built this kit ...

  • Balsa Machining Service School Rocket By Bernard Cawley

    Brief: The BMS School Rocket is a basic four fin and a nose cone streamer recovery beginner rocket that is well thought out and well executed. It has a few interesting features including through-the-wall fin mounting for extra ruggedness and laser etched lines to tell you where to put the centering rings on the motor mount and the launch lug on the body. It's a little larger and ...

  • Banshee and StingRay to Sting-Shee (Modification) By Mark Fisher

    The Sting-Shee is a combination of two of Estes more popular E2X kits into a high flying, payload-carrying two stage rocket. It's appearance is reminiscent of many ship-to-air missiles like the Talon. It's not the cheapest two stager you can buy, but it sure does look cool. (I've left the decals off mine, but it would probably look neat with them applied, too.) It's a simple bash, requiring no ...

  • Bif's Rocket Emporium Papernator (Plan) By Nick Esselman

    (04/01/04) Searching around on the EMRR Affiliates Links Page , I went to Clive Davis' page and found his free paper rocket: Bif's Rocket Emporium Papernator. After doing a number of free rockets found throughout the Internet ( See my "Free" Paper-Rocket Comparison Page ), I decided to add one more to the series. Clive's rocket plan was entered into FlisKits' Design of ...

  • BigRedBee BeeLine Transmitter By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The BigRedBee (BRB) BeeLine Transmitter is a radio beacon rocket locator device. It can fit in tubing as small as BT-50 (24mm), can transmit on a user adjustable frequency in the 420MHz-450MHz range, and weighs less than 1oz with the BRB rechargeable battery. [NOTE: You must be a licensed amateur radio operator to purchase and use this device. A handheld transceiver/rece ...

  • Binder Design 3.9" Avionics Bay (Other Product) By Wayne Miller

    Altimeter bay kit for 3.9inch rockets. 2 coupler tubes 4 bulkheads 2 all-threads 4 wing-nuts 4 washers 4 nuts 1 key switch Construction PRO's: Instructions were complete and easy to follow, backed up with great illustrations. Construction was easy. Only gotcha is the cutting out of airframe hole for switch to go in. No special tools are needed. Summary: PRO's: ...

  • Binder Design 3.9" Avionics Bay By Jon Hatch

    (by Jon Hatch - 06/01/03) Construction: The Parts list is as follows: 4" long section of 3.9" body tube 6" couplers Outer bulkheads to cap the ends of the couplers and slide inside the BT of your rocket Inner bulkheads that just fit inside the tube couplers to help provide a seal 12" lengths of "all-thread" Key switch Eye bolts ...

  • Binder Design Aspire By Nick Hills

    The instructions were VERY easy to follow on the Aspire. There are just nine pages! There are diagrams for every step too! The tools need to construct this rocket are: 5 minute epoxy, sandpaper, sanding sealer, CA, X-acto knife, ruler and a ball point pen.  Most of the parts fit fine. The launch lug needs to be replaced, because it is VERY tight on any 1/4" launch rod. I found ...

  • Binder Design Bat By Herb Estus

    The Bat is a very stable flying model and is designed for 29mm motors. A great small field performer! The Bat was designed for the beginner or sport flyer in High Power Rocketry. The following was included in the kit, which came packed in a plastic bag with all the parts in their own plastic bags. 1 — 4" Ogive Nosecone 16 1/4" long 1 — 4"x24" Body Tube 1 — 29mm ...

  • Binder Design California Kid By Sean Gorman

    Brief: I recently purchased a Binder California Kid rocket so I could obtain my Level 2 certification. It turned out to be a smart choice. I ordered the kit directly from Mike Fisher at Binder because of his quick responses to questions and the $10 discount on the proper avionics bay if purchased at the same time as the kit. Nice perk! The kit arrived via USPS in perfect ...

  • Binder Design Dragonfly By Michael Verbeek

    (09/10/02) It is always nice to see a little uniqueness in rocket designs and that is exactly what Binder Designs' new (for 2002) Dragonfly has. Its fins, length and finish recommendations are all to help it look like a Dragonfly. According to Binder, the kit is " geared for the beginner to mid/high power ". I would agree, as it is a very straight-forward kit to build. But ...

  • Binder Design Dragonfly By Michael Verbeek

      Picture Courtesy of Binder Designs Single stage with four fins placed not at 90 degrees to each other - to mimic a dragon fly. The kit consisted of (1) paper body tube slotted for fin placement, a nose cone, plywood centering rings and pre-cut plywood fins (fins are mounted to the motor mount), a 29mm paper tube motor mount, a fin alignment guide, the Dragonfly decals and CP, CG ...

  • Binder Design Excel (38mm) By Leigh Metzroth

    A 3FNC single-stage rocket with an 11" payload section, a 38mm motor mount, and a 30-inch parachute. Modifications: This kit comes with two body tubes (23", 11"), 38mm motor mount tube, tube coupler, aircraft plywood bulkhead, pre-cut aircraft plywood fins, two centering rings (mine came with the older style masonite rings, however the newer kits come with aircraft plywood), nosecone, ...

  • Binder Design Excel Jr. By Kevin Johnson

    ( Contributed - by Kevin Johnson - 11/01/02) Brief: Smaller version of the popular Excel rocket. Construction: 2.6 inch pre-slotted BT 2.6 inch payload bay coupler and bulkhead 29mm motor mount Plywood TTW fins and centering rings Lots of tubular nylon 2 quick links and eye bolts 18" nylon parachute Plastic nose cone 3 plastic rivets 2 vinyl decals ...

  • Binder Design Excel Jr. By Stu Valenton

    Brief: The Excel Jr. is a scaled down model of their 4" Excel HPR kit and designed to fly on most E through G engines. Construction: The rocket components consist of: pre-slotted quality tubes, nose cone, 3 pre-cut plywood fins, centering rings, 18" chute, shock cord, and rail buttons. PROs: The reason I chose Binder Design is because I had heard their directions ...

  • Binder Design Excel Plus (38mm) By Shelly Hattan

    ( Contributed - by Shelly Hattan - 11/25/00) Picture courtesy of Binder Design Brief: A tall 3FNC single-stager with a large payload section, a 38mm motor mount, and a 36-inch parachute. Construction: The kit comes with two tubes, a main body tube and a payload section. The payload section is what differentiates the kit from the standard Excel. The Excel Plus comes with 3 pre-cut ...

  • Binder Design Excel By Jonathan Carter

    Built with 54mm mount and 38mm adapter. 24" payload tube and Binder Avionics bay added and used for dual deployment. Stock 10" payload tube with bulkheads added to provide method of adding forward weight. Modifications: This rocket was used for my level 1 Cert flight and will be used without modification for my level 2 cert flight. It flew perfectly on a Loki Research I405 to 1633 ft. It ...

  • Binder Design Galaxy By Todd Bavery

    Brief: Designed for the advanced builder and sport flyer, the Galaxy is a 4" dia. High Power Rocket with a retro look. It comes with unique aluminum nozzle and motor retainer and rail buttons! Fly it on an H or I for your Level 1 certification, and then stick a J or K motor in it for your Level 2 flight and watch it scream. Picture courtesy of Binder Design Construction: ...

  • Binder Design Gangsta By Frank G. Whitby

    Picture Courtesty of Binder Design      Brief: Binder Design’s Gangsta is a single stage, 2.6-inch diameter, 29mm, four-finned sport rocket, measuring 24.25-inches in length. I wonder if a black rocket named Gangsta is politically correct, yet I’m drawn to it because of the unique fin design and long nose cone on such a stubby rocket. ...

  • Binder Design Gangsta By Frank G. Whitby

    Brief: Scott Fisher sold me a bunch of these kits for use in a rocketry class taught at the University of Utah Museum of Natural Sciences in the fall of 2006. Photo Courtesy of Binder Design Construction: The experience with the Gangsta kit was excellent. A dozen 4th and 5th graders put these kits together on a Saturday morning, requiring about 3 hours of class time. ...

  • Binder Design IRIS (54mm) By Kent Newman

    ( Contributed - by Kent Newman - 03/01/02) The Rocket One of the highest flying, straightest trajectory and coolest Estes rockets I ever had was the "Iris". The medium body length and four big fins of this rocket resulted in one great flight after another. Scaled after an early 60's sounding rocket, Binder Design has another excellent kit for those that like to build sport ...

  • Binder Design IRIS (54mm) By Francis I. Reachmack

    Brief: Single motor, scale of early 60's sounding rocket. No special features, just for rocket launching fun! Construction: All aspects of packaging, instructions, illustrations, etc., were good. No problems understanding the construction process and building the kit. The one major glitch with the particular kit I received was the fins. Not only were all 4 (3/16 plywood) fins ...

  • Binder Design Jaguar By Erick R. McDaniel

    Photo courtesy of Binder Designs The Binder Design Jaguar is a single-stage, level one rocket, with a sleek, skinny appearance. It's sport features make it very versatile on the field, as it can be altered to complete a variety of different tasks. A 30. parachute handles recovery. The components included in the kit are all parts to complete the basic rocket, along with detailed ...

  • Binder Design Raptor (Cobra) By Bob Fortune

    ( Contributed - by Bob Fortune) General The Binder Cobra (or the rocket formally known as Raptor) is a 4" x 84" rocket that comes stock with 54 mm motor mount. The rocket can be flown with a hybrid motor with additional 54 mm motor mount tube (not supplied) as it comes stock with about 14" of tube. Fins mount through the wall to the motor mount tube and are secured by ...

  • Binder Design Raptor (Cobra) By Alex Marcum

    Brief: The Binder Design Raptor is a single stage 4 inch diameter kit. It has a 54mm motor mount and comes with high quality paper body tubes and laser cut fins. Construction: The Raptor came with two 36" body tubes and an Ace nose cone. The body tubes are paper and BSD style with a glassine coating. It comes with one paper coupler, one bulkhead, 3 plywood centering ...

  • Binder Design Samurai (38mm) By Simon Crafts

    Brief: The Binder Design Samurai is a single stage, high powered sport rocket available with either a 38mm or 54mm motor mount. My kit is the 38mm version. The rocket features 8 cut, matched, and sanded plywood fins with a fin alignment guide, mid-separation with a 34" payload bay, a pre-marked booster for cutting fin slots and placing lugs or buttons, and a 45" parachute. ...

  • Binder Design Sentinel (54mm) By A. Jeffrey Goldstein

    Built as specified, this single stage rocket from Binder Design with 54mm motor mount and a planned parachute recovery at apogee separation totally dependent upon the motor's delay charge. The rocket stands 7' tall and is quite impressive, even for a 4" rocket. This is quite a nice project for a Level 2, although it could be flown for both Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications. 54mm Motor Mount ...

  • Binder Design Spike By Ken Johnson

    ( Contributed - by Ken Johnson) Brief: Single stage rocket capable of "I" engine flights with awesome flights on F and G. Construction: The Binder Design kit was complete and in good condition. The kit was purchased at a local hobby shop because of its ability to fly on various engines. This made it possible to fly multiple times on each launch day. F and G motors are ...

  • Binder Design Stealth (38mm) By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The Binder Design Stealth is a 4" high power sport rocket with stealth fighter styling and parachute recovery. This is the 38mm version. For you hybrid motor fans, a 54mm hybrid ready version of this kit is also available. Construction: The kit came in a heavy duty plastic bag with individual sections separating the various components. I was really impressed with ...

  • Binder Design Stealth Jr. By Simon Crafts

    Brief: The Binder Design Stealth Jr is a single stage, 29mm mid-powered rocket kit with parachute recovery. The kit features four 1/8" aircraft plywood main fins, four small 1/8" aircraft plywood canard fins, a generous payload bay, 12 feet of 3/16" tubular nylon shock cord, and a 24" Binder Design premium chute. The kit includes pre-slotted airframes for an ...

  • Binder Design Thug (29mm) By Scott Pearson

    ( Contributed - by Scott Pearson ) The following text is from the Binder Design Web site and describes the Thug. **THUG** DIAMETER : 4 inches LENGTH : 33 inches MOTOR MOUNT : 29MM PARACHUTE : 24 inches If you're looking for a small performer, the Thug is for you! Designed for those wanting a 4 inch diameter sport rocket that can fly on as little as a an E motor, or you can ...

  • Binder Design Velociraptor By Todd Bavery

    ( Contributed - by Todd Bavery) Brief: Let me start by telling you that my Level 2 certi-fication flight was not successful. But that has not deterred me from recommending this kit. The re-build was very successful and the rocket re-built won Model of the month for the Novem-ber meeting of NIRA. With a few adjustments, I know this model will make it during my second attempt. Completed, ...

  • Blackhawk R&D Aerobee 150A By Nick Hills

    (by Nick Hills) Brief: This is a scale high power rocket. It's a very nice kit, which was custom made for me by Blackhawk R&D. Very easy to deal with and you get what YOU want, and for a VERY good price! Construction: The quality of the rocket was VERY nice. It used flexible phenolic for tubes, 1/4" 5 ply ply-wood for fins and centering rings, a electronics bay, PML nose ...

  • Blackhawk R&D Phoenix (5.5") By Marcus Harmon

    ( Contributed - by Marcus Harmon, Pics provided by Bob Schoner - 10/20/02) Brief: This is a Blackhawk R&D 5.5" semi-custom Phoenix. The original Phoenix had a single 54mm motor mount, and I had it changed to (5) 38mm motor mounts. The people at Blackhawk were great to work with and they produced a superb kit. Construction: The kit came with (1) 5.5" kraft paper ...

  • Blackhawk R&D SA-5 Gammon By Chuck Pierce

    ( Contributed - by Chuck Pierce - 04/01/02) Brief: Blackhawk R&D recently developed a 4-inch diameter prototype of the Russian SA-5 Gammon. After expressing much interest in the kit, Blackhawk offered me the opportunity to built and test the prototype kit, which I gladly accepted. The SA-5 is a Russian surface-to-air (SAM) with twelve fins, four external booster motors, and a single ...

  • Blackhawk R&D SAAB RB-05A By Rory Jaffe

    ( Contributed - by Rory Jaffe - 04/10/02) Picture Courtesy of Blackhawk Brief: Sport scale high power version of the SAAB Construction: The kit came with two glassine-covered body tubes, coupler, 8 nicely cut 1/4" plywood fins, 3 1/4" plywood centering rings, bulkhead plate, U-bolts, 10' tubular nylon, parachute, launch lug, and nose cone. All around high quality ...

  • BlackSky AltAcc 2A (Electronics) By David Reese

    Recording accelerometer with dual deployment recovery feature. The blacksky (little b) ALTACC 2A is a recording accelerometer unit with dual deployment, meaning it can deploy a drogue chute at apogee and a main chute at 500 feet. It is solidly built and uses surface mount components for extra durability. The unit is very easy to use. It attaches directly to the airframe wall of your rocket ...

  • BlackSky ARRD By Thomas Rau

    ( Contributed - by Thomas Rau - 01/14/03) Brief: The BlackSky Advanced Retention and Release Device (ARRD) is a pyrotechnically activated release device. It is most commonly used to provide dual-deployment from a single compartment but can also be used to secure and release just about anything (i.e. external boosters). Construction: The ARRD is 2.10 inches long and is 1.245 inches in ...

  • BlackSky E-jector By Thomas Rau

    ( Contributed - by Thomas Rau - 02/01/03) Brief: The BlackSky E-Jecter is a 16mm diameter, 56mm long anodized aluminum tube to contain your ejection charge. It can hold up to 4cc of Pyrodex or black powder and 2 e-matches. Construction: The E-Jecter's red anodized aluminum tube has one threaded end. This screws onto a threaded base which can contain up to two e-matches and is ...

  • BlackSky ProPadOne By Jeff Brundt

    The following excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the link above. (Extreme ...

  • BlackSky Rail Guide System By Darrell Mobley

    BlackSky - Rail System review is provided courtesy of: Using the blacksky rail system! Getting a nice, straight boost of your high power rocket has generally meant one thing in the past -- use a rail launcher. Unfortunately, it also meant that you were going to be building your own, since there were no commercial units available. Consider that past history, because black sky ...

  • BlackSky T2 Timer By Jeff Brundt

    The following excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the link above. (Extreme ...

  • Bo-Mar Alpha B By

  • Bo-Mar Spartan (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The inspiration for this project was born out of desperation and boredom.  Nothing at any of the plan sites seemed to interest me and one night at work I started looking through all the catalogs at Ninfinger and YORP.  I realized that there were a lot of different builds from a lot of different companies that most had never heard of, not to mention seen at the pads.  Bo-Mar ...

  • BonNova Altimate I By Thomas Beach

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport ...

  • Booster Vision Mini GearCam By Joe Policy

    ( Contributed - by Joe Policy - 05/10/05) Brief: The BoosterVision Mini Gearcam Combo with 14db Antenna is a great way to get started in video rocketry. I purchased mine with a LOC/Precision Weasel which is a great carrier for the camera. This combo is FCC labeled so you do not need a license to operate it and transmits at 2.4ghz. Construction: The kit includes: 1 ...

  • BoRocks Rocketry Critter By Jonah Dahncke

    Brief: This is basically a modified Fat Boy for 24mm engines with a 18in parachute. It can fly straight, but requires testing and at least 1 ounce of nose weight. Construction: This kit comes with about a 9 inch BT-80. This kit uses a 2 inch, 3/16ths inch launch lug. It has a balsa nose cone with a eyelet required and a need to add 1 ounce of nose weight. The fins are balsa and ...

  • BoRocks Rocketry Flechette 60 Plus By Craig Swinson

    Brief: The Flechette 60P is a new rocket from BoRocks!, a new rocket company. The 60P is a limited edition kit that has become so popular that it was already re-released as a non-limited edition kit. The newer ones are not signed and not numbered. The 60P also distinguishes itself from the 60 as the 60P is set up for 24mm motors and the 60 is set up for 18mm motors. Con ...

  • BoRocks Rocketry Mega Mag! By Frank Casey

    Brief: This rocket is called the "Mega Mag!". It is a beta kit from BoRocks Rocketry. The rocket wasn't in kit form at the time of this review. It came in a LARGE box. Construction: The parts were all very high quality and include: Four BT-80 tubes, 18" each High quality (close to foot long) balsa nose cone Sunward 3x24 motor mount kit ...

  • Boyce Aerospace Mercury Redstone By Dave Reynolds

    ( Contributed - by Dave Reynolds)  Note: For more Mercury Redstone pictures, visit Dave's site. This is a 1:17.5 scale model of the Mercury Redstone that boosted the first man into space, Alan Shepard. The model stands almost 5' tall (58") and is 4" in diameter. This is such an impressive model that it is such a shame that Boyce Aerospace is going to stop producing ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry 38 Special By Scott Pearson

    Brief: The 38 Special is labeled as a High performance 3 inch diameter rocket designed for G through J motors. It includes double tubing (for added strength and durability), 11 inch payload bay, a 38mm motor mount, vinyl decals, motor retention, and rail buttons. Construction: I bought the kit directly from BSD, which came in the mail in a timely manner and well packed in a sturdy ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry 54 Special By Brian Allen Kuehn

    Brief: I am building this rocket for my high power level 2 certification. I will be putting it up as a dual deploy with a G-Whiz MC electronics package deploying an 18" drogue at apogee and a 54" main at 800' AGL. Construction: There is a booster section with a 54mm motor mount. I will probably use an adapter to put it up for the first flights on 38mm motors. There is a ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Apache By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The BSD Apache is a sleek, single stage high power sport rocket with boat tail and elliptical fins designed for high performance flights. The description on the BSD website includes, "this is a 'builder's kit' where previous (high power) rocket building experience is highly recommended". The Apache would also be a good candidate to be modified for hybrid use. ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Canadian Sprint By Ken Bracey

    ( Contributed - by Ken Bracey - 12/10/01) Brief: The BSD Canadian Sprint is a slightly modified version of the original Sprint rocket. The rocket is a large mid-power rocket that is suitable to go high power and is a great choice for the level one flyer. It has a 38mm motor mount to accept Cessaroni Pro38 motors which are readily available in Canada. A 38 to 29mm motor adapter is ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Canadian Sprint By Edward Horabin

    Brief: I bought the Sprint as a relatively cheap, easy to build rocket that could fly on G motors and could also be used for my UKRA Level 1 flight. Due to the lack of Aerotech motors in the UK, I needed to have a 38mm motor mount to use the Pro 38 range of motors. The Canadian Sprint had this as standard and so seemed the obvious choice. I had heard of the high quality of BSD kits ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Canadian Sprint By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is BSD's 38mm version of their 3" Sprint. It is called the Canadian Sprint due to it's 38mm motor mount which is perfect for using Cesaroni Pro38 reloads since they are easy to get in Canada. It's a single staged high power rocket that uses parachute recovery. This rocket is named the "Texan Sprint". The name "Sprint" is based on the vintage Estes ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Diab-Glo By Steve Jurvetson

    Brief: The BSD Diab-Glo is a single stage specialty night launch rocket festooned with multi-color blinking LEDs and parachute recovery. Construction: One clear fiberglass 4” body tube. Transparent nose cone with U-bolt attachment. Three ¼” wood fins. Wood centering rings and bulkheads plus one transparent plexiglass centering ring for internal light ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Diablo (3") By Jason Vennard

    (by Jason Vennard - 11/21/03) Brief: This is a downsized version of BSD Rocketry's 4" Diablo. 3" Diameter by 26" in length qualifies it for a stubby rocket classification. Otherwise your basic 3 FNC style rocket made for mid and high power loads; a nicely versatile rocket. Construction: Components included one body tube, nosecone, motor tube, 3 1/8" pl ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Diablo By Nick Esselman

    (05/25/00) Recently BSD High Power Rocketry has started selling kits again and although they are a new name, they are not new to rocketry. BSD is run by Scott Binder who initially designed all of the Binder Design kits. So, now operating under BSD High Power Rocketry, Scott is offering several kits but one in particular caught my eye. The Diablo. It is what I call a "stubby" ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Diablo By Mark A Brown

    (by Mark A Brown - 11/20/01) Brief: The BSD Diablo is a short, fat, 3 finned rocket with a wicked look. With its 38mm motor mount, it definitely is designed for HPR. However, with a 29mm adapter this rocket can be flown on some G motors without any problems due to its relatively low weight. Construction: The kit has relatively few parts. They include: a 17" LOC style body ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Horizon (3") By Peter Valenteen

    Brief: The 3" Horizon is an easy to build sturdy mid-power kit geared towards mid-power beginners. It flies on a single 29mm motor, RMS or SU. Modifications: Recovery system as detailed below. Construction: -3" diameter tube 26" in length -12" plastic nosecone with 2" shoulder -three 1/8" thick plywood fins that go to the motor mount -two ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Horizon (3") By Mark Morris

    Brief: The BSD 3" Horizon is a wonderful kit designed for the builder new to high power rocketry. It flies on 29mm SU or RMS motors from G to low H power. This was my first HPR rocket. Construction: The kit went together very easily with extremely clear, well written, and detailed instructions, including many black and white photos of the build process. Construction starts ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Horizon (5.5") By Clay Kremer

    Brief: A 5.5" dual deployment L3 rocket. Construction: The kit comes with everything you need except chutes and electronics. It uses 1/4" Baltic birch for the bulkheads, centering rings, and electronics board. It uses 3/16" Baltic birch for the fins. The airframe is 5.5" Loc tubing and coupler, the nose cone is plastic. The 5/16" tubular nylon for the ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Horizon 54 (4") By Hans Marx

    Brief: The BSD Horizon 54 is a stretched version of the famous Horizon 4" sport rocket and has a 54mm motor mount. Construction: The kit includes 2 4" BSD tubes, 1 coupler tube, 3 cut and sanded 3/16" aircraft quality plywood fins, centering rings, a bulkhead plate, high quality hardware package, a 54mm motor tube, a nice plastic nose cone, a 36" nylon ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Horizon By Gene Wolski

    BSD Horizon (4") with 38mm motor mount.  I flew this rocket stock for my Level 1, and I later modified it to use dual deployment for my Level 2. Components BSD Rocketry Horizon (4" diameter) with 38mm motor mount and G-10 fins Components: Nose cone Payload section (10") Tube coupler, bulkhead plate, and hardware Booster section (24") 38mm motor tube ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Horizon By Gary Sinclair

    Fully glassed airframe and fins. External fin-can assembly with Kevlar tape reinforcement of fin to motor mount. Carbon fibre reinforced payload bay coupler. Replace shock cord with tubular nylon. Modifications: I wanted another short 4" rocket to go with my 4" Yank Bullet and the BSD Horizon seemed to fit and offered a lot of kit for a very reasonable price. As usual with my kits I like to ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Horizon By F.W. Dick

    Overview I had never built a high power kit, but after many hours searching the Internet, I felt confident in placing an order for a BSD Horizon. The company’s website was pretty adamant about the Horizon being the best way to certify Level 1. They cited simple design, strong construction and excellent instructions. I knew that since I had no high power experience I would need all of the ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Intrepid By Eric Fadely

    Brief: The BSD Intrepid is a 2-stage interchangeable high powered rocket. Versions can be 38mm boost to a 29mm rocket, a single stage 29mm rocket, or a single stage 38mm rocket. Dual deployment was altered and timer bay was added by the builder. Construction: Body tube material is the typical glassine coated cardboard. Fins and bulkheads were aircraft quality 3/16" plywood. ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Iris (4) By Keenan Cox

    Brief: This is a great sport scale kit that can be easily modified for dual deployment. Construction: The parts list: 1 4" nosecone 1 17" payload bay 1 34" airframe 4 1/4" plywood fins 1 tube coupler 1 laser-cut bulk head 3 laser-cut centering rings 1 54mm motor mount tube 1 36" parachute 1 tubular nylon shock ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Little John By Jim Hendricksen

    Brief: This is a great kit for some one wanting to try dual deployment for the first time. A great looking sport scale rocket that comes with almost everything you need, altimeter bay, tubular nylon (rather than elastic shock cord supplied standard!), rail buttons, and launch lug (giving you a choice depending on your clubs launching pad set up). The only thing you need to add are a ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Sprint XL By Roger McMinn

    ( Contributed - by Roger D. McMinn - 11/25/00) Brief: BSD Rocketry's Sprint XL is a budget-priced mid to high power design with elliptical fins and a 10" payload section. I used the payload section to house a Missile Works RRC2 altimeter for altitude verification and possible future use as a redundant recovery device. Construction: I ordered my Sprint XL from Lawndart Rocketry ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Sprint By Jason Vennard

    Brief: This is the newest version of BSD Rocketry's Sprint. Larger in size, 3" diameter by nearly 58" long. Three elliptical fins and an approximately 11" payload section. Made for mid and high power loads, a nicely versatile rocket. Construction: The kit includes pre-cut and sanded 3/16" aircraft quality plywood fins, high strength airframe tube and coupler, ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Sprint By David Dornblaser

    ( Contributed - by David Dornblaser - 11/01/00) Picture is of the Sprint XL (adds payload) courtesy of BSD Rockets Brief: BSD Rocketry's Sprint is a single stage, 29 mm, 2.6 diameter, 47 inch long rocket. If you are considering a rocket that will fly on F & G motors and is also sturdy enough to fly on 29 mm H's you should look into BSD's Sprint. The Sprint has very detailed ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Thor (3") By Joseph Michel

    Brief: I wanted a 3" BSD THOR ever since they first came out. I really like the idea of having smaller, high performance rocket. After doing a couple of scratchbuilt HPR rockets, I felt that building a kit would be a nice break from designing rockets and chasing parts for them. This rocket is 3" in diameter, and stands 64" tall. It has six fins and is dual ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Thor By Gary Sinclair

    ( Contributed - by Gary Sinclair) Brief: Kevlar ® /Fiberglass body with Carbon Fibre reinforced fins mounted externally to the motor mount. Giant leap electronics bay added for dual deployment. All thread reinforcement of zipperless fin-can. Nosecone reinforced and thickened with fiberglass. Internal nosecone all-thread and bulkhead added for recovery harness attachment. Mo ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Thor By Allan Trau

    When I purchased my BSD Thor, I knew I would also need to purchase new motor hardware. So I also purchased a 38mm set with a 38-240, 360 and 480 case. I also purchased a PML 54mm to 38mm adaptor to allow me to fly the 54mm-based Thor on my new hardware. So needless to say, this was a large outflow of money to venture into the largest rocket I have built. Is it the tallest I've built? No, the ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Thor By Allan Trau

    (by Allan Trau - 07/01/02) Brief: Single stage, dual deployment capable, three split-fin design. Construction: The kit includes: 3 body tubes, 34" aft, 10" electronics payload, 24" forward 2 coupler tubes 3 plywood centering rings 3 aft 3/16" plywood fins 3 fore 3/16" plywood fins plastic nose cone 45" nylon chute 20' elastic ...

  • BSD High Power Rocketry Thor By Chuck Pierce

    ( Contributed - by Chuck Pierce - 04/01/03) Mark Saunders, of BSD High Power Rocketry, graciously donated a 4" Thor kit for a raffle prize, for the Huntsville Area Rocketry Association's (HARA) Rocket City Blastoff (RCBO), October 2002. I was the lucky winner of this kit, and as such, would like to reward Mark's generosity by posting this review to RMR. I approached Mark during ...

  • Budget Rocketry Launch Lugs By Nick Esselman

    (10/15/00) One would wonder how to review Launch Lugs. I'm not anticipating a long, drawn out review on them, but I do want to mention my thoughts on Budget Rocketry's 1/4" Launch Lugs. I used them on my BSD Diablo and have an extra set for a new scratch build that I am working on. They come in 3/16" and 1/4". Budget Rocketry says, " Our lugs are hard plastic, 2 ...

  • Budget Rocketry Motor Retainers By Nick Esselman

    I noticed (10/15/00) Budget Rocketry's 29mm and 24mm Motor Retainer when surfing their website and decided to give them a try. So far, I have only incorporated one 29mm Retainer into my BSD Diablo . They come in 24, 29, and 38mm. CONSTRUCTION: Construction is straight-forward, however, Budget Rocketry provides an instruction sheet. Also included in the 29mm kit is a washer, ...

  • C.A.R.D.E. Systems C.A.R.D.E. 4443 By Mark Simpson

    ( Contributed - by Mark Simpson - 01/14/03) At first glance, you ask yourself "Is this a rocket kit?" But upon further examination, you're certain that it's something very strange. The C.A.R.D.E. 4443 isn't your typical three fins and a nosecone rocket kit and the finished product isn't your typical rocket. In fact, there isn't a traditional nosecone or fins. It is something ...

  • Canaroc FK-3 (Plan) By Bill Eichelberger

    In my quest to have as many new or old rocket companies as possible represented in my fleet, it was inevitable that I'd eventually find the road to Canaroc.  I'd chased several kits on Ebay over the years, seldom coming within sniffing distance, but forever intrigued.  I'd built the two upscales by Sunward, but I'd never tried to approximate a 1:1 bird.  I got ...

  • Caveman Rocketry Der Red Max By Tim Doll

    The Caveman "Der Red Max" is ostensibly a clone of the classic Estes "Der Red Max", first released in 1971 as part of the Estes Citation line. Although it is really just a simple 3FNC rocket, the politically incorrect, silly "Hogan's Hero's German" humor and skull & crossbones motif made "Der Red Max" a popular, fun rocket. The Estes Der Red Max was discontinued in 1986, however cloning ...

  • Caveman Rocketry Goblin By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Brief: This is a clone of the famous Estes Goblin. The kit includes 1 BT, 4 precut balsa fins, plywood CR's, an exact replica of the Estes Goblin nose cone, a 1/4 inch launch lug, Kevlar shock cord and a 12 inch nylon parachute. The instructions are poor but then who needs them? I think I had this kit together in less than an hour. I used Titebond wood glue for the assembly and sanded the ...

  • Caveman Rocketry Magnum Opus By Robin Trap

    Single stage mid power rocket with parachute recovery. The kit contains: 2 cardboard body tubes 3 plywood fins (1mm thick) 2 plywood centering rings cardboard motor mount tube 24mm x 10 inches long Kevlar shock cord, 40 inches long cardboard thrust ring plastic nose cone 18 inch rip stop nylon parachute launch lug With simple and straightforward ...

  • Caveman Rocketry MicroHybrid By Art Applewhite

    Brief: I was bitten by the microhybrid bug about a year ago. At first, it looked as though I would have to buy a small metal lathe and machine my own motor from Rene Caldera's plans (link-out dead). Fortunately I found Caveman Rocketry's web site . They are a mail order rocket supplier in the Netherlands that sell an improved version of Rene Caldera's basic design. Caveman Rocketry also ...

  • Caveman Rocketry Sonic Plop By Robert Runnalls

    ( Contributed - by Robert Runnalls - 06/01/02) Brief: Your basic 4 fins and a nose cone rocket designed to go SUPERSONIC. Construction: The kit contains: 1 - Resin poured conical nose cone 5" visible, 1" shoulder. C/W center embedded eye screw. 1 - 12" extra thick 29mm phenolic body tube. 1 - 29mm aluminium Baffle system 1 - Steel wool for baffle 1 - ...

  • Caveman Rocketry SuperG By Nick Esselman

    (05/10/03) Caveman Rocketry asked me to beta-test a new idea they had called CCD (Cut Cost Down). The thought is that instead of shipping the whole rocket kit from the Netherlands to U.S., they would only ship the unique parts and the modeler would purchase the remainder parts from local sources. It would be cheaper, because Caveman uses parts that come of the U.S. and have to pass on ...

  • CEN-TECH Model 90899 Multimeter (Other Product) By Dick Stafford

    How many times have you forgot to bring a multimeter to a launch and found yourself scrounging one to check continuity or battery voltage? I almost never brought one and couldn't seem to justify buying a second one to leave in the range box. Harbor Freight recently opened a store nearby and I ran across the perfect solution to my problem: a $3.99 DMM manufactured by CEN-TECH . The CEN-TECH ...

  • Centuri Alien Scoutship Flying Saucer By

  • Centuri Black Widow By Drew Tomko

    Brief: A clone of the classic Centuri two-stage Black Widow using Semroc parts. The "unique gliding booster" feature is a great crowd pleaser. Semroc has all the parts including the outside passport stage coupler with pre-drilled holes, decal, and a beautiful set of laser-cut fins that includes the balsa fin fillets for the booster. Construction: Parts list with Semroc ...

  • Centuri Centuri Design Contest X-Wing Fighter (Plan) By

  • Centuri Excalibur By Bill Cooke

    Brief: A sleek scale-like rocket that first appeared in the 1972 Centuri catalog. It was a favorite of mine when I was a teen--I lost a lot of them on C motors! Construction: The parts list: Semroc BC-730 3" parabolic nose cone Semroc ST-7120 upper body tube, 12" in length, 0.759" OD (similar to BT-20) Semroc ST-8100 lower body tube, 10" in length, ...

  • Centuri Groove Tube By Jay Goemmer

    Brief: Decades before Quest Aerospace's "Totally Tubular," Custom Rockets' "Razor," and the now-defunct Rogue Aerospace's "Hex Courier," the Centuri "Groove Tube" was my first encounter with a 6-pack of tube fins. I enjoyed this kit while I was flying model rockets "back in the day" during the 1970's and found myself quite su ...

  • Centuri Mach 10 (Clone) By Bob Hvarven

    Mig 15 looking Boost-Glider with a Streamer recovery nose cone that is jettisoned and Glider recovery of main rocket. Made by Century around 1972.   Construction had some "Guesses" associated with it as the plans were not for scratch building but, came as an instruction sheet for a factory kit with all tubes cut to length and ready for assembly. The sheets came with a ...

  • Centuri Maurader (Plan) By Bob Hvarven

    ( Contributed - by Bob Hvarven)  Brief: The Maurader is a two-stage rocket originally designed to fly on 18mm motors. I upscaled it to accomodate 24mm "D" engines. Construction: The instructions consisted of some assembly sheets downloaded from JimZ. The plan was easy to follow and the assembly order was ok. The rocket is easy to build if you have ever built from ...

  • Centuri Mercury Redstone By David Montgomery

    Brief: The Centuri Mercury Redstone is a highly detailed 1/35 scale model of the launch vehicle that launched America's first men into space. It was classified as a "super-scale model" in the famous Centuri Engineering Company's line of fine scale models. It had dual parachute recovery, a baffle ejection system that eliminates the need for recovery wadding, and a very ...

  • Centuri Nike Smoke By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is the Centuri Nike Smoke (KS-15) that was offered from 1969 through 1981. It's a 1/10 scale model of the NASA weather rocket. It was called a large scale kit back then. There was a later Quest kit that had a three piece nose cone and plastic fins, yet this is the original with balsa fins, one piece nose cone and a cooling baffle. Construction: Original package ...

  • Centuri Nomad By Raul Pena

    Brief: I used to have a Centuri Nomad as part of my original fleet in the late 70s-early 80s. It was mounted on a simulated Navy double launch rack that I also scratch build. I lost track of all the rockets once I left for college and were never to be found. (I think my sisters trashed them while I was gone...) All of them are OOP at this point so I am cloning/scratchbuilding them. ...

  • Centuri Orion By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: As model rocketry crept into the 1970s, Centuri developed a knack for producing great looking kits with a sci-fi flair. One of the better looking kits of this ilk produced during this time was the Orion, a rocket that many still consider one of their all-time favorites. Large and nicely detailed, the Orion inexplicably left production in 1977 but cloning it recently became ...

  • Centuri Python Fighter By Bill Eichelberger

      The Python Fighter was one of a handful of kits produced under the Centuri name using existing Estes parts, kind of a way to familiarize loyal Centuri fans with Estes kits before the Centuri line was dropped for good in the coming years.  Only produced from 1981 to 1983, the Python Fighter used the same cockpit nose cone as the Estes kits the Manta Bomber and Attack ...

  • Centuri S.S.V. Scorpion By Larry Zeilmann

    Brief: Single stage model rocket that recovers with a dual parachutes in a unique level configuration. Almost a year or more ago I downloaded the instructions for Centuri's S.S.V. Scorpion from the JimZ web site. Of course I thought it was one of the most impressive kits from the Centuri Super Kit series. After reviewing the instructions, I put them aside because a large portion ...

  • Centuri Saturn 1B By Jeff Lane

    Brief: This is a smaller vintage Saturn 1B than the Estes version and has vacu-formed wraps. It clusters two 18mm motors and separates into an upper and lower section for recovery under two parachutes. Construction: The instructions are intricate, clear, and excellent. The original owner had done minimal work, so I was able to complete nearly the entire kit. It has a huge ...

  • Centuri ScramJet By Bill Eichelberger

    The Scram Jet along with the Nomad (and the Jayhawk in a lesser sense,) were Centuri Corporation's versions of pseudo-scale missiles. Produced from 1973-80, the original Scram Jet was powered by an 18mm engine. Switching to 13mm power was one of several mods I made in an attempt to clean up the looks of the rocket while sacrificing as little performance as possible. 15" length BT-20 ...

  • Centuri Screaming Eagle By John Lee

    Brief: This is an OOP 4FNC beginner rocket powered by 18mm motors and uses parachute recovery. My entry into rocketry came in the mid 70s when I was in 6th grade. I got a Centuri Screaming Eagle starter set. I remember knowing that it was not going to go as high as the Saturn Vs I had watched land on the moon but being cynical enough to wonder whether it would do any better than ...

  • Centuri Stiletto By Larry B. Rice

    Two-stage minimum diameter kit with pass-port staging coupler. Components Two lengths of ST-7 tubes, one for substainer, one for booster; red plastic nose cone; and balsa fins; Elastic shock cord with two one-inch crepe-paper streamers; pass-port phenolic coupler (w/two holes) Waterslide decals /h2 I bought a nearly completed kit from a former ...

  • Centuri Taurus By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: Considered by many to be one of the legendary Centuri kits, the Taurus enjoyed a ten year run in the Centuri catalogs before inexplicably disappearing in 1981, followed by the whole company a short two years later. The Taurus was always a favorite of mine, but for some reason I always considered it too challenging to be a cloning project and as a result never gave it a ...

  • Centuri Thunder Bird By Bill Cooke

    Brief: This is the long, sleek "middle brother" of the Centuri Thunder family, first introduced in 1980. (The others are the Thunder Roc and Thunder Hawk.) Construction: Parts list: 2 18" lengths of ST-10 tubing (Semroc part #: ST-10180) 1 3.9" long ogive balsa cone (Semroc part #: BC-1039) 1 coupler for ST-10 (Semroc part #: BTC-10) 1 1/8" ...

  • Centuri Thunder Roc By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: In the somewhat select world of "BIG" model rockets, ("BIG" being a relative term referring to the days before 20 foot tall high-power rockets,) few if any can hold a candle to the Estes Mean Machine from the standpoint of sheer size. While the Mean Machine does define "BIG" with authority, it also presents the modeler with a unique set of c ...

  • Centuri U.S.S. America By Larry Zeilmann

    Brief: This represents my second cloning of the four available Centuri Super kits. Like all the Super kits, the USS America is a single stage model rocket that recovers with a dual parachutes in a unique level configuration. The original kit was classified as a skill level 3 kit. As described by Centuri in their 1977 Catalog: "In the year 1983, the president approved the ...

  • Centuri UFO Invader By Larry Zeilmann

    Brief: The UFO Invader represents my third attempt at cloning one of the four available Centuri Super kits. Like all the Super kits, the UFO Invader is a single stage model rocket that recovers with a dual parachutes in a unique level configuration. The original kit was classified as a skill level three kit. ( see Larry's other Centuri Super Kits ) As described by Centuri in their ...

  • Centuri Vector V By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: Another rocket that has been in my cloning cross hairs for a long time, the Centuri Vector V always struck me as something of a complicated project despite it's relatively small size. (Paper transitions have always given me fits.) This changed when a fellow poster in the OldRockets Yahoo Group mentioned that he had drawn up a plan to turn the currently available Estes Viking ...

  • Centuri Vulcan (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    As a part of the Centuri "paper brigade" that included the Point and the X-24 Bug, the Vulcan always looked like an intriguing rocket to clone. Despite having printed out the patterns I couldn't bring myself to start the project. Something about the idea of constructing a rocket out of pre-printed paper intimidated me to no end, so the sheets sat untouched in my files for several years before I ...

  • Centuri Vulcan By John Lee

    Brief: The Vulcan is an old Centuri design made to look like an alien ship. I gets its unusual appearance by being formed from a paper shroud. It uses 18mm motors and recovers under a parachute. When I was a kid, my favorite looking rockets were the ones made from paper shrouds. That meant the "Bug" and the "Vulcan". The "Point" was already OOP by the ...

  • Centuri X-21 By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    ( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller - 11/27/05) Brief: The Centuri X-21 is a very pretty rear engine boost-glider with a payload section. Boost-to-glide transition is performed by ejecting the engine and raising elevons. Centuri offered this as a kit from 1964 to 1969. Building notes and discussion are posted in a dedicated thread at Ye Olde Rocket Forum . Construction: ...

  • Cesaroni Technologies Pro38 Motors By Lance Alligood

    Pro38 motors by Cesaroni are arguably the easiest MPR (1-grain only) and HPR (2- to 6-grain) motors available on the market today. The "38" in Pro38 means that they are 38mm diameter motors. You could go so far as to call them a reloadable motor system (RMS) that are practically single-use motors with adjustable delays. There are 6 different length casings (dependant on the number of ...

  • Cesaroni Technologies Pro54, 2 grain J210 motor (Motor) By Art Applewhite

    This was a high powered flight of an Art Applewhite Rocket 18-inch Flying Saucer using the Cesaroni Pro54, 2 Grain, J210 motor. It used aerobrake recovery. The 2 grain reload came in sealed, heavy duty plastic bag with instruction rolled and attached to the bag with a rubber band. All of this was inside a heavy cardboard tube with stapled cardboard end caps. An Oxral igniter with instructions ...

  • Checkered Flag Models Rocket Rack By Duane Boldt

    ( Contributed - by Duane Boldt - 08/05/10) Brief: Good quality rocket rack kit for storing and working on various sized rockets. Works well for model rockets with 1/8" launch lugs up through 4'-5' high power rockets with 1/4" launch lugs. Construction: Parts in Kit: 1 - Top Plate 1/2" hardboard 48"x4" 2 - Length Supports 1/2" ...

  • Checkered Flag Models Salute By Chan Stevens

    This is a fairly standard/conventional 3-fin 18mm BT-50-based model, but aimed slightly above the typical quick-build type kit. With excellent documentation, it offers an inexperienced builder the chance to slightly elevate the challenge and develop new skills as well as a better understanding of model rocket construction. Components The kit arrived in a very rugged box, with ...

  • Cherokee-D from CC Express (Modification) By Jon Revelle

    Very popular early D motor powered rocket that's a simple 3FNC design and packs a huge punch at liftoff. This kit was made with the currently available CC Express from Estes. The parts needed from the CC are: 1 BT-55 body tube 18.25" 1 NC55 nose cone 1 D motor mount launch lug 12" parachute shock cord You will also need to buy: Decals from Tango Papa or ...

  • Civil Air Patrol CAP Rocket (Plan) By Nick Esselman

    My third in the series of "paper building" of some of the free rockets throughout the Internet ( See my "Free" Paper-Rocket Comparison Page ). This one is not associated with a company that also sells rockets (like FlisKits Midnight Express™ or Model Minutes TricArrow). I downloaded the Pre-printed Pattern Sheet in MS Word format from the New Mexico Civil Air ...

  • Cliff's Review of Estes Magician #2240 By woody

    The Estes Magician is a Skill Level 3, three-finned 24mm rocket with a small playload scection. At 33 inches tall, it is said to fly to 1600 feet. Components The components in this kit are of good quality as Estes has been doing this for years. The parts consist of the basic balsa wood nose cone, transition, laser-cut fins and, as bonus, a neat fin guide tool you assemble to ...

  • Clone Alien Invader (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Despite its well thought out design and unique good looks, the Alien Invader was produced only from 1976 to 1980. It ranks alongside the Andromeda as one of my two favorite sci-fi based rockets from the golden age of Estes rocketry. (Your opinion may vary, of course. My opinion may be biased by the fact that both were among my favorites from my largely never flown 70's fleet.) Until recently, ...

  • Clone Astron Avenger (Clone) By Stefan Jones

    I've long admired the looks of the "Astron Avenger," (KA-38) a long out-of-production two-staged kit introduced by Estes in the late 60s. When the plans for the kit were posted on "JimZ's" wonderful site, I decided to have a go at re-creating it. I actually began this project in 1998! It languished, unfinished, until the summer of 2000, when I completed the arduous task of sanding, ...

  • Clone Astron Orbital Transport (Clone) By Martin Visnak

    Fantasy/Futuristic Boost Glider. The original Estes Orbital Transport kit has been out of production for a number of years. I would guess finding an original complete, unbuilt kit would be next to impossible today. If one were to find one I am sure they would pay dearly for it! This review is based on building a "clone" of the original Orbital Transport kit. I made every effort to ...

  • Clone Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper (Clone) By Frank Casey

    This is a scratchbuilt clone of the Estes Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper kit, #1310. Parts were either ordered from Semroc or I had them in my parts supply. The instructions were the original Estes instructions downloaded from JimZ's site. The decals were copied from JimZ's site and printed on white waterslide decal paper using my inkjet printer. Modifications: The only mo ...

  • Clone Battlestar Galactica Laser Torpedo (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Laser Torpedo was essentially a shortened Photon Disruptor with different decals and a Wolverine nose.  Envisioning a fleet of Wolverines, I had bought several of the cones at NARCON from BMS , then found that the Wolverine didn't fly well enough to make a fleet.  Checking John Brohm's Estes nose cone reference , I found that I had the option of building a Teros or the ...

  • Clone Centuri U.S.S. America (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    I've been a big fan of the Centuri Super Kits since I saw an E.S.S. Raven launched and treed back in 1977.  I rescued the carcass of that unfortunate victim of "launch fever", but the month+ of tree living left it too much of a project for my then meager skills.  In the years since, I've found myself planning Super Kit builds while poring over the kit instructions on JimZ's site, ...

  • Clone Cloud Hopper (Clone) By Steve Lindeman

    Cloud Hopper was my second Goonybird clone that I built by kit bashing an Estes Baby Bertha and as a result has an 18mm motor mount instead of the 13mm that the original Cloud Hopper had. Components Components used for this build were one Estes Baby Berha Kit (1261) and the plans from   http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/est0851/est0851.htm . All parts of the Baby Bertha ...

  • Clone Cyber III (Clone) By John Lee

    This is a clone of a Semroc Classic. It is an 18mm/18mm/18mm 3-stage, minimum diameter, 4FNC rocket. As a kid rocketeer, I knew of only two companies: Centuri and Estes. This was in the mid 1970s. As a very brief BAR in the early mid 90s, I could add Quest and LOC. When perusing the Semroc site, I saw that they had been around since '68. Thus far, I have been extremely happy with ...

  • Clone Dark Lander (Clone) By Moe Bertrand

    ( Contributed - by Moe Bertrand - 03/23/08) Scratch built Estes Mars Lander based on BT-101. I built this well before the Semroc Mars Lander was available. As a Jr. High School kid, I built and flew an original Estes Mars Lander in 1976. After at least one successful flight, the cool little rocket eventually went by the wayside and ended up in rocket heaven in the late 1970s. By 1989, ...

  • Clone E.S.S. Raven By Larry Zeilmann

    Over a period of seven months, I have been busy cloning a set of truly classic Centuri kits. Finally, the ESS Raven represents the last installment in my endeavor to bring back to life all four of these amazing Centuri Super Kits . The ESS Raven is a single stage model rocket that recovers in Centuri’s signature dual parachutes horizontal recovery configuration. The original kit was ...

  • Clone Estes Astron Spaceman (Clone) By Herb Estus

    This is a Clone of this OOP kit.  We call it the Rocket Boy, I would consider this a level 3 kit since you have to cut out all your balsa pieces, We where looking for something different and found this plan on JimZ website   The kit called for the following parts: body Tube BT-60J Engine holder tube BT-20J Launch Lug LL-1b Balsa stock BFS-20 Pattern Sheet SP-1 ...

  • Clone Estes Condor (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Back in 1977, the Condor was the second rocket I ever owned and the first "big" rocket I ever flew. (The Beta was my first.) This was my most prolific flier, and bore the battle scars on both booster and glider to prove it. Materials: (according to original plans. I used the closest thing available.) 1 - BT-50 1 - PNC-50 3/32" balsa stock for fins and glider body 1/16" balsa ...

  • Clone Estes Ranger (Clone) By Ray King

    I received these plans from NAR and built this as part of my NARTEK Silver achievement. In addition, this was my first cluster rocket. During the construction I made one modification, replacing the payload section with plain BT-60 body tube. The paint scheme represents the classic struggle of good vs evil--I will let you decide which team represents good and which evil. Our family is divided. ...

  • Clone Estes Sentinel (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Sentinel is a very convincing faux-missile produced by Estes from 1988 to 1994.  Originally an 18mm bird, I built my clone with a 24mm mount, a decision that I've been quite happy with.  Mine isn't a kit, but a clone built around an original PNC-60RL nose cone. Components PNC-60RL nose cone 18" BT-60 body tube BT-50 motor tube 5060 centering rings (2) ...

  • Clone Estes Sky Dart (Clone) By Jeff Brundt

    The Estes Skydart is classic design from rocketry's heyday. Designed by Larry Renger, the Skydart provides both sexy, good looks and great performance. It's a boost-glider that launches vertically and then ejects a 'power pod' at apogee. The power pod returns via parachute and the glider circles down for a gentle landing. I had built the Skydart kit in my youth but lack of age and experience ...

  • Clone Estes Tomcat (Clone) By Hank Helmen

    The Tomcat is a single stage, swing wing glider rocket. Estes used to make a Skill Level III "Challenge" series kit of this model. The wings fold back during launch then unfold during ejection via a clever valve and pin mechanism enabling a glide recovery. When finished the model resembles an F-14 Military fighter jet. It was built from plans downloaded from JimZ's Rocket plans . After ...

  • Clone Farside-X (Clone) By Stefan Jones

    The first model rocketry catalog I ever saw -- Estes' 1970 edition -- was chock-full of models that are today considered classics. For the last few years I've been recreating some of these golden oldies. One of the first recreations I started back in '98, but that I didn't finish until this summer, was the Farside-X. The Farside was Estes's first three-stage model. It came in two versions: The ...

  • Clone Goblin (Clone) By David Urbanek

    Brief: Classic Estes kit that had unique styling, good graphics and super flight characteristics. I decided to clone the classic Estes Goblin. It was a popular kit for many years with Estes, and I never owned one because I couldn't afford the D motors. The plans were from the original Estes instructions as detailed on the JimZ website . I got the parts from various places. The biggest ...

  • Clone Hawk Missile (Clone) By Mike Goss

    Intro: I have had this rocket for what seems a long time. It was getting a little ragged around the edges and looked like the perfect first clone. Once I found that the nose cones are in the BT-60 nose cone assortment , and same as the mean machine, I had to give it a try. Component Description: Once I found the nose cone the rest of the parts are easy. 3/32 balsa for the fins, and an 18" ...

  • Clone Maxi Streak (Clone) By Matthew Gillard

    Brief: The Maxi Streak #1837 is a long time OOP rocket from Estes. Got the plans off JimZ's website. It is like an upscaled mosquito with swept back fins or a streak with rounded fins and upscaled. The instructions call for a 24mm motor mount, which I changed for an 18mm mount: a D or E motor would put this thing into space. Modifications: The maxi streak is a very quick build. The ...

  • Clone Mini Bat (Clone) By Matt Gillard

    The Mini Bat is a simple balsa glider. When I first got into gliders and went looking for plans on the Internet, I waded through many that looked overly complicated and beyond my modeling experience despite having built chuck glider and RC balsa planes. The Mini Bat stood out because it has no specialist parts or moving mechanisms, just a straightforward chuck glider with a motor mount that ...

  • Clone Missile Toe (Clone) By Steve Lindeman

    Missile Toe was number three in my line of cloned Goonybirds that was built by kit bashing another Baby Bertha kit. As such the plans and decals were downloaded from Ye Old Rocket Plans (http://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/est0854/est0854.htm) and used for construction guide. Components From Baby Bertha kit: 1- BT-60 Body Tube (cut to 6" in length)   1- PNC-60 ...

  • Clone Nike Ajax (Clone) By Robert Beckey

    Brief: Single stage parachute recovery scale model rocket. 1 BT 55 10.5 in. 1 BT 50 18 in. 1 BT 20 1.5 in. 1 BT 50 5 in (engine mount) 1 TA2050 transition (2 in long) 1 BNC20N nose cone 2 1/8 x 1/16 x 36 in wood strips 5 50/55 motor mount rings 1/8 in lite ply 3/32 balsa 2 1 in. x 3/16 launch lug 36 in x ¼ elastic shock cord screw eye .5 oz ...

  • Clone Pterosaur (Clone) By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    D-powered rocket glider The parts list: 1 nose cone, BT-55, tangent ogive, 3.125" length, 3/8" tenon (BNC55AA-ish) 1 nose cone, BT-50, tangent ogive, 3" length, 3/8" tenon ( BNC50K -ish) 1 body tube, BT-55, 14" length 1 body tube, BT-55, 11" length 1 body tube, BT-50, 14" length 2 launch lugs, 1/8" diameter 1 motor block for 24 mm motor 1 retainer ring, 1/8" ...

  • Clone Scamp (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Estes Scamp hearkens back to the days when an introductory kit from Estes meant a plain cardboard body tube, balsa fins and cones, and waterslide decals instead of pre-colored tubes, plastic fins and cones, and stickers. I always thought of the Scamp as the little brother to the brawnier Goblin, and because of this, it was an early favorite of mine. (I've also long had a soft spot for ...

  • Clone Scamp (Clone) By Jason Orosco

      The Estes Scamp was production from 1977-1983. It was listed as a sports flier and is easy to clone. This was also a Estes Originally Coldpower Convertible KL-1. The plans can be found at JimZ Plans or at Ye Old Rocket Plans. The decals can be bought from Excelsior Rocketry. This is a single stage rocket with a 12" parachute. List of parts and materials: 1 BT-20J 2.75" Long ...

  • Clone Scout (Clone) By Jon Revelle

    This is Estes' first rocket. It has been out of production for a number of years. I'd say it's almost impossible to find a complete kit. This was a clone that I made out of spare parts and wood from one of my dad's busted model airplane. This kit was made from spare parts. I got the plans from Jimz and used parts from an old Mini Bertha. The rocket has tumble recovery, so no parachute or ...

  • Clone Sky Shriek (Clone) By Steve Lindeman

    The Sky Shriek was clone number four of the original Goonybirds that I built. And as such is another  kit bashed Baby Bertha . The plans were downloaded from   http://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/est0855/est0855.htm . I then followed these to build the Sky Shriek with the exception of it having an 18mm motor mount instead of the 13mm mount that was in the original. ...

  • Clone The Point By Kevin Johnson

    The Point is a rear-ejection cone shaped rocket (finless) that uses the cone as a rigid parachute for recovery. You will need: 1 BT-20 2.25 inches long 1 conical balsa nosecone (or reasonable substitute) 1 piece of 1/8 inch elastic shock cord 2 peices of heavy paper or cardstock 1/16 inch balsa sheet for internal stiffeners The instructions were clear and logical, with ...

  • Clone Wolverine (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    My first Estes catalog was a dog-eared, second-hand copy of the 1977 edition. This was my first hint that model rocketry did not begin and end with the legendary Estes Scout, and like many others, I spent a good deal of time thereafter paging through it, plotting, planning, memorizing and most of all, wishing. While the usual suspects (i.e. Orbital Transport, Mars Lander, Interceptor and the big ...

  • Clone X-15 (Clone) By Steve Lindeman

    In all fairness I can't do a brief description on this kit as there is a small story behind it. As is normal for me this is not an actual review of the Estes NASA X-15 (0889) [1988-1989]. It is a kit bashed, clone by transition. I came about the idea of doing the X-15 as the G-15 after building my first eight Goonybirds. The logical choice was to wait until the 15th Baby Bertha kit ...

  • Clone Zoom Broom (Clone) By Steve Lindeman

    Zoom Broom was the 1st of my Goonybird clones modified for 18mm motors as a result of being kit bashed from a Baby Bertha. Components Starting with a Baby Bertha kit (EST 1261) that I purchaced at my local Hobby Lobby, all components except the balsa wood and decals were used to make this build. While at hobby Lobby I also purchaced a 3/32"x4"x36" sheet of balsa for cutting the ...

  • Cluster-R Army Hawk By Daniel Cutteridge

    ( Contributed - by Daniel Cutteridge) Brief: This is a stock Cluster-R 2.6 inch diameter Army Hawk missile. It is 43 inches long and weighs approximately 25 oz. The only modification I made was to replace the stock parabolic nosecone with an old Estes Honest John nosecone. The rocket has a 29mm motor mount and four 1/8in. glassboard fins. Modifications: The first thing I did was ...

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  • Cognis Aerospace Eenie Meanie By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a downscale of the popular long kit by another, un-named vendor. It flies on 13mm mini-motors and uses a streamer for recovery. Construction: The kit included: Two BT13 tubes, with a white glassine coating and almost no spirals One tube coupler One 2-part nose cone (instructions referenced a different type) One engine block Two launch lugs ...

  • Cognis Aerospace Gnat By Nick Esselman

    (09/10/02) I was at NARAM 43 in New York and LawnDart Rocketry had a stand there. I was able to see a number of Cognis kits that Dale was getting ready to sell through LawnDart. Cognis Aerospace kits are designed in Australia. So after returning home I made contact with LawnDart to see when these kits would be available. Once available I order several of them; the Lunar Lander , the ...

  • Cognis Aerospace Lunar Lander By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 06/20/02) Brief: This is review of a pre-production version the 24mm Cognis Lunar Lander, the LLV 201. Its unique design is based on a 6" Styrofoam ball, legs made from wooden struts, and circular fins. The Cognis Lander is manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by LawnDart Rocketry. I won the kit as a prize for the Boink rocket contest. When ...

  • Cognis Aerospace Zweistik Repulsor By Nick Esselman

    (08/31/02) I was at NARAM 43 in New York and LawnDart Rocketry had a stand there. I was able to see a number of Cognis kits that Dale was getting ready to sell through LawnDart. Cognis Aerospace kits are designed in Australia. So after returning home I made contact with LawnDart to see when these kits would be available. Once available I order several of them; the Lunar Lander, the Gnat, ...

  • Communications Specialists PT-2B Radio Tracker By Ric Testagrossa

    ( Contributed - by Ric Testagrossa - 06/21/06) Brief: I've been searching for a radio tracking system for my rockets for several years. When I first got back into rocketry several years ago, I set a goal for myself to send a rocket a mile high and get it back. Well, going a mile high isn't difficult, and proving it is fairly easy by using one of the array of rocketry altimeters ...

  • Competition Model Rockets Mini-Manta By Todd Mullin

    Brief: Not long ago, I decided to try and get DART to start hosting NAR competition flying again. After some discussion, it was decided that one of the events we would try out would be A boost glider. In my search for a design that would be competitive, I had this one recommended. The CMR Mini-Manta is a delta wing, competition ready boost glider. Although it is long out of ...

  • Contest Craft Ivee 2G By Kevin Johnson

    ( Contributed - by Kevin Johnson) Brief: Competition class boost glider with pop pod retrieved by a streamer. Construction: The Ivee 2G kit consists of a 13mm body tube, eleven (11) laser cut balsa pieces, a balsa nose cone, a Kevlar ® external shock cord, and a piece of tape. The IVEE 2G is a joint venture kit between Edmonds Aerospace and Apogee. I ordered this kit from ...

  • Contest Craft Micro Deltie By Chan Stevens

    Brief: A "Contest Craft" version of the Edmonds Deltie, this micro-sized glider is designed for 1/4A boost-glide competition. Construction: I'm not sure if these are even commercially available anymore--they were introduced for NARAM 45 in 2003, and I picked mine up from BMS at NARAM 46, not seeing them listed in Bill's current catalogue. The parts list is pretty ...

  • Contest Craft Micro Ivee By Chan Stevens

    Brief: A "Contest Craft" Edmonds design manufactured by Balsa Machining Service, this might very well be the smallest, lightest glider kit ever sold commercially (although I believe it's no longer available--introduced for NARAM 45 in 2003 and I picked mine up from BMS's booth at NARAM 46). Construction: As with most Edmonds kits, there are very few parts to deal ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Aerobee Hi By Aaron Head

    Great scale two stage rocket that is not for the beginner. Staging by electronics only and left up to the builder. The kit included: 2.6 inch upper stage body tube 1.6 inch booster stage body tube 6 plywood fins 3 balsa conduits steel shock cord mount 18 and 24 inch nylon parachutes 2 very nicely turned nose cones motor retention on both stages decals for 2 ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Black Brant II By Todd Moore

    I bought a Black Brant II from Cosmodrome because I loved the Estes Brant kit when it was available, and I got tired of waiting for the Estes re-issue.... besides, the Cosmodrome kit is 50" tall... A bit cooler than it's counterpart. The rocket went together smoothly and quickly (3.5 Hrs) with 5min. epoxy used for the entire build. I replaced the steel shock cord that was included in the kit ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Nike Apache By David Sindel

    Brief: This is a very nice 1:6 scale model of the Nike-Apache sounding rocket suitable for E motors up through small HPR motors. It's a hefty and strong kit capable of surviving almost anything you throw at. This was my L1 cert rocket. Construction: The parts list: Conical balsa nose cone, 6" long and 1" in diameter. 5oz lead nose weight, 1" long and ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Nike Apache By Nick Hills

    Brief I have always liked scale kits, so I decided to try the Nike Apache kit from Cosmodrome Rocketry. I made a great choice. As the kit is real nice, and high quality parts used through out. Construction Upon opening of package, every thing was there all in one piece. The balsa transition and nose cone are awesome. They are done real well! You do want to fill any minor dents in ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Nike Apache By John Lee

    Brief: Of the Consmodrome line, the 2 that have the most appeal to me are the Vostok and the Nike Apache. The Vostok has been sitting in my pile almost since the beginning of my return to rocketry intimidating me. The Nike Apache is a recent acquisition and does not seem nearly so intimidating. I decided to give it a try. Construction: Construction started out by locating the ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Nike Smoke By Craig Cline

    ( Contributed - by Craig Cline - 05/01/01) Brief: This is a very cool mid and high power scale kit of the Nike Smoke that is a lot of fun to build and fly. It can make a good second mid-power rocket with scale looks and can be used to transition to level 1 high power. Construction: The kit came in a bag with all parts in good condition. The first thing that stands out is the awesome ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Nike Smoke By Jordan Raice

    Brief: The Nike Smoke is a great rocket with a lot of extra parts for an awesome scale look. If bought directly from Cosmodrome, you get motor retention and a better shock cord system. It flies great on everything from F to H. Construction: One body tube and a very impressive 16" nose cone made of balsa. The nose cone comes with a plastic anchor for the nose eyebolt. The shock ...

  • Cosmodrome Rocketry Vostok By Jeff Brundt

      Brief: This model is a HPR 1/35 scale model of the Vostok launcher used to put the first man, Yuri Gagarin, in orbit in 1961. The model is powered by a H242 reloadable motor and recovers in two pieces via parachutes This kit is intended for the craftsman builder. While each step is not excessively difficult, experience with various building techniques is required to achieve a good ...

  • Covert Recovery Systems CR-3 By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    Brief: The Covert Rocketry High Tech chute is a 13", 4 panel, 4 shroud parachute made of ripstop nylon. Construction: I was invited to test some High Tech Chutes parachutes for a new manufacturer Covert Rocketry . I'm glad I did this as I am sincerely impressed. I actually received two of their chute, the CR-3 and CR-4. I tested only the former, rated at 1 to 2 lbs (13 to ...

  • CultTVMan Ultimate Modeling Guide to Classic Sci-Fi Movies By Dick Stafford

    This past summer, I discovered the CultTVman Fantastic Modeling sci-fi modeling site. Being dedicated to sci-fi, it has plenty of information on starships, spaceships, and saucers. The site even offers limited edition kits that may be suitable for PMC. The Ultimate Modeling Guide to Classic Sci-Fi Movies is a compendium of 17 of the site's most popular build articles. I bought mine from Jack ...

  • Currell Graphics Airship R-100 (Plan) By Dick Stafford

    After seeing EMRR’s review of the Model Minutes Space Racer , my interest in flying paper models was renewed. We shared some links to free paper models , including the Currell Graphics site. Quite a while ago, I had seen that someone had made a flying version of the “Friede” moon rocket, and I thought maybe I’d build one. However, what really caught my eye was the Airship ...

  • Currell Graphics SpaceShipOne (Version X1) (Plan) By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 10/06/04) October 4th, 2004, heralded a new era in space exploration. On that day, Brian Binnie piloted Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne to 367,442 feet (112 kilometers), capturing the $10M Ansari X Prize. Later that day, I learned of Currell Graphics' SS1 paper model and immediately wanted to convert one for flight. Currell offers two versions: the ...

  • Currell Graphics V-2 (Plan) By Bob Harrington

    Brief: This rocket is a scale model V2 that was converted from a cardstock display model. The model was a free download from Currell Graphics and is available in a black and white test pattern or the operational camouflage scheme. I built the black and white version featuring a parachute recovery. The components used: printed cardstock parts 3.25" BT-20 engine tube engine hook ...

  • Custom Rockets Atomic By Joseph Olexa

    Brief: The Custom Rocket Atomic, kit #10047, is a single stage, six fin, plastic nosecone rocket with a 12" parachute recovery and a 24" long by 1/4" wide elastic shock cord. The rocket is a new offering from Custom Rockets for 2009. The suggested paint scheme is all white with a black nosecone. Decals are of the pressure sensitive type. The rocket stands 11.75" ...

  • Custom Rockets ATW - Anti-Tank Weapon By Bill Bill

    Brief: The ATW - Anti-Tank Weapon is a military styled, minimum diameter 18mm rocket. Capable of flying over 1000 feet according to the manufacturer. The fins are forward-swept, the nose cone is unique. Construction: Kit includes one thin paper body tube, 4 pre-cut long forward swept fin, nose cone and its insert, water-slide decals, and other parts. Instructions were easy to ...

  • Custom Rockets ATW By

  • Custom Rockets Avatar By AC DeBlanc

    Brief:   This is a single-stage, single-motor, minimum-diameter, three fin rocket. It uses an ogival nose cone and trapezoidal fins, both made out of balsa.  For folks who think metric, its dimensions are: length - 26.5 cm, OD - 1.87 cm, and mass - 10 g. Construction: This is one of the simplest kits available.  The only tools required are a ruler, some sandpaper, a couple ...

  • Custom Rockets Aztec By Ted Phipps

    ( Contributed - by Ted Phipps - 04/10/02) The Aztec is a 2-stage rocket that recovers on a streamer. Custom lists it as skill level 2, requiring "some modeling experience". The lines are simple and clean, making for a very good looking rocket. Components The kit comes in a plastic bag. Before opening it up, I inspected the contents inside, and everything looked fine except ...

  • Custom Rockets Aztec By Howard Smart

    This is a basic 3FNC two-stage rocket with direct staging. The fins on the booster and sustainer are identical, giving it a look that is just a bit different from other two-stage rockets. The parts list: 1 Nose cone, plastic blow-molded 1 Elastic shock cord 1 BT-50 sustainer body 1 BT-50 booster body 1 Tube coupler BT-50 6 Fins, die cut balsa 2 Motor mount tubes BT-20 ...

  • Custom Rockets Bullet By Dave Stout

    Brief The Bullet is a single stage, parachute recovered, scale-look sport bird. Construction My Bullet came in the now-familiar sturdy plastic bag with a 4-color stuffer card. All parts were in good shape but I think the motor hook is kind of flimsy. The balsa should be of a harder grade considering the performance this bird is capable of. Mine got painted with thin CA before sanding and ...

  • Custom Rockets Bullet By Bill Eichelberger

    While a trip to the Custom Rockets website might do little to fire the soul of a BAR today, there was actually a time in the not too distant past when the company produced some sharp looking, imaginative kits. I've owned several of the 1994-95 era kits, namely the Dynamic Carrier and Satellite Drone in "almost ready to fly" condition and the Stealth Interceptor in "flown to death" shape, but ...

  • Custom Rockets Dynamic Carrier By Chuck Rider

    ( Contributed - by Chuck Rider - 10/20/01) Brief: Unusual single stage design. Recovery is via 18" parachute. Construction: Main body tube is 18" long BT-55 paper. Nose cone is 5.4" long hollow plastic. Motor mount is 2.75" long 18mm held in place by two centering rings and uses an engine hook as a motor retainer. Recovery is via an 18" plastic ...

  • Custom Rockets Elite By Ken Johnson

    A lightweight, minimum diameter egg lofter with an efficient aerodynamic design. The kit comes in the typical "hanging bag" style package. As such, it doesn't protect the kit from any damage incurred in shipping, and this one was indeed damaged in shipment, though I couldn't tell until the package was open. The kit featured a length of 18mm tubing, a very unusual plastic nose cone, a ...

  • Custom Rockets Elite By Thomas Tweedel

    Construction: Parts included: 1 18mm ID tube 2 part nose cone it splits in half along the horizontal axis and is held together with a mylar ring 3 Die cut fins elastic shock cord Engine stop ring (no hook) 12 inch parachute. First off the quality of the kit was mixed. The body tube was the same. The Fins were die cut out of a very lightweight but somewhat ...

  • Custom Rockets Elite By Mark Fisher

    Now this is an egg lofter! Custom has trimmed the weight and size of its new Elite down to the bare essentials required to get an egg as high into the air as possible. The light-weight payload section with its power series nose cone (often mistakenly called "parabolic") is its most prominent feature and is reminiscent of the old Nova Egg Cone once found on Apogee's Hydra . The minimum diameter ...

  • Custom Rockets Engage By John Lee

    Brief: I kinda miss my Estes Mean Machine and have several similar rockets sitting in the inventory. I chose this one simply because it was the first one I ran into when I started to look. I also liked the simple color scheme on the face card. It a long, skinny four fins and a nosecone. I have no doubt it is a Mean Machine knockoff, though slightly shorter. Construction: ...

  • Custom Rockets Equinox By Jim Moncher

    Brief This is the second Custom Kit I have built and this is one long rocket. The size really intrigued me when I saw it on the rack at a local hobby shop. The statistics on the Equinox are Length: 78"; Diameter: 1.637"; Wt.: 5.8oz. Skill Level 2. Construction The Quality was very good. It came packaged in a plastic bag. All the parts were there and in good shape. It has four body tubes, ...

  • Custom Rockets Fiesta By Bob Patterson

    Small, single-stage rocket with streamer recovery. 1 body tube, plastic nosecone, 3 balsa fins, 36" x ~1 1/14" plastic/nylon (can't tell which) streamer, 14" x 1/8" elastic shock cord 18mm engine mount with Quest style metal clip (only springier like Estes) centering rings water-slide decals 1/8" launch lug Pros - easily assembled using only white ...

  • Custom Rockets Fiesta By Ken Johnson

    An entry level rocket that suffers from some quality control problems. At first glance, the lackluster packaging had me thinking "Siesta" instead, but once I delved into the project, there was plenty to like about this single stage 4FNC rocket. The package was the typical plastic "hanging bag" that allowed most of the components to be seen without opening the bag. As a plus (or minus, ...

  • Custom Rockets Freedom By Chan Stevens

    This is a sharp-looking red/white/blue rocket by Custom, very good introductory kit, and a great flyer. The kit I built is an older style from about 1995. The main differences between this kit and the current version is that the mylar chute has been replaced by a plastic Estes-style chute, and the nose cone screw eye has been replaced by a hook cast into the nose cone. The rocket consists ...

  • Custom Rockets Freedom By Daniel Kirk

      Basic 4FNC Skill Level 1 rocket. The kit contains: Body Tube BT-50, 9" long Plastic Nose cone Die-cut Balsa Fins 12" poly chute standard 18mm engine mount w/ hook 1/8" x 16" elastic shock cord 1/8" x 1-3/8" launch lug Water-slide decals Quality of materials was uniformly excellent. Instructions and illustrations were clear and straightforward. ...

  • Custom Rockets Galileo Probe By Ben Bentley

      Brief The Custom Galileo Probe is a small scale-looking rocket. It uses the 18mm 1/2A engines and is a great flier. It comes down on its nose cone unharmed every time. It is a cool looking and fun rocket. Construction The kit is a pretty simple one, packaged in a bag with all the pieces intact. It comes with a small length of BT-20, 3 balsa fins and dowels, a paper shroud pattern, a ...

  • Custom Rockets Galileo Probe By Lance Souther

    Single stage futuristic rocket. This rocket comes with one short body tube that is just slightly longer than an 18mm engine. It primarily uses 1/8" diameter wooden dowels for fins. I say this due to the fact that you use small balsa pieces for the dowels to lay down on. They would be to small to act as fins however. The rocket comes with a balsa nose cone. This is a fairly easy build. ...

  • Custom Rockets Galileo Probe By Chris Gonnerman

    Brief: The Custom Galileo is a cute little helicopter recovery rocket. Mine was an Father's Day gift from my wife. This is a skill level 2 rocket. Construction: The kit contains standard BT-20 tube and ogive balsa cone, three small balsa fins, dowels, paper centering ring and transition, and nice waterslide decals. The instruction sheet was clear, logical, and easy to read. ...

  • Custom Rockets Game Over By Mark Bischof

    Brief: Single stage, LPR, Streamer recovery, high fling all around fun rocket. Parts: 1 body tube - paper 3 fins 2 paper centering rings 1 motor mount and elastic shock cord nosecone The instructions are easy to follow, basic illustrations, good order, template for fin positioning, which is helpful no issues with sturdiness. The engine mount is very loose and needs to ...

  • Custom Rockets Game Over By Jason Orosco

    Brief: Custom Game Over rocket is a level 1 single stage rocket with a streamer used for recovery. Construction: List of parts: 1 BT-50, 9" long 1 PNC-50 Injected Nose Cone 1 PNC-50 Nose Cone Plug 1 ET-20, 2.75" long Engine Tube W/Slit 1 EC-2 Engine Clip 2 CR-2050 Centering Rings 3 Balsa Fins 1 Streamer, 48" long 1 SC-2 Shock ...

  • Custom Rockets Ion Pulsar By Kevin Timmins

    Brief: The Custom Rockets Ion Pulsar is a 1:48 scale model designed for B & C engines. The Kit Included:- 2 x Body Tubes Engine mount & hook Motor mount centering rings Elastic Shock cord 2 sets of Card centering Rings 6 Centering rings (2 for centering tubes - 4 for detail) 12" Plastic Chute & lines Die Cut Balsa Fins & Dowel Plastic Nose cone ...

  • Custom Rockets Ion Pulsar By Dave Amend

    The Ion Pulsar, by Custom, is a fairly easy model to build. The model specs. are; length 17", Dia. 1.325", Weight 1.4 oz. with recommended engines B4-4, B6-4, C6-5. The kit comes in a bag that contains two kraft paper body tubes, cardboard paper centering rings, plastic nose cone, die cut balsa fins, plastic 12" chute with elastic shock cord, decals, and the basic motor mount with a ...

  • Custom Rockets Lamprey By George Beever

    Brief: The Lamprey was one of the kits that Custom released around 1992 as part of their "second wave" of kits. This a rather sharp looking design, even thought it's your basic 3FNC model. The Lamprey, named after an eel, last appeared in the Custom Rockets catalog in 1998. I purchased and built mine in the 1993-94 time period. Construction: The Lamprey was supposed ...

  • Custom Rockets Landviper By Tim Wood

    ( Contributed - Reviewed by Tim Wood ) Clustering is a popular technique in high power rocketry, but it's not as common in model rocketry as it once was. Before motors of D power and higher became widely available at reasonable prices, the only way to launch a large rocket was with a cluster of 18mm motors. Estes' Saturn V and Saturn IB were two examples of rockets which required ...

  • Custom Rockets Liberty By Joseph Olexa

    Brief: This is a single stage, plastic nose cone, three fin rocket and it utilizes an eighteen inch parachute for recovery. The fins are balsa and there are two recommended motors, the D12-3 and the D12-5 which are secured by a metal motor retaining clip. Construction: The body tube of the rocket is in two pieces, with the lower tube only three inches long which houses the motor ...

  • Custom Rockets Lightnin' By Nick Esselman

    (06/10/98) The Custom Lightnin' ™ is the first rocket I've built from Custom. The Lightnin' ™ is a two-stage, D-powered rocket. The rocket is 46" tall and 1.637" in diameter. It uses a plastic nose cone and balsa fins. It uses a plastic nose cone and balsa fins. Both 24mm motor mounts have motor hooks. There are two couplers to allow the booster to connect to the ...

  • Custom Rockets Matra By Jack Bodem

    The Matra is a military "style" rocket that boasts a "scale-like design" and D-power.  Construction was typical of "level 3" builds with balsa fins and paper tubes. This model has a small fin area about two inches from the nose cone. This small fin area connects the lower body tube and the very short upper body tube (see picture). Alignment of the three tube sections is critical for ...

  • Custom Rockets Matra By Bill Eichelberger

    The Custom Matra is a cool faux-missile rocket with a difference that might not have been completely obvious to anyone checking out the picture in the catalog back in 1994-95.  It has seven fins, set in a four on the bottom, three on the top pattern.  While I doubt that this oddity would detract from the rockets performance, it would never sit well in my mind, so I had a ...

  • Custom Rockets Metrix By Dave Sutter

      Well, I had become frustrated with my loss of three small rockets in one day in the spring of 1997. I vowed to never again take a rocket under 12" long seriously. But I had all those 13mm mini-engines left. What to do? I needed a mini-engine model that wasn't a guaranteed loss. I was browsing through the Discount Rocketry website one day, and saw the Metrix. It looked like ...

  • Custom Rockets P.O.N.G. By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    Brief: P.O.N.G. is a highly-detailed single-stage futuristic sport model offered by Custom Rockets. This is an inexpensive kit that packs a lot of fun, challenge, and parts in a small package. This is a skill level 3 rocket that won't disappoint. According to the kit label, P.O.N.G. is an acronym (er, backronym, really) for Protector of Ninth Galaxy. There was no background ...

  • Custom Rockets Raven By Joe Policy

    Brief: Basic 4FNC Skill Level 1 "scale-like" model with 12" parachute recovery. Construction: The kit includes: plastic nose cone short upper tube, 2.75" body tube, 9" tube coupler parachute with shroud lines and tape disks shock cord, elastic launch lug engine tube and block centering rings die-cut balsa fins engine hook ...

  • Custom Rockets Razor By Michael Doherty

    The Razor is a tube-finned, no-paint-necessary, easy to assemble rocket from Custom. It comes with a 12" parachute for recovery and will take a number of different engines, per the manufacturer. Since this was the first Custom kit I had built, I wasn't sure what to expect. Upon opening the kit, I was impressed with the packaging & parts. each 'section' of the rocket had its own packaged ...

  • Custom Rockets Razor By Duane Boldt

    Brief: Easy to build, nice performing tube fin rocket. It has parachute recovery and flies on 18mm motors. Construction: 1 - BT-509 yellow body tube 1 - PC-50 nose cone 6 - tube fins 1 - 12" parachute 6 - TD-6 tape disks for parachute 1 - SL-72 shroud line set 1 - EC-2 motor clip 1 - ET-20 2.75" motor tube 2 - CR-2050 centering rings ...

  • Custom Rockets Razor By Nick Esselman

    A local hobby shop was going out of business and I bought everything that was left for $100. I figured it to be about $300 worth of stuff. In that, I gained a Custom Razor and since I like tube-fin rockets I went ahead and built this one. This kit is designed as a Skill Level 1 for the beginner and starter. Yes, you build it, but it is not necessary to paint it as it comes with gloss yellow ...

  • Custom Rockets Redliner By Mark Bischof

    Brief: Was a great rocket, easy to build, easy to launch, Great for a day of family fun! Construction: 2 body tubes, both .976" 3 die-cut balsa fins 12" parachute 2 centering rings Quick release motor mount Blowmolded nose ogive nosecone Water-slide decals Pros- easy to build fast and simple Cons- waterslide decals haard to use, but ...

  • Custom Rockets Redliner By Dave Sutter

    ( Contributed - by Dave Sutter)  This is really a pretty basic rocket. I really got it to try something other than an Estes kit, and figured that it would be best to start with something simple. One of the cool things about this rocket (and every other rocket I have from Custom) is the mylar parachute. The rest of the rocket (motor mount, shock cord mount, fins, etc) is all just like ...

  • Custom Rockets S.L.V. By Gregg Discenza

    The Custom Rockets S.L.V. is a futuristic rocket kit with three different sizes of body tube, two different card stock tube transitions, and six small fins. The manufacturer lists it as a Skill Level 3, and I feel that it is more of a 2, with a few tricky spots. 1 plastic nosecone with base 1 BT50 2.75" 2 BT20 9" 1 BT20 coupler 1 BT60 3" 1 Engine block for BT20 4 ...

  • Custom Rockets SAM-X By Chuck Rider

    ( Contributed - by Chuck Rider - 10/20/01) Brief: Mounted sustainer fins using long edge as the root edge. Did not use the auxiliary fins. Added 0.3oz of clay to the nosecone for stability. Modifications: All modifications were made with the parts supplied in the original kit. Just mounted the sustainer fins in a different orientation and didn't use the auxiliary fins. The original ...

  • Custom Rockets SAM-X By Royce Clay, Jr.

    Two-stage, 12" parachute, missile-like styling. Skill level two. The kits components include: Sustainer: One body tube 9" long x 0.976 Dia. One motor tube (for 18mm motor) 2.75" long Two centering rings Four die-cut balsa fins and eight decorative fins Estes-type (approx. 12" 1/8" elastic, and three fold paper mount) parachute attachment Plastic nose cone ...

  • Custom Rockets Satellite Drone By Kevin Drayson

    This kit is a single stage, "fantasy scale" rocket, using a ring-fin for stability. The kit arrived with all the necessary parts included, and in good shape. The balsa and the tubes appear to be identical to Estes parts. The nose cone and centering rings, however, I found to be sub-standard. The centering rings were very thin and flimsy- I used them, but reinforced them with bits of Balsa to ...

  • Custom Rockets Serin By Jim Rupp

    Brief: A skill level 1 quasi-missile kit with 18mm motor mount and 4 fins. Construction: At first glance, I found this kit very typical Custom kit, but I then noticed that there were more pieces for a level 1 kit than other kits I have worked on. The kit includes: 1 plastic nose cone 1 shock cord 2 body tubes 1 tube coupler 1 launch lug 4 die-cut balsa fins ...

  • Custom Rockets Serval By Nick Esselman

    (07/20/98) The Custom Serval ™ was the second tube-fin rocket that I put together, the first being Rogue's Hex Courier ™. The Serval ™ is a single-stage, 18mm-powered rocket. The rocket is 23.25" tall and 1.325" in diameter. It uses a hollow, plastic nose cone and, of course, tube fins (seven of them). An elastic shock cord and a 2"x36" metallic mylar ...

  • Custom Rockets Sky Bird By Layne Rossi

    Brief: The Custom Rocket Sky Bird is a 4 fin payloader rocket. My kit was a gift from a Secret Santa via the 2005 gift exchange at The Rocketry Forum. This is a skill level 1 kit. Construction: The kit includes: BT-50 body tube, 9 inches, BT-50 Plastic Nose cone Red tint plastic payload section, 3.875 inches Plastic coupler bulkhead Screw eye BT-20 (18mm) ...

  • Custom Rockets Sport By Matthew Bond

    Brief: The Sport is a basic 4 Fin & Nose Cone (4FNC) model from Custom Rocket Company. The Sport is a long rocket, at just under 30" of BT-50 airframe that flies on 18mm motors, and comes home under a 12" plastic parachute. This rocket has a simple sleek look, highlighted by a large eye catching decal. The Sport is a skill level one build, good for beginners, and ...

  • Custom Rockets Sport By Nick Esselman

    (12/31/04) I haven't build a Custom kit in a very long time. However, BRS Hobbies asked me to build this one and review it for EMRR. So, I did. The Sport is a straightforward four-fins-and-a-nosecone rocket. It barely qualifies to be considered a " longneck " on EMRR. The Sport is a " longneck " because it has a 0.976" diameter and is 29.5" long, giving it ...

  • Custom Rockets Stealth Interceptor By Bill Eichelberger

    The Stealth Interceptor was a cool, Centuri-esque space fighter from the early days of Custom Rockets.  I picked mine up when my brother in law and I stopped in a local hobby shop to pick up extra motors for NARAM 43 back in 2001.  The Custom kits stuck out from the normal Estes and Quest kits that lined the walls of the store, differing in both size and age, and I ...

  • Custom Rockets Stealth Interceptor By Nick Esselman

    (09/17/01) The Custom Stealth Interceptor™ was the third of three kits that I built as part of a rocket "ship" series which also included the Estes Night Wing™ and the Rogue Interdictor™. I have always liked the looks of the Stealth Interceptor™ and have had this one in my "to be built" box for a little over 4 years. Since then Custom as disco ...

  • Custom Rockets Super Serval By David Urbanek

    ( Contributed - by David Urbanek) Brief: The Custom Serval, a tube fin rocket, modified for 29 mm motors. Modifications: The kit is intended for 18 mm motors. However, normal LOC/Precision 29 mm tubing fits inside BT-55 which is what the Serval's airframe is made of. Cut a 4" length of LOC/Precision 29 mm motor mount tube. Also cut one end off of the motor clip that comes ...

  • Custom Rockets Tristar Fiesta By Ron Wirth

    ( Contributed - by Ron Wirth - 09/16/09) Brief: For the Stage Bash section of the 2009 EMRR Challenge, you are required to combine any two purchased single-stage rocket kits into a rocket that is at least 2-staged using only the parts for the two kits. I decided to attempt a gap staging design by combining Custom Rockets Tristar and Fiesta. For some reason I though the Fiesta had 4 ...

  • Custom Rockets TriStar By Bill Eichelberger

      The TriStar is a single stage rocket with a futuristic passenger rocket design using parachute recovery. I built this rocket for my nephew to fly at a recent family launch, but my nephew crushed it before it got the chance to see it's first flight. I repaired it as well as I could, didn't care for the results, and set it aside for two months. I found it sitting looking dejected today ...

  • Custom Rockets TriStar By Kevin Johnson

    ( Contributed - by Kevin Johnson) Brief: Futuristic transport design for 18mm motors and parachute recovery. Construction: The kit includes 1 body tube, 1 motor mount, 4 die cut balsa pieces, a plastic nose cone and a 12 inch parachute kit. It also had a 1/8" launch lug and elastic shock cord. I bought this kit to have something to build while the glue dried on one of my ...

  • Custom Rockets Twister By Chris Taylor Jr.

    (by Kenneth R. Johnson) Brief: A very basic 3FNC rocket that doesn't quite perform as advertised. Supposedly the rocket will feature helicopter recovery at motor ejection, but doesn't. Construction: The basic kit consists of a short piece of 18mm body tube, a real balsa nose cone, a sheet if pre-cut balsa fins, a launch lug, decal, and 3 wooden dowels. The kit is very similar to ...

  • Custom Rockets Twister By Chris Taylor Jr.

    ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor)  I grabbed this rocket because I had the money left over and always love more kits to build and fly. This rocket is reminiscent of the Mosquito and the Sputnik with an 18mm motor and then dowels added to the fins like Sputik. It has balsa fins and nose cone and recovers like a helicopter. Finishing was easy. Fill the nose cone and fins. Fill the ...

  • Custom Rockets Venture By Bill Eichelberger

    I purchased a Custom Venture as an afterthought one night while on an engine buying trip. I figured that it was a kit that I could build in an evening for the launch the next day and decided to see if it would be possible to actually get it looking decent and flyable before the launch. Once I got home and opened it, I decided that the low price and almost disposable nature of the rocket would ...

  • Custom Rockets Venture By Ken Johnson

    An entry level 3FNC rocket that tries hard to beat the Estes Alpha. Like the other Custom rocket kits I have built, the nose cone was excessively loose and had a lot of casting flash. And like the others, the parting line had a number of dimples and flaws that detract from the rocket if not remedied. Otherwise, the quality of components are quite good. For your money, you get real balsa fins, ...

  • Custom Rockets Zero Gravity Stubby By Alan Boldt

    ( Contributed - by Alan Boldt - 07/31/10) Brief: The Custom Zero Gravity is an easy to build kit with plastic nose cone, die-cut balsa fins, and 12" parachute. I used a shorter body tube, a streamer and rotated the fins 180 degrees. Modifications: I followed the same instructions as building the stock Zero Gravity, except I substitued the parts listed above. This kit ...

  • Custom Rockets Zero Gravity By Joseph Olexa

    Brief: The Custom Rockets Zero Gravity rocket (Kit #10048) is a single stage, three fin, plastic nosecone rocket that uses a 12" parachute recovery system and a standard 1/2A, A, B, C, rocket motor (18mm). A fairly typical or basic level 1 experience rocket. Construction: The kit uses a single 9" body tube, a black plastic nosecone, three balsa wood fins, 1/8" ...

  • Custom Rockets Zero Gravity By Alan Boldt

    Brief: Easy to build kit with plastic nose cone, die-cut balsa fins, and 12" parachute. Construction: 1 - 9" BT-50 Body Tube 1 - Plastic Nose Cone 1 - 18mm Engine Tube 1 - Engine Hook 2 - Centering Rings 1 - 18mm Engine Block 3 - Balsa Fins 1 - 12" Plastic Parachute 1 - Elastic Shock Cord 1 - 1/8" ID Launch Lug 1 - Wrap ...

  • Cycline3 002 - Silver Streak By Greg Deeter

    ( Contributed - by Greg Deeter - 12/01/02) Picture courtesy of Cycline3 from eBay      Brief: This is a single stage rocket made by a company called Cycline3. It is named the #002b and is described as an "Ultra High Performance Mid Power Rocket". I ordered it directly from Cycline3, as well as one of their other kits, the #004 Poison Arrow which I will ...

  • Cycline3 004 - Poison Arrow By Greg Deeter

    ( Contributed - by Greg Deeter - 12/10/02) Brief: This is a single stage 20" tall rocket with 3 fins by CYCLINE3 which is described as an "Ultra High Performance Mid-Power Rocket". The kit comes with a unique and well made rectangular light fabric chute. This is the second CYCLINE3 kit I have built, the first being the simply named #002b. Construction: This comes in an ...

  • Cycline3 005 - Panther Attack By Frank G. Whitby

    Brief: The Panther Attack is a single-stage rocket from Cycline3 with the look of a missile. The rocket has 3 sets of 4 fins, a 12' elastic shock cord, rail buttons, and a rectangular Cycline3 Frankenchute parachute (mine is green with yellow puffy-strings). Construction: The kit came with a single cardboard body tube, balsa stock and template for the fins, plastic nose cone, 12' ...

  • Cycline3 007 - XROC Prototype By Todd Mullin

    Cycline3 describes the XROC as "the pinnacle of performance". This is something of an understatement. This near minimum diameter, single stage mach-buster may not be the prettiest rocket in your fleet, but it will likely be the fastest for it's size! The XROC Prototype is a ultra-high performance kit that uses unusual construction techniques to go way beyond your usual 3FNC kit! The kit ...

  • Cycline3 Fun Fat Rocket By Nick Esselman

    I first learned about Cycline3 when a review was submitted to EMRR. It has been a while since you could get a kit since the owner, Sean Rose was in China. But this summer I was able to purchase the 001 - Fun Fat Rocket. You, no doubt, know why I picked it. It is a "stubby" rocket. The Fun Fat Rocket is a bit more though, because it is also a 3x18mm motor cluster. Cycline3 appears to sell (or ...

  • Cygnus Rocketry 29mm to BT60 Motor Mount By John Lee

    ( Contributed - by John Lee - 11/09/08) Brief: This is a motor mount to accommodate a 29mm motor in a BT-60 body tube. It is 5 1/4" long. Construction: The package consists of simple instructions, 2 centering rings, a thrust ring and a motor tube. Construction of the motor mount was simplicity itself. The motor tube was marked 1/4" from one end. The two centering ...

  • Cygnus Rocketry 76er By Claude Maina

    Brief: This is a very tall 4FNC rocket that is very similar to the Estes Mean Machine and Sunward's CFX-Six Footer. There is no skill level associated with the 76er, but since both the Mean Machine and CFX-Six Footer are considered Skill Level 2, I'll rate this the same. It is easy to build and flies well. The attraction, especially for kids, is its size. The recommended engines are ...

  • Cygnus Rocketry 76er By Pete Harper

    Brief: The Cygnus 76er is advertised as a low cost alternative to to the Estes Mean Machine. Construction: This kit comes with a balsa nose cone, the body tube is four section of BT-60 cardboard tubing, three couplers, four small pre-cut balsa fins, plywood centering rings and 24mm engine mount. The parachute is plastic with string for shroud lines. 1/8" elastic shock ...

  • Cygnus Rocketry Blazer By Jonah Dahncke

    Brief: This is one of the first kits from Cygnus Rocketry. The components are all top notch and assembly is a breeze. This rocket is also fast, straight, and will be gone in a blink. Construction: Components include: 1 BT-50, 1 BT-20 1 Transition 1 Nose Cone 1 18mm to BT-50 Motor Mount 1/8 Launch Lug Laser Cut Fins Hartle 12in chute Snap ...

  • Cygnus Rocketry Near Earth Attack Vehicle (N.E.A.V.) By Ron Wirth

    Brief: The N.E.A.V. X-1 from Cygnus Model Rocketry Company is a small futuristic design that reminds me of something that you might see in the pod races from the film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace . I was not familiar with the company when I came across the rocket kit at Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack and decided to add it to my order. The rocket kit comes in a large plastic bag ...

  • Cygnus Rocketry Near Earth Attack Vehicle (N.E.A.V.) By Nicholas Berring

    Brief: This is a clone of Model Rocket Newsletter plan of the month called the "Top Secret". Single-stage combination wing/fin and tube stabilization. Construction: Contents: 1 BT-20 body tube, 2 BT-5 "engine tubes", balsa nose cone, fishing swivel, screw eye, 6" parachute and thread shrouds, 17" long (before installation) 1/8" elastic ...

  • D&L Company Stomp Rocket Junior By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The D&L Company's Stomp Rocket Junior is a great way to get kids hooked on rockets at a very young age (recommended for children 3 years old and up). These are foam rockets that are powered by a small (but quite rugged) air bladder that you step on to launch the rockets into the air. Since the rockets are lightweight, they recover ballistically. Also, they were given ...

  • D.M.B. Rocketry 3-Motor Cluster Cable By Nick Esselman

    I received the D.M.B. Rocketry 3-Motor Cluster Clip-whip just in time for use on my new Thrustline A-Slam . The packaging is excellent; attention was given to this. The Cluster Cable also included instructions. Part of the instructions pointed out what to do if you only have 2 motors instead of 3. May seem simple enough but for those just ...

  • D.M.B. Rocketry BlasterXL By Alan Tuskes

    ( Contributed - by Alan Tuskes - 3/21/05) Brief: The Blaster XL is a compact, lightweight single box launch controller that comes with a 6 foot removable power cord with heavy duty battery clips and a 50 foot cable with smooth jaw copper alligator clips. Each cable has its own distinct plug type, so there's no chance of plugging this device in backwards. The detachable aspect of the ...

  • Das Modell A4 Peenemunde By Greg Deeter

    This is the Das Modell Aggregat-4 (A-4) Peenemünde V2. It is designed by Thorwald Peterson of Noris Raketen 's Das Modell in Nürnburg, Germany. It is a single-stage Skill Level 3 rocket kit that is not available for sale in the United States. I imported it from a hobby shop in Great Britain several years ago, along with the Saturn V, Space Shuttle and Phoenix kits. The finished V2 ...

  • Das Modell Aggregat-9 By Matt Gillard

    Brief: A D-powered scale like model of the Aggregate 9 rocket from Das Modell. Purchased from eBay, it came in a cardboard carton and looked to be an interesting rocket to both build and fly. I was interested in this rocket as I had never heard of it before, unlike the A-4 V2. The internet yielded some information: The A-9 was only half of a A-9/A-10 multistage rocket, capable ...

  • Das Modell Hummel By Matt Gillard

    Brief: A three fin long rocket with a transition from 40 to 25mm. Designed for the German market, it uses a non standard motor mount and body tubes. 500mm parachute recovery. Construction: The kit consists of: Three cardboard fins Vacuum formed transition Three 40mm diameter body tubes Two 25mm body tubes 25mm nose cone Engine hook 25mm engine mount ...

  • Das Modell Jumbo 3 By colin rowe

    ( Contributed - by Colin Rowe - 04/22/03) Brief: A single stage cluster rocket consisting of 4 x 24mm motor mounts. Transition from 80mm to 60mm. Splits at Centre. Construction: The Kit includes: Instruction Sheet (in German not translated) 1-80mm tube. 2-60mm tubes. 1-60mm tube with fibreglass nosecone attached. 3-plywood fins 4-motor mounts (1.05" dia) ...

  • Das Modell Space Shuttle By James Louis

    Brief: One stage scale model of the US Space Shuttle, LPR with 18" parachute Construction: The model comes with 3 body tubes to construct the booster rockets that the shuttle rests on, numerous vacuum formed plastic parts and a sheet of balsa. Most other parts are standard, ie motor mounts, lugs, centering rings etc. Lets start with the Cons: Instructions are ...

  • Delta 7 Studios Mercury Redstone (Plan) By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 06/15/03) Brief: This rocket was based on a free paper model kit from Delta 7 Studios . I converted it to fly on MMX motors, although the model is large enough for up to 18mm motors. Of course, the larger motors may require additional reinforcement that wasn't required in my MMX version. Modifications: Once the paper model was complete, I proceeded with ...

  • Descon 10 Two C's in a Pod By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    "Two C's in a Pod" Kit bash of the Estes Gemini DC. Copyright © 2002 By Drake "Doc" Damerau Click on the pictures for a larger view. The first thing was to get rid of the through the wall fin mounting section. The first portion removed was 5/16" of the aft section. This was used to hold the engine hooks in the next step. 3" of the center fin area was then ...

  • Descon 10 X-File By David Fergus

    X-File An RMR Descon X entry by David Fergus (Place your mouse over photos to view the captions.(IE5)) Summary This rocket is a kit bash of the Estes Gemini DC. It flies on an 18mm motor, and recovers on dual 12" parachutes ejected from the nose. When ejection delays are longer than apogee, the rocket has a tail first recovery profile before chute deployment. It is 14" long, has a span of 6", ...

  • Descon 1000lb Laser Guided Bomb By Stuart Lenz

    1000 lb Laser Guided Bomb Modeled by: Stuart Lenz This design is modeled on a GBU 16 – 1000 lb Laser Guided Bomb that is produced from a 1000 lb Cast Iron Bomb and an upgrade made by Lockheed/Martin Corp. It is likely that bombs like this were used in the recent gulf war. While the prototype (seen in thumbnail photo) was based on Micro Maxx engines, this was upscaled to ...

  • Descon 11 Professor Fate (Scratch) By Mike Howie

    In the hey day of Barnstormers and Professional Adventurers, there were two bitter rivals for the title of the world's most daring individual. Of course the most well known of these two men is "The Great Leslie". Dressed all in his trade marked "Good Guy White", Leslie stands Truth, Justice, Mom, and Apple Pie. Little is known about his antitheses, Professor Fate. Whenever "The Great ...

  • Descon 11 Project X (Scratch) By Tater Schuld

      At one time I was building a model plane and decided to take a few extra parts and fiddle with them. I went and attempted to make some centering rings using a saber saw on some balsa and came out with the tissue and balsa framework for Project X. I then let it sit for about 3 months while trying to figure out how to finish it. While Descon X raged on, I saw the design for ...

  • Descon 12 Dr. Evil's Pocket Rocket (Scratch) By Scott Turnbull

    Dr. Evil's Pocket Rocket This is a draft place holder for my 2nd DesCon entry, Dr. Evil's Pocket Rocket. Hopefully it's not too far outside the realm of good taste. For my second Design Contest Entry, I decided to pay homage to a ship of such striking construction that all who see it are obliged to comment. Officer: "Colonel? You'd better take a look at this radar..." Colonel: "What ...

  • Descon 12 Space Balls Eagle Five (Winnebago) By Tater Schuld

    Eagle Five from Spaceballs by Mel Brooks Bad science fiction comedies seem never to die, they just become legend. Hence the reason that Spaceballs is still known as one of the best science fiction comedies of all time. I toyed with the idea of making mega maid, or space ball one, or even that cute little mercedes Princess Vespa used (the one king Roland got from his brother in law who owns ...

  • Descon 12 Space Balls Winnebago (Scratch) By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    The Winnebago from Spaceballs The Movie   "I'm a Maug: half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend."     The rules say you can have two entries so this is my second entry. This makes a total of eight rockets that I made from one kit!    This one was made from the face card stock and a few scrap pieces of balsa left over from the ...

  • Descon 12 Tom Servo (Scratch) By Bob Cox

    Tom Servo Robot from Mystery Science Theatre 3000   Tom Servo is one of the wise-cracking robots from the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Shown here is my flying model next to a same-scale photo of the non-flying original. My model flies on either a 13mm or MicroMaxx engine. The fans at MST3K.org have complete instructions for building your own life-size 3D ...

  • Descon 13 1/4 Karat Carrot (Scratch) By Kathy Kippen

    ¼ Karat Carrot When I saw this plastic carrot filled with candy in an Easter display, well, it just cried out, “I’m a ROCKET!!” It looks sort of like it could something out of a Marvin the Martian cartoon, too. Materials: One (1) plastic carrot (It came filled with Easter candy) One (1) 5” piece of 24mm Estes tubing One (1) standard Estes ...

  • Descon 13 Starfighter (Modification) By Ellicon Lenz

    Starfighter Modeled by: Ellison Lenz (Age 17) This design based on a kit bash of the Estes DC Gemini. It has a single 18mm engine mount and a combination of tube and flat fins. It is build using Titebond and 5 minute epoxy. What make this design unique is the duel BT 20 tubes that make the from fusalage and twin BT 20 nose cones. The build started by gluing the two BT 20 body tube ...

  • Descon 14 Aeon (Scratch) By Tim Breland

    AEON Tim Breland's Descon-14 Entry Talk about last minute, this thing almost had to fly with wet paint. ;) My design is called the AEON. One definition of Aeon is "an indefinitely long period of time", which is about how long this rocket might stay in the air, indefinitely. Sticking with the theme, the Aeon burns a total of 6 motors. It is clustered and staged, using 5 motors in ...

  • Descon 14 Fat Boy - 3 x 4 By Dick Stafford

    Fat Boy - 3 x 4 Dick Stafford's Descon-14 Entry     Background OK, this is not the most unique design, but I was going to describe this rocket on EMRR anyway and though I'd hit Descon 14 early. Best-case scenario: people spend too much time on summer vacations and on the field and I pick up a prize. Worst-case scenario: people quickly start work on their unique ...

  • Descon 14 Three Bird (Scratch) By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Three Bird Drake "Doc" Damerau's Descon-14 Entry A "Tri-Copter" design, with a bit of attitude.   Parts List Three Sig Pre-shaped air foils Three 24mm 3" motor tubes One ½" x ½" launch lug One dowel pin for a launch pad /h2 The wings are made from 4" x ¼" SIG pre-shaped airfoils. These can be found at www. ...

  • Descon 14 X-Factor By Eldred Pickett

    X-Factor Eldred Pickett's Descon-14 Entry Parts List 1 - 18" by 6" 1/8 balsa 1 - BT-60 body tube 1 - BT-20 body tube 3 - regular engine clips 3 - BT-5 centering rings /h2 I cut (3) 2 3/4 lengths of the BT-20 tube. These are the engine tubes. I used centering rings for a BT-5 as engine blocks, and regular clips to hold the engines. I cut (3) 5" diameter circles ...

  • Descon 2 Chinese Fire Arrow (Scratch) By Ben Mesander

    Two 3' fire arrows History I've long been interested in rockets that use stabilization methods other than fins. One of my favorites is based on the Chinese "fire arrow" - a military rocket first built between A.D. 960 and 1279. I originally discovered these after reading a post that a gentleman made on rec.models.rockets about building one out of recycled materials. After reading the ...

  • Descon 2 Heads Up (Scratch) By Bob Fortune

    This is basically a tube launched rocket.  It's almost finless but I suppose the fins have some effect.  I don't have VCP so I have no idea how it tapes out. The center of gravity with a B motor is right at the NC-shoulder mounted launch lug which was serendipitous but nice.  Funny how those things work out. I've flown it on  B4-2's and on C6-3's.  It passes safety ...

  • Descon 3 Wicked Witch Express (Scratch) By Jeff Blinn

    The Wicked Witch Express was built as, what else . . . a Halloween Rocket. It's fun to build and flies very well. The picture to the right was the maiden voyage on an AT G64-4. I've flown it numerous times since then on G64's and G80's - this fall we're planning on trying an 'H' or two! Parts List 1 - slotted (3 fin) 2.64 LOC body tube, 30" 1 - non-slotted 2.64 LOC body tube, ...

  • Descon 3-Stage Cluster Cone By Art Applewhite

    3 Stage Cluster Cone By Art Applewhite This is a 3 stage, Clustered Cone rocket with 5 motors in it's full power configuration Stage 1 - Top - 13mm A10-PT Stage 2 - Middle - 18mm C6-0 Stage 3 - Bottom - 3 x 24mm inline motor cluster, D12-0 center, 2 x D11-P outboard The rocket is 8" high and 9.25" in diameter at the base. It is constructed entirely out of ...

  • Descon 3ncf - Memory - The Second Thing to Go By Bob Chmara

    3ncf or Memory - The Second Thing To Go by Bob Chmara Purpose I've been thinking about this rocket for a while. I needed to free some space within my brain's limited capacity for important stuff. The only way to do that was to build the rocket. Background Shortly after getting back into the hobby, I was at my favorite rocketry store depositing part of my paycheck. I made the comment that I ...

  • Descon 4 Eric's SST (Scratch) By Steve Bloom

    Eric needed a new rocket. Earlier in the month I had launched his Lil’ Nuke on an H128 and it vanished. I told him we could buy a new one or he could design a rocket. He likes short stubby rockets like the Minie Magg and Fat Boy and since I couldn’t afford a Warlock he designed this: It’s built using LOC Precision components. The construction is straight forward, basic, and ...

  • Descon 4 Matrock (Scratch) By Matthew and Chris Taylor

    I just down-loaded RockSim from Apogee. My brother keeps bugging me for another rocket (he is 10). So while messing with the program I said, "Make you a deal. You design it and build it and I will buy all the supplies to build it." He said OK I come back 30 minutes later and he's got this rocket on the screen. I say Cool rocket and to my amazement it is ...

  • Descon 5 MicroBee (Scratch) By Robert Geer

    My desire for a 2 stage rocket finally got the better of me, I had an extra Estes BNC-5 nose, some BT-5 tubing and some 1/16" Basswood left over after building a replacement glider for my ARV Condor (the old one flew VERY well!). Anyway, I decided that this rocket would not eject the motors, I've seen the Quark and some other lawn darts and they NEVER tumble coming back down. I wanted to try ...

  • Descon 5 Titan IV (Scratch) By Ted Cochran

      1/4A Titan IVA 1/320 Scale   For 1 or 3 MicroMaxx Motors The Titan IVA bridged the gap between the Titan IIIE and the Titan IVB. Since 1989, more than twenty have been launched from both Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral, primarily to orbit military satellites. I've never scratch built a scale model before, and ...

  • Descon 6 Meanie x2 (Upscale) By Nick Esselman

    BACKGROUND: I have never made it a secret that I love the looks of Nordic Rocketry's Meanie. It is usually the first rocket I fly at every launch and I love it on D's to F's. Being the case, I decided that I would love a 2x version. Coming up with a 2x version wasn't exactly possible since the original was 2.6" diameter airframe and the nearest to 2x tubing I could find was 5.5". So be it, ...

  • Descon 6 Toose Dager (Scratch) By Steve Bloom

    Assemblage: Assembly: Toose Dager is a 2-stage rocket design which incorporates all of the latest technology and special features that are seen on the flying range today. From the staging timer mounted in the sustainer to the tubular nylon and high quality Rocketman parachutes the Toose Dager is designed to perform and last. The parts list is complete except for the electronics package. ...

  • Descon 6 Tower Ring Infernal (Scratch) By Ted Cochran

      The Tower Ring Infernal A field of scale modeling opportunities in Corpus Christi, Texas. Fractionators, deethanizers, debutanizers, oh my! History I've done some work in oil refineries (which have some pyrotechnic attractions of their own), and I've always thought that their towers might make interesting subjects for modeling. This project doesn't model any ...

  • Descon 60cc By Tai Fu

    Contributed by - Tai Fu Gone in 60 cc I was looking over the descon entries and I saw a lot of different designs, and I was wondering what I can make into a rocket... then I looked at some 60 cc syringe that a professor gave me, and it's round, its hard, and I bet it will fly! Here's what you need: 2 60cc syringe some BT-50 a spent Estes D motor (or any other motor ...

  • Descon 7 Tintinique (Scratch) By Darren Longhorn

    Tintinique Tintinique OK, so it's not exactly the right proportions for Tin Tin's rocket, far too squat and stubby, but that's why it's called Tintinique. Just As diamonique isn't diamond, Tintinique isn't Tin Tin. ( Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about here, needs to watch more QVC!) Nestlé time capsule ...

  • Descon 7 Titania (Scratch) By Adrian Hurt

    Titania Background Some time ago, there were several articles on rec.models.rockets in which people asked about "strap on boosters". G. Harry Stine mentioned the technique in "The Handbook of Model Rocketry", although he called it parallel staging, and therefore discussed it in the chapter on staging. However, apart from a brief mention, he did not say much about it, concentrating the chapter ...

  • Descon 7-Up By Daniel Kirk

    7-Up ( Contributed - by Daniel Kirk) 7 up 7 up A Fourteen Liter Bottle Rocket After seeing several small rockets fly out of sight, I wanted a rocket that would spend more time where I could see it. I wanted something large, so it would be highly visible, but with low enough power for a slow, majestic lift-off. Body tubes and nose ...

  • Descon 8 AOL.CON (Scratch) By Bob Kaplow

    AOL.CON It's a food container! It's a CD! It's a snow paperweight! No, it's AOL.CON! This is a second generation flying food container built from an ice cream sundae lid, an AOL CD, scrap parts from the rocket shop, and assembled with hot melt glue. It's a great small field sport flier, along the lines for the former Redi_rocs. You will need: 1 sundae lid (see photo) 1 AOL CD ...

  • Descon 8 Bottle Rocket (Scratch) By Robert Galejs

    Bottle Rocket  An Easy to Build Fun Flyer Here's some plans for a very simple model rocket that flies great on C6-3. This bottle rocket weighs 2 oz without the motor so it takes off very quickly, but doesn't fly out of sight due to its 2.6" diameter. It almost doesn't need a recovery device since its so light. The bottle rocket is also quite strong with through-the-wall mounted ...

  • Descon 8 F.T.B.o.D. (Scratch) By Mark Simpson

      Flying Traffic Barrel of Death F.T.B.o.D. by Mark Simpson As part of my Level 3 project, building and flying a full-sized orange traffic barrel, I decided to make a 1/6th scale flyable traffic barrel to test its dynamic flight stability. I started with a 3" section of garden variety mailing tube, donated by an office mate. I scrounged a piece of ...

  • Descon 9 Astron Black Space Knight By Bob Fortune

    Astron Black Space Knight by Bob Fortune None  shall  Pass! ARTHUR: What? BLACK KNIGHT: None shall pass. ARTHUR: I have no quarrel with you, brave Sir knight, but I must cross this bridge. BLACK KNIGHT: Then you shall die. ARTHUR: I command you, as King of the Britons to stand aside. BLACK KNIGHT: I move for no man. ARTHUR: So be it! ...

  • Descon 9 MASA Prang T-Shirt (Other Product) By David Fergus

    MASA Prang T-Shirt by David Fergus MASA "Prang" Award This entry is a shirt that is given to the winner of the Minnesota Amateur Spacemodeler Association (MASA) annual PRANG Award winner.  On the front, a drawing of a rocket taking off is shown with the words "As a matter of fact..."  The back of the shirt is as shown in the accompanying picture. This entry has successfully ...

  • Descon 9 TRI-STOMP (Scratch) By David Fergus

    TRI-STOMP by David Fergus TriStomp Family Forward View After View Click to enlarge images   Design Summary: A derivative of the classic foam air powered rocket, this 3.4 oz. missile is a 3-engine cluster foam rocket flown on three 18mm engines with BOINK (bounce on impact, no kidding) recovery.  A bit of something different! ...

  • Descon Acme Little Giant Parachute Duration By Jody Dorsett

    Acme Little Giant Parachute Duration For Micro Max Motors by Jody Dorsett This is a very interesting model to build.  You will need the following parts: 1 Hand rolled 4mm BT 80mm long (see Tips)  or use a TT-MM BT from Aerospace Speciality Products 1 10.5 Apogee ST 70 mm long 1 10.5 mm Apogee Balsa Ogive Nose Cone 1 Transition 4mm to 10.5mm  (make yourself) 3 ...

  • Descon AGM-57I Maverick By Louis Schroeder

    ( Contributed - by Louis Schroeder) This notional missile is the latest in the AGM-65 Maverick air to ground missile systems. Building on the successful AGM-65H with active radar seeker, the "I" model incorporates GPS guidance with active radar terminal guidance. The idea for this model came when I noticed that the fins on the Estes AGM-57 Heatseeker kit were very similar ...

  • Descon AIM-4G Super Falcon By Mark Sinicki

    ( Contributed - by Mark Sinicki)  The bottom half of the airframe (below dotted line) is GLOSS RED The upper half of the airframe (above dotted line) is GLOSS WHITE Tip of nose if GLOSS BLACK Small 'U.S.AIR FORCE' lettering starting at body tube by nose cone and running aft. Two places. Opposite sides, between forward strakes. About 1-1/2" word length, 3/8" tall ...

  • Descon Alien Ship By Bill Adams

    Alien Ship ( Contributed - by Bill Adams)    This rocket is designed to look like the one appearing briefly in the movie "The Stupids". Flight Report My prototype flew successfully at Battle Park '98 in Culpeper, VA on an Estes D12-5. It really got up there (1000'?) on a quick but easily followed boost, deployed the parachute near apogee and sailed ...

  • Descon American Spirit By Douglas Gardei

    The American Spirit by Douglas Gardei updated 8/27/04 The American Spirit started life as a LOC Ultimate. I received it as a Christmas gift in 1997, building it that winter, and launched it once in Denver, PA with a G80-4T. Mr. Reed, one of the Technology teachers in my High school borrowed it for his families Memorial Day picnic, and flew it on a G80. Then my ...

  • Descon And Now For Something Completely Different By Robert Galejs

    And Now For Something Completely Different... Robert Galejs, NAR 69317   After reading all of the postings regarding why spool rockets are stable, I couldn't come up with a plausible explanation. However, I did come up with an unusual rocket that I could explain. That's how "And Now for Something Completely Different..." came to be.     Construction ...

  • Descon AOL By Andy Tate

    Contributed by - Andy Tate AOL Brief: I have wanted to enter the RMR DesCon for some time now. I could never seem to come up with a design that I liked and when I did get a design that I liked, it didn't fit the theme of the current DesCon. During the summer of 2000, I made a CD finned rocket. I wasn't sure what to do with it; it was heavy, looked ...

  • Descon Ashley's AR2 By Ashley Joy

    AR2 ( Contributed - by Ashley Joy, age 9(written by Dad))  Ashley designed this rocket from scratch totally by himself. He chose the materials and made most of it including the painting. I did help with the glue though. Left is the plan he made first with the Microsoft 'Paint' program. Manufacture He started off with 4 used 18mm motors and drilled them out ( yes, ...

  • Descon ASROC By John Coles

    ASROC ( Contributed - by John Coles)  This is the beginnings of my Space Systems project in 1/6 scale. Shown here is the prototype for the first of four sport scale rockets designed to be launched from the platform. ASROC is a rocket-boosted version of the Mk-46 light torpedo used by Navy surface combatants as a defense against hostile submarines. The recovery sequence on ...

  • Descon ATLAS 606 By David S Chen

    ATLAS 606 by David S. Chen The Atlas 606 represents Lockheed Martin's next generation heavy lift space vehicle, having a payload volume and lift capacity that matches that of the U.S. Space Shuttle. This model is actually a modified Estes Fat Boy in that it utilizes all components of that kit. The Fat Boy nosecone and body tube are used to make the payload section. The liquid ...

  • Descon Augie-Sport By Frank Ross

    ( Contributed - by Frank Ross) Augie - Sport dc71.jpg Lil' Augie © MRN dc72.jpg Augie-2 © MRN dc73.jpg Augie-3 dc74.jpg Augie-Sport Dscn0282.jpg Augie-Sport Dscn0287.jpg Augie-Sport Dscn0265.jpg Lift Off! ...

  • Descon Bar Buster By Jody Dorsett

    by Jody Dorsett Mammoth Missle Works QM-I8U  Planetary Attack Bomber coming off the line. Excerpt from Compton's Interstellar Encyclopedia 2325. In the year 2215 George Gomez Bush desired to eat a simple taco.  However, due to the recent case of Hartsock v. McWendy's, fast food vendors were carefull not only to disclose the health risks, but to ...

  • Descon Beldar (Scratch) By Tim Bush

    Beldar the Conehead I will be the first to admit that I spent far too much time watching TV as a kid. Especially far too much SNL . When I found a collectable(?) figurine of Beldar, the Conehead parental unit from the planet Remulak, in a clearance bin at a local store I realized it was going to be my mission to return him to his home planet regardless of how many mass quantities of Newtons ...

  • Descon Bertha Shark By Greg Elder

    Bertha Shark by Greg Elder Parts 1 - Estes Big Bertha Kit 1 - BT-60 body tube, 2 3/4" long 1 – JT-60C tube coupler 2 – CR2060 centering rings 1 – BT-20 motor tube 3/32" balsa fin stock This rocket is a bash between a Big Bertha and Estes Industries Rocket Plan No.22, Tiger Shark. Hence, the name Bertha Shark . Construction, Upper ...

  • Descon Bic ARCAS By Jeff Hove

    ( Contributed - by Jeff Hove) Digital photos by Zhenya Olenchuke. Thanks Zhenya! "Excuse me sir, but is that a rocket in your pocket?" This is a fun little rocket that uses the tiny Quest MicroMaxx motors to loft a Bic (R) pen over 50' in the air and land by Parachute. Design History : I wanted to design my own MicroMaxx powered rocket but couldn't find a ...

  • Descon Big Beth X-2 By Greg Elder

      This rocket was inspired by the Little Beth X-2 which was a Design of the Month plan in an old issue of Estes Model Rocket News.  I wanted a rocket similar in design but larger. Hence, the Big Beth X-2. Parts List 1 BT-60 body tube, 36" long 1 BT-60 body tube, 2 3/4" long 2 BT-55 body tubes, 9" long each 1 JT-60C tube coupler 1 PNC-60AH nose cone 2 PNC-55AC nose cones 3 ...

  • Descon Big Blue Dog By Nick Esselman

    BIG BLUE DOG Unique Cluster and Unique Fins by Nick Esselman It all started when I saw a two-motor cluster in Apogee's "Model Rocket Design and Construction" by Timothy S. Van Milligan that I liked the looks of. I then decided to build a model with that motor configuration, which became my 2x18mm motor Red Dog . Then after numerous successful flights, I decided that I ...

  • Descon Big Jim & the Twins By Josh Russell

    Contributed by - Josh Russell Big Jim & the Twins Dual / Dueling Twin Boost Gliders The objects found in this DESCON entry are two "Turbo Jet 2000" children's styrofoam throw gliders with a whopping 2 foot wingspan. The gliders are mounted onto a 36" piece of BT-60 booster tube with a stock Estes nosecone. Each glider has two points of attachment, each ...

  • Descon Black Widow By Eric Spain

    Black Widow My name is Eric Spain and I live in Rhode Island.I have been involved with rocketry for 2 years and I love it! My Descon #9 entry is called the Black Widow. My rocket is 6 feet tall and 2 inch diameter. The coupler is the same type of tube as the body tube and is located in the middle. It is black with yellow/black Monokote. The nose cone is a piece of balsa that I made on a ...

  • Descon Blue Blade 3X By Kelo Waivio

    ( Contributed - by Kelo Waivio) The Blue Blade 3X is the fourth in a series of Blue Blades I've built. There were a total of 4 with various motor mount sizes, a 13mm, 18mm, 24mm and the 29mm 3X version. Unfortunately the 24mm sibling is hanging in a large tree at SMASH's launch range. The 3X first flew on an F52-5 with a predicted altitude of 708 feet. The F52 lifted her easily off the ...

  • Descon Boddomuk By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    ( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller ) Boddomuk by Dwayne Surdu-Miller Boddomuk attempts to answer that age-old rocketeer question, "now that baby's drinking from cups, can I do something cool with these bottles?" This baby bottle frankenstein is a rugged, transparent-bodied tube-fin rocket with a rear-ejecting motor/recovery pod, requiring no flame-proof ...

  • Descon Boxer By Dave Lee

    Boxer ( Contributed - by Dave Lee) As I start writing this page the Boxer is little more than an idea, which I hope to have ready to test at tomorrow's meeting. In fact it's only got this far. Well actually I have four of these, which I am about to join together to form a box kite, hence the name "Boxer" (not much originality so far). Probably you will have ...

  • Descon Broken Arrow By John Coles

    Broken Arrow ( Contributed - by John Coles)  I'm a BAR with an affinity for oddrocs. While looking through the Apogee Components catalog one day, with their array of 10.5mm parts and motors, I thought about combining two of my favorite hobbies, rocketry and traditional archery. After all, arrows move at high speeds like rockets, are very stable like rockets should be, and are ...

  • Descon BSF Twin Rocket By Michel Demey

    the BSF twin rocket by Michel Demey This rocket is build mostly using the parts from the contest's list. I had no gemini rocket available. The material comes from a pegasus rocket for the bt-50 tubes and the motor mount, and the 18mm tubes are full length of spare bt-20 tubing. Yes this is one bt-20 more than in the kit, but I wanted to be sure that the ...

  • Descon Bucky II By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    Bucky II by Dennis McClain-Furmanski This carbon composite 29mm minimum diameter rocket is the second of three versions intended for NAR mid-power altitude competition events. Specifically, this version is ito be used to break the NAR class C (adult) G power altitude record (1140 m = 3740’). The name is derived from "buckytube", the name for the axially symmetric ...

  • Descon Bye Bye Tweety Pie By Bob Fortune

    Contributed by - Bob Fortune It all started innocently enough when I dropped into the local 7-11 to get something to drink. There in the cooler was a product called "Belly Washers" which is some pseudo fruit juice concoction with a cute little plastic head - perfect for this carnivorous cartoon shark I had been kicking around in my brain.  Originally ...

  • Descon Camera Pod By Ned Nassif

    ( Contributed - by Ned Nassif) Having always wanted to add functionality to my rockets, I decided that adding a camera would be a great start. I scoured the internet via Rocketry Online, as well as directing my browser to any camera link mentioned in RMR. It seemed a lot of rocketeers had used the circuit on Rob Nee's AYUCR page. It seemed simple enough, so I was off to the races. I had a ...

  • Descon Cast Away By Rick Dickinson

    Contributed by - Rick "OddRoc" Dickinson CAST AWAY A few months ago, I was involved in a nasty little sledding accident -- some kid crashed into me from behind, breaking my tibia.While in my cast, I started thinking about the DesCon possibilities.... My DesCon entry is named "Cast Away", and is built from my cast-off fiberglass leg cast.It uses a 38mm motor ...

  • Descon Chain Lightning By Frank DaCosta

    Chain Lightning ( Contributed - by Frank DaCosta)  This two-stager always gets attention when I bring it out at our South Florida joint NAR/TRA monthly launch. Everyone loves Reddy-Kilowatt fins! CAT-Scratch Rocketry Chain Lightning is one of my series of "CAT-Scratch" rockets, where CAT stands for Collect Any Trash. CAT-Scratch rockets avoid the use of any ...

  • Descon Chubby Boy With FatBoy Booster By Jim Myers

    Chubby Boy With FatBoy Booster Jim Myers's Descon-14 Entry The ChubbyBoy is a BT-60 downscale of a fatboy. (.625 scale) This project started out as a 7 engine MMX cluster, but I quickly discovered how much of a PITA wiring 7 igniters in those little bitty motors can be!! I am not a fan of Flashpan ignition, so we went to plan B. I decided to stage and cluster. The ChubbyBoy ...

  • Descon Cinderella By Ted Phipps

    Cinderella ( Contributed - by Ted Phipps)  In the years following the first successful operations of the Orbital Transport, a need was recognized for a general purpose spacecraft to handle various jobs within the solar system.  The most successful design was the Cinderella class.  Cheap, sturdy, and versatile, Cinderella's came to handle almost all 'tugboat' services in ...

  • Descon Cosmostrader By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    ( Contributed - by Drake Damerau) Cosmostrader A kitbash of the Fliskits USS Grissom   I've never seen the movie but I found it with a Google search on "Comedy sci-fi spaceship". This ship is about as "mod" as it gets. It looks like something Frank Lloyd Wright would design. In some photos it looks like there are 3 engines in the center, in ...

  • Descon Cub Scout (The) By Bob Fortune

    The Cub Scout ( Contributed - by Bob Fortune)  A while back I realized I had a bunch of odd sized 54 mm motor mount tube (mmt) kicking around. The inside diameter was off a bit and would not fit LOC adapters so it sat in my tube box. Also taking up space was a sheet of copper foil clad G10 that electronics folks use to make printed circuit boards. You can find the type of copper ...

  • Descon Cup of Coffee?to Go By Greg Elder

    Contributed by - Greg Elder Cup of Coffee .... to Go One day while drinking a cup of coffee at work, I thought the styrofoam coffee cup might make an interesting model rocket.  That week I built the Cup of Coffee to Go and flew it the following weekend.  It flew fairly well and had the side benefit of glide recovery (sort of).  It is easy to b ...

  • Descon Cutlass By Kelo Waivio

    ( Contributed - by Kelo Waivio) Cutlass  Trans-Orbital Interceptor The Cutlass was inspired by the Star Fury fighters from the Babylon 5 Sci-Fi series. I liked the look of the Star Fury, with the engines out on the end of the "wings". I also found a use for those paper tubes that come with the ...

  • Descon D Christmas Tree By Tom Stagner

    D Christmas Tree ( Contributed - by Tom Stagner Jr) D12-5 Powered Christmas Tree Rocket - Flies great to around 750' to 1000' Construction is fairly simple. The rocket is made up of an 18" piece of BT-50 which is almost entirely surrounded by a large paper cone. The cone transitions from .976" to 4" wide over a span of 15.5" and is made from poster board. There ...

  • Descon Dark Comet By Mark Schrader

    Dark Comet by Mark Schrader This model started out as an Estes Maxi-Alpha III. I thought this would be a fun build, buy when I saw the thin plastic fins, my first thought was that these need to be reversed or they'll need of constant repair. I was also building my Estes Renegade at the time and thought that side pods on the fin tips would be a nice touch. And as long as I'm add it, ...

  • Descon DC Pod Racer By Dick Stafford

    Prologue:  In a modeler’s forum prior to the contest… Sebulba:  I protest!  The human is cheating.  Solid rocket propulsion is not allowed under the rules of Descon 3610, Sub-contest 312. Star-El:  Most illustrious Jabba, this is nonsense.  There is no such rule. Sebulba:  No one has used it for over 1000 contest c ...

  • Descon Demon Deployer By Dave Lee

    No, it doesn't deploy demons, just a small satellite. Wondering what to do with the moulded plastic capsule things that come in the Estes Designer Special pack. This is my answer. Add a couple of flip out solar panels and a spot of paint, then build a rocket to get your nice new satellite into orbit (or as close as you can get). So how to deploy a satellite? Well putting it on/in the nose ...

  • Descon Deuce-XL5 By Dick Stafford

    Deuce-XL5 Dick Stafford's Descon-13 Entry no Micro-Maxx, x2 cluster, sci-fi, comedy(?), most parts from a Fliskits Deuces Wild Hmmm, should I have entered this in the previous contest? Design Concept The Deuce-XL5 is a kitbash of the Fliskits Deuce's Wild. After building a stock kit and seeing a flurry of interesting kitbashes on The Rocketry Forum , I ...

  • Descon Dizzy Lizzy By Chip Jenkins

    ( Contributed - by Chip Jenkins) Dizzy Lizzy - By Chip Jenkins  Specifications:     Height: 20"    Weight: 4 to 5 oz. ? Parts List 1 body tube BT-55 x 13 1/2" long 1 body tube BT-55 x 1 1/8" long 1 engine pod BT-20 x 5 ...

  • Descon Double-X By Emmanuel Camburako

    The Oat Propulsion Laboratory presents our latest Descon 10 entry by Emmanuel Camburako The Name Descon 10 - Roman numeral 10 is X. Typical designation for an experimental aircraft is X. Thus, this experimental aircraft designation is the X-10 or X-X. Double X The Double X has been designed as a vehicle to investigate the practical application of a ground to near earth orbit ...

  • Descon Dust Devil By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford) I had originally decided to build a monocopter exclusively for the Estes E9 motor. However, my concept soon changed, and I decided to use a 29mm motor tube. The larger tube would let my fly on either an E9 (with an adapter) or a 29mm motor. Please read on to see how this project continued to evolve... Construction Notes I got several ideas from the ...

  • Descon Easter Egg Rocket (Scratch) By Dan Major

    I get a big kick out of the challenge of making rockets from "found objects". I tend to walk through stores in a kind of a daze sometimes, wondering what sort of adapter or how much thrust it will take to "fly" certain objects on the store shelves. This is one of my recent attempts. Everything is found or made from scratch except the engine mount tube, centering ring, and thrust ring in the ...

  • Descon Edinburgh Farce 1 By Adrian Hurt

    Edinburgh Farce 1 ( Contributed - by Adrian Hurt)  Background Over the past year, the Edinburgh Alliance - a Babylon 5 fan club of which I am a member - has been working on a CD of songs parodying the show.  As it neared completion, we decided that when the time came to launch the CD, we really would launch it.  Being the club’s rocketeer, I got the job. ...

  • Descon Edmund IB By Daniel Kirk

    Contributed by - Daniel Kirk Edmund IB My son loves rockets! He loves to watch them, he loves to talk about them, he loves to push the launch button, and he loves to play with them, which he isn't allowed to do, because he's only three, and might break them. He has toy rockets that don't fly and Stomp Rockets,· but it's not the same. "Why couldn't I design him a rocket of ...

  • Descon Egberto Guismonte By Mike Roberts

    Which came first? The Egg? The Chicken? Or..... The Rocket! The Tale of Egberto Guismonte - The Rubber Chicken Rocket PARTS LIST: 1 Rubber Chicken 1 Length 38mm motor mount 1 38mm coupler tube 1 38mm plywood bulkhead 1 38mm plywood coupler bulkhead 6m Kevlar cord Small square Nomex Larger Square Nomex 2mm ...

  • Descon EggLofter By Gary Meier

    Contributed by - Gary Meier EggLofter (click to enlarge image) Concept I saw these plastic eggs on sale at K-Mart, just begging to be blasted skyward. I didn't want to add external fins, but I was fairly certain that no amount of nose weight would make the egg stable. My solution was to add a draggy base disk, covered, naturally, in green paper Easter grass. Hol ...

  • Descon Eggspress By Scott Hamlin

    Contributed by - Scott J Hamlin Eggspress  Background Some time ago, I read on RMR, that some model rocket builders used hollow plastic eggs as inexpensive nose cones for smaller model rockets. Several weeks before Easter, while at my local Wally World store, I decided to explore the Easter section in search of potential model rocket hardware. In addition to the usual ...

  • Descon EggsRific By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Contributed by - Chris Taylor EggsRific I was walking through the isles of the local dollar store after gorging on as many of the $1 star wars rockets as I could fit in a cart :-) and while in line I saw this Bright Pink Inflatable Easter Egg with little duckies on it.  Hmmm I was thinking should I get some of these for the house and then it HITS me.  Inflatable rocket ! ...

  • Descon El Diablo By Alex Immerman

    ( Contributed - by Alex Immerman) WELCOME To the page of El Diablo III The El Diablo III is a 3 engine cluster rocket that uses two 18mm strap on boosters (SOBs) and a 24 mm core. Before going in to depth about the cluster design I would like to give credit to Morgan Hendry who designed some strap on boosters and ...

  • Descon EnRoc By Kevin Rich

    Contributed by - Kevin Rich The Enema Rocket or "EnRoc" for short This little gem actually does what you think just happened - when you get to meet one of these things for real!  Yes, that is a real live enema tip just like they use in the X-ray departments to give you a "barium enema". I was presented with this one in the form of a pen. Yeah I know... even that is a ...

  • Descon Eric the 1/2A Bee By Peter Clay

    "If a bee is half a bee, it philosophically must half not be."  --  The Token Python Reference, from The Contractual Obligation Album . Short rocket, long story.   The original brainstorm (not quite a plan) was to extend a long motor like B2, I435, J350 or I200 up into the nose cone, with only enough body tube to hold the fins, and the recovery system packed around ...

  • Descon ETV2/Crumple Zone By Niall Oswald

    ETV2/Crumple Zone By Naill Oswald Brief A 2-stage, clustered rocket designed to fly on 24mm Estes motors, with an interstage timer and parachute recovery of both stages, intended as a testbed for home-made electronics. Background Back in September 2003, I decided that I would build an altimeter for my A2 Systems and Control practical project. I started off by taking early ...

  • Descon Ex-Parrot By Anthony De Boer

    Ex-Parrot by Anthony De Boer This Rocket is an Ex-Parrot   No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage! Yes, it's the infamous Dead Parrot from the best-known Monty Python sketch.  This one never actually had a design on paper or a Rocksim file (if Rocksim ...

  • Descon Experi-Mental By Geoff Marshall

    E xperi -MENTAL Hi, my name is Geoff Marshall. I have been a BAR for about 2 years and am currently the president of the British Columbia Rocketry Club. I am also a member of the Canadian Association of Rocketry and hold a CAR level 3 certification. I hope you enjoy this presentation of my Descon 9 entry. The idea for this rocket came after flying the new Estes E9's for the ...

  • Descon Extra Razor By Barry Lynch

    Extra Razor ( Contributed - by Barry Lynch)  Materials 2 each 18" BT-60 1 each 18" BT-56 Transition BT-60 to BT-56 NC-56 Nose Cone 24mm Motor Mount Kit  5' length of elastic shock cord 18" Parachute NC-60 Nose Cone ( if desired) 3" length of Nylon Twine Small D-Ring 2 each Launch Lugs 3/8 to 1/4 Assembly Instructions ...

  • Descon Falcon XTRG-13 By Yitah Wu

    Falcon XTRG-13 ( Contributed - by Yitah Wu)  I've always thought that rocket gliders were the biggest challenges.  There are really very few.  Most of the favorites (Crusader Swing-Wing, Scissor Wing Transport, Citation Bomarc, Trans-Wing, Deltie, Soaring Eagle, Mach-10, Mini-Dactyl,  SST Shuttle, Swift, Nighthawk, etc,) are boost gliders  which use a pop-pod ...

  • Descon Fantasy Jet By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Fantasy Jet ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor)  This Design was inspired by the Movie the Fifth Element This model is a Kit Bashers Delight for Under $15 This model is made up of two Estes kits and some balsa wood. I use one Estes Stingray kit for the main white body tube. Everything was used except the fins. For the other two small tubes and "Engines" I used the ...

  • Descon FAO Schwarzkopf By Norman Dziedzic

    ( Contributed - by Norman Dziedzic) The "FAO Schwarzkopf" Model Rocket Photo by Marty Schrader ...Yes, it really is a rocket! Anyone who has attended a NIRA (Northern Illinois Rocketry Association) launch knows that all sorts of things can be made into rockets: McDonald's Happy Meals Pringles Cans Large Dice ...

  • Descon Fat Bertha and Baby Boy By Bob Kaplow

    ( Contributed - by Bob Kaplow) This is a dual entry, as the models are the result of interchanging parts between two common kits. Kitbash isn't quite the right word for it, but I don't have a better one yet. The resulting rockets are obviously called the Fat Bertha and the Baby Boy. I credit or blame the inspiration for this kitbash on a suggestion from my wife Judy. Construction of ...

  • Descon Film Works By Chuck Straka

    Contributed by - Chuck Straka Film WORKS! Background: About six years ago, my daughters and I joined the local YMCA Indian Princess program (Dad/daughter version of Indian Guides). Three years ago I decided to become more involved in the program and volunteered to be the Longhouse Legend Maker. The Legend Maker's duties are to keep a photographic record of the various ...

  • Descon Firebutt By Amanda Clay

    Contributed by - Amanda Clay (who is 8 years old) (Construction and write-up by Peter, her dad) Firebutt Amanda has three previous rockets, but all of them are pretty small. In the fall of 2000 she started asking if it might be possible for her to build a "really big" rocket. I dug in my box of assorted parts and came out with a tube that used to be the core of a roll of butcher ...

  • Descon Firestorm By Greg Dietlein

      My rocket was inspired by an Estes Sliver. I planned to upscale it using a 3" mailing tube for the body. 1/8" balsa fins and a custom turned balsa nose cone and install a 38 mm motor mount to take advantage of the 38 mm G's available during the 29 mm engine drought. The fins will be overlayed with 3/4 oz fiberglass and epoxy resin. The paint was designed to make the rocket highly ...

  • Descon Flake Boost-Glider (Scratch) By Peter Clay

      This is a simple scale-down of a time-tested, already small glider. It boosts to about 40 feet and in two flights has glided about 6 seconds each time.   Materials : Body Tube: Totally Tubular T2+ would be ideal. Prototype is a hand-rolled spiral tube. About 215mm long, i.d. a bit over 6mm. Pylon and Piece-X: Aircraft spruce, 1/16 x 1/4" Launch Lug: Hand rolled around a ...

  • Descon Flight Registration Form By Adrian Hurt

    Flight Registration Form by Adrian Hurt Background Near the end of this year's International Rocket Week, various odd, not to say silly, rockets were built. After pondering for a while on how to contribute to the silliness, I decided to act on something I'd overheard earlier in the week. I'd make a rocket out of a flight registration form. Construction Each rocket flight at ...

  • Descon Flounder Parts By Steve Bloom

    Contributed by - Steve Bloom Flounder Parts, the Rocket I place the blame for the flounder squarely on Bob Fortune's shoulders. He named the contest "flounder parts". What was I supposed to do? I've had this old flounder head laying around for many years. I'm not sure where I got it, I just remember coming back from Canada with it. It was a fishing trip to Uklulet, up in ...

  • Descon Flying Gold Cone By Scott Turnbull

    ( Contributed - by Scott Turnbull) MIB - Flying Gold Cone A SciFi Comedy Spaceship Kitbashed from a FlisKit and flying on one or two MicroMaxx Motors I decided to build a Comedy Sci-Fi Rocket from Men In Black II. The ship in question is the gold chromed ice cream cone shaped vessel. It figures prominently in the opening "news reel" sequence as a recreation of eye ...

  • Descon Flying Lady By Jessica Pleasant

    ( Contributed - by Jessica Pleasant) INSTRUCTIONS FOR BUILDING A "ROCKET LADY" FLYING MODEL ROCKET Recommended Motors: 24 mm E18-4 24 mm E30-4 or virtually any 24 mm F or G load Parts List: Estes NC-80BB Estes BT-80 141 ã Main Body Tube Estes BT-80 21" Nose Cone Shoulder Extension Estes BT-50 8" Engine Mount Tube Estes BT-80 ...

  • Descon Flying on the Galileo By Dan Bihary

    Flying on the Galileo·· by Dan Bihary More than a quarter century ago, StarWind Cruiseline set sail on a voyage that has taken its ships to the ends of the universe - and made it a leader in providing exciting and memorable cruise vacations to thousands of guests along the way. Cruising into the new millennium, we continue to lead the cruise ...

  • Descon Flying Purple People Eater By Robert Galejs

     4-Fin 23-Tube Flying Purple People Eater of Death Robert Galejs, NAR 69317     I ordered the Descon X HP kit from Blackhawk R&D and here's what I got. There appears to be an extra 3" coupler and bulkhead that were not on the original Descon10 website, but I didn't reralize that until I was essentially finished with my entry. So many tubes... What ...

  • Descon FSW BG By Chris Taylor Jr.

    FSW BG ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor) FSW BG= Forward Swept Wing Boost Glider I needed a Boost Glider for NARAM-40 and I wanted to make something exotic. I had Boost Gliders but they were normal regular airplane designs and since I knew I would NOT win I figured Why not fly something exotic and fun. SO I made THIS FSW BG Forward Swept Wing Boost Glider (I make real creative ...

  • Descon FSW-RCRG By Chris Taylor Jr.

    FSW-RCRG ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor) Forward Swept Wing Radio Controlled Rocket Glider This is a relatively Accurate Sketch of My Current Project, As usual the Not so special but Blunt Name for it :-) I used a 4.5 Foot Styrofoam Glider from Toys-R-Us for Parts to chop up to make this model This Model Proved to "Finicky" in that it was Very Touchy ...

  • Descon Fur-Lined Cold Weather Rocket By Richard Hickok

    Contributed by - Richard Hickok Fur-Lined Cold Weather Rocket Components Quantity Item Description 1 Heavy Nap 9" Paint Roller 1 Plastic Easter Egg 1 Balsa standoff block for launch lug 1.25" 3/16 inch aluminum tube for launch lug 1 5.25" length of BT-20 1 Robitussin Cap ...

  • Descon G-Whiz By Peter Clay

    ( Contributed - by Peter Clay) G-Whiz G-whiz Overview: G-whiz is a LMR/MPR/ low end HPR 3FNC/Payload design with one good idea at each end. It was intended to be a testbed for an as-yet unbuilt rocket called I-whish ('cause I wish I could afford to build it now), but two ideas define the design ...

  • Descon Gemini DX By Brad Martin

    by Brad Martin I have purchased a stock Estes Gemini DC with the intent of using every component in it to create a rather different rocket than what is shown on the original package cover.   My Gemini-DX will be a 5 engine cluster consisting of 4 C6-7's and  a central E9-8.  The idea is to have the boosters ejection charges reverse  with a cowling-like slice of ...

  • Descon Gemini Strikefighter By David S Chen

    GEMINI STRIKEFIGHTER by David S. Chen FANTASY BACKGROUND The USAF Gemini Strikefighter was commissioned in 2039, the contract being awarded to the new Boeing- Douglas-Martin corporation. The Mercury prototype made its first flight in 2044. The first production example was delivered in 2046 and is represented by this model. The Strikefighter, designated as ...

  • Descon Generation Ship Calypso By Stuart Lenz

    Generation Ship Calypso by Stuart Lenz During the early part of the 21st century, the first extra Sol planets were discovered. First discovered were gas giants larger than Jupiter in close in orbits of their stars. Shortly there after, even Earth size planets were being found. This was fortuitous for the human race, because at the some time the planet earth reacted violently to ...

  • Descon Generations By Tim Sapp

    ( Contributed - by Tim Sapp) Generations is the scratch rocket that I built recently. It was my first scratch rocket and also my first rocket motor mounts bigger than 24mm. I really wanted some punch so I also made it a cluster with 2 - 29mm motor mounts. I happened to be in Oklahoma City when I found the tube that I wanted to start with. My dad has a lot of shop equipment so I figured ...

  • Descon GO GO GODZILLA By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    GO GO GODZILLA by Dennis McClain-Furmanski “ Oh no, they say he's got to go, Go Go Godzilla. ” - Blue Oyster Cult This rocket started life as a rubber Godzilla head from a drinking cup souvenir I got at the first run of the 1998 remake of the classic monster movie. I noticed that the screw-on cap very almost perfectly on an Estes BT70 body tube. From them on, it was as ...

  • Descon Gollum and his Precious By Sarah Fergus

    ( Contributed - by Sarah Fergus (age:13, 3 years design experience)) Gollum and his Precious OR.. the fourth and last Ringbearer Summary I love the "The Lord of the Rings", both the movie and the books. The idea for this rocket started when the alien from the Venus Probe was noticed to look like Gollum. He was sitting in a broken parts box because our Estes Venus Probe had ...

  • Descon Goodbye Kitty By Steve Kristal

    Goodbye Kitty by Steve Kristal Introduction: Trying to keep my young daughters interested in rocketry is a constant challenge. Fortunately, the Walmart shampoo aisle gives me plenty of inspiration. Design: This is your basic 3FNC with a BT-50 body tube and 18mm motor mount. 12" chute on a kevlar shock cord. Construction and Finishing: Most of the Character Shampoo ...

  • Descon Graystone By Manuel Mejia, Jr.

    Graystone ( Contributed - by Manuel Mejia)  Here is my entry. The picture is not the most state of the art but it works for me. Enjoy. **** -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------Manuel Mejia, Jr.------------------------------------- --------------------Tampa, FLA., USA-------------------------------------- ...

  • Descon Heart of Gold By Tater Schuld

    ( Contributed - by Tater Schuld) Heart of Gold from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. As popular as this book, trilogy, and myth are, there are very few pictures of the Heart Of Gold on the Internet. In fact, all of my design has come from the VHS movie with the exclusion of one picture that appeared on the net, although that appeared to be from the movie also ...

  • Descon Heavy Lifter By David Fergus

    Heavy Lifter An RMR Descon XIV entry by David Fergus (Place your mouse over photos to view the captions.(IE5)) Design Summary: A four engine cluster rocket with two optional payload bays. One central D engine mount and three side pods for optional C engines that rear eject. The rocket has six fins and split recovery of the lifting body on one chute and the payload ...

  • Descon Home Improvement By Norman Dziedzic

    Contributed by - Norm Dziedzic Home Improvement, The Rocket   Background A few years ago, I started building a rocket called the Flying Dutch Boy which was made from paint rollers for tubes and paint brushes for fins.At that time, I found out that the I.D. of a paint roller is just about 38mm (It's actually a little smaller).For this Descon, I wanted to expand on that ...

  • Descon Hybrid Easter Egg By Robert Galejs

    Rattworks 29mm motors are fun to fly, but have two challenging aspects that need to be addressed when designing a rocket to use them. The motors are very long (H70: 18", I80: 29" and I90: 36") and have a relatively low thrust. The typical way to design a rocket for these motors would be to make the rocket very long and skinny with the usual motor/parachute/electronics bay stackup. This results ...

  • Descon ICRS Ghost Rider By Mike Crewe

    ICRS Ghost Rider by Mike Crewe Construction. Parts. For the parts, I used the parts list, rather than the actual kit. In the parts list, it has "launch lugs and recovery system as necessary for safe operation ". I expanded this to: Two 1" launch lugs Approx 18" of Kevlar ® cord. 24" of 1/8" elastic. 1/4" section ...

  • Descon Imperial Lambda Shuttle (29mm) By Nick Esselman

    ( Contributed - by Nick Esselman) About a year ago, I got a "bug" to create the Star Wars Imperial Lambda-Class Shuttle. I read information from various Star Wars sites and started off on my project. The project had many twists and variables, but in general I was confident that I could create a flying model of this Lambda Shuttle. It was going to fly on 29mm motors, too! ...

  • Descon Imperial Star Destroyer By Stuart Lenz

    ( Contributed - by Stuart Lenz) Movie: Star Wars Ship: Imperial Star Destroyer For my first entry I decided to model an Imperial Star Destroyer from the movie Star Wars. While this is from an Epic Science Fiction Adventure, from the Greek story tradition, if it is not a tragedy, then it was a comedy. So because the heroes survive the epic, it must then be a comedy. I have ...

  • Descon Insulin Syringe 6.25 By Jim Myers & Eric Myers

    Insulin Syringe 6.25 by Jim Myers & Eric Myers (Click for PDF) After my son was diagnosed as a type I diabetic (on April 1st, no less), We decided to upscale an insulin syringe, as comic relief from the new daily routine of carb counting, finger poking, blood glucose monitoring and injections.   The syringe is a 625% upscale of a BD Ultrafine 3/10 ...

  • Descon It's Miller Time By Kathy Kippen

    ( Contributed - by Kathy Miller) I saw this bottle at the store where I work and just knew it had "rocket" written all over it! Parts List: one plastic beer bottle bank with lid two BT80 tubes from an Estes Phoenix "parts" kit one coupler from the same kit two 1/4" launch lugs two 1/8" birch plywood cr's four 24mm motor mount tubes stiff, ...

  • Descon Jabberwoc By Dave Lee

    Jabberwoc ( Contributed - by Dave Lee)  15th March '98 - Launch Report A typical late winter day, cool, overcast, wind gusting from about five to ten knots. First flight motor a Rocket Services F36-5 this is not a true F but more like an E.  A wRASP calculation based on the Pheonix was used as a guide, but the results were expected to be optimistic as the CD would be affected ...

  • Descon Jack-O-Lance By Norman Dziedzic

    ( Contributed - by Norman Dziedzic) The Jack-o-Lance Beta As you may have seen in Descon 6 , I like Odd Rockets. Since Halloween was smack dab in the middle of Descon 7, I had to enter the Jack-o-Lance Beta . This model was originally named, "The Pumpkin Stick" but I think the New name has a little more Rocketry Flare. The main oddity on this rocket is the pumpkins ...

  • Descon Junk Food Junkie By Glen Overby

    Contributed by - Glen Overby Innovation Cubed Photo by Alan Estenson The Junk food Junkie was inspired by a Burger King value meal consisting of a chicken sandwich, onion rings and caffeinated, colored sugar-water. I was returning home from an evening snack at Burger King when I got the idea to use the drink cup as a foam nose cone mold. I've built several ...

  • Descon KidflaSh Spring Pad By Chris Kiekens

    KidflaSh Spring Pad by Chris Kiekens After destroying several Estes pads, and having several others fall over with bigger rockets, I came to the conclusion that I needed something bigger, stronger, heavier... The original concept for this pad was created in 3D Max. I have yet to match the pretty colors that were on the original design... oh well. I definitely ...

  • Descon L'il Eyeful By Peter Clay

    Contributed by - Peter Clay The Li'l Eyeful: (French National ICBM) Puzz3D(TM) Eiffel Tower Flight Conversion My family enjoys Puzz3D and our house has about a dozen on display.  This is one of the smaller ones, and it came to me as a stocking stuffer about two Christmases ago. 13.75" tall and extremely light, it was one of those things the manufacturer didn't intend to fly ...

  • Descon Lander (Spooge Prospector) By Kelo Waivio

    Contributed by - Kelo Waivio Lander Parts List: (Note: a Fat Boy kit could be used for the stock parts of this rocket. The parts listed are what I had on hand to use, but the Fat Boy parts look like they'd work. I didn't want to break up the kit I had.) Found parts: Large plastic soft drink cup with narrow bottom. (from Blimpie's)  4 small wire nuts ...

  • Descon Lander By Tater Schuld

    Lander by Tater Schuld For this contest I plan on entering a model rocket that was inspired by the cover artwork of Amazing Stories, July 1986, This is mainly a non-atmospheric lander. I plan on using some stability techniques similar to the Estes Mars Lander and Centuri Satellite Killer by using the pads on the landing legs for drag stabilization. As I had started this just for my ...

  • Descon Lego-13 By Ed Pattison-Gordon

    Lego-13 ( Contributed - by Ed Pattison-Gordon)  Lego-13 October 3, 1998 (unmanned test flight) October 3, 1998 (first manned flight) October 24, 1998 (second manned flight) 1/4 scale Dimensions in inches © 2001 Pater Ellway Sources: Lego-13 Launched , Action Figure, October 1998. Engineering diagrams for Lego-13 , Pattigorie R ...

  • Descon Lilliput Spaceport By Peter Clay

    ( Contributed - by Peter W. Clay) The Lilliput Spaceport Tribox Tower and Poker Rocket For Quest MicroMaxx When I first flew a MicroMaxx scratchbuilt at one of our club's HPR launches a year ago, the most-asked questions were about the launch lug, and the "little tower" I launched it from. Well, it wasn't a tower; it was a little x-shaped stand for a 3/64" ...

  • Descon Little Joe II By Jeff Brundt

    ( Contributed - by Jeff Brundt) Little Joe II Introduction and materials A 1/50-scale version of the vehicle used to test the LES system for the Apollo spacecraft. The particular vehicle modeled is A-001, BP-12, flown on May 13, 1964. Each of the Little Joe rockets was slightly different in order to test various aspects of the LES system under different flight ...

  • Descon Lost Soul By Chris Kiekens

    by Chris Kiekens I had purchased a couple of Gemini DC kits to enter in this DesCon, but alas, holidays, sick kids and work seemed to drain the majority of my time.. I did have time to bang this one out howevera I worked on this rocket obsessively(according to the wife), and was having a great love affair with ita Parts ...

  • Descon LRD-D-1 By Greg Burke

    ( Contributed - by Greg Burke) Project LRD-D-1 Everyone knows how things get started, search through books, magazines, and online sources just to find that perfect prototype for a new project. I was faced with this same dilemma. Even with the vast amount of different prototypes, most are still just a basic fins, tube and nose cone rockets. I wanted something that was ...

  • Descon Luna 2-18 Express By Donald Qualls

    ( Contributed - by Donald Qualls) Luna 2-18 Express Model designed and built by Donald Qualls The Heinlein Fleet entered service in 1991 with the launch of the Terra . The class eventually consisted of eight ships, and served with distinction on suborbital, orbital, and transLunar routes until being phased out of first line service in favor of newer, more efficient ...

  • Descon M & M Rocket By Bill Morgan

    ( Contributed - by Bill Morgan) Last year the Calgary Rocketry Association had a club launch with a "novelty' rocket theme. I'd kept a couple of MM Christmas ornaments my son received the previous Christmas, thinking that I should be able to something with them, and that was the perfect opportunity to build a rocket with one of them. For those that don't have a clue what I am talking ...

  • Descon M.M.X. (MicroMech-X) By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford) M.M.X. (MicroMech-X) All Micro-Maxx, x2 cluster, sci-fi but not comedy, no parts from a Grissom Design Concept I wanted to pick a theme that I thought would be somewhat unique. I didn't think I could come up with a suitable comedy sci-fi ship that hadn't already been mentioned on r.m.r., so I looked elsewhere for inspiration. ...

  • Descon M.O.R.F.E.A.R. By Mark S Morley

    Contributed by - Mark S. Morley Emerging from the wastes of the world's largest retailer.... A supernatural occurrence? A force for good? A mutated FREAK defying all the laws of man and nature? At first glance a tasty treat, then it roars into the sky. It can only be... (Miracle of Refreshment From Easily Available Recyclables)    ...

  • Descon M934 By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    ( Contributed - by Drake "Doc" Damerau ) The 120 Mortar The M934 High Explosive Cartridges are designed for use with the M120 and M121 120mm Mortar Systems and are used against personnel, bunker and light materiel targets. The 120mm mortar family consists of the High Explosive round (HE) green, the Smoke round light green, the Illumination round white and the ...

  • Descon Macroprobe By Ronald A Orr

    Contributed by - Ronald A. Orr Starfleet Command Salvage Operations Interim Report   Salvage Team 28, Wolf359     Stardate 44101.3     We recovered this device from a section of hull plating that had drifted into a long elliptical orbit around the star. It had pierced the plating but had apparently been ...

  • Descon Mark 1X By Mark Shamburg-Donohue

    ( Contributed - by Mark Shamburg-Donohue) Mark 1X Hi, my name is Mark Shamburg-Donohue. I'm a 17 year old high school junior. I live in Denver, Co.Ýand I've been flying model rockets since I was 12. I just got into high power rocketry this winter when I fired an Aerotech 1357T reload for a physics class project My favorite subject is chemistry and I have ...

  • Descon Mark 2 Mod 1 Stomp Rocket By David Fergus

    Contributed by - David W. Fergus Mark 2 Mod 1 Stomp Rocket Although not original in concept, and as ubiquitously proliferated as the stinger missile, no other RMR Descon has undertaken to describe the construction and operation of this small but capable missile which is in the inventory of just about every tinpot dictator and rocketeer in the world. Besides, no one told me ...

  • Descon Mark's Glider Launcher By Mark Recktenwald

    Mark's Glider Launcher ( Contributed - by Mark Recktenwald) CONCEPTION & DESIGN NARRATIVE : When out shopping, I usually scan the toy isle looking for Bail Out payload candidates. Most of my kids' (boys 7 & 9) action figures tend to hang up in the Bail Out's BT-60 inside diameter of 1.595" (41 mm). A couple of months ago, while at my local Big Lots, I saw these ...

  • Descon Mars Egglander By Dan Bihary

    In the desire to fulfill the need for an autonomous single place transportation craft, NASA has developed the EV Series. Capable of completing diverse tasks and operations, the Expedition Vehicles have become a valuable tool.  Long duration work sessions on the International Space Station are now much more comfortable while using the EV units to position delicate equipment.  The ...

  • Descon Maxy Flex By Chris Taylor Jr.

      Flexie Glider and Booster The Purpose ! I like Glider Recovery Rockets and this was a challenge for NARAM 40. One of the competitions was 1/2A Flexie. After I found out what it was and what a Flexi Glider was I just had to do one. After a lot of trial and error I finally got one to work !!! To make this rocket I use a Viking body tube and nose cone and the clear tube section ...

  • Descon Medical Missile By Kevin Trojanowski

    Contributed by - Kevin Trojanowski The Medical Missile The Lightbulb Goes On  Ever since I heard about the RMR DESCON, I've been contemplating entering. Unfortunately, I've only been able to come up with a decent concept once, and I haven't yet had a chance to build it.  This time, I was determined to enter, so I spent a couple of weeks trying to think of ...

  • Descon Micro Maxx Monocopter By Art Applewhite

    ( Contributed - by Art Applewhite) Stars Stripes Version in PDF format    Micro Maxx Monocopter Assembly Instructions 1. Mark along the dashed lines with a fine tip, ball point pen. Press down hard to make an indentation to aid folding. 2. Cut out the Wing and fold on the dotted line towards the printed side. 3. Put a small amount of white glue the full ...

  • Descon Milk Bone By Bob Kaplow

    Milk Bone by Bob Kaplow Dedicated to Belker, our rocket dog: 8-Dec-1983 - 31-Oct-1998. The unique feature of this rocket is the dog biscuit shaped fins. Parts list: 1 "Beefy" BT-60, about 40cm long 1 PNC-60 "Big Bertha" nose cone 2 centering rings 20-60 3mm Sig lite-ply 1 18mm MMT 8cm long 1 70mm motor clip 1 motor block 18mm 4 1.6mm ply fins 1 ...

  • Descon mineDCg By Jon DeMar

    mineDCg:  Delta Cargo glider by John DeMar Sector Chief "Yukon Centauri" says:  "Remember where you parked"! INTRODUCTION This Astron class cargo vehicle was designed specifically to handle mining material delivery to planetary objects with a moderately dense atmosphere.  The primary two-stage configuration supports initial ...

  • Descon Mini-Jen By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Mini Jen ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor) I wanted a Rocket Glider that did NOT need to get rid of a power pod. I wanted it SMALL light and launched with mini engines and making a rather nice hand launched glider as well. For the body I used a Mosquito minus fins (perfect fit :-) and Balsa for everything else. Narrow deep swept back wings, two vertical tails, and two (biplane) straight ...

  • Descon MiniToobo By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    MiniToobo ( Contributed - by Dwayne Surdu-Miller)  MiniToobo MiniToobo is the result of some nostalgic thinking combined with a few "what if" ideas. The design is inspired by the look of the old Centuri Groove Tube and the positive stage-coupling of the Centuri "pass-port" staging system. For better economy and the ...

  • Descon MIRV Gatling By Adrian Hurt

    MIRV Gatling Adrian Hurt's Descon-14 Entry There used to be a wonderful kit called the MIRV Gryphon. Originally made by Seattle Rocket Works, and subsequently taken over for a while by Lawndart Rockets, this featured a booster with a quad mini-motor cluster and four separate sustainers. Unfortunately, it's not much use nowadays because Estes stopped making the A10-0T booster. So ...

  • Descon Miss Universe By John Kallend

    Contributed by - John Kallend Miss Universe Parts list: Flower arrangement styrofoam "egg" from Michaels Motor mount 4 1/8" x 12" dowels pair, false eyelashes from Walgreens Christmas tinsel for skirt White glue for head "spots" Silicone rubber caulk for lips and eyes Miss Universe needs no steenking plans, jigs, or other co ...

  • Descon Mk81 Snakeye Glide Retarded Bomb (Scratch) By Timothy Day

      While perusing the China Lake Weapons Digest a few months ago, I happened across this photo of an extremely cool looking bomb, the Mk81 "Snakeye". Low flying aircraft can safely deploy Snakeye bombs as the open "fins" retard the bomb's descent as the aircraft escapes the bomb's blast radius. This design has become a testbed for larger versions I plan on building in the ...

  • Descon Mod-U-Liptical Boost By Mark Daughtry Sr

    Mod-U-Liptical Boost ( Contributed - by Mark Daughtry Sr.)  This model features an interchangeable motor can that has four configurations hence the "Mod" part of the name: 1. 13mm (Estes mini or "T" engines) times 2 2. 13mm times 3 3. 18mm times 1 4. 24mm times 1 The glider features all swept elliptical surfaces hence the ...

  • Descon MOMA 2000 By Michel Demey

    ( Contributed - by Michel Demey) WARNING: Keep out of reach of children : this rocket is naked This rocket is mostly classical, but has a rear ejection system. Building it, I wanted to achieve two goals: the possibility to open the chute at a higher speed, and the absence of any baffle or wadding system. Living in Europe, ...

  • Descon Multipurpose Glider By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Multi Purpose Glider Booster ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor)  The Purpose ! I like to design and Build Balsa Wood Gliders, I have done so for a Long Time and have gone to and won Competitions in this area BUT Boy would I like to get some of those designs up HIGH ! This Rocket is made from Estes F-22 Fighter Kit minus one fin with addition of some ...

  • Descon N.F.O. By Nate Galger

    N.F.O. Nate's Flying Object: an inexpensive (< 5 bucks!) and neat saucer by Nate Galger The first time I saw a rocket powered saucer, I was instantly in love. I had to make one of my own. I believe the saucer I saw was a kit, it was really cool, but I wanted something a little different looking. I figured mine should look like a classic sci-fi saucer. I decided it should look ...

  • Descon NARHAMSter By Kevin Johnson

    Contributed by - Kevin Johnson  The NARHAMSter!  I belong to NAR section #139, NARHAMS, so the thought of making a hamster themed rocket for the DESCON was just too powerful to resist. 2 "habitrail" tubes 2 tube ends 24 mm motor mount I had lying around Lexan for the fins Estes nylon chute from some kit or another Some ¼ inch ...

  • Descon Navaho G-26 By Tim Wilson

    Navaho G-26 by Tim Wilson   The G-26 Navaho program of the mid-1950ís was one of the earliest US attempts to build a long-range nuclear-capable cruise missile. The G-26 was a testbed for what was to have been the operational G-38. Unfortunately, ballistic missiles made the program obsolete almost from the beginning and it was cancelled before the test series was ...

  • Descon NCAA By Chuck Straka

    Contributed by - Chuck Straka NCAA N ot a C onventional A ltitude A chiever Background: For the last two years I have enjoyed coaching in the local youth football program. Conditioning practices begin the first week in August and the season includes six regular season games and two post season games, ending in late October. Well, after three months solid (three ...

  • Descon Nose Nugget By Bob Fortune

    ( Contributed - by Bob Fortune) The Nose Nugget - A relatively simple way to install a payload in a 3.9" Ace Nosecone This technique will work for any nosecone brand. I used an Ace NC because I had one kicking around. Parts List: One Ace Nosecone (NC) One 4" by 16" piece of balsaply (or equal) ...

  • Descon NTE 3120 NSEA Protector By Stuart Lenz

    ( Contributed - by Stuart Lenz) Movie: Galaxy Quest Ship: NTE 3120 NSEA Protector For my second entry I decided to model the NTE 3120 NSEA Protector from the movie Galaxy Quest. While this is parody on the many Star Trek movies there can be little doubt that it is also a comedy. The difficulty with this model is the total lack of available reference and photo information. I ...

  • Descon Oatlander By Emmanuel Camburako

    Contributed by - Emmanuel Camburako Oatlander background history: The Oatlander was inspired by the Oat cereal box rockets and strongly influenced by the original Marz Lander, thus the name. Oat - Lander The rocket was built almost entirely from recycled or found parts with the exception of the core body tubes and the fin material. A great amount of design emphasis was placed on ...

  • Descon One Shot Deal By Chris Kiekens

    by Chris Kiekens This project started out pretty simple, and just sort of fell together. I had some left over parts from some other projects, and they just looked like they should be wed. The name came from the original concept..build something small, light, and cheap..to try out an Estes E engine for the first time. I didn't really expect to see it again... Parts List ...

  • Descon Orange Crate O' Death By Chris Kiekens

    by Chris Kiekens   Orange Crate O' Death KiDfLaSh     The Crate   This is the crate... pretty exciting really. It sat in the fridge long enough (about 10 minutes after I realized that it was very thin plywood). I have been playing with boosted gliders lately, but balsa gliders don't ...

  • Descon Oriole II By Ted Phipps

    Oriole II ( Contributed - by Rachael Phipps, age 10(written by Dad)) Rachael wanted a new rocket, but wanted something different. She looked through the Estes catalog and thought the Gemini DC was cool with two parachutes. Her and I talked about a lot of ideas, and a few days later she presented me the plans for the Oriole II. I helped with the measuring and cutting and painting, ...

  • Descon Pater Grandis By Rick James

    ( Contributed - by Rick James) History, Airframe, Nose Cone and Tail Cone I always liked the Estes Big Daddy. I was one of the first on my block to build one. Then I wanted a bigger one a made plans to extend the body. But it is a non-standard 3" airframe. There are no body tubes or couplers on the market that will fit. So I bought two kits. The body tubes are ten inches long. ...

  • Descon Pegasus By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Pegasus ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor)  Construction Step - 1    Use a pencil sharpener (A metal one) and sharpen the dowel until it just becomes a point. Chop off a little of that point and round it so it is not quite so sharp.  Now shave the other end into a 1/2" shoulder. Glue this onto the ...

  • Descon Peregrine By Kelo Waivio

    Peregrine ( Contributed - by Kelo Waivio)  The Peregrine This is a little futuristic job I cooked up to use the nifty cockpit type nose cone I got in one of the Estes PNC20 nose cone packs. I don't know the Estes part number, but I'm sure you can find one at the hobby shop if you look. You could also use a plain nose cone and build up a cockpit ...

  • Descon Persius Galactic Explorer By Stuart Lenz

    Persius Galactic Explorer Modeled by: Stuart Lenz This design occurred to my while I was cloning some old Estes and Centuri Designs from JimZ site, a forward trust triple ring fin. A next generation, ion powered, solor orbit telescope. I started by cutting 1" from Estes BT 60, BT 80 and LOC 4" tubes for the Ring fins. Next, I assembled the engine mount from the BT 20 ...

  • Descon Plotting Destruction By Chris Kiekens

    Contributed by - Chris Kiekens Plotting Destruction Inspiration: I guess I'm hooked! My wife says I am addicted, everywhere I turn, I see rockets! As I was inspecting a HP 750 color plotter at work, I saw that the paper came on really nice and light plastic tubes! Hmm, MUST be a rocket! Parts List: Airframe - HP part # C1861A- HP Bright White Injet Paper ...

  • Descon PLUNGERROC!!! By Alex Immerman

    PLUNGERROC!!! by Alex Immerman As I walked up to the flightline for the first time with this rocket I generally got the same response- "are you really gonna fly that thing???"  Yes, it really is a flying plunger!  The "airframe" is made out of an orange Master Plunger that I found in my basement.  The nose cone is fitting- a toilet tank ...

  • Descon Poker By Peter Clay

    ( Contributed - by Peter W. Clay) Poker The "Poker" rocket ...is a simple 3FNC model whose claim to distinction is that every single part is made from scratch, with the sole exception of the shock cord, which is 6" of Apogee's or ASP's small Kevlar ® cord. The body tube is made from gummed label stock (lick and stick, not peel and stick). I used Tromark, ...

  • Descon Polish Meteor 2 By Mark Schrader

    Polish Meteor 2K Mark Schrader's Descon-14 Entry Brief: Parallel staged sport scale model of a Polish sounding rocket. Construction: Parallel staging is a great way to kick it up a notch in model rocketry without adding the expense of mid and high power. I've used parallel staging on a few projects up to this point, but when I saw the Polish Meteor-2K in Peter Alway's ...

  • Descon Project Omega By Mark Schrader

    Project OMEGA (A Toho Studios production) By Mark Schrader Project OMEGA: Stop Monster Zero ! A Planet in Peril... The signs from the recently deployed deep space sensors were clear. Something big was headed this way. And if the visitors from the so-called Planet X were to be believed, it was another ...

  • Descon Project Orion Test Vehicle By Dick Stafford

    Hot Rod II A Project Orion Test Vehicle by Dick Stafford Project Orion Background Before I get started, I want to mention that I don't intend to repeat much of detailed history that is available on-line and in print. If you want to learn more about this interesting project, I suggest reading Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship , by George Dyson. ...

  • Descon Project Pluto By Mark Schrader

    Project Pluto: The Supersonic Low Altitude Missile by Mark Schrader “ When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success. ” - J. Robert Oppenheimer Jackass Flats, Nevada, 27 October 1962 Dr. Ted Merkle, technical director of Project Pluto, was at a loss ...

  • Descon Projekt Amerika By Louis Schroeder

    ( Contributed - by Louis Schroeder) A9/A10 Two Stage Cluster Rocket The A9/A10 was designed to be a 200 ton liquid fueled rocket with a range of over 5000 kilometers. The huge A10 lower stage was designed to loft the manned A9 winged rocket into space from which it could skip off of the upper atmosphere to carry a one ton warhead to attack New York-hence the program's codename: ...

  • Descon Prometheus By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Drake "Doc" Damerau's Descon-14 Entry Brief: A scratch built L3 cluster rocket with a 22" diameter ring fin. Construction: This project actually started out being my L3 project. I bought a LOC Precision Bruiser-EXP. This kit is a 7.61" diameter 9’ 4" tall rocket, and has a central 54mm MMT and two 38mm MMT’s. Not thinking (this happens with ...

  • Descon Protector By Nick Esselman

    ( Contributed - by Nick Esselman) Galaxy Quest - Protector As I looked for a comedy spaceship, one that came to mind was the Galaxy Quest - Protector. Interestingly, there are not that many pictures of this ship out there, but I decided to make an attempt. "Attempt" being a key word, because after finding some shots of it, I set off to draw my plan and then started ...

  • Descon Protonator II By Gordon McGrew

    ( Contributed - by Gordon McGrew) The Concept I have always been fascinated by 1950's era sci-fi space vehicles. The more inexplicably complex, the better. An excellent example is the lunch box I carried to school in the first grade. These dome satellite lunch boxes are relatively common and are always available on eBay. The reproduction boxes are ...

  • Descon Push-Me, Pull-Me By Nick Esselman

    Push-Me, Pull-Me A DesconX Entry ( Contributed - by Nick Esselman) Wow, did time sneak up on me or what? I wanted to design and build a rocket for this Descon but kept putting it off. Then it was May and I hadn't started. So it was time to get busy. I have a great design and unique from all the other entries. Not extremely sophisticated but definitely functional. And, I was finally ...

  • Descon Python 4 (Scratch) By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Python 4 "The rocket that can't fly" . . . But does! by Drake "Doc" Damerau The Python 4 is an advanced fire and forget Air to Air missile with a fragmentation warhead used in the Israeli Air Force. The forward control fins set this apart from other weapons. They enable the missile to turn sharply in flight. Since DESCON is a design contest, I decided to actually design something, ...

  • Descon Quasi-Scale PEPP Aeroshell By Kevin Trojanowski

    Quasi-Scale PEPP Aeroshell by Kevin Trojanowski So what's a quasi-scale PEPP, you ask? First, a bit of history. A number of months ago, a group of us were hanging out in the ROL chat, talking about various subjects, with rocketry even coming up once in a while. Peter Alway was kind enough to treat us to an image of an odd looking contraption he had recently made a drawing of. That ...

  • Descon Quick Oats-X By Emmanuel Camburako

    Quick Oats-X by Emmanuel Camburako Big Red Rocket Great Big, Colossal, Huge, Enormous, Gargantuan, Goliath, Mammoth, Very Red, Very Big Red Rocket This is exactly the same launch vehicle that is used to send our astronauts and scientific information gathering devices into deep, deep outer space never to be heard from again. No. This is the very same platform used ...

  • Descon RAP(N) (Scratch) By Scott Oliver

    RAP(N) Rocket Assisted Projectile (Nerf) The RAP(N) is a 9" Nerf whistling foam dart, modified for "more power!". It flies on 13mm engines to about 100’ and is a real crowd-pleaser. History Several years ago I read a book titled " Microserfs " by Douglas Coupland, a fictional tale of a band of Microsoft employees. One of the scenes from the book that intrigued me tells about ...

  • Descon Red Menace By John Buckley

    Red Menace ( Contributed - by John Buckley) Image from RockSim © Download .rkt file here (it's zipped) Parts List 1/16 balsa or basswood for fin stock Estes PNC20 plastic nose cone (Viking nosecone) 9 of BT20 body tube 1/2 of 1/8 launch lug engine block 12 inch parachute 18 inches of 1/8 elastic shock cord clay ...

  • Descon Renegade Extreme By Jason Hommrich

    Renegade Extreme Jason Hommrich's Descon-14 Entry Ever since I first saw a picture of the Estes Renegade, I knew that this was a rocket that needed more power then Estes gave it. When the Renegade finally came out I immediately picked up 2 kits and was overjoyed to see that the body tubes were BT-60. When I got home, I went straight to the computer and fired up RockSim to ...

  • Descon Rheinbote By Adrian Hurt

    Adrian Hurt's Descon-14 Entry Rheinbote was a WW2 German missile, not as famous or destructive as the V-2, but interesting in that it was a four stage rocket. About 220 were fired at Antwerp in 1944, probably not doing much damage as the warhead only had 20kg of explosive. (Sometimes the upper stage was not separated, to increase the impact weight.) It had a maximum range of ...

  • Descon Ring Snooper G By Bob Ellis

    Ring Snooper G by Bob Ellis Thirty-five years after the original Mars Snooper made the first interplanetary flights a new Snooper is ready to make the trip to Saturn.  Designated the Ring Snooper G, the new exploration ship bears some resemblance to it's namesake, with the Ion Drive Pods held out on extended fins, the cooling radiators around the main engine and the ...

  • Descon Ringwraith By Clive Davis

    Ringwraith by Clive Davis Brief: Cluster design (5 x 24 mm). A five-finned, forward swept design featuring a 3" body tube and a Big Daddy nose cone. My colleague at work found a lone Big Daddy nose cone in the woods. He thought of me and gave the nose cone. I immediately began thinking of a project to use this heaven-sent gift. Thus, the Ringwraith was born. Con ...

  • Descon Rocket Airplane By John Lyngdal

    ( Contributed - by  John Lyngdal)    This kit flies great, even though it looks more like an airplane than a rocket. The construction items needed are: - 1- 6" length of BT-20 2- 2" lengths of BT-5 1- Space Racer Nosecone 1- BT-20 Thrust ring 1- Sheet of 1/16" Balsa  John Lyngdal  NAR 69264 L2

  • Descon Round Robin By Eldred Pickett

    Round Robin Eldred Pickett's Descon-14 Entry Parts List 1 BT-60 body tube 1 BT-60 nost cone 1 2-engine mount from FlisKits sheet of 1/8" balsa Ok, this was only the second design I've ever come up with. I wanted to do something I had an idea for, just to see if I could do it. The 'fins' are simply two 5-inch circles of balsa, glued at the end of the body ...

  • Descon S.C.A.R.E. By Chris Kiekens

    ( Contributed - by Chris Kiekens ) READ TOP TO BOTTOM IN EACH COLUMN The initial concept, rendered in Rocksim.. The rocksim export, next to a picture of the actual Rocket I tested several battery configurations to determine the lightest possible reliable combination. Apparently, 3 AAA cells is sufficient to light an Estes ignitor if they are ...

  • Descon Sandman By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    SANDMAN Dennis "Doctor DynaSoar" McClain-Furmanski's Descon-14 Entry Leftest: Three versions, original left most Midleft: Sandman with nosecone and 2nd stage Top center: Nose cone Bottom center: first 3-to1 payload transition Right: Business end The Sandman is the first of a series of minimum diameter cluster designs intended to test the scaling up of an ...

  • Descon Saturn III By Ted Phipps

    Saturn III ( Contributed - by Ted Phipps)  Pete Al way had plans on his site for the Saturn IV, a ‘what-if?’ model. I’m building one, it’s very cool. I wanted to do a new cluster rocket, and mini’s seemed like the ticket (affordable clusters… is that an oxymoron?). I started playing with the idea, and came up with this four-mini-engined cluster. It ...

  • Descon Scream By Richard Hickok

    Contributed by - Richard Hickok SCREAM Components Quantity Item Description 1 Scream Ornament / Doll   ( I hung it from my rear-view mirror til I made it into a rocket ! ) 1 One Liter Plastic Bottle  ( Dr. Browns Cream Soda ) 1.75" BT-50 used inside of Head / Nosecone 12.5" BT-50 Body ...

  • Descon Scroton By Chris Eilbeck

    ( Contributed - by Chris Eilbeck) SCROTON by Chris Eilbeck, MARS Flight Crew chris@mars.org.uk Introduction Scroton is a three bladed rocket powered helicopter designed to fly on black powder motors. It was conceived as something novel to fly at the International Rocket Week 2002 at Largs in Scotland and based on the Roton concept for ...

  • Descon SillyCopter By Bob Fortune

    The SillyCopter ( Contributed - by Bob Fortune)  I've enjoyed building and flying variations of the Estes Gyroc and Jonathan's Cyclone (Maple Seed Rocket) so much I decided to try a variant of my own. The Gyroc pops an engine to deploy its flaps then spins to the ground. You can see a plan of this rocket at JimZ's place. The Cyclone pops its booster and the upper body tube ...

  • Descon Simply Charmin By David S Chen

    SIMPLY CHARMIN This is my first entry in any Descon. In keeping with the theme, I designed "Simply Charmin" with the primary goal of making its components and construction as simple as possible. "Simply" refers to its simple construction and "Charmin" relates to its origin from toilet tissue rolls.  For materials, you will need several cardboard tubes from toilet tissue and ...

  • Descon Skyrocket By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Richard Stafford) Skyrocket by Richard Stafford Motivation Several summers ago, I became reacquainted with the hobby for the third time, having just picked up a copy of High Power Rocketry. While vacationing at Myrtle Beach, I spent many hours reading the magazine, contemplating my first high power project, and generally thinking rockets. ...

  • Descon SkyWriter By Bob Fortune

    SkyWriter ( Contributed - by Bob Fortune)  Flight Report: So far this rocket has flown 4 times. Estes 1/2A3-4T twice and twice on some older Centuri 1/2A4-3M motors I had kicking around.  Both worked fine.  The first version I built using popsicle sticks as fins and the second version had fins made from balsa though soaked with thin CA. ...

  • Descon Snack 'Ums By John M Storey

    Scratch - Snack 'Ums Rocket Contributed by - John M. Storey 37" x 4" - 14 oz 29mm parachute Brief: This is an Odd Roc built with found materials ($3.50 worth) It flies well on F's and G's (Econojets, of course). It is actually quite rugged and a longer version would stand up to bigger motors. It is a kid and crowd pleaser wherever it flies. Construction: The ...

  • Descon Snowman By Kathy Kippen

    Snowman by Kathy Miller The idea of the Snowman rocket first came to me last winter around the Christmas holidays. I had contemplated a Christmas tree and thought "Too easy," then maybe a reindeer and thought "the antlers would be a problem". That was when I decided on a snowman. Materials: 6-inch foam ball 4-inch foam ball 6-inch piece 24mm MMT tube ...

  • Descon Soyuz Booster By Jeff Brundt

    Soyuz Booster by Jeffrey J. Brundt Here's a sneak peek at the Soyuz currently under construction in my workshop. The model is a 1/69 scale representation of the venerable Soviet space booster. All the nose cones and balsa transitions were made by BMS. The paper transitions and shrouds were made using VCP's transition pattern tool. The model will be flown on 24mm engines (D ...

  • Descon Space Spud By Norm Newlon

    Contributed by - Norm Newlon Space Spud   Background Space Spud is a rocket-propelled version of the Mr. Potato Head kid's toy.  I spotted it at a garage sale for 50 cents.  The  package says that it is suitable for children aged 2 and up, so I guess I'm covered.  The rocket consists of the Mr. Potato Head body, which contains the engine ...

  • Descon SpaceLiner 100 By Nick Esselman

    SpaceLiner 100 By Nick Esselman Concept: The SpaceLiner 100 was/is a NASA concept vehicle that anticipated using a magnetic track to levitate and accelerate it for launch. The SpaceLiner 100 is not often seen, but was featured for some time. I learned about it in a book by Tim McElyea called A Vision of Future Space Transportation . I liked the design and set forth to build one. ...

  • Descon SPAM Mobile By M.N. Lynch

    And now for something really different..........SPAM MOBILE by M. N. Lynch   Parts List   Traditional Flyers Parts List 4 Cans Traditional Square SPAM 8 Cans "Round SPAM" 2 Centering Rings 75mm-24mm 1 24mm LOC motor mount tube 1 Parachute 28" 1 Roll Duct Tape or Similar 1 3" LOC Nose Cone 12'- ½" Elastic Shock ...

  • Descon Sploitch By Daniel Kirk

    by Dan Kirk Parts List 1 NAR standard egg 1 scrap of BT-20 about 2-3" long 1 Body Tube BT-20 8.5" long 3 Fins 3/32" Balsa 1 Crepe paper streamer about 1.75 x 18" 1 Kevlar shock cord about 36" 1 Estes engine block to fit BT-20 1 Launch lug, 1/8 x 2" After seeing a few Egglofters DQ at NAR meets, I thought it might be fun to build a rocket ...

  • Descon Sprinkles By Bob Ellis

    Contributed by - Bob Ellis Sprinkles, the Fire Hydrant by Bob Ellis While walking through Wal-Mart, trying to find out where they'd moved the rocket stuff, I saw Sprinkles, the Fire Hydrant sitting on the top shelf of the kids water toys area.  He is supposed to "provide hours of fun in the back yard with spinning action".  The instruction card ...

  • Descon Spyglass 1 By Donald Qualls

    Spyglass 1 ( Contributed - by Donald "Silent Observer" Qualls)  Spyglass 1 is a rocket glider.  This is different from a boost glider in that, in a boost glider, parts of the rocket separate to transition from rocket to glider configurations.  Most commonly, a pod containing the motor and a small recovery system is jettisoned, and what's left bears a very strong ...

  • Descon SST 3000 By Tom Stagner

    SST 3000 ( Contributed - by Tom Stagner)  Click here to download the patterns

  • Descon Star Scraper By Brian Mardirosain

    Star Scraper mid-power super-roc sport flyer By Brian Mardirosian Introduction: Always wanted a Mean Machine when I was a kid, but never got around to getting one. When I raided the house recycling bin after the holidays, I discovered five identical wrapping paper tubes. Being on the flimsy side, figured it would be a test to reinforce them enough to fly on a G ...

  • Descon Star-Roc By Bill Westfield

    STAR-ROC ( Contributed - by Bill Westfield and daughter)  The idea was to come up with a model my 3 year old daughter could "help" with, even if that didn't mean anything more than sticking on stickers. Stars are about the most rocketry-related thing that comes as stickers, so the concept of the Star-roc was born. The original version uses a full 18inch piece of BT-60 ...

  • Descon StarBow By Ted Phipps

    STARBOW ( Contributed - by Ted Phipps)  STARBOW by Ted Phipps After the Acquisition Wars, the remaining Corporations assumed many of the responsibilities formerly reserved for national and planetary governments. Shown is a representative of the STARBOW class of ships, used for long-range transportation and colonization by the IBM/ ...

  • Descon Stop Sign By Barry Lynch

    ( Contributed - by Barry Lynch) Stop Sign STOP SIGN was inspired by a rash of lawn darts last fall. I figured if I planned ahead for a cool lawn dart it would not occur ­ and so far it has not! The plans are as follows: Parts List: 1 3" Body Tube LOC or Phenolic of your choice (mine was free from Freedom ...

  • Descon Super Magnetic Fin Alignment Jig By Bill Westfield

    ( Contributed - by Bill Westfield) Construction Details. Pictured here is an assortment of magnets that you may be able to find. #1 is a conventional ceramic magnet of the sort you can buy at radio shack or most craft stores. #2, #3, and #4 are "Super Magnets" removed from defunct hard disk drives of assorted types (Note that #2 is still affixed to a mounting plate. It can ...

  • Descon Ted's Testbed By Ted Cochran

    Ted's Testbed ( Contributed - by Ted Cochan)  Overview I'm interested in recovery systems, and I needed a way to test new deployment schemes safely--without risking the rocket, or endangering anyone on the ground. This means a strong, stable rocket with good lifting power and a very reliable primary recovery system. This vehicle fits the bill. It is a 3 x 24mm cluster (upgradable ...

  • Descon Ted's Tower By Ted Cochran

    Ted's Tower ( Contributed - by Ted Cochran)  Overview This is a design for a portable launch pad for rockets up to Level 1 HPR which can handle launch rods up to 1/2" diameter and a tower for rockets up to 29 mm in diameter. It is scalable for larger rockets, inexpensive, and both lightweight and relatively easy to assemble. It builds upon other designs that have been ...

  • Descon Tennis Ball from -HEAVEN- By Todd Harrison

    Tennis Ball from -HEAVEN- by Todd Harrison Crash photo :-( This unique rocket is a veteran of many launches. It is constructed of a tennis ball and utilizes "bounce recovery". It is a great flier in a large parking lot or field. The first step in construction was drilling an 18mm hole in the bottom and a 1/8" launch lug hole straight through the ball. ...

  • Descon The Astron Matzo-Fly By Art Treiman

    Contributed by - Art Treiman The Astron Matzo-Fly This concept came to me as I was sitting during Passover and planning my Easter themed rocket for launch at our clubs upcoming Easter/Eggloft/Oddroc themed launch. Munching away on my matzo (which is pretty much all you do for the eight long days of Passover) I looked at the box and started thinking. I had been considering ...

  • Descon The Barbsari B-Prize By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    The Barbsari B-Prize by Dwayne Surdu-Miller I had promised my wife and my seven-year-old daughter that I'd design something to loft a Mattel Barbie. For the longest while I was trying to figure out how to artfully accomplish this feat. There was a Ferrero Rocher egg sitting on my desk from Easter 2004. By measuring and test fitting, I found that the egg would contain the doll ...

  • Descon The BerthaVostok By Steve Kristal

    The BerthaVostok Designed and built by Steve Kristal (Lets just say greater than 25 years of building rockets.) Design : The design concept for the BerthaVostok originated with an invitation to my local NAR branch's Bertha Bash night, where the goal was to kit-bash something original from a standard Estes Big Bertha kit. Having seen Gordon Agnello's Gemini Bertha and his ...

  • Descon The Day The Earth Stood Still Saucer By Tater Schuld

    THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Tater Schuld's Descon-14 Entry Quoted from D.J. Nock at http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/A-D/day_earth_stood_still.html: " If you ask any serious film buff which sci-fi flick they love the most, many would no doubt choose Robert Wise's seminal classic The Day the Earth Stood Still. Unleashed upon a troubled world in 1951, this ...

  • Descon The Entertainer By Stephen Corban

    ( Contributed - by Stephen Corban) I am Stephen Corban, 14 years of age, and have been seriously involved with rockets for about a year. (I flew 1 or 2 E2X rockets in Spring 2002). My rocket is called The Entertainer (A Gift from the Tree Eating Rocket Gods). The entertainer consists of a body tube of an Estes Army rocket that was retrieved out of a tree after being there for half a year, ...

  • Descon The Flying Birthday Party Hat of Death By Stephen Corban and William Anderson

    ( Contributed - by Stephen Corban and William Anderson) This design was done by Stephen Corban and William Anderson. I am 15 years old and have been in rockets for about a year, and William is 14 and has been in rockets for 3 or 4 years. This rocket is called the Flying Birthday Party Hat of Death. It was a conglomerate idea between William and I. We had a great idea, and had to do ...

  • Descon The Grand Whazoo By Dick Stafford

    Son of the Grand Whazoo Brief This update provides a description of how I rebuilt my Grand Whazoo after its second fateful flight. The top of the original Grand Whazoo was *completely* destroyed. However, the rear section, including the boat tail and fins, was intact. I decided to take a different approach to the rebuild. To minimize the volume that had to be pressurized, I decided to ...

  • Descon The Lusty Cornmaiden By Kevin Trojanowski

    Contributed by - Kevin Trojanowski The Lusty Cornmaiden In honor of Bob's twisted humor What would inspire someone to build a rocket named The Lusty Cornmaiden , you ask? An innocent Rocket Talk, including Bob Fortune would be the answer. This week (late February), a group of us were chatting about our launch sites and surrounding rocket-eating crops when Bob said ...

  • Descon The Monthly Missile By Chris Kiekens

    Contributed by - Chris Kiekens The Monthly Missile Inspiration: First off, thanks to Bob Fortune for his advice on trying to make this non-offensive, no offence was intended, so I hope none is taken..This is my first attempt at an Odd-Roc, my son's and I just discovered Model Rockets recently and they are GREAT! A really easy project, it just came to me as I took it away ...

  • Descon The Orient Express By Kelo Waivio

    The Orient Express by Kelo Waivio A study of low orbit/hypersonic passenger travel in Foam-Core (Or how to use foam core to make a light futuristic model rocket that doesn't have a cylindrical fuselage) The Orient Express is an experiment is using foam core for most of a rocket's structure. I had built a model using foam core with a box like fuselage earlier, but suffered a ...

  • Descon The TURNOGIVE By Michel Demey

    THE TURNOGIVE ! Michel Demey's Descon-13 Entry Warning: this thing is not flyable! What is it? An automatic device that can cut an ogive from Styrofoam... I was the author of a first device to do that manually. It was described in the Apogee newsletter of August 2002. It used two identical templates and a hot wire to make ogives. But this first try had a problem: New ...

  • Descon Three-Fin Snelson By Robert Galejs

    Three-Fin Snelson Robert Galejs   What's a snelson anyway? Not a what, but a who....Kenneth Snelson is an artist who first demonstrated the principle of "tensegrity" (a term coined by Buckminster Fuller, but disliked by Snelson, who prefers "floating compression"). Tensegrity involves a set of three or more compression struts connected with a network ...

  • Descon Thunderbird 3 By Darren Longhorn

    Thunderbird 3 by Darren J Longhorn I'd been looking to build a general purpose G/H/I powered rocket for general flying for some time. After a long building hiatus, my HPR fleet had decayed until I had nothing in a flyable state! I wanted something that would be suitable for general sport flying. I didn't want a rocket that would ...

  • Descon Thunderchild By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    THUNDERCHILD Dennis "Doctor DynaSoar" McClain-Furmanski's Descon-14 Entry L: Full length (12" ruler for scale) C: Cockpit detail R top: Profile of motor tubes R bottom: Aft view Who would have believed, that in the early years of the 21st century, minds immeasurably superior to ours still wouldn't have learned their lesson, and we'd have to kick their ...

  • Descon Tintin By Michel Demey

    Tintin by Michel Demey AN EASY MADE, SEMI SCALE, TINTIN ROCKET The base of this little rocket is a V2 rocket kit from ASP. I chose the 24mm version, because it seemed to me that the body shape was close to the Tintin rocket.After checking with the book (there is a blue print of the rocket in the book), I was very pleased to see that the tailcone was very very close ...

  • Descon TriskaiDESCON Superstitious ThirteenthRoc! By David Virga

    TriskaiDESCON Superstitious ThirteenthRoc by David L. Virga (Black Forest, CO) Introduction This rocket is my entry for the thirteenth running of the RMR Design Contest. As this is the thirteenth DESCON, I decided that a special commemorative rocket was in order. So, in honor of DESCON XIII, I have designed this rocket with as many "thirteen" specifications as I ...

  • Descon Two Fins, No Kidding (Scratch) By Daniel Kirk

    Two Fins, No Kidding I'm not a trouble maker, really. I'm a responsible family man, 30 years old, president of my club, and frequently commended for my hard work, enthusiasm for the club, and good ideas. I just like to ask "Why?" a lot. I like to know the limits of what's possible, especially in science, technology, and rocketry. Dan Kirk, October 2000 TFNK Parts List (Two Fins, No ...

  • Descon Two Fin (Scratch) By Evan Ross

    TwoFin A Spin-Stablized Competiton Design Background When I first started attending CMASS's meetings, one of the recurring topics of discussion was the possibility of building rockets with only two fins. Many ideas were tossed around, but it was a fairly one sided debate with all parties reaching the conclusion that you did, in fact, need to have fins in at least three planes. ...

  • Descon U.S.S. Journeyman By Kelo Waivio

    U.S.S. Journeyman ( Contributed - by Kelo Waivio) The Journeyman is a design I came up with after seeing one of those Quest all styrofoam Enterprise-E models. I'm kind of a Star Trek fan and always liked the asymmetrical style of the federation ships. The Quest kit "flew" at one of our club launches. It arced over and ejection occurred fairly close to the ground. Not ...

  • Descon U.S.S. Vesta By Ryan Coleman

    U.S.S. Vesta ( Contributed - by Ryan Coleman)  Idea Once again, my imagination and the spare parts laying around got the better of me, and the U.S.S. Vesta was born. I think it looks futuristic and somewhat cool. The capability to cluster with some extra mini's also adds some excitement to the design. Diagrams Here's a small diagram view of the completed rocket:  Pictures ...

  • Descon USPS1CDR (Scratch) By Vito F Munoz Jr

    DESCON 01 - Here is my Gif..(VCP screen shot). it was resized to be 640 tall and is slightly clipped. This should not take away from it to much. I have to tell you this will be my first totally home made rocket and I created it without "copying" any type of rocket to my knowledge.  I was told after the fact that it looked a bit like the "Honest John", I however had no idea what that ...

  • Descon uTrident By Bill Westfield

    µ-Trident ( Contributed - by Bill Westfield) µ-Trident This model looks like an Estes Trident downscale, about a 1/2 scale, at first glance. It uses BT5 for the motor and "passenger" compartments, and 1/4 inch dowels for the duct tubes. Obviously, dowels are not tubes, and 1/4 inch tubes would probably not be ...

  • Descon Vampyre By Ted Phipps

    Vampyre ( Contributed - by Ted Phipps)  Here's my entry, the Vampyre.  Actually, the original name was 'Ted's Testbed', but someone already stole that name. <G> It's a simple ringfin and a super stable flyer that gets great altitude on mini-engines.  Definitely use a streamer on this one.  The chrome strips are muffler tape from the local auto parts store. ...

  • Descon Vector By Scott Hamlin

    VECTOR by Scott Hamlin Features: High Altitude Two Stage Model Rocket 3 Engine Clustered Booster Vectored Booster Thrust 3 Engine Booster to Single Engine Sustainer Staging 18 mm Boosters 24 mm Sustainer Parts list: 1 ea. BT-50 18" 1 ea. BT-20 18" 1 ea. BT-50 nosecone 1 ea. BT50-20 centering ring 3" x 12" balsa at 3/32" ...

  • Descon Violet Riot By Nate Galger

    Violet Riot by Nate Galger (27yrs. Old with 5 months of rocket building experience) This rocket started off as a bt-80, a sheet of 1/16" plywood, and a plan to make something. I wasn't sure exactly what was to come of it, but I am thrilled with the way it turned out. I wanted some cool looking fins so I drew a few different designs up and I liked the way these looked. Another ...

  • Descon VSOS2 By Brian Mardirosain

    ( Contributed - by Brian Mardirosain) VSOS2: Very Stand-Off Scale Scout Attempt at a "stand-off" scale mid-power rocket of an early NASA Scout   Introduction: I wanted to build something a bit more involved than just a bigger or smaller version of the EconoExpress for my next mid-power bird. While staring at the various cardboard tubes I had on my ...

  • Descon Webbie By Peter Alway

    Webbie ( Contributed - by Peter Alway)  Last night I couldn't get to sleep.  I was tthinking about some photos I had seen on the Japan Association of Rocketry website.  And a design started to gel in my head.  So I got up and started drawing on the computer.  This afternoon, when I should have been processing orders and shipping books, I put this little beast ...

  • Descon Zvezdotchka-ACM - Target By John McCoy

    Zvezdotchka-ACM - Target (Micro-Maxx Carrot Missile) by John McCoy Construction: Our club decided on a Group build of the same Odd-Roc for our March 12, sport launch. Being spring we sprang for Peter Always Zvezdotchka-ACM (Anti Carrot Missile) The Flying Rabbit. Being just a little off, I decided that if we were going to be flying ACM rabbits we should have a least one ...

  • Deuce's Wild to Deuce-XL5 (Modification) By Dick Stafford

    After seeing various Deuce bashes on The Rocketry Forum and elsewhere: eugenefl's fighter, sandman's DynoSoar, a super-roc version, and most recently an egg-loft version flown at NARAM, I decided to build a Deuce-XL5 to go with my 29mm and MMX Fireball XL5s. My design constraints included keeping the Deuce's length and fin pattern for the side fins. As a result, the model resembles the Fireball ...

  • DFR Technologies 24mm Delta IV Display Stands By Rob Goffena

    DFR Technologies is scheduled to offer display stands for DFR Technologies 24mm motor mount based Delta IV rocket kits.  Components I got ahold of some of the 24mm stands. The version of the stands i received may still be in the prototype stage, but here are my thoughts: One stand has 3 24mm mounts, meant to hold and display the dfrtech 24mm Delta IV Heavy kit. The other ...

  • DFR Technologies Atlas V AV551 By David Montgomery

    I bought this stunningly detailed kit several years ago to pay tribute to Dr. Alan Stern and his outstanding New Horizons team hard work and perseverance and remarkable success of the unmanned spacecraft, New Horizons, which on July 14, 2015 became the first man made spacecraft to make a close fly by of Planet Pluto after travelling over 3 billion miles for 9 1/2 years from Earth.  ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Archblast By Bryan M. Chuck

    ( Contributed - by Bryan M. Chuck - 09/10/02) Picture Courtesy of DG&A           Brief: The DG&A Archblast is a single staged 29mm rocket that boasts beefy wood parts, includes decals, as well as a photo illustrated instruction guide. The rocket stands at 47" when complete. It could probably serve well as a L1 rocket. ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Armageddon By Casey Smith

    Photos courtesy of DG&A   Anyone heard of BSD? Well this kit is equal to the quality of that now popular company. Danny Cantu, the owner, has designed a line somewhat challenging to build and extremely fun to fly kits, from the 29mm Predator up to the special edition limited production Armageddon and Sonic Blast (3 K1100's no problem). This kit is designed for a 38mm I161-J570. It ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Armageddon By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Very heavy kraft paper, aircraft ply fins, Single stage HPR. The kit comes with: four BT's, two couplers, four fins, eight nozzle fins, four canard fins, eight fin detail pieces, four CR's, 1 MMT. one nose cone, one 74" chute, one shock cord and ½ launch lugs and other hardware. The kit was shipped in a large thick walled box. When you open the box you can't help but say "WOW!" Lots ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Armageddon By Nathaniel Gilbert

    The Armageddon is a large, unique looking, high power kit produced by DG&A Rocketry. The components include: three 3.9 inch body tubes, 2 couplers, 1 54mm motor mount tube, 4 large fins, 4 canard fins, 1 nose cone, 4 centering rings, 1 bulkhead, 1 60 inch parachute, one 9/16 inch thick nylon webbing shock cord with pre-sewn loops, 8 nozzle fins, 8 fin reinforcement strips, 2 launch ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Arrow By Jeff Short

    ( Contributed - by Jeff Short - 04/01/04) Picture courtesy of DG&A     Brief: Converted the kit to zipperless deployment instead of nosecone deployment. Modifications: I swapped the payload body tube and the airframe body tube. The back end was make zipper less with the nosecone fixed to the upper section. The bulkplate was put about 1/2 way up the upper ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Defender By Billy Dahlberg and Osgood Conklin

    The following excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the link above. (Extreme ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Defender By Billy Dahlberg and Osgood Conklin

    ( Contributed - by Billy Dahlberg (narrative by Osgood Conklin) Visit Rocket Team Vatsaas to enjoy their incredible rocket talents and an all around fun rocketry website! The Defender is one of DG&A's larger kits, measuring 87 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter. It has three large trapezoidal fins with an unusual feature - a 3-inch hole in the center of each. It's difficult ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Gimlet By Michael Abbott

    ( Contributed - by Michael Abbott - 04/15/03) Brief: The DG&A Gimlet is a 3" high-powered rocket with a 38mm motor mount. It is 58" in length and would make an exceptional Level 1 rocket. The current Gimlet is actually an upscale version of the original that was 2.6" in diameter with a 29mm motor mount. If you are considering a high-powered rocket, that would be an ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry L3 Armageddon By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    ( Contributed - by Drake Damerau - 04/02/05) Brief: The L3 Armageddon is a single stage rocket with a very unique design. It comes in your choice of a 75 or 98mm MMT. Construction: The kit comes with everything but parachutes. The all-thread, nuts, washers, eyebolts, and shock cords are all included. The 5.5" body tubes are heavy wall cardboard. All of the components are ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Lazarus By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 07/20/01) Brief: The DG&A Lazarus is a straight-forward high power rocket kit with a 38mm motor mount. It would make a good Level-1 cert rocket and has a small payload bay suitable for your electronics. Construction: The Lazarus came in its own shipping box. The components inside were packaged carefully, there was no shipping damage, and all the ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Mini Sonik-Blast By Greg Deeter

    This is a 3 inch airframe version of the full sized (4 inch) Sonik-Blast offered by DG&A High Power Rocketry in Texas. It is a single stage rocket with a 29mm motor tube and the finished weight is considerably lighter than the full sized version. After being extremely pleased with the 4" Sonik-Blast and having flown it on everything from G to I motors, I decided to build this one ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Mini Sonik-Blast By Chan Stevens

    Small enough to fly on an LMR, rugged enough to get an L1, this versatile 29mm kit is a good introduction into higher powered rocketry. I won this little bad boy in EMRR's Mach 1-2-3 virtual contest. About two weeks later, the box arrived, complete with a kit label on the outside. The parts were carefully packed, individually wrapped, and very good quality. Parts list includes: ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Mini Sonik-Blast By Jeff Short

    ( Contributed - by Jeff Short - 04/01/04) Brief: This is a great entry level MPR/HPR 3FNC rocket that flies on a great range of G and H motors. Modifications: I upsized the motor mount to 38mm from the 29mm that the kit comes with. I just replaced the two 3" x 29mm centering rings with three 3" x 38mm centering rings. I also added a 3rd centering ring. In retrospect, ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Mini-Armageddon By Randy Ashley

    The Mini-Armageddon as built is a single stage, single deployment (parachute), mid power rocket that can take you through HPR level 1. The Mini-Armageddon has a single body tube 2.1 inches in diameter, a short 6 inch payload bay, 4 VERY cool fins and 4 canard fins on the payload bay. The motor mount is 29mm and has 2 centering rings. The kit includes a Kevlar ® shock cord leading out of ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Mini-Armageddon By Jeff Short

    Brief: This is a scaled down version of DG&A's Armageddon line. It is a single stage rocket with parachute recovery. Construction: This rocket comes with all tubes made of very heavy craft paper. It comes with 27.75" and 6.6" long body tubes, 1 coupler, plastic nose cone, 17" motor tube. The wood parts are all 1/8" birch plywood: 8 nozzle fins, 4 carnard ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Predator By Casey Smith

    Brief: This is a simple, high reliability, and flexible usage sport flier from DG&A. It is perfect for mid or high power applications and different sized fields. It is an easy rocket to certify L1 on due to the continuing quality of DG&A kits. It is a simple 3FNC rocket with parachute deployment. It is also a kit that can be easily modified to your needs with DG&A c ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Sonik-Blast By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is a simple to build, strong stable and attractive 4" rocket kit offered for a very reasonable price from Danny Cantu of DG&A Rocketry in Texas. It has a 38mm motor mount for single stage flights, recovery is by a high quality 30" rip-stop nylon chute and this is a perfect bird to consider for Level 1 certification on a Cesaroni Pro38 "H" 143SS ...

  • DG&A High Power Rocketry Wasp By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is a single staged 3" airframe rocket with a 38mm motor mount from Texas based designer Danny Cantu of DG&A Rocketry. It was my second rocket intended for frequent H powered flights and the rocket which replaced my retired L1 cert rocket, the BSD 38mm Sprint. For this particular review I decided to write an article covering the entire life of a rocket, as opposed ...

  • DG&A High Powered Rocktry Arrow By Chace luna

    Not a review of the kit.    DG&A is a great company. They are true to their word. I bought an Arrow which got a little damaged(body tube got smashed) in transit. I email them and received a reply the very next morning saying that they are sending me another BT. Later on that day I get a notification saying that I will be receiving a package in 3 days from usps. Not only did ...

  • dgahighpowerrocketry.com ARMAGEDDON By Danny e Cantu

  • DnD Rocketry Double-D By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The DnD Rocketry Double D is a simple 2 x 24mm cluster rocket that is intended to fly on a pair of Estes C11 or D12 motors and recovers with an 18 inch nylon parachute. According to the manufacturer, flights to 675 feet are possible. I think this altitude figure is rather conservative. Construction: The kit came packaged in a plastic bag and contained several high ...

  • Dr. Rocket 29mm 360ns Casing By Douglas Gardei

    Photo Courtesy of Dr. Rocket (29-360 is the tallest casing)     Of all the Aerotech and Dr. Rocket 29mm hardware that I have, the 360 motor is my favorite. It is 13 inches long, and uses the same large nozzle that some 38mm I and all J motors use. Six propellant grains are placed in a phenolic liner, and the motor is capped off with a standard seal disk and forward ...

  • Dr. Zooch Ares 1 By Hans "Chris" Michielssen

    Brief: A sport scale model of NASA's next manned launch vehicle "Ares I". Single staged with a good amount of detail. Recovery by a small 6" parachute. Two body tubes, a BT-20 lower body to a BT-50 upper body tube joined by a paper adapter. Four Zooch "Flame Fins" are permanently attached to the extended motor mount on this model. Construction notes: I apologize, I didn’t take ...

  • Dr. Zooch Ares I-X By Duane Boldt

    Brief: Great flying, single stage Ares I-X ant-scale model with parachute recovery. Construction: 1 - 7.75" T-20 body tube 1 - 3.75" T-50 body tube 3 - 1.oo" T-20 body tubes 1 - 3.oo" T-20 motor mount tube 1 - pre-weighted balsa nosecone 3 - CR2050P centering rings 4 - LAS nozzles 1 - snap swivel 1 - crew eye 1 - motor clip ...

  • Dr. Zooch Atlas Agena By Hans "Chris" Michielssen

    Brief: A semi-scale version of the Atlas Agena. Flame fins are added for flight. Picture does not show the three sheets of 3/32" x 3" x 6" balsa supplied in the kit. Opening the box looked to be typical of a Dr. Zooch kit- Good quality parts. All the instructions and cardstock wrap sheet were rolled inside the T-60 (BT-60) body tube. A few unusual pieces were the pre-weighted balsa ...

  • Dr. Zooch Discoverer Thor By John Lee

    Brief: Scale model rocket of a Cold War deception with parachute recovery. Construction: The instructions were printed on the front and back on several sheets of letter sized paper. They included hand drawn illustrations which were not fancy but which were certainly clear enough. Also included were two addenda printed on small scraps of paper. One detailed the striping process ...

  • Dr. Zooch Explorer I Jupiter C By Craig Zicafoose

    This is a semi-scale model of the Jupiter C. Dr. Zooch has coined the phrase "Ant Scale" to describe his models. This rocket easily fits that description. The rocket is propelled by 18mm motors and comes with the standard "trash bag" parachute. Don't be fooled by the scale appearance. Often, scale kits sacrifice performance for good looks, but that's not the case with this kit. Reaches ...

  • Dr. Zooch Mark II By Mal McClenaghan

    Brief: A sturdy payload sport flier with interesting construction techniques. Construction: The kit has the usual Dr. Zooch features: a sturdy box that doubles for storage of the completed model, quality printed wraps, instructions written by a cartoon ant, humour, and insight. The components were all present, including niceties like an engine hook and snap swivel for the ...

  • Dr. Zooch Mercury Little Joe By John Lee

    Brief: The original Little Joe has always been a rocket that I like the looks of. I like the LJ2 as well, but the original is the one that fascinated. Unfortunately, there are not very many LJs to choose from. As far as I know, the Little Joe from Dr. Zooch is the only choice. That did not bother me since my previous experience from this manufacturer has been excellent. ...

  • Dr. Zooch Mercury Redstone By Darrell Tardy

    A fine looking, fine flying replica of the historical Mercury program, made with the builder in mind. This was my first Dr. Zooch kit, and I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised at how this turned out. If you're new to Dr. Zooch, this is a fine place to start. It's supposed to be a fairly easy build and if you follow the instructions carefully, you'll get there even if new to ...

  • Dr. Zooch Mercury Redstone By Hans "Chris" Michielssen

    I'd wanted to try a Dr. Zooch kit for some time. I decided on the Mercury Redstone. I picked this version as it's the closest to my original Estes Redstone--BT-60 based. All the other reviews are right about the first impression. That box seems small! Then again, it's really no smaller than a kit in a clear bag hanging on a wall in a hobby store. I'll jump ahead. Don't look for a flight ...

  • Dr. Zooch R-7 Luna By Alan Tuskes

    Brief: Sport scale craftsman's kit of the Russian R-7 booster with the Luna payload. Requires quite a bit of modeling skill for a model rocket and I wouldn't recommend it for women, children, or weak persons. If you're the kind of person who absolutely needs your balsa to be laser cut and falling out of the balsa sheets already, then move along. This kit's not for you. If you're a ...

  • Dr. Zooch R-7 Sputnik By John Pate

    This is the R7 Sputnik launch vehicle by Dr Zooch.  The R7 Semyorka launched Sputnik into space on October 4, 1957 and was the first man-made object in space.  The R7 went on to be the launch vehicle for the Vostok, Voshod. and the Soyuz program.  This kit features paper-rolled strap-on boosters, so it may be a challenge for some. Components Good components, ...

  • Dr. Zooch Return to Flight Space Shuttle By Daniel Griswold

    Brief: This is a single stage "ant scale" version of the Space Shuttle. Construction: The kit includes: 2 T-20 SRB Tubes 1 T-5 tube (for fin insert) 1 T-60 External Tank Tube 3 Balsa nose cones (2 SRB, 1 external tank) T-20 MMT with black fiber centering rings. Mylar strip for texture on external tank Miscellaneous hardware including: snap swivel, ...

  • Dr. Zooch Return to Flight Space Shuttle By Mark Thompson

    The Dr. Zooch Space Shuttle is a small but realistic model of the present day NASA workhorse. The Shuttle stack is launched and the orbiter separates at ejection to glide back to earth while the external tank (ET) and solid rocket boosters (SRBs) come back via the parachute. The lack of a multi-million flight computer means that augmentation fins must be added before flight for stability. It ...

  • Dr. Zooch S.D.L.V. (The Stick) By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a semi-scale replica of NASA's next generation manned launch vehicle. I say semi-scale, as NASA's design is constantly shifting, and this reflects a sort of blend of the various styles. Currently called the Ares, this vehicle started out as The Stick and consists of a single SRB from the shuttle along with an Apollo-style CEV capsule. Construction: Parts were ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn C-5 By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Having already released a kit for just about every Saturn ever flown, the Zooch line delves into the realm of Saturns never flown with this kit. Originally announced in December 1961, this monster (363 feet tall, 5 F-1 engines, design weight over 6 million pounds) was not quite finished when Congress pulled the plug on the Saturn program. The Dr. Zooch kit reviewed here is ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn I Block II SA-5 By Chan Stevens

    This is another fine ant-scale offering by Dr. Zooch. I believe this is the only commercially available model of the SA-5 version of the Saturn 1. It is an excellent value and a great flyer. Scale modelers will be impressed by the level of detail. Please see Jeff Ridder's Saturn 1 Block II (SA-6-SA-10) and my Saturn 1B review for more details on the parts list and construction notes. This ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn I Block II SA-5 By John Lee

    Brief: Scale, 18mm, Parachute Recovery Of all the Dr. Zooch line, The Saturn I SA-5 is the one that most appeals to me, mainly because it is different from everything else. I'd had it for a while but did not start on it immediately because I wanted to get a few Zooch kits under my belt first. I survived the building of the Little Joe LES and actually enjoyed building it so I ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn I Block II SA-6 to SA-10 By Jeff Ridder

    This is an 18mm sport "ant" scale model of the Saturn I Block II SA-6 to SA-10. The kit comes in a heavy rectangular 12"x4"x4" box. All parts arrived in good condition and include 4 pages of pre-printed card stock for making the tank tubes and body tube wraps. Other parts include balsa stock for the eight fins, a hand built weighted capsule, fiber centering rings, an elastic shock cord ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn I Block II SA-6 to SA-10 By Chan Stevens

    Brief: The Saturn 1 Block II is another one of the fine ant-scale offerings in the Dr. Zooch Saturn line. This is I believe, the only commercially available kit of the Block II version. Construction: Please refer to my previous Saturn 1B review for parts list and main construction notes. Construction starts just like the 1B, pre-painting a few components then marking the motor ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn IB Apollo 5 By Alan Tuskes

    Brief: This is a sport-scale version of the Apollo 5, which was used to launch a legless LEM for a test flight in January 1968. This is a single stage, parachute recovery kit. Having just built the Dr Zooch R7 Luna kit, I was still in the mood for another kit that required actual skill to put together. Having made it through this kit, I am certain that Dr Zooch fits into one of ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn IB By Chan Stevens

    An amazingly detailed ant-scale model for a terrific price ($25 retail). This is a Saturn you can actually build and fly without fear of trashing your life's work (and a huge investment). While the novice builder can probably handle this, it's really best left in the hands of an experienced builder. The small box is definitely packed with parts and details. Here are the highlights of what ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn V 500-F By Chan Stevens

    Brief: The 500-F was a facilities checkout vehicle supporting the Saturn V program. Full sized and almost fully functional, this is another fine Saturn that never flew (see my Zooch Saturn C5 review ). Fittingly, this is a review of a not-yet-introduced beta kit, so for the time being you'll never get to fly one either. Still, it's a neat kit, great scale model value, and if you bug ...

  • Dr. Zooch Saturn V By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Described as "ant scale", you get an amazing amount of scale detail for such a small rocket and small budget. Saturn fans will love just about any one of the Dr. Zooch fleet. Construction: When the $25 box arrives, you might initially be put off a bit. After all, this thing comes in a measly 4"x4"x12" box. After unpacking it though, you'll find a ...

  • Dr. Zooch Soyuz By Craig Zicafoose

    This is the latest offering from Dr. Zooch, a semi-scale version of the manned Russian spacecraft, Soyuz. It is powered by a single 18mm motor and comes down with parachute recovery. This model does require some patience and skill--it is not a beginner's kit. I'd rate this at a 3-4 skill level. All parts included in the kit are good quality and include: 1 T-20 core tube 1 T-50 ...

  • Dr. Zooch Soyuz By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a recent addition to the fine line of Zooch scale-like kits that seem to defy the laws of physics and economics, packing terrific detail, scale accuracy, and reliability into a small box. The kicker is that the finished rocket can even fit back in the box for storage. This particular design is one of the Russian workhorses--a Soyuz spacecraft mounted to a 20-engine ...

  • Dr. Zooch Soyuz By Stu Young

    ( Contributed - by Stu Young - 01/27/10) Brief: Scale, parachute, 18mm single-staged Construction: The instructions were clear, and full of sarcastic humor that made me laugh out loud at times. I won't spoil the surprise by quoting my favorites. Suffice it to say, Dr. Z. anticipated any bone-headed mistakes, and warns the builder against making them, which saved ...

  • Dr. Zooch Titan IIIC SLV5 By Paul Morris

    Brief: This is my first Dr Zooch kit, chosen specifically for the 2008 EMRR Challenge. The instructions state that it is a light weight, high flier that is fun to build as it is to chase. Construction and Finishing: The kit comes in a very sturdy white cardboard box. All parts were present and correct with no damage. My first impression was how well produced the parts were. ...

  • Dr. Zooch Titan IIIC SLV5 By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: A semi-scale version of the first of the Titan IIIC launch vehicles, this Dr. Zooch version is constructed entirely of pre-printed paper and wood, and in the end, if you build with some patience and a tolerance for the slightly acerbic instructions, you will have a great performing, impressive looking bird. (Well, I did, and if I can do it it's well within the realm of anyone ...

  • Dr. Zooch Titan IIIC SLV5 By Hans "Chris" Michielssen

    Brief: An "Ant Scale" version of the Titan IIIC SLV5. Construction: Opening The Box: There are a lot of centering rings. Six CR2050P rings and four CR205P rings. The two TVC Tanks are interesting. There is a slight difference in ends of the two lathed dowels, an easy fix. The longer Core Nose Cone is pre-weighted. The ribbon-like Kevlar ® is used in this kit. ...

  • Dynacom Bull Pup By John Coker

    ( Contributed - by John Coker) Dynacom kits are legendary for their strength and high level of design. These all-fiberglass and metal kits are the pinnacle of kit-built rocketry. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to try them in the summary of 1998, Dynacom had temporarily stopped taking orders due to family medical problems. But by the end of the year, they had resumed business and I ...

  • Dynacom Python By John Coker

    ( Contributed - by John Coker) Dynacom kits are legendary for their strength and high level of design. These all-fiberglass and metal kits are the pinnacle of kit-built rocketry. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to try them in the summary of 1998, Dynacom had temporarily stopped taking orders due to family medical problems. But by the end of the year, they had resumed business and ...

  • DynaStar Firefox SHX By Jewel B. Butler Jr.

    Brief: This is a replica of the Firefox jet that was in the Clint Eastwood movie.It has offset tubes; that was a plus for me. It comes with a huge 32 inch parachute. Construction: The parts list: 1 BT-50 3.75 2 BT-80 18 1 BT-60 18 1 24 mm engine block 2 Crescent moon die cut pieces(I wish these were a little more sturdy or even wood) 1 1/4" Launch ...

  • DynaStar Grappler By Keith Hamel

    Brief: The DynarStar Grappler is a lightweight mid-power rocket with impressive size. The Grappler flies on Estes and Aerotech D to F 24mm motors with the exception of the Estes E9. Construction: The parts list: 2 BT-80 18” airframe Tubes 1 airframe coupler 1 PSC-66A plastic nose cone 1 sheet of paper centering rings (3-BT80-24mm) 1 24mm x 15” ...

  • DynaStar Orion Transport By Alex Jordan

    Photo Courtesy of Dynastar             This is a single stage futuristic 24mm motor rocket. It uses Estes and Aerotech motors, ranging from C11-3 to F21-8. This kit came with excellent quality parts including: 1 BT-70 main body tube 1 NC-70 nose cone 1 sheet of paper centering rings (BT70-24mm) 1 motor mount tube ...

  • DynaStar Orion Transport By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    This low to mid power kit is a space plane with parachute recovery. This kit comes with a polystyrene nose cone that's great for painting. It also has beautiful balsa parts, a nice body tube with no spirals to fill, a paper nozzle and stickers (but they are not decals). I was leery of the stickers at first but they are very thin and look great. The instructions were as detailed and ...

  • DynaStar Orion Transport By Nick Esselman

    (02/23/08) " This one is like a luxury aircraft, but built for space travel. " So says Dynastar website. The Orion Transport is a neat, futuristic-looking rocket with nice lines and decals to make it stand apart from others. The rocket includes a single white BT-70 (2.2") body tube that is 18" long. This with its 11" long plastic nose cone and cardstock thrust nozzle make up the total ...

  • DynaStar Rip-Roar By Chan Stevens

    Brief: OK, take one look at the flame decal, the cool paint scheme, and imagine the two-stage flights. Now tell yourself you don't want this kit. This is an easy build, looks great, and flies pretty darned well too. Construction: The Dynastar line is a mid-power line offered by Apogee, based mainly on designs by Shrox. This means you'll get good quality parts and a wel ...

  • DynaStar Rising Star By Kevin Johnson

    Brief: Single stage LMR with a large clear payload bay. Construction: The bagged kit arrived from Apogee packed firmly in a box as part of an order of tubes. I got 2 extra canopies as part of a special when I ordered. The parts include: 1 2.217" body tube, 18" long 1 2.217" clear plastic payload tube, 10" long 1 coupler tube, 4" long 1 ...

  • DynaStar Snarky By Peter Reed

    This is a "jet fighter" style rocket that was designed to look like a target drone. The Snarky is single staged and comes with a 32" parachute This kit included an engine mount tube, two BT-70 sized airframe tubes, 1/4" launch lugs, die-cut balsa for the wings and fins, 32" plastic parachute, shroud line, 8 feet of 300# Kevlar ® shock cord, and one great looking nose cone. The ...

  • DynaStar Stonebreaker By Mark Thompson

    Brief: The Dynastar Stonebreaker is a mid-power kit of an imaginary missile defense rocket designed to protect the earth from wayward asteroids or comets. The airframe is simple and light. Construction: The kit includes: BT- 56mm x 18 in. Fins- 3 main, 3 strakes (die cut) MMT- 24mm x 3.75 in. Shock cord - 8 ft. 300# Kevlar ® Parachute- 32 in. plastic canopy ...

  • DynaStar Vidar By Craig Swinson

    ( Contributed - by Craig A. Swinson - 01/16/07) Brief: This was a recycle of a Dynastar Sky Torpedo and some additional parts. The original Sky Torpedo had a bit of bad luck. First, it got a nice zipper due to a too fast delay on an Estes D12-5. Estes sent out a replacement body tube. Before I could use the tube and make the rocket whole, it got treed and stayed up there for about a ...

  • E-MadeinCHN Instant Firing System (Other Product) By Art Applewhite

    This system is designed to be a wireless fireworks firing system but it is easily adapted to work as a multiple pad, launch controller. The simplest, complete system consists of a transmitter, a receiver and a set of clip leads. E-MadeinCHN makes systems for 1, 2, 4 & 12 channels. The system I'm reviewing here has a 4 button transmitter and 4 individual receivers. A user's manual, in ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Arcie II By Michael Rangitsch

    Picture courtesy of Edmonds        Brief: Rob Edmonds Radio Controlled 24mm Boost Glider Construction: Standard boost glider configuration with R/C battery, receiver, and HiTec servo. The glider is balsa with a few hardwood components. Boost module is a long section of BT50, recovered on a 12 inch parachute. Both nose cones are turned balsa. ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Arcie II By Bob Cox

    Overview: Boost glider with radio control, designed for beginner RC fliers. Rob Edmonds is renowned for his well-engineered, simple-to-build gliders. The Arcie II is Rob's attempt to move radio control from a specialty niche into the mainstream. The Arcie II is designed to be simple to build, easy to fly, and rugged enough to survive novice pilot errors. The glider glides down under ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace CiCi Stage 2 By Jeff Lane

    Brief: This is a two-stage balsa glider rocket with gap staging. Both stages are gliders. Construction: The kit consists of 3/16 inch balsa, 1/8 inch balsa, balsa nose cone, and 2 body tubes. I've wanted to build an Edmonds glider since I discovered their web site a couple of years ago. With the CiCi on the EMRR hit list, it was irresistible. Gliders are fun, but two gliders are ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace CiCi By Dave Sutter

    ( Contributed - by Dave Sutter) The CiCi is a traditional canard-style boost glider. The canard is the name for that smaller front wing, or horizontal stabilizer. A canard-style glider is simply a glider where the canard is forward of the main wing. A boost glider is a glider that boosts straight up like a rocket, and then ejects some part, usually the engine, to change into a glider. ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace CiCi By John Thro

    The Edmonds CiCi is a small, very easy to build boost glider that ejects the spent motor casing when the ejection charge goes off. The parts are laser cut and fit together perfectly. Here's the parts list: 8 laser-cut balsa pieces 1 balsa nose cone 1 motor tube 1 l/8" launch lug That's it! The instructions were illustrated and very easy to follow. The instructions ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace DeeCee Thunder By Todd Mullin

    Brief: The DeeCee Thunder member of the Edmonds "Thunder" series of large gliders. This rocket features a canard (rear wing) glider with a pop-pod. Construction: The DeeCee Thunder's components are: Several 1/4" thick sheets of laser cut balsa parts 1 BT-50 Body tube 1 BNC-50 Balsa nose cone 1 3/16" Launch lug 1 Aerospace Specialty ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace DeeCee Thunder By Eddy Pula

    Brief: Boost-Glider with booster parachute. Construction: A 26 in tube with a glider and no fins. 22 in shock cord. Mine did not come with a nose cone so I used a Estes Alpha 3. The Booster and glider instructions were brief but easy to follow. Easy construction. The glider is very fragile, maybe it was just my stupidness but it broke twice during transportation. Finishing: ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie Airshow By Glen Nardin

    In all my 3 decades of rocket building I have never had more fun assembling a kit than the Deltie Airshow. If you can read and understand simple English, you can assemble all three gliders, the boost pod, with no problems. Mr. Robert Edmonds, Jr. has taken the time to produce the best set of directions and illustrations I have ever seen in a rocket kit. Most folks who haven't built a boost ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie B By Andy Miller

    Brief: This is a boost glider flown on low power B4-2 motors. The pop pod is the only actual rocket body but with no fins. The rest is all balsa for the glider body. Construction: The kit came with all the parts for the glider in 8 sections. The instructions were well written so that even some one who had never built a glider could do it in under an hour. The pop pod body ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie Thunder By Neil Thompson

    Brief: This is a HUGE glider made by Edmonds Aerospace. It has a wingspan of 27 inches and the glider is 34 inches long. It has a 24mm pop pod, which is about 2 feet long, give or take an inch or two. Construction: It has one long 24mm tube for the pop pod, and 3 sheets of laser-cut balsa, which I am guessing is about 1/4 inch thick. Just as easy to build as the original Deltie, ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie Thunder By Hank Helmen

    Brief: The Deltie Thunder is a single stage boost glider design. The glider is a triangle shape with a profile type fuselage that divides the triangle in the middle. The rocket booster hooks onto the glider at the nose of the glider and pulls it skyward. At ejection the booster separates and returns via parachute while the glider slowly circles back to earth Construction: The ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie Thunder By Ted H. Apke

    (by Ted H. Apke)  Well I was really hoping that my package from Edmonds would arrive in time for this weekends METRA launch. I was grumping about it on Saturday when my youngest son asked me what this box was sitting in the garage. I have no idea when it arrived or how it got there but it isn't the first time I've found mail sitting in some peculiar place!  Spouses <and> ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie By Paul Gray

    Background The Edmonds Deltie is one of the most popular boost gliders, and with good reason. The glider is well designed, and it has a nice style to it. It can be assembled and ready to fly in a very short period of time. Considering the fact that the glider only weighs around five grams, it is capable of staying in the air for a long time. Construction The glider portion of this ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie By Jack Hydrazine

    A boost glider using 18mm motors. Components All the components were used.  Great laser cutting of the pieces. /h2 Building was very easy and straight forward.  Because they were laser cut balsa the pieces fit very well together. Finishing Did not finish it to keep the weight to a minimum.  Just make sure you balance the glider with the ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie By Alan Rognlie

    ( Contributed - by Alan Rognlie)  I am extremely impressed by this kit. Good materials and excellent laser-cut parts yield a fast-building sport model with very good competition potential.  The glider itself is made up of only eight pieces of 1/16" balsa - wings, elevon, fuselage, tip plates and nose reinforcements. The pieces are almost self-jigging and go together ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie By Neil Thompson

    ( Contributed - by Neil Thompson) Brief: This is a very nice kit by Edmonds Aerospace. The pop pod comes back on a streamer, and the deltie glides back. Construction: The kit contains: 1 tube and a lot of little balsa parts, all very neatly laser-cut. It was very easy to build, fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. Everything fits together nicely, and everything ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Deltie By Kris Henderson

    Brief: This is a boost glider that literally takes minutes to build and isn't all that expensive. Construction: The kit comes with a body tube for the engine and pop pod recovery device (streamer), three main body pieces, balsa nose cone, and clay for weighting one fin down to enable it to circle around your launch site instead of taking off a couple miles down wind. The ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Thunder By

  • Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Thunder By Todd Williams

      Brief A BIG rocket glider kit that is easy to put together, looks and flies great. Construction The instructions are both sides of a single 11x17 sheet of paper. They may be just a little sparse for a complete beginner, but are adequate for anyone who has built a couple of rockets. They do not include any instructions on balancing and trimming for glide, which would be helpful to ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Ecee By Alan Rognlie

    - by Moira Jean Whitlock Brief description: This is an all balsa wood glider that flies up like a rocket and is recovered when it glides down like an airplane. Pros and cons of construction: The parts are all there, secure within a plastic bag, Nothing was broken or defective. The fuselage of the model is panels of die cut plywood, as are the wings and canard. The motor tube is spiral ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Ecee By Hank Helmen

    Brief: The Edmonds Ecee is a balsa single stage 1/2A sized rocket boosted canard glider that uses variable geometry during recovery glide. Construction: A plastic bag contains all laser cut balsa wood. The particular kit built for review had very lightweight wood. Perhaps too light. More on that later. Included in the kit are nicely laser cut parts, two sheets printed front ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Ecee By Alan Rognlie

    ( Contributed - by Alan Rognlie)  After my good experience with Edmonds Deltie , I decided to try this model from Rob Edmonds. I ordered it from Apogee Components (along with a second Deltie, a plan set for a Nike Hercules and a couple of his technical reports) and it arrived within 4-5 days. This kit builds to a nice mini-motor (13mm) rocket glider - i.e. no parts are dropped ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Elsie By Matt Gillard

    Brief: Out of the bag and into the air in minutes. You do have to wait for the glue to dry. Like all Edmonds' kits, an excellent design, laser cut premium balsa and clear instructions make Elcie a great introduction to boost gliders. Construction: Parts consist of: Laser cut sheet of balsa - usual high quality. BT 5. Balsa nose cone - really bad quality. Crepe ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Geminee Thunder By Frank G. Whitby

    Brief: Geminee Thunder is an upscale version of the Edmonds Geminee twin glider. Construction: As with other Edmonds gliders, the kit comes complete with detailed instructions and well designed, precision cut balsa parts ready to be assembled. All of the parts were in perfect condition and high quality balsa was used throughout. The assembly was very simple. Rob Edmonds ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Geminee Thunder By Hank Helmen

    Brief: The Edmonds Geminee Thunder is a twin glider with a single 24mm rear engine. The gliders are supposed to boost up on D12-3 and then separate using the ejection charge. Glider should then circle slowly back to earth! Construction: Included in the kit is one balsa nose cone, one balsa "plug" (to join the glider body tubes), two 25mm body tubes, four sheets of ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Geminee By Drew Davis

    ( Contributed - by Drew Davis - 03/01/02) Brief: The Geminee is a two-part boosted glider with laser-cut wings. Construction: Components: Two 3" body tubes, two balsa fuselages, four balsa wings (two per glider) each with two fins and elevators at each end. The motor goes in the rear of the glider. Since the two gliders break apart at ejection, there is no need for a shock ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Tinee By Kevin Johnson

    ( Contributed - by Kevin Johnson) Brief: 13mm canard boost glider. Construction: The kit includes: 5 laser cut balsa parts, 1 balsa nose cone, 1 13mm motor pod tube, and 1 launch lug. I ordered my kit from DiscountRocketry and it came bagged with all the parts and 1 8x11 inch sheet of instructions. There was a crack in my wing, but it didn't go all the way through and was easily ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Tinee By John Lee

    Brief: This is a low power, 13mm motor mounted rocket glider. I have had uniformly bad luck with every glider I have attempted. For the most part, the just crash. In one case it crashed and burned. In the case of the Cosmos Mariner, I just kind of lost heart and it has sat partially assembled for over a year. I have, however, heard good things about Edmond's Aerospace and ...

  • Edmonds Aerospace Twinsee By Kevin Johnson

    Brief: Twin T-tailed gliders boosted together, much like the Geminee. Construction: The kit contains: 2 sections of BT 20 motor tube 1 balsa nose cone Laser cut parts for the gliders clay nose weight 1/8" launch lug I bought this kit from BMS at NARAM 45 so that I could build it in the hotel room and fly the next day. The instructions were a couple of ...

  • Ellis Mountain Rocket Works 29mm Single-Use Family By Larry Brand

    Ellis Mountain makes a family of 29mm single use H and I power motors covering the 50-275 Newton average thrust range. They are reasonably priced and extremely easy to use. The photo shows (from top to bottom) an I69-10, a H275-6 (also available in 10 sec delay), a H101-4 (also available in 8 sec delay), and a H50-6 (also available in 10 sec delay). The spent casings are shown with a used AT ...

  • Ellis Mountain Rocket Works Ellis 38-650 (I230) (Motor) By Theo McDonald

    The Ellis I230 is a 38mm load for the Ellis 38-650 case. The case utilizes snap ring type closures, and is made of the thicker (0.095") wall aluminum tubing. All the cases that I have seen are anodized black. The I230 and all currently available Ellis motors use the Thors Hammer propellant, a mid to slow burning propellant. More on this later. As most snap Ring type motors use a reusable ...

  • Ellis Mountain Rocket Works Ellis SU H45 (Motor) By Donald Besaw Jr

    38mm 214Ns single use HPR rocket motor. The package contains: 1 motor 1 Quickburst Slim Gem ignitor There is no external thrust ring on this motor. If needed, one must be built up using masking tape. Finishing: Since this is a single use motor, no assembling is needed. Flight: I tried this motor out in my Art Applewhite Stealth 38mm oddroc. I wrapped a layer of tape and ...

  • Ellis Mountain Rocket Works Ellis SU J110 By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 06/06/05) Brief: The Ellis J110-P a 54mm single use motor that provides 751 N-s total impulse (~17% J) with a burn time of 6.8 seconds (Tripoli Motor Testing’s numbers, the photo shows the EM numbers). Construction: This motor is only about 9.5" long, including the plugged aluminum closure. It has a medusa nozzle, but only the center ...

  • Ellis Mountain Rocket Works Ellis SU J228 By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 04/25/05) Brief: The Ellis Mountain J228 38mm single use motor provides a total impulse of 1104 N-S (72% J), giving a burn-time of 4.8 seconds. It is about 22 inches long including the turned-aluminum forward closure. Construction: None required, unless you consider adding a masking tape thrust ring as "construction". Flight: ...

  • Empire Rockets Bomarc (1/24) By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: For the most part, I'm not much of a scale fan but through the years there have been several scale rockets that I always had an itch to build. The original Estes Mercury Redstone was always a favorite, as were both versions of the Little Joe. Another member of this club was the Bomarc. Bomarc kits are seldom seen since Estes discontinued their version Construction: When I ...

  • Empire Rockets Nike-Ajax By Chan Stevens

    Brief: A fairly well detailed scale model, though designed to fly only as a single stage. A good project for the experienced builder (rated as a skill level 4 kit). Construction: Before hitting the parts list, I've got to toss in a decent word about customer service. I've heard mixed reviews by word of mouth and on other forums about Empire Rockets aka Vin125 on eBay. ...

  • Enerjet 1340 Sounding Rocket By Jack Hydrazine

    Brief This rocket is actually a clone of the Enerjet 1340 using the Estes Eliminator (or Eliminator XL) kit.  You can also use the Centuri MARS Project kit, the Estes Challenger II kit, the Centuri Phoenix Bird, Estes Maniac, or the Estes Longshot for making this clone. I used resources such as this reference. http://www.oldrocketplans.com/enerjet/enj1340/enj1340.htm ...

  • Enerjet 1340/20 Sounding Rocket By Jack Hydrazine

  • Eric Truax Holiday Bell (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: OddRoc, Paper, 18mm, Streamer The 2009 Holiday Bell is Erik Truax's Christmas gift to the rocketry community for 2009. It is a rocket powered flying model of a Christmas bell. He offered downloads of the plan on TRF and must have had substantial response because all attempts I made to download it were met with a server error stating that the maximum downloads had been ...

  • Essence Aerospace Technologies 18mm Lambda-Class Shuttle By Dick Stafford

    (by Jason Myers - 01/14/03) Brief: This kit is the Star Wars Lambda Class Shuttle. Most people will probably remember that it is the vessel that the Rebel Alliance used to smuggle themselves onto the moon of Endor to destroy the shield generator that protected the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Is it an 18mm downscale of a scratch built design by EMRR. It is single stage and ...

  • Essence Aerospace Technologies 18mm Lambda-Class Shuttle By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This 18mm version of the Lambda-Class Shuttle was produced in limited quantities by EAT (Essence Aerospace Technologies). Although the kit isn't being produced, you can still purchase a plan pak [here] . It is one of the most innovative kits around and is a great addition to anyone's fleet. Construction: Parts:  One 1/4" balsa sheet (3" x 6") ...

  • Essence Aerospace Technologies Interstellar Probe By Chan Stevens

    Brief: If you're reading this to see whether or not this would be a good kit to buy, save your time, as this limited edition kit from EMRR's rocket kit division sold out before the first kit even shipped, making this kit as hard to find as an Aston Martin Vanquish (but for only a fraction of the cost). Two-stage, funnel booster, and fairly unusual nose cone design (similar to the ...

  • Essence Aerospace Technologies Triatomic By Bob Cox

    Brief: EAT's latest offering is an amazing 3 in one rocket. Look! Up in the sky! It's a cluster! No, it's a 24mm transition rocket! No, it's a sleek futuristic space plane! You can fly 3 completely different configurations on the field the same day using this very innovative design concept. Construction: I was initially hesitant to pop for the $36 (includes shipping) kit, but ...

  • Essence Aerospace Technologies Triatomic By Bob Cox

    The Triatomic is an interesting design that creates three very different rockets that all share the same upper section.  This design served as the inspiration for Virtual Rocket Contest #4.     Besides the interchangeable tails, the most unique design innovation on this kit is the “parachute cup” that protects the recovery system.  What makes it ...

  • Essence Aerospace Technologies Triatomic By Doug Szczepanski

    ( Contributed - by Doug Szczepanski - 07/09/06) Brief: Parachute cup modification. Modifications: I had already epoxied the plywood bulkhead in place when I read of some of the problems with the parachute cup releasing from the upper rocket. Take a Rotozip tool (or use a similar cutting method) with a wood cutting bit and cut a hole in the bulkhead leaving ~1/4" lip. ...

  • Estes 220 Swift By Peter Davidson

    A tiny fun-to-build 13mm rocket employing tumble recovery, a descendant of the classic Estes Mosquito. Included in the kit: 1 body tube 1 plastic nose cone 1 launch lug 2 small balsa strips to cut your own fins 1 peel-and-stick decal set This is an easy 3FNC kit to put together with next to nothing in the way of gotchas. The instructions as supplied by Estes were ...

  • Estes 220 Swift By Aaron J. Grier

  • Estes 220 Swift By Donald Besaw Jr

    This is a new 2004 release kit by Estes. It is a small and sleek 4 1/2 inch tall rocket that flies on mini motors up to 750 feet and uses tumble recovery. The kit came in a plastic bag and included two 1/16 balsa strips for fins, body tube, nose cone, launch lug and decals. The instructions for this kit included the fin template as you need to cut them out yourself from the balsa strips ...

  • Estes 220 Swift By Bill Eichelberger

    For the old-timers, the 220 Swift is simply a Mosquito in an updated body with sticker graphics.  The Swift is another of the "fire and forget" mini engine birds.  I can't imagine that the recovery rate on these is anywhere close to 30%. Components BT-5 main body tube PNC-5 nose cone 1/16" fin stock launch lug decal sheet /h2 Construction ...

  • Estes 36 D Squared By Ben Davidson

    This is a new Cluster rocket from Estes which has a payload section and a nice parachute recovery system. The kit was complete and well organized. It uses basic Estes components except for two transitions which are new. These are used to expose two BT50 tubes just forward of the fin area. These tubes form the motor mounts and are supported by 4 paper motor mount rings. This rocket was ...

  • Estes 36 D Squared By Doug Szczepanski

    A unique 2 D sized, cluster engine rocket, with a 24" parachute recovery system. This is a large, beautiful rocket. The look had to grow on me a little, my first impression of the look was only so-so, but once it was finished and sitting on my desk. I had totally gotten into this unique look. I can say, that I don't have another rocket quite like it in my fleet. The 36D starts out with a ...

  • Estes 36 D Squared By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: This is a big hammer-headed rocket for double D-engine power and recovers with a big parachute. Construction: Kit came in the typical plastic bag. Consists of: Plastic nose cone A plastic transition BT60 payload section 2 BT50 motor tubes 2 AR2050 centering rings used as thrust rings 2 different lengths of BT70 One serves as a fin can ...

  • Estes 36 D Squared By John Lee

    Brief: Two 24mm motor cluster, skill level 2, payload section, parachute recovery. This is a strange looking rocket that only gets stranger the more you think about it, but it is a good performer. It's not too difficult to build but a bit more challenging to paint if you want to use the default scheme on the facecard. Construction: Construction begins with the marking of ...

  • Estes A.R.V. Condor By Eric Miller

    I recently received an A. R. V. Condor as a gift from my wife. The A. R. V. Condor is an Estes Explorer series rocket (Intermediate level).   This kit was packaged in plastic and came in a box and was probably around $15. 99. All the parts were included and none were damaged.   The instructions were typical Estes and were excellent. The special feature of this rocket is at apogee ...

  • Estes A.R.V. Condor By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Parts and Supplies Hobby Knife, Sand Paper (220 grit), Glue (I used Thick CA), Ruler, Pen or Pencil, Desired paint etc.. Assembly Compare the parts in the box with the parts list in the instructions. Separate all balsa parts from balsa stock and sand trim as needed. Assemble wings, there are two and make sure you make a left and right for each wing set. You will use the included ...

  • Estes A.R.V. Condor By Andy Sola

    The A.R.V Condor is a single staged rocket that is about 19 inches long. . At apogee, two drones detach for a gliding return to Earth. Booster returns on a streamer! Recommended motors are B4-2 (First Flight), B6-2, and C6-3. The construction on this rocket wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be. After reading all the reviews I thought it would be impossible to make especially because ...

  • Estes A.R.V. Condor By Carl Tulanko

    The Estes Condor is a very slick kit which incorporates a sustainer with two gliders attached to the sides. The glider's airfoils act as fins for the model during boost and detach at ejection, then each glider spirals in for a landing while the main sustainer lands with the aid of a streamer. USAF insignia helps dress up this little beauty and makes it a esthetically pleasing kit to launch or ...

  • Estes A.R.V. Condor By Hank Helmen

    Single stage piggy back boost launch glider design with two gliders. The glider's wings act as rocket fins during boost then separate using the ejection charge to deploy the gliders. The rocket booster body recovers with a streamer. The kit includes 4 body tubes. Two larger ones are for the booster and two smaller tubes for the glider fuselages. Also supplied are 3 plastic nose cones and ...

  • Estes AGM-57X Heat Seeker By Jim Stuckman

       This is an E2X series - requires minimal construction time and no painting is required. Builds completely with plastic model cement. Produces a sharp looking military style rocket in about 1/2 hour! This is one of the new releases for 1999.  The kit comes packaged in a graphic intensive cardboard box. Inside the parts are bagged. My kit was part of the first production run ...

  • Estes AIM-9 Sidewinder By Tom Bell

    The Estes AIM-9 Sidewinder is a popular scale model kit of a air-to-air missile that has served US and NATO air forces for about 40 years and still running strong.   This rocket is a challenging build, not for the first-timer. It is also a challenger to fly, as it tends to live up to its  name and give some "sidewinding" flights.   INSTRUCTIONS: The instructions are the ...

  • Estes AIM-9 Sidewinder By Paul Altman

    I received a Estes AIM-9 sidewinder kit for Christmas. The kit came in a box and I am sure it was bought a WAL-MART for $10.00 (great price). The instructions were standard Estes with only 2 confusing parts and I got them figured out with the help from my local club buds . The fins are thru-the-wall mount, very strong but the balsa was very soft (for a good reason), the rear fins had to be ...

  • Estes Air Show Launch Set By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a launch set containing a Porta Pad II launch pad, an Electron Beam launch controller, and a 1/8 inch launch rod. No motors are included with this set. The rocket included in this set consists of two large (12 inch wingspan) foam gliders that glide back and a power pod that recovers on a 12 inch parachute. Construction: The model consisted of: 2 foam gliders ...

  • Estes Airwalker By Rokkit

    Provided by: Rokkit Scientists Great starter rocket for the rookie rocketeer or our younger rocketeers. Being part of the starter set series, the Airwalker is an easy rocket to assemble.  The Airwalker is purchased in a starter set (which includes cobra engines and supplies for your first 3 flights plus launch pad). The price is pretty reasonable (around $30.00) , when you ...

  • Estes Alien Space Probe By Bill Eichelberger

    This was on my cloning list for several years after I bought a bunch of Fat Boy nose cones, but the white in the decal always discouraged me. OOP for years, this turned up as a "Buy It Now" on the Penn Valley Hobby Ebay page, and the price was right, so I availed myself of the opportunity to build an original for a change of pace. Similar in size and profile to the later Fat Boy, the Alien ...

  • Estes Alpha III Flying Model Launch Set By Zachary Fisher

  • Estes Alpha III By Dominic Valentino

    Need more details    Components /h2 Finishing rustoleum gloss Construction Score: 3 Flight very light model w/b engine and wind easy to lose Recovery very slow descent = lots of lateral drift Flight Rating: 2 Summary Overall Rating: 3

  • Estes Alpha III By Greg Deeter

    Brief: About the most simple there is. It's pretty much just a black gloss body tube, orange plastic nose cose, and one piece (3) fin unit. 12" Estes parachute. Modifications: Upsize of launch lug. Construction: This is a super simple rocket kit that can be built in less than 30 minutes with just CA (super glue). When building mine, I replaced the launch lug with ...

  • Estes Alpha III By

  • Estes Alpha III By Clifford Campo

    I received my Alpha III kit recently from Hobbylinc.com and was annoyed to find that all three fins on the plastic fin assembly were bent like a Bobby Hull hockey stick.  This was either poor manufacturing or improper storage along the way.  Something heavy was probably sitting on top of the kit package for a long time.  I soaked the fin assembly in hot water for about 15 ...

  • Estes Alpha III By Dave Sutter

    NOTE: This review is for the Alpha III in the Starter Set Ahh... Old Faithful. My first kit. Flown in excess of 30 times, and still going strong. A good flier, it always lifts straight and true. Works just fine on almost any 18mm Estes engine. I've made a habit of sending it up at least once almost every time I go out to launch. Had to re-tape the parachute shroud lines to the parachute, and ...

  • Estes Alpha III By Jamie Martin

    Brief: This is a very simple rocket of the 3FNC design. Basicly nothing more than a fin can, BT and nosecone Construction: The instructions are easy to follow with lots of pictures. Assembly starts with building a basic motor mount and glueing it into the fin can. You then glue the launch lug on to the body tube and glue this on to the fin can also. You then glue the shock cord ...

  • Estes Alpha IV By John H. Boyd

    Estes has released a new, jazzed up version of the Alpha III to celebrate Estes Industries' 40th Anniversary. It is a limited edition kit.   The kit is shipped in the new bagged "half-box" with card packaging protecting 4 of the 6 sides. The kit arrived complete, however due to the packaging, the body tube was dented in the middle. The kit is much like the normal Alpha III with ...

  • Estes Alpha IV By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Astron Alpha IV was a specially produced 40th Anniversary version of the Alpha III that had a red prismatic body tube, black plastic nose cone and fin can, and special sticker decals. Construction: Like I said, this is basically a prettied up Alpha III released as a 40th Anniversary commemorative rocket. I came across mine when looking for a quick building kit to fly ...

  • Estes Alpha By Ted Phipps

    The Alpha has been around a long time. Combining simple construction (skill level 1), good looks, and great flying characteristics, it is considered a classic.  Like most Estes kits, it comes in a plastic bag. Our kit had some pretty poor quality balsa, but some careful work with sandpaper and Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish resulted in a good looking rockets. The instructions and diagrams were ...

  • Estes Alpha By Joshua Finn

    Brief: Estes classic Alpha is your standard 3FNC LPR model, probably in continuous production longer than any other model rocket in history. It is a simple, straightforward build, listed as a skill level 2 build. Compared to the model airplanes I fly, it's something a newbie could take on as a first project, especially if he or she had a little guidance. With its wide selection of ...

  • Estes AMRAAM AIM-120 By Jay Finigan

    The AMRAAM from Estes is one of the many rockets that take after various weaponry used around the world by fighter jets, and ground based anti-aircraft launchers. The popularity of these types of rockets make it one to be a sure seller in the future.    It comes in a box, not in one of those cheap bags which can easily be damaged during shipping, and contains 18 parts. It is a ...

  • Estes AMRAAM AIM-120 By Jon Revelle

    A great scale model of the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Medium Range Air-Air Missile (AMRAAM) AIM-120. Nothing very special. It has been Out Of Production for a couple of years. The AMRAAM came boxed and undamaged. It included: 1 Nose Cone NC55 2 BT55X11 Slotted Body Tubes Tube Coupler 2 Clay Weights Engine mount parts (18mm) Recovery parts (18" Parachute) 8 Precut fins ...

  • Estes AMRAAM AIM-120 By Mike Goss

    Intro One of Estes Industries Beta Series model rocket kits that is a semi-scale version of the United States Medium range Air-to-air Missile. This missile replaced the aging Sparrow radar guided missile, and it is also used in a surface-to-air mode by some NATO nations. I had seen this kit and I wondered if it flew any better than the Sidewinder that Estes produced. When Wal-Mart ...

  • Estes Antares By Al Duprey

    ( Contributed - by Duprey, Al - 10/28/08) Brief: This is an easy build for a 4 fin, single stage rocket. It has good looks and nice lines to it. Some may find it too vanilla, but not me, it is one of my favorites. Construction: I first got the plans from Rocketshoppe ( HERE ) I prefer the Adobe PDF format. They just are easier to print and get the correct scaling. It is ...

  • Estes Argosy By Matthew Bond

    “Galactic deterrent of ever-threatening invasions, this strike fighter is equipped with laser weaponry, time warp drive and de-ionizing technology. Invisible on all known scanners, Argosy can strike and evade retaliation easily.” Produced by Estes from 1987 to 1990, the Argosy is a skill level three kit, with multi-piece asymmetric fins, a very distinctive jet fighter look, ...

  • Estes Argus II (Plan) (Plan) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Argus II is a 3FNC rocket with a slightly more complicated than usual built-up fin set and an Estes Interceptor decal. The resulting rocket looks like a support ship for the Interceptor fleet and is a pretty decent performer due to its smaller size. The Argus II was one of the first Estes Design of the Month plans that I printed off back in 2001. Six years later it was flying, showing ...

  • Estes Astrobeam By Duane Boldt

    Brief: The Estes Astrobeam is a very simple kit to put together. It doesn't take more than 15 minutes depending on what you use for glue. It is a pretty cool, inexpensive way to get into night launches. Construction: Parts included in this kit: 1 - Four fin plastic fin assembly 1 - Twist-lock motor retainer cap 1 - Clear plastic tube (Covers lighting section) ...

  • Estes Astrocam (RTF) By Joe Talento

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport ...

  • Estes Astrocam 110 By Ben Bentley

    The AstroCam 110 is a rocket boosted 110 camera, pretty obvious from the name! It is a good rocket and can take some OK pictures. It is single staged and doesn't go very high, but it's cool none the less. Construction : It came well packaged in a box and had no damage upon opening it. Construction of the booster section went real smooth and only took about 45 min. The body tube is ...

  • Estes Astrocam 110 By Doyle Tatum

    I'm a little surprised at the skill rating of one for this rocket. Not that it was very hard, just that you must be very careful to construct the camera carefully, not getting glue where it doesn't need to be and getting enough glue on the other parts to hold them together. The rocket itself, is painfully simple. The instruction book is very thorough, although a little hard to follow due to the ...

  • Estes Astrocam 110 By Chan Stevens

    Finally back out on the market as a standalone kit, you can now own a basic aerial photography rocket for under $20. Parts were packed in a plastic bag and in good shape. The main parts include: Plastic fin can (black) BT-56 body tube (pre-finished gloss black) Plastic nose/camera cone unit 12" plastic chute/rubber shock cord 18mm motor tube with cardboard centering rings ...

  • Estes Astron Cobra (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: In my early days of my rocketry odyssey, clustering was not a technique to which I gave much thought. This was largely due to the fact that, in 1977, the only commercially available Estes kits that featured clustered engines were the wildly expensive (to a kid who caddied for rocket money) Saturn V and Saturn 1B, or the Scrambler, (eggs were for schoolbuses, not rockets.) Until 2001, I ...

  • Estes Astron Elliptic II By Marc Alderette

  • Estes Astron Explorer By Ty Bliss

    The Astron Explorer is a high-performance sport rocket that looks like a futuristic space vehicle.  It is a fun, but challenging Level 4 "Master" kit to build and finish. The final result for the careful and patient craftsman will be an eye-catching, high-flying D and E motor powered rocket. DISPLAY TIP: This rocket cannot stand up on its fins. Use of a stable display stand ...

  • Estes Astron Invader (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Estes Astron Invader is one of the least seen, yet also one of the most interesting rockets produced by Estes in the early years of their existence. Available only from 1965 to 1967, the Invader may have had the distinction of being the first of the early kits to have it’s production run canceled. Despite this, and in some ways because of it, the Invader is one of the most ...

  • Estes Astron Outlaw (RTF) By John Thomas

    Brief: This is an easy to build Estes Rocket (E2X Series) sold as part of the "Launchables" Starter Set (1452). It requires no paint and no fin alignment and is an easy first build. The starter set includes a Porta Pad II, Electron Beam Controller, Two Engines (A8-3 and B4-4), the Astron Outlaw, and the Black Diamond, which is a level 1 kit that the buyer can build after ...

  • Estes Astron Outlaw By Tim Duncan

    This rocket is part of Estes Launchables Starter Set and is aimed at newcomers to the hobby. The package says that it takes less than an hour to assemble and does not require any painting. The kit comes with one body tube that already has the launch lug and a 1/8" x 18" elastic shock cord attached, two fin halves, one lock ring, one nose cone, an assembled 12" plastic parachute, and ...

  • Estes Astron Shrike By Jeff Lane

    Brief: OOP two-stage BT-50 4-fin payload rocket with embossed shrouds and body wrap, engine clips and plug-in staging. Construction: The kit includes balsa nose cone, clear payload section, foam rubber payload shock disks, balsa bulkhead, screw eye, shock cord, 2 parachutes (12 and 18), two body tubes, 8 die-cut fins, 2 waterslide decal sheets, launch lugs with offsets, stage ...

  • Estes Astron Spaceman By Bill Eichelberger

    Several years back, EMRR had a NASCAR themed contest.  Slapping a bunch of sponsors decals on a rocket seemed too easy, and I've never been one known for my creative flair.  I had been a Richard Petty fan since the age of 9, so deciding on the subject was easy, but I wanted something with a bit more pizazz than a Petty Blue Estes Big Bertha.  Everybody has seen the Astron ...

  • Estes Astron Sprint XL By Ken Hubal

    A skill level 2 competition design with elliptical fins, parabolic nose, and tailcone. Designed to fly on C11, D12, and E type motors. Components The kit contained high grade balsa fins which required very little filling, a very well made molded plastic nose and tailcone. The nose was a definite improvement over other Estes kits as there was very little seam that needed to be ...

  • Estes Astron Streak By Michael Rangitsch

    B rief: Simple Mosquito-like rocket. Three fins, ejects the motor for recovery. Kit contains balsa stock for 3 fins, balsa nose cone, and mylar body tube. Fins are attached to stick-on tape on the body tube. Simple instructions, easy to follow. No special tools needed. Finishing: Normal balsa construction finishing, no decals included. The paint scheme on the insert card has a white ...

  • Estes Astrosat LSX By Bill Eichelberger

    Talk about rockets that get no respect.  I bought the AstroSat LSX because I lost my scratch built Marauder on an ill-advised C6-5 flight at B6-4 Field back in the early years.  I filched the cone, then let the rest of the rocket sit on the dusty corner of the workbench until one night a couple of years later when I was bored and wanted something new to ...

  • Estes AstroVision By Bruce Canino

    Estes Astrovision is a RTF digital video / camera rocket that downloads to a Windows based computer. Sold with a standard Estes launch pad and launcher. Video mode is 320x240 and camera mode is 640x480. 1 RTF Digital Rocket Camera. Also comes with standard Estes launch pad and launcher. You need a small Phillips head screwdriver to open the battery compartment to add three small button ...

  • Estes AstroVision By Joy Sills

    Brief: The Estes Astrovision is a RTF rocket that comes in a Rocket Launch set with a launch stand and controller. The unique thing about the Astrovision is that it lofts a digital camera into the air. The camera can take both digital video (12 seconds worth) and digital still pictures. Construction: The parts list: Camera Nosecone Plastic Fin Can Pre-preprinted ...

  • Estes Athena (2026) By Philip Wentz

    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' ...

  • Estes Athena By Justin Stotter

    This kit comes in a box and is basically "Ready To Fly". Simply tie the parachute onto the nose cone and it's ready to launch. This was the first model rocket I launched. It flew nicely on the recommended A8-3 engine. My fiance and I decided to skip the B engines and go straight to a C6-5. We watched it streak toward the clouds and was never seen again! That was a good learning ...

  • Estes Athena By Ben Robinson

    A simple beginner's rocket, reliable and cool-looking As an E2X, the rocket features a plastic fin unit and pre-colored everything. It features a plastic nose cone and 12-inch parachute.   This was my second rocket; I think it is at least 6 years old if not more. I don't remember much about building it. Finishing: Everything is pre-colored with self-stick decals. If they were ...

  • Estes Attack Craft Orion (Plan) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Attack Craft Orion is one of the most unique early-80's designs and likely one of the more difficult cloning projects due to the seldom seen nose cone. I lucked out and won several of the cones in an Ebay auction, one of which I sent to Moldin' Oldies so that they could produce resin copies. It's not quite so difficult to find anymore. Components BT-50H body tube ...

  • Estes Avenger Clone (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Avenger wasn't the first two-stager I'd ever built, (that would be the Beta,) but it was the first one I ever flew as a two-stager.  When I got back into the hobby in 2001, I quickly realized that much of what I wanted to build from my 1977-80 heyday no longer existed.  My solution to this was to buy an Estes Builders Special, only to find that it had become a corporate ...

  • Estes Baby Bertha By G. A. Dean

    Brief: The Baby Bertha is a new kit (2002) based on the venerable and popular Big Bertha kit. The rocket has the same large, V2-like fins and blunt, rounded nose cone as the Big B, but is 1/2 the length at 12 inches. Rated at "Level 1", it's an easy to construct kit using traditional, Estes-style methods that would make an excellent kit for a beginner, or young rocketeers. If you have ever ...

  • Estes Baby Bertha By Herb Estus

    A skill level 1 rocket from Estes.  Small version of the Big Bertha. BT-60 body tube-7 1/2" BT-60 elliptical nose cone-2 1/2" Engine mount tube Centering ring card Retaining ring for motor tube Engine block and hook decal sheet 12" plastic parachute shock cord Pros: Instructions are easy to follow and well illustrated. Rocket went together quick ...

  • Estes Bail-Out By David Fergus

    Single-stage, wide-body rocket for carrying small GI-Joe or other small objects for ejection at apogee and recovery by parachute. Nose cone recovers by streamer. The kit includes: Standard Estes white BT-60 body tube Easy twist access single piece fin can/motor mount Black plastic nose cone Nice adhesive backed decal set 12 inch harness for attaching to a man (which is not ...

  • Estes Bandit By Tony Fragge

    The Estes E2X Bandit rocket kit is a good one for a beginner, which is what I was when I found the kit. The kit comes with a pre-slotted and pre-colored body tube, plastic nose cone, plastic motor mount assembly and plastic fins. The shock cord was typical Estes (short) and was to be attached to a 12-inch parachute. The instructions are very clear and simple to follow. If you had assembled ...

  • Estes Bandito By Mike Mistele

    Brief: A new Estes E2X kit for 2004. It's a single-stage 3FNC, using TTW fin mounts, numerous plastic parts for quick assembly, and parachute recovery. Construction: Components in this kit include: A pre-colored (black) BT-20, with pre-cut slots for the fins and launch lugs 3 plastic fins Motor mount consisting of 7 plastic parts (including a screw-on motor retention ...

  • Estes Banshee By Victor Claar

      This rocket features sounding rocket styling and is part of the E2X series.  Recovery is by 12 inch parachute.   Construction: Like the rest of the E2X series, this model requires little construction beyond gluing and may be completed in a day.  The model is packaged in a box rather than a bag. All parts were included and intact. Fins and nose cone are plastic and ...

  • Estes Banshee By Bill Bill

    - 06/15/03) Brief: A Estes E2X single stage 18mm rocket with a 12'' parachute, pre-colored parts, decals, short shock cord, and external shock cord mount. During a half-off sale, I got this kit for $2.50. Construction: This kit was packaged in a box, a rare thing for Estes. Includes a black, pre-slotted body tube, a black nosecone, three black fins, and black motor mount parts, a ...

  • Estes Beta By Bill Eichelberger

    The Beta was a small two stage rocket produced by Estes between 1970 and 1984. The original version, produced in 1970 and 1971, it was powered by S-series motors. When production ceased on the S motors, the Beta was one of a few kits whose internals were modified to accept the new mini or T motors. (The Midget and the Birdie may have been the others.) The Beta was the rocket that got me started ...

  • Estes Big Bertha By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: Everybody's favorite prom date, the Estes Big Bertha, is a rocket that seems to wind up in every fleet at one time or another. While there are a lot of other rockets in her size range that equal her low, slow, and always stable flights, there's something to be said for building and flying the original. Bertha's getting a little long in the tooth these days and in need of an ...

  • Estes Big Bertha By Paul Gray

    (by Paul Gray)  Background The Big Bertha is a classic rocket built and flown by thousands of people around the world since 1965. Its was designed to have a rather impressive size and to develop the skills of people who are advancing themselves further in the hobby of model rocketry. Because of its size and performance, it is a great rocket to fly on a football field on C motors, ...

  • Estes Big Bertha By Clive Davis

    Background: This spring I ran a build session for faculty kids at the school where I teach. I ended up using the Quest Bright Hawk for the 7-9 year olds and the Quest Big Betty for the 10-12 year olds. After the build session, I began thinking about the types of rockets that would make great first builds for a budding rocketeer. I wanted to select rockets to compare that had the ...

  • Estes Big Daddy By Andy Tate

    single stage, 24in. parachute, 24mm motor mount, 3/16 launch lug This is a standard Estes kit. It utilizes TTT (through the tube) fin mounting for the four balsa fins. One three inch paper tube is the body tube with a 24mm paper tube for the motor mount. The nosecone is a large plastic one with the standard Estes shock cord attachment loop. Two cardstock centering rings are included. The ...

  • Estes Big Daddy By Jim Stuckman

    19" LG X 3" Dia 24" Parachute 24mm Motor Mount - D12-3 & 5 recommended This is a great sport flyer that builds very quickly. If you upgrade the parachute to a quality nylon chute you have a very versatile companion for your Aerotech 24mm RMS! 4 My kit is a pre-release beta kit so it did not come in the standard Estes packaging - just a basic plastic bag. All parts were present ...

  • Estes Big Daddy By Jon Revelle

    Short, stubby, and fun rocket. Flies on Estes D engines. Unfortunately I think it was just discontinued because it was not in Estes' 2005 Catalog. The rocket made its debut in the mid 1990s. At the time, kits were being made with a 4/6 sided box with a bag. This one was no exception. It had: 1 Nose Cone 1 Fat body tube 1 24mm Motor tube 1 Sheet of balsa 2 Centering rings ...

  • Estes Big Daddy By Nick Esselman

    In keeping with my likes of "stubby" rockets, I decided to build three more that were around three inches in diameter to compliment my 2.6" and my 4" collection. So, I set off to get a LOC Onyx, a RocketVision Grymm, and the Estes Big Daddy. See my 3" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page The Estes Big Daddy qualifies as a "stubby" rocket because it is 19" long and has a 3" diameter giving it a less ...

  • Estes Big Daddy By Dave Brunsting

    This project was an upgrade of the typical Big Daddy to a 29mm mount with fiberglass reinforcement to the fins and lots of nose weight with a funky flame job. Modifications: This is an old style Big Daddy I ran across for $15 which sure beats the heck out of the regular retail price of ~$30 or whatever it is. So first up is the MMT. I used 30 minute epoxy because that’s what I ...

  • Estes Big Dawg By Bill Eichelberger

    The Big Dawg was one of those rare kits from Estes that actually turned out to be quite a bit more than the sum of its parts. While it looks like a typical late 90's 4FNC rocket at first glance, it's interesting in that it's one of the earliest Estes kits that utilized through the wall (TTW) fin attachment. The Big Dawg builds quickly and results in a sharp looking, sturdy little 18mm ...

  • Estes Big Dawg By Doyle Tatum

    I like this kit. It is extremely easy to construct, yet is very attractive and sturdy. The through-the-wall fins reached to the motor mount per the instructions, which are precise. I added a Kevlar cord, tied to the motor mount, in lieu of the Estes shock mount. I did decide to build this one stock and maybe another one in the future with a 24mm mount. I used 5 minute epoxy throughout. The only ...

  • Estes Big Dawg By Mike Olson

    I built a Big Dawg recently, and flew it when my son's Cub Scout pack was invited to Tripoli Nebraska's October launch. Construction was straight-forward for a through-the-tube rocket. Estes' instructions were very good, however, it appears that the motor tube has been shortened since the illustrations were drawn. They show a three inch tube. The included tube measured 2 3/4 inches, and as a ...

  • Estes Big R2D2 By Peter Clay

    Not being a big Star Wars fan , I would not have sought out an R2D2 model rocket kit. However, my family loves it, and got me an Estes Fifteenth Anniversary R2D2 for Father's Day 1999. This is sort of a goofy rocket, but not completely absurd: R2D2 did fly on occasion in the movies. And, folks, I've had so much fun with this thing that I just had to write about it. The 15th Anniversary ...

  • Estes Birdie By Matt Gillard

    ( Contributed - by Matt Gillard - 09/27/09) Brief: A simple clone of the birdie from years ago. It's a badminton shuttlecock with a motor mount tube. Construction: To build you will need: a shuttlecock a small section of BT-5 a 1/2 inch length of launch lug After reading a thread on TRF I decided to build a birdie. The whole process takes about five minutes. ...

  • Estes Black Brant II By Erik Turner

      Brief:   This model is a scale model of a Canadian Atmospheric Research Vehicle. It has a single Estes parachute.   Construction was fairly easy, except for one part. In making the motor mount, I made some mistake (can't remember) and had to rip the mount out. I would suggest being careful in making the mount especially when this model is the first friction fit kit you have ...

  • Estes Black Brant II By Casey Thomas Bartlett

    Brief: This is a good, clean, single staged rocket which uses an 18" plastic parachute for recovery. Construction: There is a single body tube, with three fins. The construction is very simple, and the design is very basic. The construction was fairly simple with an overall basic design. The Estes instructions were very thorough, and I was not confused at any point. The ...

  • Estes Black Diamond (RTF) By Joy Sills

    Brief: The Black Diamond is a single staged LPR that recovers on a streamer. It comes in the "Launchables" (1452) Starter set. The set also includes the Astron Outlaw. The Black Diamond is an easy build that would be great for beginners. Construction: The parts list: 1 Body Tube BT-20 1 Two Piece Nose Cone 1 1/8" Launch Lug 1 Shock Cord ...

  • Estes Black Diamond By John Thomas

    The Black Diamond is a renamed Estes Viking rocket that is packaged along with the "Launchables" (1452) Starter set. The set also includes an E2X (easy to build) rocket called the Astron Outlaw, so that beginners can learn the basics before building the Black Diamond. The Black Diamond offers multiple fin configurations by providing five fins cut with dies on cardstock. They can be ...

  • Estes BLU-97B Cluster Bomb By Max Handly

    This is Estes new 1:6.4 scale BLU-97B Cluster Bomb. The rocket is fat (2.25") and short (14"). It comes with 4 "cluster bombs" which are small, about 1.5 inches long that get ejected at deployment and streamer to the ground. The kit contains: one body tube two part nose cone (cut in half) two part tail cone (with through the tube slots!) die-cut balsa fins bomblets ...

  • Estes BLU-97B Cluster Bomb By Steve Kristal

    Brief: I was doing a rocket launch for Science Day at my kids' school. Since the field was small, I wanted something slow and low. Since the spectators were young, I wanted "something special" and I thought the "spits out nerdlets on streamers" factor would be a big plus. Since I wouldn't have time to reload between classes I knew I would have to build 6 rockets of each type I was launching (the ...

  • Estes BLU-97B Cluster Bomb By Carl Tulanko

    The Estes BLU-97B Cluster Bomb Model Rocket Kit is one of four new Estes "Military" kits recently released; a nice salute to our boys overseas. I purchased the kit on August 11, 2003, as soon as I saw the first ones in the store and had it built and flown by the following weekend. I have to say all four of the new Estes kits are pretty cool, but this cluster bomb with its short, stout look ...

  • Estes Blue Ninja By Herb Estus

    A E2X series Easy to build kit. The Kit contained: BT60 body tube 12" BT60 body tube 8" PNC-60AH nose cone 1/4" 36" shock cord Engine mount tube 18" plastic parachute engine block 4 plastic fins 2 piece plastic engine mount plastic rear engine mount centering ring Plastic tube coupler with a place to hook shock cord to Instructions where easy to ...

  • Estes Blue Ninja By G. A. Dean

    The Blue Ninja is a very basic four-fin rocket in the Estes E2X line, with one special feature, its a big rocket, using 24mm motors. Like all the E2X kits it builds quickly and easily without painting, using plastic parts except for the body tubes. The completed rocket sports a reflective blue finish and a big, powerful look that is a big hit with the younger rocketeers (and some of the older ...

  • Estes Blurzz Rocket Race Car By Douglas Gardei

    Brief: Rocket powered Race Car that runs along a 90ft race line. On my last trip to Wal-Mart looking for new Estes kits, I noticed an attractive box on the self for the new Estes Blurzz Rocket Powered Racer. The box had a hologram of the racer in action with a button under it, so I pushed it. The sound of race cars filled the toy section, and the announcer said: Quote: "Race at the ...

  • Estes Blurzz Rocket Race Car By Donald Besaw Jr

    A new product for 2003 from Estes is the new Blurzz Rocket Race Car. This is an actual rocket car powered by a special A10-PT (plugged) 13mm black powder rocket motor. It runs down a 90 foot long race line which appears to be a type of tubular nylon and uses a drag chute to stop safely. Each Blurzz Rocket Car comes as a complete setup (similar to a rocket starter set) which includes the ...

  • Estes Blurzz Rocket Race Car By Nick Esselman

    Although I don't remember my age, I do remember in my youth building a scratch rocket car. I purchased RC Airplane wheels and used existing rocket tubing. I had 1 wheel on the front and two wide-spread wheels on the back. I eventually launched it on an 18mm motor and the car proceeded to take off forward then commenced to flip, cartwheel, tumble and everything else except stay on the ground. ...

  • Estes Blurzz Rocket Race Funny Car By Matt Gillard

    Full Product Name: Blurzz Rocket Race Funny Car With Digital Speedometer I got the new funny car rocket racer solely because it had a speedometer attached. The car is modeled after funny race cars and comes as the car shell only–-you have to have the Blurzz rocket powered race set. I now own two, mainly to race against each other. This review is for the blue car. The car comes ...

  • Estes Blurzz Tuner Rocket Race Car By Matt Gillard

    Brief: I obtained two sets of the Estes rocket car tuner sets in a job lot from a rocketeer that was giving up the hobby. The tuner car comes in three different designs and offers something a bit different to the ‘point it at the sky’ rockets that I had been using. Construction: Kit consists of: 1 tuner car 1 base unit that splits into two halves and ...

  • Estes Blurzz Tuner Rocket Race Car By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The Estes Blurzz Rocket Tuner Racer is a rocket powered race car with hotrod styling. It uses an A10-PT (plugged) rocket motor, runs down a 90 foot race line and is stopped by a drag chute. Construction: The Blurzz Tuner Racer comes as a starter kit-like setup and includes the race car in one of three paint schemes. The track set includes the carrying handle/drag chute ...

  • Estes Bomarc By Andy Hobbs

      This is a clone of the Estes Bt-55 parachute recovery Bomarc. Finished in the Canadian paint scheme. The needed parts consist of: (1)18mm engine mount assembly (1) engine hook (1) bt-55x18" body tube (2) bt-50x6.5" nacelle tubes (2) nacelle tube pylons cut from 1/4" square balsa stock (2) Balsa nacelle cones(bnc-50BA) (2) 1/8x3/8 launch lugs (1) pnc55AO ...

  • Estes Broadsword By Mark Tom Stoachowiak

      Brief I picked up my Broadsword at a local hobby shop about 1 year ago for about $40.00 Canadian dollars. I already have a Big Bertha and I saw the the Broadsword and at that moment I wanted it right away thinking that it would fly like the Big Bertha, and it does. The Broadsword is basically a scaled-up Big Bertha designed to take Estes D's and E's. You also might remember the Super ...

  • Estes Bull Pup 12D By Doyle Tatum

    (by Doyle Tatum)  I purchased this model about 6 months ago and with the upcoming SoAR Birthday celebration launch (the first rocket to fly at a SoAR launch was a Bull Pup) and the discussion of converting to 24mm, on RMR, I decided to assemble the rocket. I assembled the rocket per the instructions with the following additions and exceptions: I cut a 24mm tube and then sanded the ...

  • Estes Bull Pup 12D By Jon Revelle

    Brief: This is a sport scale version of the Air Force's Bullpup Missile. A skill level 2 rocket but not that hard. It has been around for quite a bit now. Construction: The kit comes in either a box or a bag (nowadays it comes in a bag) and mine had all of the parts. You get: Nose Cone Body Tube Sheet of balsa Tail Cone Clay Nose Weight Centering Rings ...

  • Estes Bull Pup 12D By Matt Gillard and Chris Fisher

    Matt . The bull pup D12 is a sports scale rocket. I had one that I flew often and lost it on a roof. With the 2010 challenge asking for a duel review, I dusted off two kits from the build pile. Chris Fisher and I are both members of Midland Rocketry and meet up once a month. So he and I both built the kit. Chris . First up I must thank Matt for giving me the kit. Of course I know it's just ...

  • Estes Bull Pup 12D By John Yurcina

    Brief This is a very well designed sport scale version of the USAF Bull Pup 12D. You should be able to build this rocket if you have a couple other rockets under your belt. Construction The first thing I noticed was that this model was in a box. Some Estes kits are in flimsy plastic bags, which makes the parts prone to creases and such. I opened up the box, and all the parts were ...

  • Estes Bull Pup 12D By Frank Ross

    ( Contributed - by Frank Ross - 11/01/00) Brief: Upsized motor to 24mm. Modifications: The modification is fairly simple. I sanded down the plastic tail cone until the opening was the same as the inner diameter of a BT-50 motor mount tube. I used a BT-50 to BT-55 centering ring for the forward end of the motor mount and epoxied the aft end of the motor mount into the tail cone, being ...

  • Estes Bullpup 12D By Rich DeAngelis

    The Estes Bullpup 12D is a sport-scale model of a 30-some year old air-launched guided missile. The real thing came in several varieties that outwardly appear different; the 12D is just one of those types.  The real thing was guided by a "pilot" who remotely steered this missile onto the target. This particular model of the 12D is a relatively small "Alpha" sized rocket, just over a ...

  • Estes CATO By Donald Besaw Jr

    The Estes CATO is a model rocket designed to actually break apart in flight. It is an E2X series kit. It is also becoming quite rare. It flies on Estes B and C lower stage booster motors and uses three recovery modes parachute, streamer and tumble. I got my kit from an online auction. The kit arrived in a box rather than a plastic bag. All the components were accounted for and in good shape ...

  • Estes CC Express By Jason Vennard

    Brief: This is a new 2002 kit by Estes. It's a four finned, two stage rocket designed and named for the new 24mm Estes C motors. Flies on either the C or D motors with a maximum altitude of 1,700 feet. The kit consists of two body tubes, one for the sustainer section, and a shorter tube for the booster section. Both of these seem to be of better quality, and are stiffer than the other 40 or ...

  • Estes Cediming Raider By Geoffrey Kerbel

    (by Geoffrey Kerbel - 07/02/06) Brief: "After numerous suspicious reports from the outer Alpha quadrant, we can now positively state that the Cediming have been using a new style Raider in their attacks at the Outer Rim Space Yard. There have been additional reports of attacks coming from the Outer Rim trading posts as well. Although actual sightings of the new craft have been ...

  • Estes Challenger II (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Estes Challenger II is another in the line of rockets that uses the fin can that originated with the Enerjet 1340 and is currently available molded in yellow as part of the Estes Eliminator.  The Challenger II is a fairly versatile rocket that can be built to fly on motors from 18mm to 29mm depending on the size of your field.  My field is B6-4 Field, and since they ...

  • Estes Challenger-1 By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Challenger 1 was an Estes almost ready to fly kits that first appeared in the 1977 catalog. The kit was a fairly generic looking rocket with a plastic nose cone and fin can. The fin can would become one of the more durable in Estes history, popping up on starter kits and stand alone kits several times over the years. According to Barclone's Craig McGraw, some, if not ...

  • Estes Chrome Dome By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is an Estes E2X model rocket that is currently in production and available at retail stores. Construction: This one is the red version with the gold plate fin can, nose cone and decals. This appears to be a revision of the original kit previously reviewed on EMRR as it came with a 2 piece fin can, and with the launch lug already attached to the body tube and shock ...

  • Estes Chrome Dome By Chan Stevens

      Eye-catching metallic finish and glitter body tubes make these very attractive rockets, and good values as well. Modifications: Beefed up shock cord. These are your basic E2X series, though they're getting much easier to build. The fin cans are single piece, and even the launch lug is pre-molded to fit right into the tube. What really impressed me about these components, though, ...

  • Estes Code Red (RTF) By Shawn Bradley

    A ready to fly kit with a basic rocket that looks cool! A great rocket for beginners. The kit is a starter set and comes with a Code Red rocket (already assembled except for the parachute) and a launcher & ignitor controller. Pros: No construction, except for attaching the parachute! Cons: nose fits on loosely, had to use tape to make tighter. Construction Rating: 5 out of 5 ...

  • Estes Code Red (RTF) By Jon Revelle

    Brief: Let me start by saying, DON'T TRUST THIS ROCKET!! But a good starter, don't use a C6-5 though. Construction: The rocket has one tube, no payload. 4 plastic molded one piece fins alredy attached, this is a basic ESTES starter. The design is similar to the ESTES TIDAL WAVE STARTER SET. Works good on B6-4. This is an extremly quick build because CODE RED only needs the ...

  • Estes Code Red By Graham Richard

    An RTF kit that, with its red BT and silver fins/nose cone, is, IMO, one of the nicest looking rockets out of the box that you can buy. Components This kit has a plastic all-in-one fin can that can take a free fall a lot better than balsa fins tend to. /h2 Construction is very easy.  Simply tie the parachute and nose cone, to the pre-attached rubber cord.  ...

  • Estes Code Red By Michael Branin

    This is a well constructed ready to fly rocket that looks good in the air! 1 - Body Tube 4 - Fins 12in. Parachute Plastic Nose Cone Pro's - Extremely Durable Overall. This rocket came ready to fly. It has a very durable fin assembly. Reflective Body Tube is easy to spot in flight. Quick Descent Con's - Nose cone sits too freely in the body tube. Construction Rating: 5 ...

  • Estes Code Red By Mike Salter

    A ready to fly rocket single stage rocket which can take a real beating if it has to. Code Red has a cardboard airframe with molded motor mount which uses a locking ring to secure the motor. Also molded onto the motor mount are four plastic fins. This was a ready to fly rocket so no construction was required except attaching the parachute which was pretty simple. Many have said the nose ...

  • Estes Comanche-3 By Greg Dunham

    Brief: Three stage kit with streamer recovery. Construction Being an altitude junkie this kit caught my eye as soon as I saw it. This kit was typical Estes, that is to say it had all of its parts and well thought out instructions. Quality of the parts was good and they all fit well. I got right to construction and other than wishing I had purchased the fin alignment jig the kit was ...

  • Estes Comanche-3 By Doyle Tatum

    (by Doyle Tatum)  I built this model per instructions with the following exceptions and comments: Steps 1-3 Tied a piece of Kevlar ® to the motor tube and cut it long enough to reach the top of the body tube (placed a swivel on the end) Steps 4-7 no changes Steps 8-11 Used Estes fin alignment tool (EST 2227). When I build another I will use a CA glue to attach the fins and then ...

  • Estes Constellation By Bill Eichelberger

    The Constellation was a common kit on the pegs at Kay-Bee Hobby and JC Penney Toyland, a cool payloader that I almost bought on several occasions, including my first ever rocketry purchase in the summer of 1977.  I bought a Beta that night, mostly because there were four flights per pack of mini engines versus three per pack of regular engines, but I think the Constellation probably ...

  • Estes Converter By Steve Lindeman

    The Converter rocket is a collection of four screw together tubes that assemble at the field into a rocket 24" to 40" long. Change the rocket after each launch and record the difference. Components The kit came in a four sided box and plastic bag with the following items:   ♦ 1- Set of Instructions  ♦ 1- Nose Cone PNC-56  ♦ ...

  • Estes Corkscrew By Spinal

    (Used, with permission, from Spinal's Fun & Hobbies Page---http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/3913)  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Company: Estes  Price: $11.89  Series: BETA  Rating: (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  Engines: A8-3, B4-4, B6-2, B6-4, B8-5, C6-3, C6-5  Nosecone: Plasic  Engine Mount: Quick Release ...

  • Estes Cosmic Cobra By Greg Deeter

    Editor's Note: This review does not consider the helicopter portion of the rocket. This is one of the new ones from Estes. This kit seemed to to yelling "STREAMER" to me. The plastic forward swept fins are strong, and just seem perfect for streamer recovery. So, I took the helicopter parts and put them away for a later day. This reduced the weight, so now my Cosmic Cobra is only 2.4 oz ...

  • Estes Cosmic Cobra By David Sindel

    Brief: The Cosmic Cobra is a low power rocket that recovers in 2 pieces: the nose cone returns on helicopter-like blades and the body tube recovers by parachute. Construction: The kit contains: 1 12" yellow body tube 2 piece fin can nose cone with 3 helicopter blades 12" chute This kit was easy to build and took less than one hour to complete. ...

  • Estes Cosmic Cobra By Jared Elliott

    Brief: This is an E2X kit single stage with parachute for the body and helicopter recovery for the nosecone. Construction: The kit consists of a pre-molded fin/MMT unit, 12" plastic parachute, single BT-60 tube, and plastic nose cone. This is an easy kit to assemble. Instructions are straightforward and easy to follow. Assembly can take between 30 minutes or so, depending on ...

  • Estes Cosmic Cobra By Bill Eichelberger

    The Cosmic Cobra is a combination parachute/helicopter recovery rocket. The nose cone ejects and returns via a rubber band actuated, 3 blade rotor system while the rest of the rocket returns by the more conventional parachute method. While the Cosmic Cobra model itself is new, the idea isn’t, having been done previously by the Estes Heliocopter and HeliCat.   In true E2X ...

  • Estes Cosmic Cobra By Ed Rodrigo

  • Estes Cosmic Cobra By Wendy Hartmann

    Launched five times successfully after packing modification. Components Parachute would not deploy if I packed it how the directions indicated.  Instead of folding the parachute down to the bottom I folded it in half two more times to makea narrow triangle shape.  Then I tucked this long version in the blades attached to the nose cone.  The end of the parachute ...

  • Estes Cosmic Explorer By Jonathan Burton

    A very nice, sturdy, solid, and pretty looking rocket. This kit is based off of the Centuri Centurion. Its skill level is 1, but it was a challenging build for me regardless. It was the first one that I had to sand, cut, and do specific detailing like fillets and proper fin alignment. This kit was made for performance since the components featured in it are a lot more sturdy and solid than ...

  • Estes Cosmic Interceptor By Mike Caplinger

    The Estes Interceptor, designed by Wayne Kellner and originally introduced in 1971, was perhaps the most iconic model rocket of its era.  The kit was produced for 9 years and is fondly remembered by a generation of BARs (I had one but if I recall correctly never had the courage to fly it, it was just too pretty!)  In 2008, after a dry spell of 28 years, Estes re-released both the ...

  • Estes Cosmik Debris (Plan) By Bill Eichelberger

    ( Contributed - by Bill Eichelberger - 03/29/07) Brief: While never officially offered as an Estes product or even produced as a plan sheet, the Cosmik Debris is still by some stretch of the imagination an Estes rocket, albeit one with something of a Centuri flair. No actual plans exist for the rocket, but it's very possible that most BAR's have paged past it while on a visit over ...

  • Estes Cosmos Mariner By Bruce Canino

    Brief: The Estes Cosmos Mariner is a 1:67 scale version of the Lone Star Space Access team rocket plane for the X-Prize. It is a single stage D12-3 power glider with pop-pod on 18" parachute recovery. Construction: 1 main body tube with 24mm pop-pod insert. The pop-pod have centering rings that fit the body tube and 4 heavy washers for nose weight on boost. Flat wing glider ...

  • Estes Cosmos Mariner By Chan Stevens

    This X-Prize scale rocket showed good potential and an intriguing stealthy boost glider design, but save your money though, as it's a real clunker for flight. Parts list includes: BT-55 fuselage tube BT-50 motor tube/pod tube Laser cut fins Molded plastic upper and lower halves Plastic display nozzles/nozzle base 18" plastic chute Assorted centering rings and ...

  • Estes Crossbow SST By Stephen Morrow

    Brief: This is a very small, futuristic looking rocket. Overall the kit is pretty good, it is just tiny. Construction: The kit comes with two body tubes, one of which is the motor mount, a tube coupler, engine block, engine hook, balsa fins and nose cone, water slide decals, rubber shock cord, and an eye hook for the nose cone. When I first bought this model it was in a ...

  • Estes Crossbow SST By John Bergsmith

    Brief: Estes labels the Crossbow has a basic builder series, simple to glue and paint, Intergalactic Cruiser, and flies up to 1600 feet. Overall it's a neat looking rocket when completed. Construction: The nose cone included is balsa which is a welcome change over the plastic cone. The body tubes are excellent quality, and the fins are laser cut. My laser cut sheet was very ...

  • Estes Cruise Missile (RTF) By Bubba Sligar

    Brief: This rocket, like its older Estes and Centuri brothers, is based on the AGM-86 A.L.C.M. Cruise Missile. Although it isn't 18mm, it sure get's up there! (Estes should have made it 18mm, trade-off in a RTF world.) Construction: This is a Ready-to-Fly model. The only thing that I would CON about it is that the shock cord wasn't long enough, and that the 13mm motor wasn't ...

  • Estes Cruise Missile (RTF) By Eric Truax

    Single stage, all plastic rocket with the screw on plastic back to hold the motor in. The rocket is all plastic, with the standard elastic shock cord. 3 molded fins. Construction is really straight forward. The only bug in the ointment I had is that my kit came as a 2 set with a Maverick Missile. I bought the kit at Wal-Mart and the whole thing was under 8 dollars. It's made of a plastic ...

  • Estes Cruise Missile By Chan Stevens

    I'm almost ashamed to admit having an RTF in my fleet, but this rocket actually looks pretty cool and flies much better than any other RTF I've seen lately. With a half-off coupon and already owning everything else in the store, I just couldn't walk away empty handed and picked this up for about $6. The rocket is all plastic, with "menacing" decals already applied and a 12" chute. ...

  • Estes Curvilinear By John A

    Estes Curvilinear is a basic kit with one challenge.  Getting the fins in place without breaking them is difficult at best as they are extremely fragile until the ring is glued in place.  The remainder of the kit is straight forward.    /h2 As mentioned, the fins are the only real issue during the build. After breaking the first fin during installation I ...

  • Estes D-Region Tomahawk (2037) By John R. Brandon III

    Nice single-staged one-fifth scale model of the Thiokol D-Region Tomahawk sounding rocket. KIt was made up of two long body tubes, a plastic nose cone with nice detailing, a plastic fin can, four plastic fins, a long stuffer motor mount tube, two plastic 5mm launch lugs, a twist-lock motor retainer, a plastic detail piece representing the prototype launch lug, a long rubber-band shock cord, a ...

  • Estes D.A.R.T. By Bill Eichelberger

    Sometimes a kit arrives in the mail and you immediately question the state of mind you were in when you bought it.  The Estes D.A.R.T. was that kit for me.  Picked up in an Ebay deal, I swear I have no idea what would have possessed me to even think of buying such an odd looking rocket.  The D.A.R.T. is a pretty standard 3fnc rocket hindered by a paint scheme that makes ...

  • Estes Dagger By Andy Hobbs

    The Dagger is an E2X skill level 1 kit from Estes and, a "cousin" to the Rampage and Bandit kits. It's a single stage payload rocket with parachute recovery. Modifications: Recovery system, as described below. The components consisted of: 1) bt-1090(1.09")x11" body tube 1) bt-1090(1.09")x6" payload tube 1) nc-1090 nose cone 1) plastic tube coupler 1) plastic shock cord ...

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  • Estes Deluxe Super Shot - Screw Machine By Greg Deeter

    This is a new Estes rocket that comess as a whole kit including launch pad, controller and (2) engines. I found it at Wal-Mart for $20 and could not pass up such a good price. This comes with: a very detailed instruction sheet with pictures. The instructions call it a "Deluxe Super Shot / Screw Machine". Plastic nose cone (4) body tubes screw couplers plastic engine mount ...

  • Estes Deluxe Super Shot - Screw Machine By Lewis K

    6 piece rocket that can be customized in length and fin shape. As a newcomer to model rocketry I have broken and lost many rockets and equipment. One RTF that caught my eye was the Super Shot Deluxe Screw Machine by Estes. I needed a new launch pad so I decided to purchase it. $19 at the local Wal-mart was quite a steal as the retail is around $40. The rocket is a little short of 4 feet tall ...

  • Estes Der Red Max (KC-2) By David O'Nan

    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. Instructions (downloaded from JimZ) were typical Estes in quality ...

  • Estes Der Red Max By Todd Mullin

    Brief: Undt zo! Dis es das refew of der Estes Der Red Max rockutt kit! Undt now, you vill read itt und you vill find it ver-r-ry interesting! Yahvohl! Dat ist as order! Another classic kit recently re-released by Estes with some modernization. The Red Max retains its zany fun graphics and original flight characteristics while getting improvements like laser cut fins and a skull ...

  • Estes Der Red Max By Douglas Gardei

    Brief: Re-release of a classic Estes rocket! Includes a cool pre-assembled pirate skull 18" parachute! My first memory of the Der Red Max was a little over twenty years ago. I was between the age of 6 and 8, and my grandfather had given me $20 for my birthday. My parents took me to a mall and I was in Kay-Bee Toy and Hobbies. I was trying to find something to spend my money ...

  • Estes Der Red Max By Matthew D.

  • Estes Der V3 By Frank Casey

    Brief: This is an OOP Estes Kit made from 1987-1989. I purchased it on eBay for 25 dollars. This is a four fin rocket that spoofs the V-2 with comical decals and witty descriptions like Der Fin Wiggler, Der Ender Vots Upper, and Der Lugsfer Launchen. Construction: The parts list is short including a nose cone, body tube, stuffer tube, retainer tube, spacer tube, launch ...

  • Estes Design of the Month Space Freighter (Plan) By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    This is a nifty "Rearward Ejection Payloader" design by Scott Amundson. It won an Estes Design of the Month Contest in 1968, published as Estes Industries Rocket Plan Number 54 in Model Rocketry News . Required parts include: 1 Plastic Payload Tube, 1" dia. (BT-50), 4" long 1 Nose Cone, PNC-50, 4" long (Quest) 1 Balsa Nose Block, fits in BT-50, 1" long 1 Body Tube, BT-50, ...

  • Estes Dragonite By John Lee

    Brief: The Dragonite is a simple, EX2 rocket with an equally simple 3FNC design. It requires only the simplest of assembly and recovers under a 12" chute. I bought this kit for my step-son hoping to get him interested in rocketry. He was 15 at the time and chose this one because he liked the color scheme. The rocket is long gone now and I am doing this review from memory ...

  • Estes Dragonite By Dillon Frazier

    Basic equipment. Doesn't include launch pad, ignitor, or engines. Does include decals, 12-inch parachute, and three fins. Easy and fun to make (takes about 20 minutes). Components The fins and nose cone are plastic. Fins easily snap on. Body tube is re-inforced cardboard. Shock cord is rubber. 16 inches tall, 1.33 diameter, 1.8 ounces. /h2 Very easy to install. ...

  • Estes E-Pod By Larry Brand

    ( Contributed - by Larry Brand - 10/16/08) Brief: This is a 100% kitbash of the Estes stormcaster, so I'm calling it a "scratch" build. I cut up the parts of the C-D powered stormcaster to create an E-powered tubefin (it also flies on C-D motors). "E-Pod" is a continuation (downward) of the H-Pod/I-Pod/J-Pod/K-Pod series of "extreme stubby" tubefin ...

  • Estes EAC Viper By John Lee

    Brief: OOP, 13mm, parachute recovery, Skill Level 1 4FNC. A while back, I found an advertisement for an Estes Aerospace Club Viper kit on eBay. Not knowing anything about it except that I did not have one, I put in a token bid. Nobody else did so I got it. It arrived and seemed to be intact. In looking over the instructions, I learned that originally the purchaser would be ...

  • Estes Eagle Boost Glider By Joe Policy

    The Estes Eagle Rocket Boosted Glider is an easy to build E2X level rocket that is fun to build and even more fun to fly. The kit includes: BT-20 Engine Tube with Eagle decal already applied Engine block Engine hook 12" boom Red plastic nose cone with insert 2 pieces clay weight 1 large and 1 small steel ball for glider cone weight Rubber shock cord 30" ...

  • Estes Echo (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Echo was one of those rockets that Estes seemed to produce as catalog filler in the mid-80's.  Unless you were looking for a very specific color or style of 3fnc bird, there was a good chance you'd look this one over, but it was more than it appeared.  As a minimum diameter rocket for 18mm engines, the Echo would very likely scream to great heights with the rounded, ...

  • Estes Echostar Modification (Modification) By Neil Thompson

    I made the Echostar into a fun sport rocket by doing the following: Removed the lower stage Removed the body tube adaptor Made it a little longer Removed the fins on the upper part of the sustainer Modifications: I scrapped those fins that are on the very top, took out the adaptor and second stage, added an extra length of tube, and found a new way to attach the shock cord: I ...

  • Estes Echostar By Anthony Brohan

      Brief: Nice staged rocket, low power, parachute is too big, but a GOOD design. There were four body tubes and a payload section that was WAY to small. There were three sets of four fins (hard for a little kid). The instructions were easy (why is it Skill Level 3?). Illustrations I don't know about. I did not really follow the assembly order but it still flew okay. The multiple ...

  • Estes Echostar By Dan Doleiden

    A two staged low power payloader with through-the-wall fin alignment and 3 sets of fins (booster, sustainer, canard fins). There was one main slotted body tube, one small tube that goes on top of the plastic transition, and one booster tube. there were two sheets of die cut balsa fins, nosecone, decals, shock cord, parachute, centering rings, and motor mount. The instructions were ...

  • Estes Echostar By Wade DePalma

    This is a medium sized rocket from Estes which I bought because I thought it looked really cool. It is my first multi-staged rocket and I'm happy that it had a payload section to go alone with that. The Echostar uses an 18mm motor mount and an 18in parachute. The rocket uses typical Estes components although there is no motor hook. Its main body tube and booster tube are BT-55s. Its upper ...

  • Estes Echostar By Sean Guzek

    Brief: A complicated Estes 2-stage payload rocket. Construction: The booster consists of: 1 3.25" BT-55 body tube 1 Tube connector for BT-55 2 BT-55 to BT-20 centering rings 1 3.25" 18mm motor mount tube 1 1/8" Thick sheets balsa with die cut fins The sustainer consists of: 2 1/8" Thick sheets balsa with die cut fins 1 Estes ...

  • Estes Eggscaliber By Ed Rodrigo

    Estes latest egg lofting rocket - Eggscaliber 002123 Dual parachute recovery 12 and 18 inch chutes Capable of using a wide range of engines B4-2 , B6-2 , C6-3 , C11-3, D12-3 Skill level 2 Components 20-inch rocket with a 34 mm BT-55 body, great looking transparent egg capsule, and two pre-assembled 12 and 18 inch 'chutes.  Main body tube ...

  • Estes Eggscaliber By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: Estes' latest egglofter...single-stage single-motor with an ENORMOUS range of power options and a classy clear egg capsule. Construction: The kit consists of the egg capsule, a very heavy 24mm body tube, an 18mm adapter, a pair of long motor-retainer clips (suitable for Estes' blackpowder "E" motors), a heavy ring to reduce the motor mount length inside ...

  • Estes Eggscaliber By Jesse

    Brief: This is Estes new egg launcher with dual parachute recovery. The main body is the 24mm motor mount with a 18mm adapter. It is said to fly on every thing from a B4-2 to a E9-4. It comes with two parachutes a 12 and a 18 inch standard ready to use plastic chutes. Construction: The kit comes with one body tube and a heavy duty egg nose cone with rubber egg cushion, 2 E ...

  • Estes Eliminator XL Launch Set By Chris Flanigan

    Large D / E size kit that flies very well Components Plastic fins Three section tubes that screw together Plastic nose cone /h2 Builds quick. Almost ready to fly. Finishing Stickers are already installed. Construction Score: 4 Flight Flew straight. Came down too slow with the stock parachute so we switched to a nylon 12" ...

  • Estes Eliminator XL By Moe Bertrand

  • Estes Eliminator By Donald Besaw Jr

    New "E" motor high altitude sport rocket. Single staged, parachute recovery. I do believe that this is the old Maniac rocket with new colors, a new name, and a new motor mount to accommodate the E9 motor. The kit included the motor mount tube, block, adapter for D motors, centering rings, hook, two purple BT-56 body tubes, coupler, launch lug, standoff, yellow fin can, shock ...

  • Estes Enduring Freedom Patriot M104 By Joseph Michel

    Estes Enduring Freedom M-104 Patriot Missile. Modified recovery system and motor mount. Modifications: I modified the stock kit to accept a 24MM motor tube. This was accomplished using a rotary tool and 50-grit sanding drum to open up the stock centering ring to accept the 24MM tube. Once the centering rings were fitted to the motor tube, I also modified the motor hook. I never much cared for ...

  • Estes Enduring Freedom Patriot M104 By Jon Revelle

    A beautiful remake of the M-104 Patriot missile from Estes. This pup was re-released because of our recent victory over seas. This kit is un-assembled and comes with: 2 white body tubes 1 short yellow tube 1 nose cone 4 balsa fins 1 motor mount tube 1 mylar ring 2 engine tube holder rings 1 shockcord, parachute and shockcord mount 2 decal sheets PROS: ...

  • Estes Enduring Freedom Patriot M104 By Carl Tulanko

    Brief:  The Estes MK-104 Patriot Missile rocket kit is one of four new Estes "Military" kits and a very popular kit at the flying field. I purchased the Patriot along with the other three kits and the version I built was the "Launchable" kit in the hard-shell pack from Meijers. It is a very colorful model, appears pretty sturdy, and flies on 18mm motors. Included with the kit is an ...

  • Estes Enduring Freedom Patriot M104 By Dave Stout

    This is a single-staged, standoff-scale model of a Patriot test round. Other reviewers have done excellent breakdowns on the kit contents, so I will not repeat them here. However, one change is that my Patriot came with the new, cheap rubber band shock cord. This was immediately canned! The Patriot is a decent model in stock form. The majority of the components are good quality stuff and ...

  • Estes EROC-001-SR | Mystery Unit 2011 By Ed Rodrigo

  • Estes Excelsior Stellar Transport By Glenn Roth

    ( Contributed - by Glenn Roth - 01/27/09) Brief: I combined components of two rockets for my creation I call: Excelsior Stellar Transport. What's unique about Excelsior is made from a Quest Quasar and Estes Cosmic Cobra. It has a "flow thru" body with motor and parachute in the outer pod. After much configuration, finally got it to fly to about 100ft, then it went ...

  • Estes Executioner By Hank Helmen

    This is a single stage "E" engine, three fin rocket built for parachute recovery. The Executioner kit includes one 65mm body tube made of wrapped cardboard. There are three pre-cut plywood fins. A 24mm engine mount and centering rings are included, as well as an E engine spring clip motor retainer. The shock cord supplied is 1/4" rubber band material. The nose cone hollow molded plastic. A ...

  • Estes Executioner By Frank Casey

    This is a large 24mm through the wall fin rocket put out by Estes. It utilizes the standard elastic shock cord and plastic parachute system that Estes is well known for, which in this case isn't the best option for this particular rocket. More on that later. The components are of good quality. The instructions are well written and in logical order. I found the construction of this ...

  • Estes Executioner By Donald Besaw Jr

    New "E" motor rocket from Estes. This is a big rocket at 3 feet tall and 2.6 inches in diameter. It has a single 24mm motor mount and uses a 24 inch parachute for recovery. Flights to 600 feet are possible. The kit came in one of Estes' infamous plastic bags. The kit included the body tubes, motor mount tube, coupler, centering rings, spacer for D motors, launch lugs, retention hook, plywood ...

  • Estes Exoskell By Tony Fragge

    Brief: This weird sci-fi model rocket launches into the air and at ejection returns to earth in two parts. The sustainer returns using a 12" parachute while the pod carrying a little alien extends it legs and descends on an 18" parachute. The kids at the launch love to watch it. Within the colorful box the parts were undamaged.  Parts included:  1 large green body tube ...

  • Estes Explorer Aquarius By Les Bradshaw

    This is an OOP "Sci Fi" rocket that can still sometimes be found. It consists of a main body tube surrounded by 18 "storage pods". It has an unusual plastic nose cone. Estes defines it as "Galaxy Class craft used in exploration of distant star systems". Estes indicated that it is skill level 4. The rocket consists of a main body tube with three sets of 6 tubes attached around the main tube to ...

  • Estes Explorer Aquarius By John Lee

    Brief: Futuristic, Sci Fi, Transport, Parachute Recovery, 24mm motor mount. The Explorer Aquarius is to my mind one of the nicest looking rockets to have come from Estes. Something about the design says to me, "this could really happen". I scored mine from eBay and was too intimidated to start it for a long time. Now the time has come and I opened it up. It looks to be ...

  • Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter By Kevin Johnson

    Foam glider w/booster. Kit includes: 1 NC55 2 BT-55 tubes 4 1/16 balsa fins 18mm motor mount 18 inch parachute Foam glider kit Self adhesive decals Bought a couple of these kits a while ago from Discount Rocketry. Booster construction is pretty standard. The fins have tabs to impart a roll for stability on boost. The glider is all foam and has 5 parts: w ...

  • Estes Fat Boy (2-Stage) By Stan McKiernan

    ( Contributed - by Stan McKiernan - 04/24/08) Brief: I added a booster with gap staging for my stock Fat Boy. Modifications: The Fat Boy was built stock. For the Booster, the engine mount was assembled in the usual manner. The aft centering ring is flush with the tube end. 1/4" vent holes were punched in both centering rings. The coupler extends into the susta ...

  • Estes Fat Boy to Upscale Star Snoop By Bill Eichelberger

    ( Contributed - by Bill Eichelberger) Brief: The Gooneybird series was a collection of six cartoonish rockets produced by Estes back in the mid-70's, presumably after someone spiked the water cooler. Judging by the instructions, the series was aimed at either fairly young rocketeers, or those suffering from acid flashbacks. While looking through JimZ's plan archive I noticed an unnatural ...

  • Estes Fat Boy By Nick Esselman

    Then there's THE Fat Boy . Maybe not the original, but Estes is the one that trademarked the name. This is the third 2.6" sport kit that I have reviewed for comparison sake. The Fat Boy is the shortest of the kits reviewed, being only 12.9" tall and weighing 3 ounces. See my 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page The kit comes with an 8" single body tube and 3.875" plastic nose cone (the ...

  • Estes Fat Boy By Eric Miller

    I received a Estes Fat Boy as a Christmas gift from my wife Lisa. The Fat Boy is an Estes Beta (Beginner) series rocket. This kit was packaged in plastic with a cardboard picture of the rocket. It probably cost around $15.00. All the parts were included and none were damaged. I think Estes has some of the best instructions on the market (I like pictures). The kit contains a plastic nose cone, ...

  • Estes Fat Boy By Jon Revelle

    Brief: This is a fun little stubby rocket that used to be manufactured by Estes. 2005 was its last year of production. Construction: The Fat Boy is a fairly simple to build rocket that comes in a bag with: BT-80 Body Tube PNC80 (Round type) Nose Cone Sheet of Balsa Wood with pre-cut fins 18mm Size Motor Mount materials Decals Shock Cord (short, as usual) ...

  • Estes Fat-Ass-Tron Sprint (Modification) By Kevin Johnson

    My own version of the DESCON 5 2nd place winner . Standard Fat Boy kit contents with a 2 inch paper boat-tail and a long BT-50 motor tube to handle the Estes E9 motors. Made 3 Sprint-like elliptical fins with TTW tabs to take advantage of the Fat Boy's fin slots. I wanted to fly the F-A-T Sprint at my local field so I modified the design as posted to use a 24mm motor mount. The schematics ...

  • Estes Fire Streak By Spinal

    (Reprinted, with permission from Spinal's Fun & Hobbies Page---http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/3913)  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Company: Estes  Price: $11.89  Series: BETA  Rating: (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  Engines: 1/2A6-2, A8-3, A8-5, B4-4, B4-6, B6-4, B6-6, B8-5, C5-3, C6-3, C6-5  Nosecone: Plastic  ...

  • Estes Firebird By Ken Tsai

    - by Mike Goss The Estes Firebird is your basic four-fins-and-a-nose-cone sport rocket. It stands almost two feet tall and uses a BT-55 (about 1.3") diameter body tube. Construction Rating: 5 out of 5(Simple and straightforward) The Firebird came in the usual plastic bag with the colorful graphics on the front. (Note to Estes: Why do you print on the back of the bag ...

  • Estes Firebird By Ken Tsai

    Brief: This is a father/son dual build. Up to this point, I've been helping him build his rockets. We started with me doing most of the building, and him as an extra pair of hands. Over the course of 3-4 builds, he's been doing more and more, and the roles are reversing where I'm becoming the extra hands. I found a couple of Firebirds for relatively cheap, and so we're building these in ...

  • Estes Fireflash By Patrick Byrnes

    Brief: This is an over three feet high E2X series rocket with a parachute recovery. Construction: This rocket came in a box that protected all pieces required in building this kit. This kit can be built in about 1 hour because there is no painting involved and the fins are plastic. The directions were very easy to follow and at no time was this kit hard to build. All of the ...

  • Estes Firehawk By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a new 2004 release from Estes. It is an E2X series rocket that can be built in an hour or less. It flies on mini motors up to 500 feet and uses a parachute for recovery. Construction: The kit came in a plastic bag with header card and consists of a minimal amount of components. The kit included:- 2 motor mount/fin sections 2 retension caps 1 ...

  • Estes Firehawk By Bill Eichelberger

    This is a stock Estes Firehawk (the BT-60 based version) with a 3x18mm cluster in place of the standard single 18mm engine. The Firehawk was an auction win from eBay and was initially purchased with an eye toward using the nose cone to clone a National Aerospace Plane. That all changed after I realized what a unique looking bird the Firehawk was and that it was BT-60 based and would lend ...

  • Estes Firestorm By Philip Wentz

    One of several ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) kits offered by Estes, the Firestorm is a great rocket for beginners as well as those looking for a quick-building craft to use at small fields. Its fins are reminiscent of a Nike sounding rocket, giving it a sturdy and utilitarian look. It can also be fitted with a booster (sold separately) to make it two-stage capable. Components The ...

  • Estes Firestreak SST By Karl Kalbaugh

    A very simple ARF rocket. Plastic snap together construction. This would make an excellent first rocket for younger rocketeers or for a low altitude demo. Inner body tube: Paper. External airframe is plastic. Fins: four pre-screen printed with art. Motor mount: intnerior small paper tube. Also houses the streamer and engine. Nose cone: also plastic. Snaps together like the rest ...

  • Estes Firestreak SST By Chris Tarpley

    This rocket from Estes is a "Simple Snap Together" kit that can be quickly assembled and flown. It is a single stage, streamer recovery rocket. There are few pieces to this rocket. There are two body tube halves, one motor tube, four fins, nose cone, shock cord, motor retainer and streamer. I purchased this rocket one Saturday morning to cure boredom. I was looking for a small, ...

  • Estes Firestreak SST By John A

    Estes Firestreak SST is part of Estes snap together line.  These are simple plastic body, plastic fin and nose cone rockets that are designed to go together in a matter of minutes and get you out on the field flying. Overall it is a pretty nice kit.  I can't leave anything alone so I went ahead and made some tweaks during assembly.  While this kit isn't perfect, it will get ...

  • Estes Flash By Peter Fetzer

    I got this rocket at Zany Brainy for $9.99. I thought it was a cool rocket and I was right. It has a sparkled payload section that makes it stand out. Everyone has one or two rockets that they consider reliable and the Flash and the Alpha 3 are mine. This rocket is an E2X kit and is easy to build. I built it in an hour and a half (I was extra careful because it was the second rocket I owned) ...

  • Estes Flash By Eric Miller

    My wife gave me the Estes Flash as a retirement gift from my second job.  The Flash is one of Estes E2X tm (Almost Ready to Fly tm) kits and has a prismatic payload section. This translates to fast assembly and no painting. I haven't informed my wife that I really don't like E2X kits. Tell a wife bearing a rocket as a gift you don't like it.....I don't think so. I do, however, I do, ...

  • Estes Flutter-By By Bill Eichelberger

    The Flutter-By is an Estes reproduction of a classic Centuri kit.  It's a two-piece rocket with break apart recovery, and seemed to be a perfect kit to take along for an afternoon of B6-4 Field flying.  I picked mine up during the Great Christmas Sale of 2013, almost as an afterthought.  (The price was give-away cheap.)  Although it was an afterthought, it was the first ...

  • Estes Flutter-By By Tom Markel

    Brief The Flutter-By is a stubby, futuristic rocket with an uncommon, two-piece tumble recovery method. Components Good quality balsa.  Easyto separate the parts, including the strakes. Nice large green adapter ring to slide the lower fin unit into the body. Typical engine hook. Construction Well-designed kit. Overall good instructions. A few modifications are ...

  • Estes Flying Jenny (Plan) By Ted Phipps

    The Flying Jenny is a bi-wing glider whose plans were published by Estes in their Model Rocket News. Thanks to Jim Z’s archive, you can get them here . I've built two Jenny's, the first was lost on the roof of a local school, while the second is still going strong after 14 flights. Construction Built mostly from balsa sheet, construction is simple and the design has proven to be ...

  • Estes Flying Jenny (Plan) By Mike Salter

    After seeing the earlier Flying Jenny review I decided I'd build a Flying Jenny. Originally it was just to use up some of the scrap materials I had lying around. Most of the construction is balsa but also is a short length of BT-20, launch lug, and nose cone. I had all of this lying in my scrap box. The plans were much more compact than the instructions we see from Estes now, yet ...

  • Estes Flying Stovepipe (Plan) By Yitah Wu

    A really neat idea, found at JimZ's plans.  I hope to have pix soon.  The concept is to have a boost-glider where the glider portion is like one of those ZZZylo (SP?) flying cylinders.  The glider is made of a length of BT101 with extra material on one end.  The booster section is like the old Scout, while the massive glider makes the whole thing look like a Streak on ...

  • Estes Free Fall Starter Set (Other Product) By Michael St Laurent

    This big colorful rocket ejects a skydiver with parachute at apogee! A separate parachute recovers the rocket booster while the nose cone tumbles to earth by streamer. A somewhat good starter set by Estes. Comes with a controller, launch pad, rocket, and C6-5 engines. The rocket had a payload section that was pathetic. It came with a army man on a parachute to put inside. The shock cord was ...

  • Estes Galactic Taxi By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Brief: This is an Estes exotic rocket from 1983 with a 12" parachute recovery. Construction: Materials are: BT-50 body tube Plastic Alpha style nose cone 12" Parachute BT-20 x 3 for motor mount engine hook (3) toothpicks (2) sheets cardstock for printed templates Launch lug 24" 1/8 shock cord (2) sheets balsa ...

  • Estes GBU-24 Paveway III By Carl Tulanko

    The Estes GBU-24 Paveway Model Rocket Kit is one of four new Estes "Military" kits recently released and is by far the most unique of the group. I purchased all four kits as soon as I saw them in the store and had it built and flown in no time. It's an 18mm kit with a fantastic look and great flight characteristics which made it a "must have" for my silo. You can purchase either the bagged or ...

  • Estes GBU-24 Paveway III By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 11/21/03) Brief: This is a semi-scale model of the GBU-24 Paveway III laser guided bomb. It flies on 18mm motors and recovers under a 12" chute. You can find more info on the actual bomb [here] . Construction: One BT-55, 10 7/8" long Plastic tail cone/adapter (separated during construction) Two BT-20 tubes, 5" long ...

  • Estes Gemini DC By Tai Fu

    Dual rear deployment parachute. The construction is good, because it has TTW fins, which means it is stronger than the other ones, also you don't have to worry about the fin alignment because the slot has done that for you. You just need to make sure that air can flow freely to the 2 parachute pods otherwise this rocket will lawn dart!!! You can always forget about the parachute pod and ...

  • Estes Gemini DC By Alex Rothchild

    Brief: The Estes Gemini DC is dual parachute, lawn dart ready single stage rocket with two side pods housing the chutes. It uses a 1/8 inch launch lug and has a single 18mm motor mount. The Gemini DC has four swept back balsa fins. Construction: The components used in this rocket are top quality. The parts list is: 1 BT-50 main body tube, slotted with vent holes 1 ...

  • Estes Gemini DC By George Pluck

  • Estes Gemini DC By George Pluck

    The Estes Gemini DC features twin 'chute deployment from the rear of two attached side pods.  Though much maligned, it's a very cool kit Components Three tubes, one main and two for the side pods Balsa fins mount through the main tube Plastic nose cones My kit came with an extra engine clip as well as the usual Estes components. ...

  • Estes Gemini DC By Mike Goss

    I had often looked at this kit and wondered how those twin parachutes would work. I found out one day when a friend launched his and had only one chute deployed. The recovery was a little hard on the rocket and broke one of the pods off the side of the rocket. Reading the other reviews, I have learned that this is the rule and not the exception for this rocket. I determined that my rocket would ...

  • Estes Generic E2X By Bill Eichelberger

    Once available only in a bulk pack, the Estes Generic E2X has recently been released as a stand-alone kit.  I don't have much interest in E2X kits, but on occasion I build one to have an idea how tough it might be for a group build.  Recently I was in Hobby Lobby, in the mood to build something and armed with my trusty 40% off coupon.  I saw nothing that would even ...

  • Estes Generic E2X By Jon Revelle

    Very simple, easy rocket available only through a bulk pack. I managed to get one unassembled from a friend. This one has a Pepsi theme to it. There are nine parts to this kit: 1 NC50 nose cone 1 BT-50 body tube 1 plastic fin can 1 12" parachute 1 shock cord 1 sheet of decals 1 green long engine ring 1 small engine block 1 engine hook (standard length) ...

  • Estes Geo Sat LV By John Lee

    Brief: This rocket is an 18mm single stage NASA-esque satellite booster that has a clear payload bay with satellite and parachute recovery, It is OOP. I found this kit on eBay and probably payed way too much for what I got, but I liked the looks of it. Estes rates it as a skill level 4 so that will make it, by reputation anyway, the most complicated rocket I have done yet. ...

  • Estes Giardian By Jeff Lane

    ( Contributed - by Jeff Lane - 07/03/05) Brief: This is a kit bash of two Estes Guardian kits into a clustered rocket with ducted ejection and a parasite glider. The name is a little joke: giardia are parasites. Modifications: PDF attached for the glider. I left mine naked. The front mount is a launch lug from the kits, the rear mount is a piece of 1/2" x 1" balsa ( ...

  • Estes Gnark By Duane Boldt

    ( Contributed - by Duane Boldt - 11/08/09) Brief: This is a Stage Bash that was used as an entry for the 2009 EMRR Challenge. This 2-Stage rocket was created from an Estes Gnome kit and Estes Quark kit. Construction: The following parts from the two kits were used: 1 Gnome plastic fin and launch lug set 1 plastic nose cone from Gnome 1 elastic shock cord from Gnome ...

  • Estes Gnome to Double Gnome By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Double-Gnome ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor)  Years ago I got the Gnome rocket (white).  Good little rocket . . . sturdy and easy to build. Very fast off the pad, too.  Then years past and I got my hands on the new E2X Gnome (silver).  Same rocket but I personally likes that cute Gnome decal from the original verison. I eventually got bored with them and they sat ...

  • Estes Gnome By Anthony Cooper

    (Reprinted with permission from from Spinal's Fun & Hobbies Page---http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/3913)  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Company: Estes  Price: $5.29  Series: E2X  Rating: (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  Engines: 1/2A3-2T, 1/2A3-4T, A3-4T, A10-3T  Nosecone: Plastic  Engine Mount: Quick Release Engine ...

  • Estes Gnome By

  • Estes Goblin (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: By the early '70s, the Estes catalog had expanded from its Astron roots to the point that it pretty well covered the whole range of the model rocketry spectrum. The available rockets ranged from unique scale birds such as the Pershing 1A and the Nike-Ajax, to now legendary futuristic kits like the Orbital Transport, Interceptor and Mars Lander. Another segment that Estes began to ...

  • Estes Goblin By David Fergus

    Brief: OOP for many years, a single Stage, light streamer recovery, D engine mount, 4FNC rocket. This kit was provided as a free bonus by Estes if an order exceeded a certain amount. one BT-55 body tube, balsa nosecone, 4 balsa fins from BFS-40 fin stock (fins cut from a provided pattern, not pre-cut most of the way like they are now), D engine mount, crepe paper streamer and rubber shock ...

  • Estes Goliath/Spitfire Starter Set (Other Product) By Ted Phipps

    This starter set contains an Estes Port-a-pad, a Launch Controller, three engines, and two rocket kits; the Goliath and the Spitfire. Everything comes packaged in plastic bags inside a cardboard box you can use as a light-duty field-box.  The Port-a-pad must be assembled, a trivial job, and then stickers applied to it and the launch controller. You will need to buy 4 AA batteries for the ...

  • Estes GoonAries SST (Modification) By

  • Estes Goonball XL5 By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 06/15/09) Brief: This Goony version of the Fireball XL5 sci-fi model is based on the Estes SpaceShipOne kit. This kit, which I buy at Michael's crafts with 50% off coupons, is now my favorite kit to bash. Modifications: The modifications included replacing the stock fins, replacing the stock recovery system, and modifying the ...

  • Estes Goonybird Sky Shriek By Bill Eichelberger

      I shortened the body tube to the Goonybird standard 5" (BT-60R) and switched from 13mm power to 18mm power. Modifications: The main body tube from the Baby Bertha could be left as is for this project, if you're not a man who is serious about his Goonies. I chose to keep things proportional and shortened the body tube to the Goony-traditional 5", a feat I accomplished by wrapping a ...

  • Estes Goonybird Zoom Broom By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: Although the Goonybirds had disappeared from the scene by the time I got into the hobby, I still managed to have my life touched by these odd little rockets. I found a Goonybird Cloudhopper on the markdown table in a KayBee Toy and Hobby. Even I could afford it at the markdown price ($0.75 or so), and it was too odd for me not to take a chance on it. It was destroyed on its ...

  • Estes Graduator to Killer Keller By Brett Keller

    (by Brett Keller) Brief: The "Keller" , now the "Killer Keller" began as a LOC/Precision Graduator and has evolved into a completely different rocket. Construction: 3 2.6" body tubes 2 tube couplers bulkhead 38mm motor mount 2 centering rings 4 fiberglassed plywood fins 2 launch lugs LOC nose cone 24 or 36" parachute ...

  • Estes Great White By Brian Guzek

    ( Contributed - by Brian Guzek - 05/06/07) Brief: The old Estes standard: The Alpha. For many of us rocketeers, it was one of our very first rockets. It was my second, after a very old E2X kit. I command a small model rocketry club in my AFJROTC corps, and this is the rocket that I hand out to all of the newcomers. Frankly, after seeing fifteen or twenty basically identical Alphas, ...

  • Estes Greyhawk By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: "Futuristic fighter that operates in low orbit hunting satellites and other spacecraft." I describe it as one of the rockets my wife bought me in 1994 at a closing sale of an Arlington, Texas hobby shop. This one, the Super Vega and the F-22 Air Superiority Fighter were the three that most intrigued me. The F-22 ASF has never flown, and another rocket, the ...

  • Estes Guardian By Alex Laraway

    Brief: Multi-finned scale model. Parachute recovery, level 2 build, balsa fins, plastic nose cones, transitions. Construction: Parts List: BT 55 main body tube BTU 50 (ish) upper body tube Upper fins Large Lower fins Small lower fins Two centering rings Blue motor mount tube Engine hook Transition Nose cone Decals Engine Block ...

  • Estes Guardian By Lance Alligood

    This is an Estes 2003 Level 2 kit. It is very similar to the Estes Polaris but with different fin alignment. The kit uses Parachute recovery. The kit contains: A main body tube Upper body tube Adapter Launch lug Nose cone Motor mount Die cut fin sheets Shock cord Assembled 12 inch parachute and decals. PROS: Typical easy-to-follow Estes instructions ...

  • Estes Gyroc Clone (Clone) By Tom Eldredge

      A helicopter recovery rocket. My wife's favorite, because the prep time after a recovery is about 2 minutes -- put the engine, igniter, and igniter plug in, and the rocket is ready for another go! Components: Body tube: BT-20D (7") Nose cone: BNC-20B (balsa) (any blunt one will do) Fins: 2 large, 2 hinged, 4 rudders No motor mount, just an engine block No shock ...

  • Estes Helicat By Chris Flanigan

    The rocket is cool with the heli blades, but it is too heavy.   If you want it to go higher, you need to swap out the blades for a parachute (but some may think you are removing the personality of the rocket).   My son wanted higher so we took them out.   We put in a 12" parachute and it went 200 ft higher. Components Well made /h2 Finishing ...

  • Estes Helicat By Kevin Sullivan

    The Helicat is a big single stage rocket that uses a 18" parachute for the main rocket body. The main rocket body consists of two large yellow tubes permanently glued together at a black plastic joint piece and black plastic fins. The nose cone has helicopter fins and is recovered separately (which is great for the kids).  The kit was very easy to build, it looks great with its (2) ...

  • Estes Helio Copter By Dick Stafford

    This rocket in BT-55 based and flies on 18mm motors. The nose cone uses helicopter recovery and the body uses a plastic parachute. My model also dates back to the late '80s. Parts included: - BT-55 body tube - plastic nose cone - a plastic hub and three plastic blades - three rubber bands - three balsa fins - 18mm motor mount - launch lug - rubber-band shock cord - plastic parachute The ...

  • Estes Hi-Flier XL By David S. Kemp

    The Estes Hi-Flier XL is a an up-scaled version of the Estes Hi-Flier.   It's up-scale is about a factor of 2.6 coming in at 31 inches tall (compared to the 12 inch Hi-Flier)  It has a 24mm motor mount and Estes recommends C11s, D12s, and E12 motors.   Components Plastic Nose Cone Three Balsa Wood Fins 1/8' thick Two BT60 Body tubes BT60 tube ...

  • Estes Hi-Flier By Karl Kalbaugh

    Brief: Hi-Flyer is a skill level 1 LPR made by Estes. Its main selling point is its potential apogee at 1700 feet. Construction: Three balsa deltoid fins attach to a BT-20 and NC20 combination. Motor retention is achieved by an external engine clip. The clip retention ring is also external. The fins have a small slot cut into the root to accommodate this ring. A sized ...

  • Estes Hi-Flier By Lance Alligood

    Brief: Minimum diameter, featherweight rocket that can soar well out of sight (1600+ ft according to Estes). Streamer recovery. Very similar to Estes Sizzler & Estes Star Dart. Parts list: Body tube (which doubles as motor mount) Metal motor retention clip Spacer tube Mylar sleeve Paper thrust ring Die-cut balsa fins Launch lug Shock cord Nose cone with ...

  • Estes Hijax By Brett Keller

    This is a great rocket. It was my first model rocket, so I don't have a lot of negative stuff to say. The instructions are very well-written. Every step has a diagram with it. They are very easy to understand. The only part that might be difficult is the shock cord mount attachment, which can get a bit messy. For tools you must have scissors, plastic cement, a hobby knife, masking tape, and a ...

  • Estes Hijax By Bill Eichelberger

    The HiJax is an almost ready to fly payloader sold by Estes from 1995 to 2000. Back in 2001, my brother in law and I had what we thought was an incredibly original idea: a night launch! We decided on a date to try out "our" idea when he was in town visiting one weekend and had purchased Estes HiJax rockets and glow sticks for the occasion. We soon came to find out that night launches had ...

  • Estes Honest John By Casey Smith

    This is the classic Estes Honest John. This is the middle kit, between the Little John, and the Maxi Honest John. This kit is standard with an 18mm motor mount, but I put a 24 mm in mine. It uses parachute recovery, but I use a streamer for AT engines. This rocket comes with the standard BT-55 and the BT-20 motor mount. It has an engine block and a clip for retention, as well a rubber band ...

  • Estes Hornet By Donald Besaw Jr

    ( Contributed - by Donald Besaw Jr - 04/17/10) Brief: Another classic kit returns. The Hornet, based on an original Centuri design. This classic kit flies on 18mm motors up to 775 feet and each flight is recovered with a 12 inch parachute. Construction: This kit came packaged in a plastic bag with header panel and along with the instructions, it included the following: 1 ...

  • Estes Hydrogen Fuel Rocket Set (Other Product) By Chan Stevens

    Estes has brought hydrogen-powered rocketry to the masses in a simple and affordable kit. Within 30 minutes of opening the box, you can be launching these things in a very small field. At $50, the price might scare away a few folks, but I managed to score one at a half off sale and at least one national hobby shop offers frequent 40% off coupons. At that discount, I'd jump on one just for ...

  • Estes Hyper Bat By

  • Estes HyperX By Steve Terrell

    The HyperX is an "Ready to Fly" (RTF) that has a nose cone that comes down as a helicopter. The body tube uses a 'chute for recovery. The HyperX, on the outside, is a basic 4FNC rocket. Pulling the nose cone out reveals three blades attached to the nose cone. Each blade is about 4 inches long. The motor mount uses a retainer ring instead of the usual Estes motor retainer clip. Due to the ...

  • Estes Interceptor (1250) By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: This is a single_stage futuristic "aerospace fighter" with 18" parachute recovery. Construction: The kit consists of: 33mm Estes BT-55 body tube 18mm Estes motor mount tube 2 cardstock centering rings A cardstock thrust ring A metal motor-retainer hook 2 laser-cut fin sheets to make six fins 2 large wings 2 vertical ...

  • Estes Interceptor (K-50) By Tim Doll

    Brief: The Estes K-50 Interceptor is another favorite rocket from my youth. Produced from 1971 to 1980, the Interceptor's sleek, futuristic lines and vast array of colorful decals made it an instant favorite and it is often considered to be one of Estes all time classic kits. Naturally, original Interceptor kits are rare and quite valuable, fetching serious money when one shows up on ...

  • Estes Interceptor E By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: Estes has done it again with this 150% upscale of the beloved K-50 Interceptor designed to fly on their black-powder "E" motors. The rocket kit was packed in Estes' traditional plastic bag with three-sided cardboard placard. It consisted of: two sections of 2" diameter white body tube (one of which is slotted) a big blow-molded plastic nosecone 24mm x 10" motor-mount tube ...

  • Estes Interceptor E By Todd Mullin

    Many of us have longed for the re-release of the quintessential rocket from the Golden Age of Estes, the Interceptor. In late 2007, Estes not only re-released that classic kit, but gave it to us upscaled for midpower! The Interceptor-E is a 24mm, 1.5x upscale of the original Interceptor with some new additions. I had just finished building my re-released, original sized Interceptor when I ...

  • Estes Interceptor By Todd Mullin

    From the year 1971 until 1980 Estes produced the original version of the Interceptor. It is considered by many to be the quintessential kit of model rocketry's "Golden Age". Many online auctions for the original sealed kits can go up to hundreds of dollars! Fortunately for those of us who are fans of the futuristic design but without a huge bankroll Estes finally re-released a new version of the ...

  • Estes Interceptor By Rich DeAngelis

    Estes re-issue of the original Interceptor. This flies using standard sized 18mm motors.  Any other description of this model would be fruitless - just take a look at the photographs showing the design of the rocket and the decals - that pretty much says it all. This is not an easy kit to build, you should have some practice gluing and finishing balsa fins before attempting ...

  • Estes Interceptor By Ed Rodrigo

  • Estes Interceptor (Modification) By Lester Anderson

    An upscale of the classic Interceptor (kit K-50 or 1250 depending on era of manufacture). Upscaled to a 2 inch body tube and more plastic details. Components Mostly a stock build. I did modify all the fins by "glassing" the fins with paper and epoxy. I replaced the 24mm motor tube with a 29mm one for better power due to the heavier fins. /h2 The pre-cut fin slots on ...

  • Estes Javelin III By Peter Stanley

    ( Contributed - by Peter Stanley - 09/30/06) Brief: I used the parts in an Estes DC Gemini to create a sport scale Javelin III. The design was based on data from Peter Alway's book, Scale Bash . The DC Gemini really has a lot more potential than what I did with it. I decided to do something simpler instead. The real Javelin III was built by Space Data Corporation and was tested in ...

  • Estes Jetliner By Steve Lindeman

    I ordered this kit on eBay on Sunday 9/16/12 and just received in the mail today (9/19/12). Fast service. This is the newest kit from Estes and is not yet listed in there 2012 catalog but available on eBay. It looks to me to be based on Boeing's 737 line of jetliners.   Components The Jetliner comes with the following parts: A-1 Engine mount tube B-1 Engine ...

  • Estes Jinx By Rob Campbell

  • Estes Jinx By Chris Taylor Jr.

    Brief: This is one of the new '99 Estes RTF kits that I got from Walmart for a mere $7!  I have heard people refer to it as similar to something called the Red Max. It came in a blister pack that says in large letter "READY TO FLY" and this is not a flying model rocket ... it is a flying action toy Rocket.  Instructions? What instructions? All it needs is installation of the ...

  • Estes Jupiter-C By Bob Bernatchez

    Brief: A 1/35 semi-scale model of the rocket used to launch America's first satellite. This is the same scale as the Estes Mercury Redstone and Mercury Atlas. Construction: No plastic parts in this kit with the exception of the booster adapter, spin bucket and the Explorer I payload. Body tube is a one piece Centuri ST-20. Motor tube is a short length of BT-20 and the centering ...

  • Estes Kadet By Bill Eichelberger

    This was a project that came out of a cleaning session in my build room.  I had been looking for a project in the plan collection at YORF.  http://www.oldrocketplans.com/   I clicked on the Kadet plan and realized that I had everything I needed laying around my build room.  The fin can was one of the few parts I salvaged from a B6-4  CATO in an Estes Skywr ...

  • Estes Laser Lance By

  • Estes Laser Lance By Steve Lindeman

    The "Laser Lance" looks like a military styled guided missile. Estes started releasing this kit in the summer of 2011 and my decal sheet was stamped 12/09/11 making it one of the early kits. This rocket is 20.3" long with a dia. of 1.64" and an estimated wt. of 2.8 oz. Recommended engines are: C11-3 (1st flight), C11-5, D12-5, D12-7 with a predicted altitude of up to 925 ft. This was ...

  • Estes Leviathan By Jeff Boldig

    This is a Pro Series kit that is four fins and 3" diameter.  It is designed for E, F, and G motors. Components The parts were good.  The fins are plywood while the tubes are cardboard and the nose cone plastic like most kits this size today. /h2 No real cons on the construction other then the shock cord attachment.  If done right, I'm sure it would ...

  • Estes Leviathan By Doug Cullen

  • Estes Leviathan By Gene Wolski

  • Estes Leviathan By Curt Hillier

    Curt Hillier's Flaming Leviathan Components Standard build of the Estes Pro Series II kit.  Elmer's carpenters wood glue as adhesive. /h2 Kit instructions were clear.  Migrating to mid-power using Estes Pro Series II kit was easy.  Finishing I didn't use the kit decals as the style was a bit boring.  I painted the body black and then ...

  • Estes Leviathan By Robert H.

    This is the Rocket that I have chosen to do my level 1 NAR cert with. Components A Pro series kit, it has nice wood fins  and sturdy construction.  /h2 I built this rocket with the intention of flying large 29mm reloads in it so I used epoxy on everything.   I made a aluminum ring that sits about 2\3 down the body tube with a hole in the center. ...

  • Estes Liquidator By Ed Rodrigo

  • Estes Liquidator By Michael Gower

    Brief: The Liquidator is a single stage payload rocket with a unique payload section: the payload section is designed to carry up to four ounces of any type of liquid. My daughters want to shoot a goldfish into space but I think we'll try some plain water in our initial flights. Construction: The Liquidator comes in a hanging bag with a three sided box to protect the rocket ...

  • Estes Little Joe II (0892) By Matt Gillard

    A 1/100th scale rocket that's been out of production for some time now. This version #0892 was the second that Estes produced, the first being the K-30. I built this rocket more or less at the start of my rocket building history. It was my first scale rocket, and I did not do a great job on it. Its had quite a few flights now and is starting to show wear and tear. I'm writing the review ...

  • Estes Little Joe II (K-30) By Tim Doll

    The Little Joe II was a NASA test vehicle used during the mid 1960’s to test the Apollo Launch Escape System. Estes produced the K-30, a 1/70th scale Little Joe II kit, from 1968 to 1971. It was another of my favorite rockets from my youth (I even became fairly adept at building that tricky wooden dowel escape tower). Due in part to its relatively short production run, original K-30 kits ...

  • Estes Loadstar By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a two stage rocket with a large BT-60 sized payload section for pretty much every payload imaginable. This is one of the Estes Educator rockets so finding a single one is not easy. I do believe that this Educator pack is now OOP and even if it's not, it costs about $129.00 for 12 kits. I knew this and when I saw this kit on an ROL auction for $8.00, I snapped it up. ...

  • Estes Long Big Bertha By Frank Casey

    ( Contributed - by Frank Casey - 10/17/07) Brief: This is a modified Big Bertha rocket. The main body tube was partially crushed when I purchased this kit. Estes sent a replacement which was also partially crushed. When the third tube came, I decided to couple it to the unharmed sections of the first two tubes. I also replaced the 18mm mount with a 24mm mount. Construction: ...

  • Estes Long Mini Max By Duane Boldt

    ( Contributed - by Duane Boldt - 07/31/10) Brief: This is a modified Estes Mini Max with a 4" longer body tube, inverted fins and Kevlar ® shock cord connected to the motor mount. The model was built and the review submitted as part of the 2010 EMRR Challenge for the "Hit List" component. Modifications: Most of this build was done per the stock Estes Mini Max ...

  • Estes Long Shot By Dave Sutter

      All around, a very impressive model rocket, probably still my favorite. It's sheer size gets attention. My orange/yellow/orange paint scheme gets attention. And when that second stage lights, it really gets attention... if it lights, that is. Construction was, as I recall, simple and straightforward, despite being only my second rocket. Sure, it's big and it's a two-stager, but ...

  • Estes Long Tom By Kirk Greenfield

    Hi guys! This is a standard, two-stage kit with balsa fins, cardboard tubes and clear directions and packaging. I bought an Estes "Long Tom" two-stage rocket kit many months ago during a sale, and have just set down over Thanksgiving to build it.  It went very well, but I have a few pointers that I would suggest  be added  in any future editions of the instructions. 1) There is ...

  • Estes Long Tom By Clifford Campo

  • Estes LTV Scout By Jay Roberts

    Estes- LTV Scout (by Jay Roberts courtesy)  Bought this monster from Bob Craddock for a fairly reasonable price. I had one when they were in production, but never finished it. Thought it would make a good Sport Scale project for the Hobbytown Classic. The kit goes together well, with the typical well illustrated instructions. The main degree of difficulty comes from making the ...

  • Estes Lynx By Hans Haase

    The Lynx, by Estes, is a futuristic space plane styled kit flying on mini motors.  Advertised as a level 3 kit, it brings the complexity of larger and more detailed Estes kits to the 13mm motor size range.  It is definitely a unique kit for a small 13mm bird. Components Components are standard Estes materials.  The main body tube is a BT-20, with a pair of ...

  • Estes Mach-12 By Shawn Bradley

    Standard rocket with removable fins so you can make different configurations. There are different fins so that you can make 12 different combinations. The instructions are easy to follow. The kit is very easy to put together. Finishing: The kit I got was already painted, so there was no problem there. the decals were easy to put on. This kit didn't require much finishing Construction ...

  • Estes Mach-12 By Bob Patterson

    Single stage rocket, all plastic except for body tubes. 3 sets of fins that can be mixed & matched. Peel & stick "decals". 12" parachute. Modifications: Minor, as noted below. The main airframe of 4" and 7" body tubes, plastic coupler that also serves as shock cord mount, 18" long x 1/4" wide shock cord. 6 3/8" nose cone, all plastic engine/fin holder with screw on engine cap, 3 ...

  • Estes Mach-12 By Michael Doherty

    This kit is part of Estes "E2X" series of kits which are easy to assemble 'almost ready to fly' types. The Mach 12 comes with pre-colored body parts, and needs only plastic cement to build. It comes with an 18" parachute. This kit is BT-55 based, and come w/ a body tube in two sections which are joined via a plastic coupler which has an integrated launch lug. The nose cone is plastic, and was ...

  • Estes Magician By Evan

    The Magician is a typicial Estes rocket with D and E engine power. Some of the parrts had to be sanded down to fit. The only problem was the coupler and the main body tube and lower body tube was a very tight fit and was hard to push down. All the parts were good the balsa fins were excellent.  Components Engine mount tube Engine hook Green centering rings Engine ...

  • Estes Magician By Philip Wentz

    The Estes Magician is a Skill Level 3 kit that features a clear payload section and is powered by C11, D and E engines. A tall rocket, it measures 33 1/2 inches from end to end. Components The kit has a main body tube topped by a narrower payload section. Components are as follows: 1 NC-50 ogive plastic nosecone 1 BT-50 payload section 1 BT-50 to BT-55 balsa ...

  • Estes Maniac By Doyle Tatum

    (by Doyle Tatum)  I followed the instructions except for the following notes and comments: Steps 1-10 Only used the 1/4" lugs and placed a swivel on the parachute and cut a spill hole. This rocket is extremely easy to construct and goes together well. I painted mine florescent yellow, nose cone 1/2 florescent yellow and 1/2 florescent orange. The decals look superb on this ...

  • Estes Manta By David Fergus

    A simple skill level one boost glider with a small Styrofoam glider that separates at ejection - booster recovery by parachute. main body is BT-50 plastic nose cone one piece plastic tail/fin section small Styrofoam toy glider self-adhesive decal set This is a simple kit with easy assembly. Booster: The engine mount and rear fin assembly glue together with plastic cement and white glue. ...

  • Estes Mars Snooper (Clone) By Larry Zeilmann

    B rief: This is a single stage futuristic classic from Estes that I cloned from plans off Jim Z's web site. Is powered by a single 18mm motor and recovers on a single 18" parachute. 1 Sheet of 3/32 balsa 6"x8.5" to cut fins from. 1 BT20 Upper Body Tube 6.5" 1 BT20 Motor Tube 3.75" 1 BT50 Lower Body Tube 7.75" 3 PNC5W Upper pod nose cones 3 PNC5V Lower pod nose cones ...

  • Estes Maxi Alpha 3 By Dave Russell

    The Maxi Alpha 3 is one of Estes year 2000 re-released limited edition rockets. It is rated Skill Level 2 with a 24mm motor mount. I have seen the price on this kit vary from $15 to $35. It is large version of the Estes classic Alpha kit. Like junior, it is a rather simple build. Stock build utilizes, BT-80 tubes, a 24 inch parachute, little paint (nose only), and pressure-sensitive decals. ...

  • Estes Maxi Alpha 3 By Jon Revelle

    Larger, cooler version of an Estes classic. This thing ROCKS!! I got it for Christmas. I saw it at Ace on December 14,2003 and I can't believe this rocket was still there. It's been OOP for about 3 years. It was a re-release of the original 1979 version. The kit has: 3 BT-80 body t ubes, 2 long and one short 3 red plastic fins 2 rings for holding engine tube, fins and connect ...

  • Estes Maxi Alpha III By Douglas Hurstell

    Large diameter upscale of the venerable Standard Estes Alpha. Components 3 BT-80 Body tubes, 2x9", 1x3 3/8" 3 Plastic Fins, 24mm motor mount tube 1 centering ring 2 plastic fin mount and centering rings 3/8" rubber band shock cord (bad), 24" premade parachute Plastic NC /h2 The fin mounts are not the standard Estes fare, but instructions were ...

  • Estes Maxi Alpha III By Mike Caplinger

    The Estes Alpha, designed by Bill Simon and introduced in 1967, is the prototypical 3FNC that has introduced generations of rocketeers to the hobby.  The original Alpha, of course, had a balsa nose cone and fins.  The Alpha III (1971) was an easier-to-build plastic version with a one-piece molded fin can assembly.  Estes has released several larger versions of the Alpha ...

  • Estes Maxi Brute V2 By Kevin McLaughlin

    This was my second time building this kit in my lifetime. I built the same model when I was 13 when the Estes kit was made with a balsa nose cone and boat tail. After my BAR renaissance, I built this kit again two years ago at age 47. Recalling my first version, I painted it in the traditional black and white Peenemuende roll pattern and flew it on a C motor. The current Estes version has a 24 ...

  • Estes Maxi Force By Bob Patterson

    Single stage using three D12 motors, parachute recovery. Three body tubes, three fins using through the wall construction, plywood centering rings, 5' x 1/4" elastic shock cord tied to screw in plywood crosspiece, and 16" nylon parachute. I bought this rocket quite a few years ago, inspired by a visit to the Huntsville Space & Rocket Center. I found the assembly pretty ...

  • Estes Maxi Honest John By John Lee

    Brief: This is a re-release of the early 80's Estes kit. A 1/9th scale model of the famous U.S. Army surface-to-surface, supersonic ballistic missile. This highly detailed model comes with pre-shaped, accurately scaled fins and molded plastic nose cone. Spectacular recovery with giant, dual 24" parachutes. It makes an impressive display model. Construction: This is the Maxi ...

  • Estes Maxi Honest John By Robert Tung

    This is a good kit! You have to make sure you glue the fins on good or it won't be a stable flight! The kit contains: 1 body tube 1 nose cone 2 sets of plastic molded fins 1 boat tail 1 nose cone tail The instructions were very good and easy to follow. It was hard to make the fins stick onto the rocket. Finishing: I forgot to add glue fillets to the body tube to get ...

  • Estes Maxi Honest John By John Lee

    Brief: This kit was an eBay find. It was already opened but all pieces were reportedly present. I took a chance and bid on it, paid too much, and squealed with delight when it arrived. Construction: The Hojo starts, as do most kits, with the motor mount. A spacer is marked at 1/4" and used to push a thrust ring into the motor tube. On inspection, I noticed that one end of ...

  • Estes Maxi Icarus By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Maxi-Icarus was produced from 1980 to 1984, a period when rocketry was about the furthest thing from my mind but I had always like the looks of the Icarus. I never really set out to clone this bird. It came about when I was looking over the nose cone list trying to find a project for a PNC-60AH from my last Screamin' Mimi kit. Realizing that I also had an extra PST-60R ...

  • Estes Maxi Streak (Plan) By Jason Orosco

    The Estes Maxi Streak #1837 ran from 1982 to 1984. It was rated as a sports flier and was a single-stage, low-power rocket. It was recovered using a 90" streamer. You can use a engine adapter to fly this rocket on 18mm engines.      Components Here are the components used to assemble the rocket: Engine mount tube BT-50J 2.75" Engine hook EH-2 ...

  • Estes MaxTrax By Mark Fisher

    Brief: A new member showed up at our launch one weekend with a MaxTrax (EST1434), a new starter set from Estes that included an altimeter payload. He had flown it once before and it had claimed an altitude of over 700 feet on a C6-5. When he flew it at our launch, he used the other included motor, a B6-4, and it registered over 350 feet. The shock cord separated, but after some ...

  • Estes MaxTrax By Jeff Vincent

      For those not familiar with the MaxTrax, it is a new starter kit from Estes with an onboard "Electronic Altimeter". This uses a capsule which drops at a fixed descent rate. The capsule physically senses ejection (apogee), times the interval until it detects landing, then outputs calculated altitude in feet and meters. Promising... I had a chance to fly the MaxTrax yesterday (Sat.), ...

  • Estes MaxTrax By Nick Esselman

    I saw a thread on RMR about a new Estes' rocket with the capability to determine altitude. I decided to purchase one from the local Walmart. It is a Ready to Fly rocket (for all practical purposes) included with a starter set. Launch pad, controller and two motors (B6-4 and C6-5). The rocket is called the MaxTrax™. Walmart sold it for $18.99. You have to purchase a "button" battery for the ...

  • Estes McKibbin's Special (Plan) By Dwayne Surdu-Miller

    Brief: McKibbon's Special is a futuristic, fantasy sport model whose plans were published in their Model Rocket News. The plans are available from Jim Z's archive . Construction: All parts are standard, easy-to-find items and materials. Except for the canards, which are 3/32" thick.All balsa parts are cut from 1/8" balsa stock. 1/8" dowels are needed for the antenna ...

  • Estes Mean Machine By John Gordon

    Brief: This is a tallllll single stage, 24mm rocket with a 24 inch parachute. There are four (4) body tubes, a standard 24mm motor mount, four (4) balsa fins and a plastic nose-cone. I deviated from the standard paper shock cord mount. I bought this kit and let it sit in a closet for about 4 years. Went to my first HPR launch and got the bug again. The instructions were simple, but I ...

  • Estes Mean Machine By Jordan Hiller

    (by Jordan Hiller) The most attractive thing about the Estes Mean Machine is its size. While it's only a BT-55 body tube, the rocket is about 6 ½ feet long! Building is quite simple, since this is just a very long 3FNC model. The instructions are straightforward, and the only tools you really need are the ones you need for every other rocket (sandpaper, hobby knife, glue, etc.) ...

  • Estes Mean Machine By David Austerberry

    This is a classic Estes kit that has been in production for quite some time. It is a single staged rocket with a large length to width ratio and the launches are impressive for a low power kit. The long airframe is built by coupling four standard BT-60 body tubes. The kit comes with four die-cut balsa fins and two cardboard centering rings. Recovery is done with a 3/16" shock cord nearly 3 ...

  • Estes Mean Machine By Scott Danielson

      Construction: Rating: 4 out of 5 points This is a great 1st D engine kit. It's over 6 feet tall. The overall construction was a snap. This kit was pretty simple to build. Just take your time when gluing the coupler and body tubes together. THEY HAVE TO BE ALIGNED PERFECTLY! The couplers were EXTREMELY hard to fit in the body tubes, and because of this my tubes are kind of bent. ...

  • Estes Mean Machine By Jim Zamecnik

    ( Contributed - by Jim Zamecnik) Brief: Modified for use with the PerfectFlite microAlt 4600 dual deployment altimeter. Added a 6" long altimeter bay and a 12" long forward main chute bay to the lower half of the Mean Machine. (new section made from recycled tubes and couplers from a SuperNova Payloader) Modifications: The lower half is a stock Mean Machine (a bit shorter due ...

  • Estes Meanie By Matt Gillard

    Brief: A four finned 13mm rocket quite large for its motor size. It recovers via a streamer and comes in a plastic bag with an art card. Construction: Kit consists of: 1 launch lug Estes paper shock cord mount 1 streamer 1 2ft length elastic shock cord Balsa nose cone Body tube Ring adapters Engine mount tube Engine hook Pre-cut balsa ...

  • Estes Mega Der Red Max By

  • Estes Mega Der Red Max By Ken E. Coyote

    If you like the regular Der Red Max, you'll go gaga over the Pro Series II Mega Max!  I built this one kind of quickly along with the Pro Series II Nike Smoke, so construction was somewhat of a blur, but I was very impressed with the materials and design.  I felt you get a lot of value for your money with this one...well worth the coin!  Also the kit builds up to quite an ...

  • Estes Mega Mini Max (Modification) By Bill Eichelberger

      Just your basic plain Jane Estes Mini Max with some added nose weight and 24mm power. Components Estes Mini Max kit Many BBs Kevlar Sewing elastic Hot pink streamer /h2 Back in the days of the Hobby Lobby 40% coupon days I got in the habit of picking up an Estes Mini Max kit whenever I made a trip to the store. I made a lot of trips one ...

  • Estes Mega Mosquito By John Eric Thompson

    This is a great kit. The little   E 22   CTI 24mm 1-grain reload worked perfectly with a 5 second delay. The camera is the keychain digital camer model 808 #16 model.  The holder is a 3D printed shroud that can be easily attached to a 2.0 inch diameter body tube. The web link is:  http://additive-aerospace.myshopify.com/collections/video-camera-shrouds/pr ...

  • Estes Mega Sizz By Ron Wirth

    Brief: The Estes Mega Sizz’ is an OOP kit that was available during 1988 through 1990. The rocket is really nothing more than a 4FNC rocket using a BT-60 body tube. I am a fan of rockets with that tube size so when I had a chance to get the Mega Sizz’ in some kits I was trading with a fellow rocket enthusiast, I jumped on the chance. Construction: The plastic bag the ...

  • Estes Menace By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a new kit from Estes with cruise missile styling. It is also a rather large diameter rocket (BT-60). It flies on A-C motors and uses a parachute for recovery. Construction: The kit came in a plastic bag with a front panel showing the finished rocket with two possible trim schemes. Decals for both are included. The kit included the body and motor mount tubes, ...

  • Estes Mercury Atlas - Cluster of Three 24mm Motors (Modification) By Robert A. Morstadt

    This is a modification of the Estes Atlas Mercury kit to use a cluster of three 24mm D12-3 motors. Components This is how I modified the Estes Atlas-Mercury kit to use a cluster of three black powder 24 mm motors.   The original Estes kit uses one central motor with two outer booster simulated engines being the location for extension tubes that have fins to ...

  • Estes Mercury Atlas By Manuel Mejia, Jr.

    The Estes Mercury Atlas is one of the most complex kit rockets that has ever come on the market. I managed to pick one up for $34 from a very friendly hobby shop and started work on it immediately. The first few steps detail the construction of the motor mount. This part of the building was straightforward.   The fun starts when one starts on the rocket body itself. Be sure to test the ...

  • Estes Mercury Redstone Liberty Bell 7 By Frank Casey

    This is the third Mercury Redstone kit produced by Estes. I built the original K-41 when I was younger and there really isn't any comparison between the two. This newest kit is more like a snap together plastic model kit. There was not much skill involved in building it other than trying to apply the very shiny peel and stick decals. More on that later. The instructions are not the ...

  • Estes Mercury Redstone By David Fergus

    This is a single stage high quality replica of Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 approx 1/50th scale designed for B & C engines. This kit is unique from every other Estes kit I have bought or built in a number of ways... The package says skill level 2, but it compares to other level 3 kits from Estes. This kit recently went on sale, supposedly a reissue of an earlier Estes kit. I obtained ...

  • Estes Mercury Redstone By Tim Burger

    This is a scale model of the second manned Mercury/Redstone, Liberty Bell 7 Forward: This kit was as a prize from EMRR; thanks for the kit! I don’t really know how to classify this model. It isn’t a true scale model, exactly, since the instructions (which feature very few actual instructions) do not include a scale finish nor anything remotely resembling scale documentation. ...

  • Estes Mercury Redstone By Frank Casey

    This is the original Estes Mercury Redstone Kit No. K-41, a scale replica of the first manned ballistic space vehicle. The header tag lists a price of $3.50. It is a single stage rocket with a two parachute recovery system, one for the body and one for the capsule. I purchased this kit on eBay for $45 late in 2007. It was an open bag and was missing the screw eye, one lead weight, and one ...

  • Estes Metalizer By Ed Rodrigo

    E2X single-stage rocket kit with silver metallic finish. Components Components: Nose cone Body tube (launch lugs and elastic shock cord pre-installed) 2-piece plastic fin and engine module Parachute Construction is quick and easy.   Glue the 2-piece plastic fin/engine module together Glue the body tube to the fin/engine module ...

  • Estes Metalizer By Warren Wattles

    Brief: E2X single-stage LPR with parachute and plastic fins. Construction: Parts list: 1 body tube 2 fin can halves (with fins pre-assembled) 1 plastic nosecone 1 plastic parachute (pre-assembled) 1/8" launch lug (pre-attached) Construction is extremely easy. This is how it goes: Glue two fin can halves together. Glue fin can into ...

  • Estes Meteor Masher By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: New 2003 release kit from Estes that releases three streamer recovery cluster bombs at apogee. It flies on 18mm B and C motors to 475 feet. It is classified as a skill level 2 kit and rightfully so. This is somewhat of a complex kit. Construction: I picked this kit up at my local hobby shop for $7.99, a great deal for what you get. The kit came packaged in an Estes ...

  • Estes Micron By John Lee

    Brief: The Micron is a small and simple rocket with 4 fins and a nose cone intended for 13mm motors. It is not minimum diameter but its also not much more than minimum. It comes with some orange flagging to serve as a streamer but would probably do just fine as a nose-blow. Most of my recent project have involved making repairs but you can only sit around waiting for glue to dry ...

  • Estes Mighty Mites Blitz and Sizzler (RTF) By Bob Hvarven

    This Estes ARF rocket set contains  two "tiny" rockets; one called the "Blitz" and the other one the "Sizzler". Package: It would be hard to fault Estes on their packaging. They have made some pretty slick sets to catch your eye; especially those "YOUNG" eyes that miss nothing !! It is well done and very attractive. Components: The parts consist of (2) rockets ...

  • Estes Mighty Mites Ninja and Sliver (RTF) By Nick Esselman

    I purchased another set of Estes Mighty Mites from the local Michaels expecting to pay the $10 ticketed price, but was surprised to only pay $5. So, what a deal! The pair included the Ninja and the Sliver rockets. The Ninja being more of a 50's retro-looking rocket with a fat belly and rolling, swept-back fins while the Sliver was much more like a two finned Jayhawk. I was drawn to them ...

  • Estes Mighty Mites Outlaw (RTF) By Nick Esselman

    After flying a bunch of Quest MicroMaxx rockets and thoroughly enjoying them, I decided to step up a bit in the backyard capable flying machines that my son would enjoy. With that I purchased an Estes Mighty Mites Outlaw Starter Kit from Walmart for $10. The kits comes with a launch pad, launch controller, an Outlaw rocket, an extra motor ring and two 1/4A3-3T motors. I have to admit this ...

  • Estes Mighty Mites Torque and Fury By Chris Taylor Jr.

      These are extremely cute, must-have rocket!  They are literally not much larger than a Mosquito. I saw them and had to have them and at a measly $5 for the both of them . . . why not? There is NO construction they are 100% RTF.  The Fury is orange and has a conical shape from almost the rear to the nose with a  rounded tip, a severe  severe boat-tail at the rear ...

  • Estes Mini Cobra By Alexander Minot

    Brief: Estes mini high performance 2 stage rocket can also be flown single. It uses mini engines and has a streamer recovery for the body and tumble for the booster. It has die-cut fiber fins. Construction: 1 long body tube, 2 short body tubes, 1 tube coupler, 1 nose cone insert, 1 nose cone, 1 orange streamer, 1 shock cord, 1 launch lug, 1 cardboard fin sheet, and 1 decal ...

  • Estes Mini Freaky Flyer By Donald Besaw Jr

    New mini motor E2X series all plastic rocket with streamer recovery. The kit included the two body halves, nose cone & insert, clay for nose weight, motor mount tube, retention hook, retainer ring, shock cord, streamer and decals. The instructions were the typical Estes material complete with illustrations and text and are very simple to understand. Estes recommends that you use ...

  • Estes Mini Freaky Flyer By Scott Pearson

    Brief: I saw a picture of this rocket as a new release from Estes a while back and thought that it looked like a lot of fun. I reminded me of the GoonyBird series whI thought was very creative. I did not pay much attention to the spec's on this rocket and was in for a suprise when I saw it at the hobby store the other day. Boy is it small, I almost missed it on the pegboard it so small. ...

  • Estes Mini Marz Lander By Chris Taylor Jr.

    This is a mini-RTF (13mm) powered rocket based on the old Mars Lander from Estes.  It does have the movable legs like the old landers did as well. As this is a RTF model there is nothing to build.  You could paint it and get decals off the net to make it look like the old landers, however, as it exists there is really nothing to finish. The rocket flies nice and straight.  ...

  • Estes Mini Max By John Bergsmith

    The Estes Mini Max is a smaller version based on the BT-50 of the Estes classic Der Red Max. The Mini Max is designed with a 13mm motor mount making it powered by Estes mini engines, and can reach altitudes in excess of 300 feet. As designed, recovery is accomplished with the included streamer. The new Mini Max has all the great looks of the classic version, right down to the really cool ...

  • Estes Mini Max By Duane Boldt

    Brief: Smaller version of Estes' classic Der Red Max kit. It has a balsa nose cone, waterslide decals, streamer recover and is powereed by Estes 13mm Mini Motors. The model was built and the review submitted as part of the 2010 EMRR Challenge for the "Hit List" component. Construction: 1 - 13mm Engine Mount Tube 1 - Estes Engine Hook 1 - Mylar Hook Retainer ...

  • Estes Mini Max By Jason Orosco

    Brief: The Mini Max is a single stage 13mm rocket with a streamer used for recovery. It's the baby brother to the Der Red Max. Construction: 1 Engine Mount Tube BT-5 1.75" 1 Mini Engine Hook 1 Mylar Hook Retainer HR-5 1 EB-5 1 CR-520 Split Ring 1 CR-520 Ring 3 Laser Cut Fins 1 Launch Lug 1.5" 1 Screw Eye 1 BNC-50AH 1 Shock cord ...

  • Estes Mini Max By

  • Estes Mini Meanie By G. A. Dean

    Brief: The Mini Meanie is a very small plastic rocket similar to the RTF Mighty Mites, except that you get to do a bit of assembly. It uses 13mm 'Mini' motors and a very small streamer for recovery This kit assembles like a plastic model. There is no body tube as such, just the two halves of the rocket with fins already attached. Estes does provide a motor tube and hook along with the nose ...

  • Estes Mini Motor Adapter By John Lee

    Brief: This is an out of production mini motor adapter for using 13mm motors in 18mm mounts. Construction: The kit consists of: a motor tube (3) centering rings a mini motor hook Construction is simple and fast. The first centering ring is glued in place at the foward end and a slit for the hook is made just below it. The middle ring needs to have a small ...

  • Estes Mini Naboo Starfighter (RTF) By Matt Gillard

    Brief: I had five minutes spare, so I thought I'd build one of the easy rockets in the build pile. It's part of Estes' Star wars range. Takes longer to open the packet than to build. Construction: Parts consist of: The naboo fighter A stand for the naboo fighter. Two BT 5 in black Nose cone Fin can Coupler with shock cord already attached Using ...

  • Estes Mini Scale Combo - I.S.Q.Y. Tomahawk By Chris Taylor Jr.

    ( Contributed - by Chris Taylor)  This kit comes with 2 rockets. The rockets are very small mini engine rockets that are very cute to fly and display (would look great on an office desk).  I.Q.S.Y. Tomahawk (Sounding Rocket)  Very common scale kit for competition. Very simple construction. Main parts are balsa nose cone, 4 fins, and a body tube. I finished mine like ...

  • Estes Mini Shuttle By

  • Estes Mini Tri Pak (Star Seeker) & 2x Upscale (Clone) By Steve Lindeman

    This will be a twin review. The first is a clone of the Star Seeker, one of three rockets that came in the Estes Tri Pack (0866) [1983-1990]. I built the original three rockets back in '84 and really liked the Star Seeker the most but it got lost after my 2nd divorce so I decided to bring it back from the grave so to speak. The second part will be a review of its 2x upscaled big ...

  • Estes MIRV By Rich DeAngelis

    MIRV is short for Multiple Independant Reentry Vehicle. The MIRV is a unique two-stage rocket from Estes that has three simultaneously firing second stages. The booster is an 18mm B6 or C6, and the three second stages use the mini 13mm A10-3T.  The first booster stage fires and lifts all stages. Then it launches three individual rockets that travel seperately. While not a totally new ...

  • Estes Missile Command By Chris Tarpley

    These rockets are ready-to-fly and come with launch system and a B6-4 for each rocket. They are single stage with parachute recovery. The body tubes come with fins attached. The nose cone is already tied to the body tube with the usually too short shock cord. Parachute attachment, wadding, and motor installation are all these rockets require to fire. Finishing: Not necessary. Rockets are ...

  • Estes Missile Toe By Drew Tomko

    ( Contributed - by Drew Tomko - 04/18/05) Brief: A clone of the Estes Goonybird Missile Toe, one of my favorites from the mid '70s. The decals and fin patterns are available from Excelsior Rocketry. Construction: The kit can be bashed from a Baby Bertha kit. I had all the parts in an Estes Designer's Special box (BT-60 and Big Bertha style NC, BT-50, mini engine mount, balsa ...

  • Estes MK109-Stringray By Dave Sutter

      A pretty nice rocket, if a bit on the plain side when done. I was most impressed with the construction. It's all plastic cement. I didn't even know such a thing as a plastic motor mount until I started reading the instructions for this rocket. I haven't fired this one off a lot yet, but every flight has been just fine. I have no real complaints, but two small nit-picks. First, while it ...

  • Estes MK109-Stringray By Greg Deeter

    This poor little rocket got off off to a bad start all the way around. While it comes in a box, I had purchased mine on eBay and the seller packed and shipped it well. However the body tube arrived crushed. It was not crushed in the mail, it was like that before. The seller did refund my money less shipping which dropped my investment down to about $5. So I decided to build it anyway. Comes ...

  • Estes MK109-Stringray By Kim Durose

    ( Contributed - by Kim Durose - 09/10/03) Brief: Very easy to assemble starter kit. Took me under an hour to build the base model, but I then spent time ensuring it's longevity. Construction: Kraft airframe and motor tube, plastic motor mount and nose cone. The through-the-wall shock cord mount is a great idea to maximize internal space (How many of you have had their recovery ...

  • Estes Monarch By Bryan Chuck

    The Estes Monarch is a single-staged skill level 1 rocket that uses 18mm motors, parachute recovery, and sports an unusual fin pattern. The rocket stands in a 17.25", and flies well, unique fins and all. The components for the Monarch are what you might expect of a skill level 1 Estes rocket: die-cut balsa fins, a section of BT50 airframe tubing, plastic nosecone, a motor mount with retaining ...

  • Estes Monarch By Bill Brogan

    Brief: The Monarch features a unique fin configuration and parachute recovery. Construction: This kit comes with a plastic nose cone, one body tube, three die-cut balsa fins, cardboard motor mount tube with two centering rings and a metal retainer clip, an 18-inch flat elastic shock cord, and a 12-inch parachute. The nose cone has minimal flash and mold lines. The fin balsa is good ...

  • Estes Mongoose By Chun Mak

    Two-stage Estes level 1 kit Components 2 plastic fin units Plastic nose cone BT-50 body tube & first stage tube 2 18mm motor mounts (no hooks) 2 pc launch lug 12" parachute 1/8" shock cord Self-stick markings /h2 Very easy assembly with plastic and white glue Traditional tube launch lug instead of new plastic double end lug used on ...

  • Estes Mongoose By Nick Esselman

    I originally purchased an Estes' Mongoose Kit because I wanted to use it for an experiment, however, when my 8 year old nephew came to visit it seemed like a good kit to build together. So we built it. The instructions have lots of illustrations, however, that didn't help us fully understand how to assemble the lower stage's motor mount. I think the problem starts in the first step when ...

  • Estes Mongoose By David Sindel

    This is a fairly simple 2-stage, 18mm rocket from Estes. I have slightly modified mine with shortening and a modified booster motor mount to repair damage. The parts list: 18" of BT-50; mine only has 10" left. 1-15/16" of BT-50 for booster 2 magenta plastic fin units PNC-50YR: 2-part magenta nose cone 2 blue 18mm engine mount tubes of rather poor quality 2 green ...

  • Estes Mongoose By John "MAX" Venable

    This is a entry-level, two-stage ro cket with parachute recovery. The kit is a basic two-stage consisting of upper and lower body tubes, nose cone, molded plastic fins, and a basic recovery system. Construction was easy, but once again I had to tweak it! I heard that the upper and lower tubes around the motor mounts was weak so instead of centering rings, I filled the upper and lower tubes ...

  • Estes Mongoose By Alan and Duane Boldt

    This review is for the 2010 EMRR Challenge "Two on One" review. Duane Boldt and Alan Boldt contributed to this review. Alan: This 26.5" 2-stage rocket is purple and yellow with cool decals. It is easy to build and there are not many parts. The Mongoose has plastic, one-piece fin units on both the booster and sustainer. Components: 1 - 18" Purple body tube 1 - 2" Purple ...

  • Estes Moondog (RTF) By John H. Boyd

    ( Contributed - by Bob Hvarven)  Note: This is a slightly shortened, edited version of Bob's article with fewer pictures. Visit Bob's site for all the pictures and to write him for the fin template and comments. I recently purchased the Estes Moon Dog pre-fab rocket, while at a recent "After Christmas" feeding frenzy on "Sale Items" in Enterprise Alabama. It ...

  • Estes Moondog (RTF) By John H. Boyd

    Brief One of the RTF kits in the 1999 kit releases, the Moondog is notable for its teardrop shape and '50s Sci Fi look. Construction The model was well packaged in the blister pack with everything needed except motors. The only assembly required was attachment of the premade 12' parachute. The instructions for parachute attachment and flight preparation are well illustrated. ...

  • Estes Mosquito 301% Upscale (Upscale) By Matt Gillard

    Part of my mosquito family. This is a 301% upscale of an Estes mosquito, fitted with 2 x 18mm cluster mount. Designed to return via a streamer, but a small chute, could be used. The components for the kit consist of: A Big Bertha nose cone. 6.02 inches of Bt60. Three balsa fins. 2 x 18mm engine tubes. 2 2x18mm cluster motor mount rings 2 x engine blocks Elastic ...

  • Estes Mosquito By Patrick Byrnes

    The smallest and cheapest Estes rocket. This kit comes in a tiny plastic bag, but all of my pieces were ok. This rocket was very easy to build, only 7 pieces. The fins were small, but not that hard to put on. Finishing: Pros: -The rocket is very small and cute looking. -I have made three and found that red and yellow are the best colors. Con's: -None Construction Rating: 4 out ...

  • Estes Mosquito By Brett Keller

    The Estes Mosquito is a classic rocket, but it is somewhat hard to build and is extremely easy to lose. The instructions are well-written and the rocket is fairly straight forward because it has just 7 parts: 3 fins, body tube, launch lug, and a two-piece nose cone.  The Mosquito is fairly easy to build. However, the fins are very large for their base area and are hard to get on ...

  • Estes Mosquito By Matt Gillard

    An Estes classic, this tiny rocket that has been bought, built, and sacrificed to the rocketry Gods by many. My mosquito is the one with the balsa nose cone, I believe that the later one was a plastic nose cone. The kit comes in a clear bag with the usual art card and instructions. Components consist of: 2 inch of Bt20 Balsa nose cone Launch lug Strip of balsa 0.5 inches ...

  • Estes Multi-Roc By Chan Stevens

    ( Contributed - by Chan Stevens - 06/01/04) Brief: Introduced by Estes in 1979 and surviving through 1981, this rocket offers 8 different flight options for the 1980’s price of $8.50. This looked like a fairly easy clone project and the 8 different flight options intrigued me. Construction: Sustainer parts list: BT-20 2.75" 2 20-50 centering rings 2.75" ...

  • Estes Naboo Fighter Starter Set - EST 1842 (Other Product) By Greg Zsidisin

    This is a long OOP Estes starter set from 1999, a tie-in with Star Wars Episode 1, The Phantom Menace.  The kit consists of an almost-read-to-fly (ARF) model rocket, a plastic Naboo Fighter with display stand, a simple Star-Wars styled launch pad and launch rod, and an interesting launch controller shaped and decorated like R2D2.  The set comes with two A10-3T engines and ...

  • Estes NASA Pegasus By Bob Harrington

    Brief: This was originally produced by Estes Industries and is currently out of production (OOP). Plans were obtained from Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe . Design was for an 18mm mount with a parachute recovery. Construction: Design has four fins with 2 representing wings and 2 rudders. Two long sections of body tube represent scramjets. Components: 1 BT-55 body tube ...

  • Estes National Aerospace Plane By

  • Estes Nebulon Warrior By Steve Carr

    After a bit of prodding from my decal maker, Mr. Bill Eichelberger, I am submitting this review. Thanks Bill. The Nebulon Warrior is a rather easy to duplicate kit with the aid of plans downloaded from JimZ's website. It is a space plane fighter type rocket. All of the tube sizes and component numbers are in the plans. I just happened to have a PNC-20A in my stash, but I think they can ...

  • Estes Nemesis By Herb Estus

    Brief: A skill level 2 rocket, Comes in typical plastic bag, with a 12" plastic parachute The instructions where very easy to follow, the hard part seemed to be the fins they are 2 piece fins that have to be glued together, and the little pieces of balsa that go around the main body tube near the top seemed to be a bit hard to get lined up right and glued without them moving Finishing: ...

  • Estes Nemesis By James David Reyome

    ( Contributed - by James David Reyome - 10/10/02) Brief: Nicely designed little futuristic flyer. Construction: Nothing unusual here except for a molded nose with a "cockpit" section and some small canards on either side, and two piece fins. This is listed as a skill level 2, but it's pretty easy to put together, really. The 2 might be for the fin configuration, but ...

  • Estes Night Wing By Nick Esselman

    I decided to get a couple of the new (2001) Estes’ kits and thought the Night Wing looked cool as it reminded me a lot of the SR-71. Then I decided to build a series of rocket "ships" that could be part of a futuristic space fleet. So along with the Night Wing, I planned on building the Rogue Interdictor and an old Custom Stealth Interceptor that I've had hanging around for about 4 years. ...

  • Estes Nike Arrow By David Fergus

    Brief Single stage, streamer recovery, and a small payload section. Construction This rocket was purchased at a discount chain store for a very reasonable price. All the parts were in the package. The fins are molded plastic and come as a unit, so no gluing or aligning of fins is necessary. The instructions are adequate. No deviations are necessary. Since plastic model cement is the adhesive ...

  • Estes Nike Smoke By Mike Caplinger

    The Nike-Smoke sounding rocket flew hundreds of times in the 1960s, used to measure high-altitude winds by ground photography of its smoke trail.  It has also become one of the most popular subjects in model rocketry history -- the first kit I know of was the Centuri 1.6" version introduced in 1969.  With kits covering the size range from tiny Micromaxx to high-power full scale, ...

  • Estes Nike X By Colin Kaul

    Basic rocket with three sets of four fins, waterslide decals.  

  • Estes Nimbus By Chris Taylor Jr.

      Futuristic style rocket with fancy fins arrangement and very cool nose cone.  Assembly was a little more involved than most kits because of the fins. Otherwise, easy and straight forward. I finished the rocket like the package except I used metallic aluminum instead of light gray. I used Testors enamel for the red portions. Filling and sanding all fins gave me smooth and ...

  • Estes Ninja By

  • Estes Ninja By Ted Phipps

      The Ninja is a mini-engined streak. It looks great, flies great, and can be easily customized.  Like most Estes kits, it comes in a plastic bag. The fins are heavy cardstock. The instructions and diagrams are very good, and construction is simple and straightforward. Estes shock cords are always too short, replace it with sewing elastic at least twice the body length. I also ...

  • Estes Ninja By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Ninja was a mini-engine powered, streamer recovered Estes offering that was available from 1987 to 1998. An impressive performer, the Ninja was hurt only by the fact that it came with fiber fins and lacked a proper engine block. I bought a Ninja for under a buck in 1994 at a hobby shop closing sale and I've had a soft spot for it ever since. The Ninja was the rocket that ...

  • Estes No. 2 Estes Sky Writer By Carl Tulanko

    The 'Sky Writer #2' rocket kit is a unique and fast building Skill Level 1 model from the Estes product line. It's a #2 pencil rocket that comes pre-painted with a white plastic 4-fin can and parachute recovery and flies on the 18mm Estes motor family to include the A8-3, B4-4, B6-4 and C6-5. At just over 26" long, this is a hearty sized model and a good looker. The kit came in a colorful bag ...

  • Estes No. 2 Estes Sky Writer By Donald Besaw Jr

    New E2X series rocket from Estes that looks like a standard yellow wooden No.2 pencil. It flies on A-C motors and uses a 12 inch parachute for recovery. The kit came in a plastic bag with a header card. I was impressed with the packing of this kit. The main body tube with the eraser decal and nose cone came in their own individual wrappers. The kit came with the motor mount tube, hook, and ...

  • Estes No. 2 Sky Writer By Bill Eichelberger

    I was thrilled when Estes brought out the Skywriter, not because of an affinity for pencil rockets, but because I could buy them and clone all the Satellite Interceptors, Mavericks and Black Brant IIIs that I wanted.  I would have continued to think of the Skywriter as a donor kit had I not been in the mood to fly something different at a planned launch at B6-4 Field the ...

  • Estes Nova Payloader By Jon Revelle

    Brief: A great level 1 3FNC with a clear payload tube & a rather aggressive looking fin design. It can be quickly assembled & finished in only a couple of days. It is also very easy to get it to look just like the picture on the packaging. Construction: I picked this rocket up at a local crafts store. Regular price was ~$15 which seemed awfully high for a rocket with ...

  • Estes Nova Payloader By Doyle Tatum

    Notes: I built this model for club contest and left it unpainted (I used magic markers instead) for that reason. I followed the instructions except for the following comments and suggestions: Step 1. Added Kevlar Cord to engine mount, that reaches to the top of the body tube. Step 2. No Change. Step 3. Used five-minute epoxy to connect fin pieces. When dry, I filled cracks with ...

  • Estes Nova Payloader By Jon Revelle

    Brief: Single staged 3FNC Payload rocket with nice fin design. This kit has been recently discontinued by Estes. The Nova Payloader was originally introduced in 1986 as a Skill Level 2 (and in my opinion, it should stay a Skill Level 2 because of the fins). It was then discontinued the first time, 10 years later at the end of 1996. It remained absent for a few years until sometime ...

  • Estes Nova By Ty Bliss

    Nova (Estes #2497) is an "Almost Ready to Fly" kit that stands 20.6" tall with a diameter of 1.33" Its deep purple and white color scheme combined with a stylish nose cone make a great looking rocket. It can be flown single-stage or two-stage using the Estes B-55 Booster (not included). Components Kit components include: 5.5" long white plastic ogive nose cone that ...

  • Estes NSA Starship Starter Set By Eric Truax

    This is a pre-assembled rocket starter kit. Just tie the 'chute to the shock cord, add wadding, drop in your engine, screw the plastic on the back, add igniter, put on pad, put batteries in the launch controller, hook up clips, and PUSH BUTTON! I bought this kit at Wal-Mart because my wife wanted to get into the sport. Not knowing much about it except for watching me, I thought this would ...

  • Estes Odyssey By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: From a personal standpoint, the most regrettable error I made in the '80s had nothing to do with parachute pants or a Flock Of Seagulls haircut, but rather with giving my rockets away to the younger brothers of one of my college friends. Twenty-odd years down the road I found that it was possible to recreate all but one of these early kits by cloning them, the Estes O ...

  • Estes Omloidinator! By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    (by Dennis McClain-Furmanski - 09/05/04) Brief: Kit bash of Estes Omloid and Eliminator into a single rocket Modifications: There are a million rockets lurking in spare parts boxes. This is the story of one of them. I'd purchased a collection of parts which included most, but not all, of an Omloid egg lofter. I had nothing else of that size until I happened to purchase an ...

  • Estes Omloid By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is an egg lofting rocket by Estes with a large payload capsule suitable for eggs and other payloads. It flies on 18mm motors and is recovered by a parachute. It has been out of production (OOP) for a few years. Construction: The kit came packaged in a nice bright colored box and included the two motor mount sections, retention ring, fins, lower launch lug, two BT-56 ...

  • Estes Optima By Eric Fletcher

    Estes - Optima ( Contributed - by Eric Fletcher )  Height - 43" Width - 2.56" Weight - 17oz Motor - 24mm Brief This is an Estes single stage rocket to be flown on D size engines. Construction The kit came in a hanging box display and was packaged very well. All the parts were intact. I think it was manufactured before they had skill levels on the box. But I ...

  • Estes Optima (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Estes Optima was the alter-ego of the Estes Shadow, the same rocket with different decor.  When I decided to do a clone of the Optima, the only BT-80 tubing I had on hand was three different lengths that had all been scraps from other projects.  Because of this, my clone is likely the only one with a clearly defined fin can and an extra coupler. Components ...

  • Estes Oracle By Harvey Miller

    Estes Industries recently released the first production digital video camera rocket. I had read about the Oracle many months ago on an Internet user forum. The insider information described a low quality, short duration, video camera. I was pleased to learn that Estes had made a couple of upgrades before final release. This easy to build and great looking rocket with respectable digital video ...

  • Estes Oracle By Tim Van Milligan

    Brief: The Estes Oracle Video Camera Rocket takes captures digital videos that can be downloaded into your Windows computer. It is a pre-built kit that only requires attaching one body tube and installing the shock cord and parachute. Construction: The kit is an E2X style rocket, meaning that everything is already constructed and the decals are attached. There is no painting ...

  • Estes Oracle By Eric Maglio

    This is the Estes Oracle Digital Video rocket. It represents multiple firsts not only for Estes but for all of low power rocketry. This rocket uses 24mm D motors and contains a micro digital video camera in the nose cone powered by a single AAA battery. Also, the Oracle uses a quality nylon chute instead of a plastic Estes one. The Oracle kit contains 2 body tubes. The first is already ...

  • Estes Oracle By John Chapman

    Brief: The Oracle is a large, mostly preassembled model rocked intended for video capture of launches. The rear looking video unit connects via USB port to standard PCs. the resulting 30 video clips can be viewed with Windows Media Player. Construction: THe tail is a Plastic one piece unit with four fins and bayonet motor mount rear retention. Two coupled 12" body tubes ...

  • Estes Orbital Transport By Jason Vennard

    This is a limited-edition re-release of the Orbital Transport, new for 2002. Single 18mm motor booster with a single glider that sits piggy back on the main rocket, and is released at apogee. Skill Level 4 kit. There is a large number of parts to this kit. Two body tubes, one for the booster and one for the glider, likewise two nose cones. three sheets of uncut balsa for fin material, ...

  • Estes Outlander By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Based on the Mars Lander design, this is clearly one of the best-looking designs of Estes 2004 fleet. I really wanted to like this. Really. Unfortunately, this great design was very poorly executed and the result is a very disappointing performer. At nearly $30 retail, I can't recommend this kit unless it's for display and being built by someone with considerable patience. If ...

  • Estes Outlander By Greg Brown

    Brief: Single stage, parachute recovery with shock-absorbing landing gear. Construction: Upper BT-60 body tube of 5 11/16", lower BT-60 body tube of 2", blow-molded ascent module, nose cone and engine nozzle, four legs made of die-cut balsa, 1/8" dowels and foot pads, 18 inch parachute, 24 inch shock cord, numerous die-cut cardboard centering rings, leg support ...

  • Estes Outlander By Eric Maher

    Brief: Next generation Mars Lander. Construction: The kit includes: 2 BT-50 (one long, one short) 1 BT-20 1 large blow molded plastic piece from which you cut the nose cone, ascent module and nozzle 2 die-cut paper sheets 2 die cut balsa sheets 18" parachute Sticker type decal sheet Typical Estes materials including engine mount I bought this ...

  • Estes Partizon By Andrew B

    It is a very fun rocket to build although, just a little hard.. It is super fun! Good job Estes :)  

  • Estes Partizon By Andrew B

    It is a really good rocket. I have flown on a F40, G125, & a F25. All really good flights. Surprisingly, the shock cord actually holds up really really well to the ejection charge. All in all, I would give this a 4.5 star review. Components All good, high quality parts. /h2 Instructions were the best. Very easy to follow unlike other Estes kits. ...

  • Estes Pathfinder By Brian Ray

    Brief: This is a clone of the OOP Estes kit. While it is a fairly standard model, it has some very nice qualities to it including its size and its transition. Construction: My primary components were: 18" BT-60 body tube 18" BT-55 body tube PNC-55 BT-60 to BT-55 transition 4 Hand-traced and cut balsa fins 2.75" 24mm engine tube BT-60 ...

  • Estes Patriarch (RTF) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a RTF model that resembles a Patriot missile with clear fins. It flies on 18mm motors and includes a twist-lock motor retainer. Construction: None, it's RTF. My son found this rocket so I didn't even have to attach the chute. I'll rate it a '5' even though Estes did the work. Finishing: None needed, but it looks great. Construction Rating: 5 out of ...

  • Estes Patriarch (RTF) By Mitch Marchi

    Brief: "Ready to Fly" kit. Construction: Three clear plastic fins and some great decals give this model a realistic look like the Patriot missile. It has a plastic engine mount with an engine retainer ring, not a hook. Typical Estes elastic shock cord and plastic chute. The only step required was to attach the parachute to the shock cord. Instructions were good and ...

  • Estes Patriot Baby By Eldred Pickett

    ( Contributed - by Eldred Pickett - 11/21/09) Brief: Stage Bash of Estes Patriot Missle and Baby Bertha kits for 2009 EMRR Challenge. Construction: For my Stage Bash I decided to use Estes Patriot and Baby Bertha kits.  I called it “Patriotic, Baby!”(Say it like Austin Powers…) I originally planned to use an internal BT20 tube and use gap-staging ...

  • Estes Patriot M104 By Bill Eichelberger

    After dodging temptation for several years, a deal on a Hobby Lobby clearance rack that I couldn't pass up made me the proud owner of an Estes Patriot M104 missile.  I originally bought it figuring that I'd find a use for the nose cone on another project, but as often happens when things lay around the shop, I eventually opened it up and built it.  Never one who cared for the ...

  • Estes Patrol Cruiser Excalibur By Larry Zeilmann

    This is a single staged, futuristic style clone of the Estes Out of Production (OOP) kit from the Galactic Pirate series. It flies on a single 18mm motor and recovers on a single 18" plastic Estes chute. Instructions for this kit are available on JimZ's web site at http://www.dars.org/jimz/estes.htm The parts inventory is listed in the standard Estes part nomenclature, but some of the ...

  • Estes PeeWee (Plan) By John Lee

    Brief: The PeeWee is a little two stage rocket designed by Tom Rhue and featured as the Estes Design of the Month for October 1961. It stuck me as "primitive" and I do not mean that in a derogatory manner. As someone said on YORF, it hearkens to a day when the hobby was being made up as the modeler went along. I decided to try and build it and promised I would post the ...

  • Estes Pegasus By Casey Smith

    This is a skill level 1 rocket Estes says is a great first rocket. It has a quick release motor mount, a plastic fin unit and a parachute. The parts of the rocket all come colored red, so no painting is involved if you don't want to. The rocket comes with the motor mount, the main body tube, the 2 piece plastic nose cone, shock cord and parachute. The directions are classic Estes fare, and ...

  • Estes Phantom By Frank Casey

      The Estes Astron Phantom was produced between 1973-1996. This particular rocket was never meant to fly. Instead is was created as a display and demonstration model, showing the inside of a typical model rocket. This kit came with the usual parts and also the following special parts: 1 clear plastic body tube 1 clear plastic fins and fin can 1 clear plastic nose cone 1 ...

  • Estes Phinagain Cruise Missile By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 10/09/04) Brief: I generally scavange whatever rocket parts I can for future use. This is the story of such a rocket. It is BT-60 based and flies on 24mm motors. I also installed two outboards, although now that it's built, I don't think I will use them. I may add LEDs to the outboard pods, since the cones are translucent and are not solid. ...

  • Estes Phoenix Bird By Michael Schmid

    This is a remake of the old Centauri classic. I was a bit disspointed by Estes' choice not to use the original kit's plastic fin can, nose cone, and body coupler. The instructions for building the kit have a fatal flaw. The kit uses through-the-body-tube fin mounting, and, if the directions are followed, the builder will NOT be able to insert the engine mount as the fin tabs stick well ...

  • Estes Phoenix Bird By Mark H

    The Phoenix Bird is an Estes remake of the early 80s Centuri Phoenix Bird.  Although close in appearance, this version uses BT-55 based parts compared to BT-56 used in the original.  The biggest difference though is the Estes version uses through-the-tube balsa fins, and a balsa nose cone.  The Centuri version used a plastic fin can and plastic nose cone ...

  • Estes Phoenix By Tom Bell

    - by Tom Bell  The Estes' Phoenix is a challenging scale model kit of a US air-to-air missile. It is gun to build and fly and an excellent introduction to mid-power rocketry.  INSTRUCTIONS: The instructions were illustrated and easy to follow. No special tools were needed. EASE OF BUILD: This rocket is not easy to build, due to the large amount of lumber it carries. It ...

  • Estes Photon Disruptor II By David Fergus

      This is a futuristic design, 18mm engine, 2.7 oz., 24 inches long, 1.3 inch diameter, parachute recovery. It is now obsolete, but still available in surplus outlets. Construction of this rocket is very straightforward as is typical with Estes kits. There was plenty of balsa to cut to patterns for all the extra little fins. The only construction deviation was to use Pratt braided ...

  • Estes Photon Disruptor By Matt Joseph

    Brief: This is a skill level 2, 18mm motor rocket. Recovery is via an 18" red plastic pre-assembled parachute. This is one of the Classic Series offered by Estes. Construction: The two body tubes are glassine paper tubes. On this kit, the tube spirals were practically non-existent. The fin material was laser cut balsa, and the nose cone was balsa. The instructions were easy ...

  • Estes Photon Disruptor By woody

    Kit #3025: The Photon Disruptor by Estes is a Sci-Fi stylized, multi-finned interstellar torpedo carrying a Radiation Flux-tipped warhead. Built by the Space Weapons Division (SWD), it is designated variant: Mod ptx-t1103 APP-RAD. 8-214.   Components In the Estes Photon Disruptor kit #3025 there are two main body tubes, an upper body tube BT-55 at (34.5cm) long, and a ...

  • Estes Photon Probe By Jon Revelle

    Brief: Single Stage, 18mm fantasy rocket from Estes. It didn't live long (1991-1992) so I was lucky to find one. I found it at Ace in September, 2004 and was shocked to see that it was there. Construction: The Photon Probe is a skill level 2 build and came in a cheap plastic bag, which had a slightly dented body tube, along with a sheet of balsa, launch lug, nose cone (cloning ...

  • Estes Polaris By Donald Besaw Jr

    This is one of Estes 2001 new release kits. It is a skill level 2 sport rocket with parachute recovery. The kit comes with a body tube, upper body tube, adaptor, launch lug, nose cone, motor mount, die cut fin sheets, shock cord, assembled 12 inch parachute and decals. PROS: Easy and rapid construction. CONS: Beginners could run into problems with fin alignment. This kit is easy to ...

  • Estes Pop Fly By George Beever

    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 ...

  • Estes Porta-Pad II Launch Pad (302215) (Other Product) By Thomas Malthouse

      Nice launch pad for up to D size motors. Pricey compared to the Quest pad ($25 vs. $20) but can accept 3/16 rod as well. Blast deflector very strong. " Sturdy, plastic tripod design with tilt adjustment (up to 30 from vertical). Easy to set up and take down - no tools required! Comes complete with blast deflector and standoff, two piece 1/8" (3 mm) launch rod, safety cap and key. ...

  • Estes Porta-Pot Shot By Frank Casey

    Brief: This is a new Estes Kit. It is a single stage kit and recovery is by parachute and also a white streamer meant to look like toilet paper. (I don't make this stuff up...) Construction: The body itself is styrofoam and comes in two sections. The roof of the rocket is made of hard plastic. It also has four clear plastic fins that attach to the bottom of the kit in order to ...

  • Estes Prime Number Explorer By Matt Gillard

    Brief: A ten finned 13mm rocket and is quite large for its motor size. Recovers via a 12 inch parachute Construction: Kit consists of: 1 launch lug. Estes paper shock cord mount Estes 12 inch parachute 2 foot length elastic shock cord Nose cone Shroud lines Body tube Engine mount tube Engine hook Pre-cut balsa fins Paper adapter rings Decal sheet ...

  • Estes Pro Series II E2X Booster By Lester Anderson

    Brief This is a "add on" booster for Estes's new "EXII Pro Series 2" model rockets. It holds the new 29mm F15-0 black powder booster engine from Estes. Components A some cardboard tubes, for the outer body, motor mount tube, a coupler, a cardboard thrust ring, three plastic fins, two strong plastic centering rings, and a Pro Series 2 engine retainer. Construction ...

  • Estes Pro Series Impulse By Casey Smith

    This was one of the pro series line of kits Estes offered in the early 90's. It is a basic dual engine 24 mm rocket with some upgraded components. It has a very nice yellow nylon chute for recovery. The kit comes with the pre slotted main body tube, a "payload" section, and 2 motor tubes. It has 4 balsa fins that come with spruce to reinforce the edges of the balsa with. It has the basic nose ...

  • Estes Prospector By Joseph Olexa

    This is a basic single stage, four fin, plastic nosecone rocket. It is a ready to fly kit with minimal assembly which is to attach the parachute and you're done. A pretty basic rocket using standard B and C 18mm rocket engines. Estes item/kit number 002457. The rocket out of the box has two tubes that go together at a coupler joint which is also the separation point for the parachute ...

  • Estes Prowler(2) By Nick Hills

    Modified Estes Prowler (by Nick Hills)  Specifications: Length: 40" Diameter: 1.64" Motor Mount: 18MM The instructions are the "usual" Estes type. With diagrams for every step. The tools needed are: pencil, ruler, X-acto knife, glue, 3/4" masking tape, and sandpaper. All parts fit good without any sanding! I modified mine to take Aerotech 18MM D and E ...

  • Estes Prowler By Ben Robinson

    Oversized basic rocket, 24" parachute Three balsa fins, slots in the rear body tube section to help align them, 36 inches of tube and a plastic nose cone. Uses the standard paper shock cord mount. This was my first BETA series rocket, and everything went together pretty easily. The only tools needed are white or yellow glue, sandpaper, a pencil, and a ruler. The two tube couplers are ...

  • Estes Prowler By Eric Miller

    My wife was out shopping at Toys 'R' Us with her Godchildren and being the good wife that she is picked up a rocket for me. She let the Godchildren pick it and I received an Estes 'Prowler'. I was impressed with the rocket selection power of the girls age 5 and 7. The Prowler is a Beta (beginner) series rocket. It is a large rocket and a basic 3FNC design. This kit was packaged in plastic ...

  • Estes Prowler By Larry Zeilmann

    This is a skill level 1 rocket with simple construction that makes great stable flights. Kit includes: 3 12" BT60 body tubes 3 balsa die cut fins from 3/32 balsa 2 BT60 tube couplers 1 PNC60NA Nose Cone 36" of 1/4 elastic shock cord 6" of white BT20 motor tube 1 Engine hook 2 1" long 1/8 launch lugs 2 CR6020 centering rings 1 black motor hook retainer ring ...

  • Estes Python-4 ASRAAM By Alex Rothchild

    Brief: The Estes Python-4 ASRAAM Model Rocket Kit is the last of the four new models I had to build which were introduced recently by Estes. I have already completed the other three and have been working diligently on this one. Actually we've been building two of them; my son and I are working in parallel, although I tend to build a bit faster than him. The kit is one of four new ...

  • Estes Python-4 ASRAAM By Alex Rothchild

    Brief: This is a low power, single stage military style rocket. It flies on B and C power and uses a 1/8 inch lug. It includes a tail cone and uses a 12 inch chute for recovery. Construction: I received the kit as a gift when I was first getting into rocketry, so it probably wasn't a great second or third kit for me. It came in a "Launchable" box and included many ...

  • Estes Python By Jim Stuckman

    CONSTRUCTION:     The Estes Python kit is well packaged in a cardboard hanging box. All parts were present and in good shape. This is a skill level 2 kit and should not present any problems to someone with a couple of rockets under their belt. The instruction sheet is clear and well written. This combined with a well designed kit make for an enjoyable and rapid build. The ...

  • Estes Python By William Lee Ojile

    Brief: The Estes Python is a large D powered sport scale air-to-air missile. It is not a scale model of an actual missile. This allows the builder to get a taste for scale effects without the pressure of living up to the real thing. The size of this bird is very impressive for the price and the moderate skill level. Construction: The Python comes in a large hanging box, which I ...

  • Estes Python By Eric Fletcher

    Estes - Python ( Contributed - by Eric Fletcher)  Brief Model has been modified to use G80-10. Modifications I had to make new centering rings out of 1/4" plywood. I also added steel wool above the motor mount so I would not have to use wadding. I also had to cut some of the fin off because it is a through the wall fin designed for 24mm motor mount. I did not add any ...

  • estes quark By mike kuzio

  • Estes Quark By Nick Esselman

    Estes, the long time leader, has created a flying buddy for the Mosquito . . . Quark . Quark is mini-engine, featherweight, tumble recovery rocket that's simple and fun to fly. The kit comes with 5 parts, instructions and decals. You will need a hobby knife, sandpaper and glue to assemble this kit. The instructions are straight forward and easy to follow. Construction is simple and took ...

  • estes quark By mike kuzio

  • estes quark By mike kuzio

    A mini rocket. Flight Went up so high that I couldn't find it. Can't see the flight at all. Flight Rating: 1  

  • Estes Quasar (0650) By Jason Orosco

    Estes Quasar was a single stage sport rocket with a 12" parachute for recovery. Production ran from 1973 to 1984. It was listed as KC-1, a Citation series rocket. It came out in 1973 it was a Original Citation with plastic chromed NC and clip-tip fins, In 1975 it was changed to a white NC and clip-tip fins,Then it was changed later on to a white NC with regular plastic fins. I still have ...

  • Estes Rainmaker By Matt Gillard

    Brief: An OOP 2-foot tall rocket with a paper shroud transition and an unusual base. Recovers via a 12-inch parachute. I purchased it from the rocket model shop in one of its mystery box packages. The rocket came in a plastic bag with an art card. Construction: Kit consists of: 1 launch lug Estes paper shock cord mount 1 parachutes (Estes 12 inch) 1 2 foot ...

  • Estes Rampage By David Urbanek

      Simple level 1 kit from Estes Well, this was easy to build. They're not kidding when they mean level 1. The motor tube is encased in a plastic cage that acts as centering rings and fin alignment anchors all in one. Don't get me wrong. If you want a rocket and you want it now, this is very close to instant gratification. It can be built with the same tools that you would have if you ...

  • Estes Ranger (Clone) By Ray King

    Brief: Modified Estes Ranger - a three motor cluster rocket with a payload section. My version includes a baffle and uses motor hooks that were not part of the original kit. I was looking for a kit or a plan that would be suitable to fulfill the NARTREK Silver cluster flight requirements. This look alike to the Big Bertha would be a great addition to my fleet if painted in a similar scheme ...

  • Estes Rascal (2021) By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Rascal is a 4FNC kit offered by Estes for a short time back in the early 90s. This is one of those projects that I probably wouldn't have been tempted to build except for eBay. Back in 2001 I bought an assortment of Estes rockets and launch equipment in an auction. Among the "goodies" in the old range box was a pocket knife, a badly started body tube and engine ...

  • Estes Rascal (RTF) By Joseph Olexa

    Brief: This is an Estes Rascal Kit #1897 and is silver in color. It is a pre-assembled kit where the only thing you need to do is attach the parachute to the rocket. The parachute is 12" in diameter, and the kit uses an Estes (rubber band) shock cord attached to the launch lug inside the rocket body tube. No painting is required. The package says it will go to 1200'. ...

  • Estes Rattler 7 By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Rattler 7 was one of a pair of rockets that I bought specifically to be built and flown the following day at my first club launch back in 2001. An almost RTF (E2X) offering from Estes, the Rattler 7 was a scale-like, pseudo-military missile with sticker graphics and 18mm power. Despite what sounds like a lack of enthusiasm for this bird, I actually found it to be a decent ...

  • Estes Recruiter By Graeme Cooke

    Single stage scale-like B or C powered rocket. Components Interesting Nosecone and expansion coupler.  Has a faux rocket nozzle.  I think the nosecone and coupler are the same as what the Estes "Beta" kit has. /h2 I built this when I was about 10 back in the '80s.  Followed the instructions and it's still flying today. Finishing Well, I was ...

  • Estes Red Alert By John Lee

    Brief: This is a simple, high-performance OOP rocket from the Estes catalog of '91 and '92. Construction: It includes an engine block, paper shock cord mount, launch lug, lug offset, shock cord, streamer, screw eye, balsa nose cone, BT-5, and 3 die-cut fins. The build is easy and instructions are excellent. I sanded the fins to an airfoil shape, filled the tube spirals, ...

  • Estes Red Alert By John Lee

    Brief: Next week, my club is going to have an informal 13mm duration competition. I never win these things, but I do like to take part. With only a week to go, I realized that I didn't have anything ready to enter and started looking through the inventory. I found the Red Alert. It seemed light and would go pretty high on an A despite the draggy nose cone. Besides, it was near the ...

  • Estes Red Nova By Ty Bliss

    Red Nova is a scale-like model of a missile that stands 21.6" tall.  The rocket's design includes a uniquely shaped nose cone, two sets of four fins, extra body tube detail pieces, and a 24mm motor mount.  When well-finished, the Red Nova is a great looking, high flying D-motor powered rocket.   Components Components include: 3.75" Two-tiered molded plastic ...

  • Estes RediRoc Intruder By Michael Rangitsch

    The Intruder is one of Estes' first RTF models. It is a conical piece of foamed polystyrene with a motor mount. Nice way to burn motors. It flies low and slow. The Intruder has no fins, only short 'legs' on the rim of the polystyrene body cone. A single 13mm motor powers this beast. No construction to speak of. You can't use Krylon on this one because it eats the plastic. Finishing: I ...

  • Estes RediRoc Intruder By Jon Revelle

    Little cheap-o rocket I found at ACE in March 2005. The last recorded year it was made was in 1996. This things almost 10 years old! It's a fun rocket to play with in your own yard. The rocket consists of only 2 parts: a body tube and the styrofoam body. It also came with decals. Construction was completed in about 10 seconds! All you have to do is paint it and install the engine tube! ...

  • Estes RediRoc Intruder By John Lee

    UFO, oddroc, practically ready to fly, 13mm motor, aerobrake recovery. The Invader is a simple, almost ready to fly, entry level UFO rocket. It is made almost totally from Styrofoam and is really ready to fly except for the paint job and stickers. The "kit" consists of a foam UFO, a cardboard motor tube, some stickers and an Estes safety sheet. There was going to be less to this "build" ...

  • 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. ...

  • Estes RediRoc Raider By John Lee

    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 ...

  • Estes Renegade-D By Jeff Boldig

    This was a neat kit of a space ship type rocket.  It included lots of fins and large pods on the end of the largest fins. Components The parts were typical Estes kit.  Everything went together well and the instructions were typical for Estes kits.   /h2 This went together quite well.  I did add a piece of Kevlar for the shock cord.  It was ...

  • Estes Renegade-D By Gregg Discenza

    The latest incarnation of the Estes Renegade kit has changed the rocket from a 2-stage to a single-stage, probably because of the booster stage's tendency to semi-glide recover at a rather high rate of speed. My daughter chose the kit at the local hobby shop, because "lots of fins are cool, daddy!" I have been impressed with the quality I have been seeing from the newer Skill 2 or higher ...

  • Estes Renegade By Jim Hinton

    ( Contributed - by Jim Hinton - 12/08/04) Brief: I changed the booster to a triple 18mm cluster by installing motor mounts into the two side pods along with a conventional wadding type recovery system in each side pod capable of utilizing either streamers or 12" parachutes in each pod. Nose weight added to compensate. Modifications: The biggest trick on this one was determining ...

  • Estes Renegade By Robert Davis

    The Renegade is a cool staged rocket featuring a tumble recovery for the booster and a parachute recovery for the 2nd stage. It also flies great as a single stage rocket. The kit came with a whole lot of parts, including two lengths of BT-60 body tubes (one of them was much shorter, of course, for the booster section), a tube coupler, a couple different types of nose cones, two BT-20 engine ...

  • Estes Renegade By Duane Boldt

    Brief: The Estes Renegade kit is a very sharp looking 2-stage kit that looks great in any fleet. It looks good on the shelf and it looks good in flight and staging. It flies on 18mm motors and used tumble recovery for the booster and a parachute for the sustainer. Construction: The Estes Renegade kit contains the following parts: 1 - BT60 x 18" Body Tube 1 - ...

  • Estes Renegade By Bob Bernatchez

    Brief: Very cool looking, two stage design. The upper stage can also be flown as a single stage rocket. Construction: There are a fair number of parts in this kit. Tubes included are two BT-60 for the airframe, two BT-50 side pods for the booster, two BT-20 for engine mount tubes, and two short lengths of BT-5, again for the booster. Also included are various couplers, adapter ...

  • Estes Richocet By John R. Brandon III

    A new pseudo-scale military single-stage rocket with SAM appeal. This one was sold at my local Wal-Mart store in a cardboard box. Parts included were a motor mount tube, an engine hook, a long adapter ring, an engine block, a main body tube, an upper body tube, a balsa transition, a balsa nose cone, a sheet of laser-cut balsa fins, four hardwood strips, a launch lug, a screw eye, a 24" ...

  • Estes Ricochet By Rich DeAngelis

    The Estes Ricochet is a low power rocket kit. Although light, at 22 inches high it seems "bigger". It uses 18mm A,B and C motors. I like the military-missile style of this rocket. I enjoyed building this kit and I enjoy flying it because it flies well. Since it is relatively light, it flies to very high altitudes with the larger motors. It also has a large, narrow upper section you can use ...

  • Estes Riptide Launch Set By David Crowell

  • Estes Rock-It By Steve Kristal

    Brief: If the Flintstones had a rocket, this would be it. A simple BT-80 based 3FNC with an unusual nosecone, waterslide decals, and a novel paint recommendation. Construction: The kit contains: 1 X BT-80 body tube 14.25" 1 X BT-50 24mm 4.25" motor mount tube 3 X laser cut 1/8" balsa fins 2 X BT-80 motor mount rings 1 X 24mm engine block ring 1 X ...

  • Estes Rocket Red Crayon By Aaron J. Grier

    A "ready-to-fly" four-fin rocket that looks like a red crayon with fins at the bottom. Components Single cardboard body tube, pre-colored, stickers already applied Plastic combination fin unit and engine retainer Plastic nosecone /h2 This couldn't be easier.  Assembly consists of literally tying the parachute to the nosecone, tying the shock cord to ...

  • Estes S.P.E.V. By Bill Eichelberger

    Supposedly created for the sole purpose of ridding the parts bins of excess components from out of production kits, the Estes S.P.E.V. (aka: Spare Parts Elimination Vehicle) undoubtedly possesses one of the more interesting background stories in model rocketry. While it would be excusable if such a rocket failed in the styling department, the S.P.E.V. actually manages to project a sort of regal ...

  • Estes S.V. Gemini C By Andrew Scott

    ( Contributed - by Andrew Scott - 05/17/06) Brief: The Space Vehicle Gemini C is a military research rocket. I used this DC Gemini rocket kit for my kit bash, because it has TTW fins, which means it is stronger than the other ones also you don't have to worry about the fin alignment. Modifications: Build the motor mount per the instructions and glue it in place. Glue the fins in ...

  • Estes Sabre By Michael Rangitsch

    Editor's Note: The Sabre was part of a starters set that is now OOP Brief: Simple EX2 construction, three fins & nose kit. Construction: The Sabre has the typical EX2 construction. The three plastic fins go through the wall and are glued to a plastic cage around the motor mount. The shock cord is attached to a gizmo that is glued through the forward wall of the body tube. ...

  • Estes Sahara By swat kat

    This kit appears to be a bash of Pro-Series II parts featuring The nose and transition from an Argent, with one lower body tube instead of two. It also appears to have the Partizon's fins. It still uses the standard pro series 29mm mount and screw retainer and 24" chute. Finished weight for me was 13.08 Oz. Components There are two main body tubes, a 2" upper tube and a 2.6" ...

  • Estes SAROS By David Fergus

    (from the 1971 Estes catalog) An excellent scale-like model for any rocketeer. A new feature is the integral fin unit-engine mount providing immediate and positive location of the thrust rings. The embossed metallic press-on material and decal arrangement add the final professional touch of realism not found in other models of its class. Modifications: Launch lugs mounted to a dowel for rail ...

  • Estes Satellite Interceptor By Dale Marshall and Tim Reidy

    Brief: This rocket is being reviewed by Dale Marshall and Tim Reidy. Tim has more building experience so his comments are listed first. Tim: When I saw the list of kits that Estes was re-releasing as part of its Classic Series, I was delighted to see the Satellite Interceptor on the list. It had been on my list of kits to clone, and now Estes had saved me the work. Dale : Well ...

  • Estes Satellite Interceptor By Jewel B. Butler Jr.

    Brief: This is one of the new Estes kits from their Classic series,Crossbow SST is another kit similar in design. They call it Cool and Futuristic. I agree with both descriptions. This is a sleek multi-fined with tubes which made me go wow and some great decals to really make it kind a nasty like it will seek out and destroy. It use a 18 mm engine with parachute recovery. ...

  • Estes Satellite Interceptor By David O'Nan

    Brief Older skill level 3 Estes kit introduced in 1978 and discontinued in 1982. Had one back in 1979 that I lost to a tree on its first flight. When I became a BAR this is one of the first kits I wanted to clone, but it was difficult because of the unique nose cone/tail cone combination. However, in 1997 Estes introduced the Wildfire kit (#2154, see picture), which re-introduced this plastic ...

  • Estes Saturn V By Frank Casey

    This is the classic Estes Saturn V kit, No. 2001. I purchased this kit off of eBay for a very good price. The kit was started. The single 24mm motor mount had been installed (using crazy glue), the fins and fin fairings had been partially assembled, the engine nozzles had been completed and secured to the cardboard nozzle disk holder, and the capsule and tower had been assembled. Other than ...

  • Estes Saturn V By Mike Caplinger

    This is a short review of the Estes Apollo 11 Saturn V kit, number 2157.  I purchased the kit in 2017. There are several reviews of this kit in its various forms over the years on RR and tons of information on the web.  Probably the definitive source of information is Chris Michielssen's build thread from 2011, which starts at http://modelrocketbuilding.blogspot.co ...

  • Estes Saturn-V/Apollo 11 By Jim Stuckman

    First Impressions: 10/31/98 - Tonight I had a large package waiting for me when I got home - a beta-version of the soon to be released Saturn V!The kit is packed in a NCR style box with a cool graphic of the Saturn V. The specs on the label are: 43.25" Long 3.938" Diameter 10.2 oz weight Motor D12-3 Est. Max Alt - 100' Upon opening the box, it quickly becomes ...

  • estes Scion By Hans Haase

    Part of the Estes Pro Series II, only available as a direct from Estes kit, and packaged with the bare minimum of materials.  One of the largest, yet least expensive, of the PSII kits.  Essentially based on the Estes Leviathan, but longer and a different use of the same fins.  This would be a great way to dive into big mid power rockets, or even the low end of high power ...

  • Estes Scissor Wing Transport By Mark Van Luvender

    Brief: Single staged boosted glider. This rocket is a re-release of an earlier Estes kit. Construction: Parts were of standard Estes quality and consisted of main body tube, 18mm motor tube (long tube since it's the tube for the boost pod), body tube for tail, plastic nose cone assembly, two balsa sheets for wing/fin pieces, 2 centering rings, one engine block, one engine hook, ...

  • Estes Scissor Wing Transport By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This classic has been reintroduced as a "limited edition" run for about a year now. It's a very unusual swing-wing design with the wing springing out at separation to convert the rocket into a glider. With colorful decals, it's a beautiful looking bird. Construction: The kit contains: BT-50 body tube BT-20 motor/pod tube Metal engine hook BT-50 ...

  • Estes Scorpion By Steve Lindeman

  • Estes Scout By Bob Goffena

    Small rocket i received for a birthday around 1990. Shot this off at a rocket launch at grade school, during school hours, with a C6-5 if i remember correctly. Other students shot rockets off, and their rockets were recovered. My Scout just disappeared into the sky, noone saw apogee, noone had a clue where it landed. We guessed it must have gone over 2,000 feet. The one thing i will never ...

  • Estes Scrambler By Jon Revelle

    Brief: Classic clustered egg-lofter. Very neat rocket. Construction: This is a clone kit I purchased on eBay for $21.00. It came in a box, but the parts were in a plastic bag. All parts were present. The Astron Scrambler was Estes' first egg-lofter and was distributed from 1969-1977. The kit includes: 1 Balsa Nose Cone 1 Payload Tube 1 Balsa Transition 2 Balsa ...

  • Estes Screamer By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: A step up from the fire and forget Mosquito, the Screamer is a mini-engine bird that lives up to its name. Even with its mini engine power, this little rocket is out of sight before the smoke hits the blast deflector. With its bright orange paint it is a highly visible rocket, but with the kind of performance that it is capable of, bright orange paint is only going to be of so ...

  • Estes Screamin Mimi to Der Red Max By James Gartrell

    ( Contributed - by James Gartrell - 07/01/03) Brief: Upsized motor mount to hold Estes E-9. Substituted fin design, paint scheme and Tango Papa decals for Der Red Max. Omitted super sonic whistles and related fins, although I seriously considered including them to make a "Der Screamin' Red Max." Length of the rocket is 26 inches, rather than 25.5 inches for the Screamin' ...

  • Estes Screamin' Mimi By Fred Shecter

    Single stage with 12" parachute recovery and 4 whistles that make sound (when using D12 motors, but I heard some during one of two C11 flights. Kit includes: Estes BT-60 4 Die-cut balsa sturdy fins plus 4 die cut balsa sturdy whistle pod stand-offs Plastic nose cone Typical short shock cord (but it is 1/4" wide elastic). Extremely excellent instructions. Estes has REALLY ...

  • Estes Screamin' Mimi By Andy Miller

    The Screamin' Mimi is a single stage rocket with 18" plastic chute, 24mm motor mount, and four whistles. The kit includes one single body tube, 4 fins, four whistle fins, four whistles, and a nose cone. The motor mount is 24mm. I added 18 inches to the (too) short elastic shock cord. The instructions were well written and with good illustrations--better than some I've seen in the past. ...

  • Estes Screamin' Mimi By

  • Estes Screaming Eagle By Bob Allen

    Brief: Single 18mm engined F-15 Eagle jet fighter design, with a 12 inch parachute Construction: This kit contained the following: 1 - BT50 white body tube 10.75 inches (mine was crunched, so I replaced it) 1 - BJ-20 Engine tube, w/hook, block and centering rings. 1 - PNC-50E Plastic Nosecone w/cockpit bubble 2 - 1/8" by 9" wooden dowels 1 - Plastic parts ...

  • Estes SDI Satellite By Frank Casey

    Brief: I chose this rocket because I was sick of all the "normal" looking rockets. In New Zealand, only Quest and SOME Estes kits are available, and a look through what was available in NZ made me realize that, on the most part, they all looked the same. Then I came across this little beast! A very unusual "rocket" indeed. Looks just like its full-sized counterpart, ...

  • Estes SDI Satellite By Frank Casey

    Brief: This is a single stage low power kit. It has a very unique appearance. Some people like the look while others think it's one of the ugliest rockets ever made. Construction: Parts List: Main body tube 8 Fuel tank tubes Nose cone Engine mount tube Launch lug Engine hook 2 Centering rings Die-cut balsa sheet Die-cut card (contains 16 ...

  • Estes Sea-Dart By Casey Smith

    This is Estes representation of the British surface to air missile used in the Falklands war in 1983. It is a single stage rocket with standard parachute recovery. It was only in the 1983 and 1984 catalogs. They are getting harder to find. This was the second rocket I ever had. The kit comes with the main body tube, a long motor tube, and 12 fins and 4 strakes. It has a plastic nose cone and ...

  • Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V By Jeff Lane

    Brief: The Estes Semi-Scale Saturn V is a highly desirable vintage collectible that sells for hundreds of dollars on eBay and is very rarely seen in its original packaging. It's a simple BT-60 rocket with an ingenious fin can that is a very reliable flier on Estes black powder 18mm motors. Construction: The build starts with the standard cardstock centering rings/coupler ...

  • Estes Show Stopper By Chris Flanigan

    Simple kit to build with just a few steps to get to the field.   My son put this together himself. Since he likes big rockets but we only have a 300 yard field, we use small parachutes.   This rocket is very sturdy and can handle harder landings.   For us, this rocket is perfect if you want a quick to build large rocket. Components Plastic nose cone ...

  • Estes Shuttle Xpress By Chan Stevens

    The modern, E2X reincarnation of the ARV Condor, this kit is a quick, easy build and eye-catching design. At apogee, (2) separate gliders break free to circle the field while the main rocket eases down under chute. The 2003 Estes line seems to be carefully packed, with each body tube enclosed in plastic. The nose cone is an unusual appearance, with a raised canopy and a duct area underneath. ...

  • Estes Shuttle Xpress By Ed Rodrigo

  • Estes Shuttle Xpress By Douglas Gardei

    Two Parasite Gliders lofted by an easy to build rocket.   The rocket parts include two body tubes, plastic fincan halves, fins, launch lug and nosecone. The recovery system consists of a pre-made plastic parachute, and an elastic shock cord. The gliders are made from foam parts, each with a plastic launch hook and a set of decals. The foam wings have two adhesive strips on them ...

  • Estes Silver Comet to V2 (Modification) By Darrell Edge

    Converting the existing Silver Comet to the once available V2. Modifications: I wanted to recreate the V2 in an inexpensive way using readily available parts. My first purchase was the Estes Silver Comet rocket kit. This was the same platform that the old V2 from Estes was built on. The next step was to get the fin pattern from Jimz plans online. I downloaded the fin pattern and took it and ...

  • Estes Silver Comet By Gary Sinclair

    ( Contributed - by Gary Sinclair) Brief: Fiberglassed body and fins. 3mm Kevlar ® shockcord. LOC precision 16" parachute. Centering rings were glued using 5 minute epoxy. All joints were glued using epoxy. Modifications: The Silver Comet is a great looking kit which I felt deserved to be built to last and fly on E and F motors. To this end I decided to re-enforce the body and ...

  • Estes Silver Comet By Tristan Higbee

    ( Contributed - by Tristan Higbee )  The Silver Comet is a 1997 edition Estes model rocket. It is a skill level two and is one out of the few Estes rockets that takes a "D" engine. It is a fairly easy rocket to make if you have some experience. It requires a ¼ inch launch rod and is 25" long. The average cost of a Silver Comet is about $20, and I think it ...

  • Estes Sizzler (1906) Starter Set By Dick Stafford

    After I entered some old flight logs on the Estes Sizzler, I decided to look at the EMRR review. To my surprise, this was not the same kit! The newer Sizzler was not merely a re-issue with materials differences, it was larger (BT-60 vs. BT-50), had a different fin design, and used rear ejection vs. standard NC ejection. The original Sizzler (#1906) was a basic 3FNC Skill level 1 rocket. I ...

  • Estes Sizzler (2127) By Mel Gray

    (by Mel Gray)  Background The Sizzler (#2127) offered by Estes, is a rocket with sharp looks and special features. The Sizzler is advertised by Estes has being 70 centimeters long, 4 centimeters in diameter, and 110 grams when finished. Recommended motors are the B4-2. B6-2, C5-3, C6-3 and C6-5. This bird is on the larger side for B and C power, so I was planning to investigate ...

  • Estes Sizzler By G. A. Dean

      Estes has used the name "Sizzler" on several rockets down through the years. The latest to carry the name (Kit #2171) is a minimum-diameter screamer with swept fins like one of the earlier Sizzler's, but a new smaller size that gives it hot performance to match it's fast styling. Construction of this kit is simple and straightforward, but some careful attention to fin strength and ...

  • Estes Skinny Mini By Dick Stafford

    The Skinny Mini was a 'longneck'-style, 13mm, minimum diameter rocket that used streamer recovery. Mine dates back to the late '80's. The parts included: 2 sections of 13mm tubing tube coupler plastic nosecone 3 die cut balsa fins plastic streamer rubber band shock cord launch lug engine block This was a typical skill Level-1 kit. As with other Estes kits, it ...

  • Estes Sky Raider By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The Estes Sky Raider was among a handful of D-powered rockets that I always longed for as a kid. (The Renegade and Demon were two others.) I loved it's size and the cool lightning bolt inspired decals. Back then I also loved the idea of flying D-powered birds but not the economics. I was subsisting on a meager allowance and a pack of C6-5s took a pretty big chunk out of that, ...

  • Estes Sky Writer By Dillon Frazier

    A 26-inch long rocket designed to look like a pencil. Made by Estes. An E2X model that is powered by standard engines (B6-4, C6-5, ect.). Components 2 main body tube sections Engine moun tbuilding components  plastic nose cone 4 inter-connected plastic fins rubber shock cord 12 inch preassembled parachute   /h2 Very easy to build, ...

  • Estes Skybolt (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Skybolt was a 3fnc rocket from Estes that still managed to look good despite its simplicity.  Produced from 1980 to 1984, I remember giving serious thought to picking up a Skybolt at a Kay Bee Toy and Hobby at the ragged tail end of my first dalliance with the hobby in the early 80's.  The simplicity appealed to me, as did the fact that it flew on D ...

  • Estes Skywinder By John Lee

    I'm going to be taking part in a rocket exhibition for some elementary aged kids next month and wanted to show a wide variety of types. In thinking about it, I realized that I have not built a true helicopter recovery model before. I began to look around to see if I had a really simple one and I found the Estes SkyWinder which seemed to fit the bill. The first step in construction is to ...

  • Estes Skywinder By Jeff Gilmer

    This is an easy to build helicopter recovery rocket. Kit contains one body tube, two nose pieces and a dozen or so motor/rotor pieces The overall instructions are classic Estes. They start with a complete parts list move logically into a step by step description with illustrations. The beauty of this kit is the ease of building. Except for a couple of issues this kit can be completed ...

  • Estes Skywinder By Spinal

    (Reprinted with permission from Spinal's Fun & Hobbies Page)  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Company: Estes  Price: $16.69  Series: E2X  Rating: (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  Engines: B4-2, B6-2, C6-3  Nose Cone: Plastic  Engine Mount: Quick Release Engine Hook (screw out kind)  Fins: Plastic  Recovery: ...

  • Estes SM-3 Seahawk By Daniel P. Loegering

    Recovers in two pieces by two separate 18" parachutes This rocket kit comes packed in a sturdy box from Estes so there is minimal chances of receiving crushed body tubes in a bag. All parts are typical Estes quality with nothing bad to say about the kit. Body tubes are pre-slotted for all fins.   The rear fins are two part plastic fins that result in a seam to fill if the builder ...

  • Estes SM-3 Seahawk By Greg Deeter

    The SM-3 Navy Seahawk was a skill level 2 Explorer Series rocket. Came in a nice box which can be used as a range box. Typical Estes, great instructions, nice quality, and one of their better kits. This kit is out of production (OOP) and I will bet I know why. This can be a dangerous kit to build. Reason being, the fins are RAZOR sharp! I am shocked that Estes ever made a kit with fins this ...

  • Estes Snapshot (RTF) By Simon Berry

    Brief: Estes Snapshot RTF (remake of the older Astrocam) in a starter set with controller and launch pad. Construction: This rocket has very similar components to the other Estes RTF rockets with the obvious exception being the nose cone camera unit. It uses a standard Estes elastic shock cord and plastic parachute. The camera unit is basic and takes 110 film. No ...

  • Estes Snitch (RTF) By Bob Hvarven

    ( Contributed - by Bob Hvarven) Another little ARF - There will surely be a Global "Plastic Shortage" very soon. Just happened to see this one while sliding the isles at Wally World. This is a little intro to a Flying Saucer ARF..... Package: Again, it is hard to slam the packaging. Estes has done a fine job of making an appealing product presentation. I would like to see ...

  • Estes Snitch By Nick Esselman

    I purchased the Snitch to add to my 18mm U.F.O. comparison article . It is a simple Ready-to-Fly model from Estes made up of plastic and seemingly indestructible. CONSTRUCTION: The instructions are printed on the back of the cover-art and they simply tell you how to hook in the wire legs and flying guidance. That's it. Ready-to-Fly. The wire legs connect very easily. The rocket comes ...

  • Estes Solar Flare By David Scigliano

    Brief: This is a flashy two-stage rocket kit. The Solar Flare is a Skill Level 2 rocket kit that features laser cut balsa fins, high quality body tubes, clear payload section and a plastic nose cone for a straightforward assembly. The B or C powered booster stage has a tapered look and makes this rocket look like an intergalactic researcher. In addition to being a two-stage rocket, ...

  • Estes Solar Flare By Chan Stevens

    Note--this review is for the standalone rocket kit, not the starter set package referenced in the prior review. The rocket is a nifty 2-stage (18mm==>13mm) ring-fin design with a clear payload tube, with the booster so well integrated into the design this could easily be mistaken for a single-stager on the pad. Components My kits came in a retail bag pack, and as a result my ...

  • Estes Solar Probe By George Beever

    Brief: A single-staged, futuristic design, featuring several tube diameters. The Solar Probe was available from Estes from 1991 to 1993. The design carried hints of a Centuri influence. Construction: The parts list: 1 BT-60 body tube, 5" long 1 BT-50 body tube, 7 3/8" long Four fins, balsa, 1/16", each fin of 2-piece construction 1 BT-20 ...

  • Estes Solar Sailer II By Bill Eichelberger

    Having been a fan of the original Solar Sailer back in 1978, I felt fortunate to pick up the reproduction Solar Sailer II in 2001 after being the (shocked) only bidder in an Ebay auction. Although about ten inches shorter than the original, the Solar Sailer II looked identical everywhere but side by side with its big brother. Components 18" BT-20 core tube 12.7" BT-50L ...

  • Estes Solar Scouts Launch Set By John R. Brandon III

    The Estes Solar Scouts launch set include two rocket kits, a launch pad, and control.  The two kits are the Farside and the SkyDart.  They are reviewed individually below. FARSIDE A pre-colored E2X-class rocket included in the Solar Scouts Launch Set, with a 3FNC configuration and parachute recovery. The Farside was packaged in a plastic bag. Its components included a ...

  • Estes Solar Warrior By Tony Fragge

    In 1994 when I was born again. I found this exotic, skill level 2, single-stage rocket at a hobby shop going out of business. It was the first rocket that I built that actually looked like the picture in the kit. I have built a few more Solar Warriors since but I still fly the original one. The kit comes with a BT-20 body tube (9.75 inches in length) and two BT-20 (1.5 inches in length) pod ...

  • Estes Solar Warrior By Steve Lindeman

    This is a review of the NEW Estes Solar Warrior kit #3225. This kit has nothing in common with its predecessor kit #0895 [1991-1995] other than name and manufacturer. Somebody at Estes didn't do their homework when naming this rocket and it's too bad they didn't come up with a better name (like say Solar or Galactic Torpedo). Other than that this is a great 24mm kit that features 8 fins ...

  • Estes Space Racer By Chris Taylor Jr.

    This is a rather simple rocket yet I think it will be one of my favorites. I think its best quality is that very cool nose cone.  Assembly was very easy, body tube, engine hook ring to hold 4 fins, and a nose cone! That's all. The nose cone is plastic and the fins are fiber so finishing is also very easy and nice looking.  I chose to finish mine stock. I used the decals that came ...

  • Estes Space Shuttle (RTF) By Willy Logan

      This rocket goes up in one part and comes down in two. The Orbiter glides down while the power pod comes down on a parachute. The assembly for the Space Shuttle was fairly simple. However, for joining the foam parts together, Contact Cement was required. Most beginners don't have contact cement. The only finishing that this rocket needed was decals. The decals were easy to apply. ...

  • Estes Space Shuttle (RTF) By John Lyngdal

    "Instructions were fine, as little information was needed to be communicated. This is a close to RTF (Ready-to-Fly) product, unless you elect to paint it . . . but why bother." With respect to quality: "A foam rocket, so little was expected." How did it fly? "The rocket arcs over onto it's back as soon as it clears the launch rod. C5-3 and C6-3 delays are too long for this rocket. Often the ...

  • Estes Space Shuttle Columbia By Matt Gillard

    An OOP rocket of the space shuttle. Estes have released a few other space shuttles that have been gliders. This older one is just the shuttle itself and recovers by a parachute. I got two of these older rockets from a rocketeer that was giving up the hobby. Both kits had been opened and had bits missing, however these were easily replaced. This review is for Estes kit number 1424, which seems ...

  • Estes Space Shuttle By Dick Stafford

    This is a review of the OOP Estes Master's Series Space Shuttle, EST# 1284. It is a 1/162 scale replica of the Space Shuttle and includes both Orbiter and booster sections. These sections are connected at launch, boost on a single C5-3 or C6-3 engine, and separate when the 'main engine' ejects. The Orbiter uses glide recovery while the booster uses a parachute. For flight, there are removable ...

  • Estes Space Shuttle By David Fergus

    This is a 1/162 scale model of the Space Shuttle in a boost glider configuration. The kit uses a single 18mm engine mount set off-center in the External Tank (ET). At apogee, the Orbiter releases and returns by glide, while the ET/SRB booster assembly recovers by parachute. Auxiliary fin units (removable for display) are provided for stability during flight and are attached into the bottom of ...

  • Estes Space Twins (Plan) By Stefan Jones

    _Space Twins_ is (are?) a nifty rocket that spawned a bunch of imitators through the years, ranging from the MPC Lunar Patrol to Estes' own "A.R.V. Condor." It features a finless central core that is recovered by parachute, plus two "parasite" gliders that detach on ejection. The _Space Twins_ plans were distributed by Estes Industries as part of their "Free Plan" program. The plans may be found ...

  • Estes Spaceman Spiff By Glenn Roth

    ( Contributed - by Glenn Roth - 08/27/09) Brief: 3-parallel staged Bullpup 12 Ds powered by 18mm motors. Modifications: After several cataclysmic failures, I can tell you a challenging rocket to build and a fun rocket to fly. Best suggestion I have is to "stack" several pieces of 1/8 x 1/4" plywood for standoffs. Use epoxy . If you go to YouTube and look up ...

  • Estes SpaceShipOne E By Cliff Sojourner

    Brief: This is a large scale model of Burt Rutan's Space Ship One, the X-Prize winner. We enjoyed watching the X-Prize develop, we have built the other X-Prize kits from Estes, so when the super sized SSO became available, we jumped on it. As you can imagine we were full of anticipation and high expectations for this kit. Construction: The components included in the kit are: ...

  • Estes SpaceShipSqrt(-1) By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 04/19/08) Brief: When one of my rocketry buddies decided to hold a building session, I was scrambling to decide what to work on. I decided to use a 50% off Michael's coupon to grab an Estes SS1 kit for bashing. I turned it into a retro-styled spaceship with more conventional fins and wing-tip pods. I also converted it for 24mm motors. ...

  • Estes Speed Freak (RTF) By Warren Rhodes

    Brief: The Speed Freak is a RTF rocket that comes in a starter pack that includes the launch pad, controller, and cell battery for the speed reader. This British pack does not come with motors. Construction: Rocket is ready to go. I was using this rocket as a test vehicle to look at different shapes of parachute with the same surface area. Construction is very easy. A ...

  • Estes Speed Freak (RTF) By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The Estes Industries Speed Freak is a starter set with a ready to fly rocket with an electronic digital speedometer capsule. Also included is a Porta Pad II launch pad, Electron Beam launch controller, 2 piece 1/8" launch rod, two motors (B6-4 and C6-5), ignitors, plugs, wadding, button cell battery for the capsule and instructions. Construction: The only components ...

  • Estes Sprint By Tim Burger

    - A classic high-performance rocket from the 60’s Forward: The Estes Sprint is one of those timeless classic designs that old rocketeers remember fondly. This Mike Dorffler design looks like it’s going fast even when it’s just laying there and the exceptional performance has had me hooked since the first one I ever owned ’way back in the early 70’s.. It would ...

  • Estes SR-71 Blackbird By Paul Altman

    Estes - SR-71 Blackbird ( Contributed - by Paul Altman)  The SR-71 comes boxed like most Estes Challenger series kits. It is a level 3 and they aren't kidding but well worth the time. First thing you should do is look at the directions very carefully and note the pictures. Very important for the nose cone to fit well. I personally did not like the way you glue the fins together in ...

  • Estes SR-71 Blackbird By Lowell Hamilton

      The Estes SR-71 Blackbird kit is a model of the famous spy/recon plane retired from service a few years ago. This rocket is skill level 3, and difficult to build, as slight misalignments make the rocket spin or turn.  The rocket came in good condition with all parts in good shape and the balsa fins cut well.The instructions were well-made for the complexity of the kit and ...

  • Estes SR-71 Blackbird By Jon Revelle

    This is a scale model of the world's fastest jet. Estes brought it back in 2003 along with some other military rocket kits. This one was the original vintage version that was given to me by my neighbor. He said he built it sometime in the 1970s, it was missing fins, and in need of a parachute. The newer ones come in a bag with: 1 BT-50 body tube 2 shorter BT-50 body tubes 1 nose ...

  • Estes SR-71 Blackbird By Hank Helmen

    This is the Sport Scale SR-71 Blackbird Model Rocket. It is an 18mm motor with parachute recovery Estes challenge kit. The SR-71 was designed at the famous "Skunk Works" with a mission of high alititude reconnaissance! The Blackbird kit comes in a box with a color picture of the built kit on the outside. I built kit number EST-7003. It is labeled as a "Challenge" kit series with a skill ...

  • Estes SR-71 Blackbird By Eric Miller

    This is a model of the United Stated Airforce 1962 spy reconnaissance plane. Still the fastest and highest flying plane in the world. When I opened the box I was mesmerized at all the pieces to the blackbird and a few I never used before. This is a Estes Challenger level kit. An appropriate classification since it was. This kit can be built with a ruler, hobby knife and white or yellow glue. ...

  • Estes SR-X By Bruce Markielewski

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry".The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. ...

  • Estes SS2K By Brian Ray

    ( Contributed - by Brian Ray - 12/07/09) Brief: While building the Estes SpaceShipOne, I encountered a problem when the plastic cement recommended by the manufacturer melted and deformed the tail cone. To their credit, and typical of their customer service, Estes sent me a replacement model immediately after I shared with them what had occurred. Looking at the undamaged ...

  • Estes Star Dart By Donald Besaw Jr

    Minimum diameter rocket with a sleek, compact design. Uses a parachute for recovery. Flights to 2,000 feet are possible with this kit. Modifications: Replaced Parachute with a Custom Streamer. The kit came packaged in a plastic bag with the usual header card. The kit included the body tube which doubles as the motor mount, retention hook and sleeve, thrust ring, spacer tube, die-cut ...

  • Estes Star Duster By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    (by Dennis McClain-Furmanski - 09/14/04) Brief: This is a kit bash of an Estes Bullpup plus a few parts to build a model of the futuristic Star Duster from the 1960s cartoon "Scott McCloud, Space Angel". Modifications: "Scott McCloud, Space Angel" was a cartoon produced from 1962 through 1964. It used the "synchro-vox" technique, where stills were ...

  • Estes Star Orbiter By Chris Flanigan

    The Star Orbiter is one of the Pro Series II rockets from Estes.   It is about 46" long, 5.9 oz, and uses E or F engines. It is a quick build that you paint yourself.    This is a high flying mid-power rocket for very cheap ($20). That is cheaper than many low power rockets! Components 46" rocket with cardboard tubes Hardwood fins Plastic cone ...

  • Estes Star Rider By Kevin Johnson

    ( Contributed - by Kevin Johnson) Brief: Ring finned fantasy sport flyer. Construction: All the parts, with the exception of the ring fins and fin stock can be found in the new Nemesis kit. 1 BT-50 1 PNC50? plastic nose cone 1 18mm motor mount 1 12" plastic chute 1 BT-80 2" long 1/8" balsa sheet for fins clay nose weight I bought the new Estes Nemesis ...

  • Estes Star Stryker By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: A slick little payload rocket with a unique fin arrangement. I've heard rockets described as "3FNC" or "4FNC", meaning "3 or 4 fins and a nose cone", but the Star Stryker has to be described as a "10FTCTNC"..."Ten fins, transition, clear tube, and a nosecone." The kit consists of two sections of 19mm tube, a 19-21mm balsa transition, a nice balsa nose cone a section of 21mm clear ...

  • Estes Star Trek Klingon Battle Cruiser By Frank Casey

    Brief: A single staged Model Rocket commemorating the Star Trek series 25th Anniversary. Flies on a single 18mm motor and recovers with a standard 18" plastic parachute. Construction: Again, as is the case with the Enterprise rocket in this series. The Klingon ship has a very extensive parts list. Many Vacuum Formed parts that would also make this kit a difficult kit to clone. ...

  • Estes Star Trek Klingon Battle Cruiser By Frank Casey

    Brief: This OOP Estes Rocket kit number 1274 is a skill level 4 kit. It's a 25th Anniversary Commemorative Special Edition kit and comes in a very sturdy large black box with excellent box art on the front and even a schematic of the Starship Enterprise and Klingon Battle Cruiser on the bottom of the box. According to the box this is a "Flying Scale Model of the Federation ...

  • Estes Star Trek Starship Enterprise By Larry Zeilmann

    Single Stage 18mm Model rocket that commemorates the 25th anniversary of Star Trek . Rocket recovers via a single 18" plastic parachute. This kit comes with a quite extensive parts listing, many of which are unique to the kit. Therefore, this kit would be very difficult to clone. I will list them as listed in the instructions. 1 Vacuum Formed Plastic Sheet PF-75 1 Pattern Sheet SP-75 ...

  • Estes Star Trek Starship Enterprise By Bob Patterson

    USS Enterprise, Skill Level 4, approx 17" long, with 28" stability tube that houses parachute. Single engine, 18" parachute, stability tube stays attached for launch/recovery, and detaches for display. Numerous - see attached picture of 12 page assembly manual. My wife assembled this rocket 8-9 years ago, after having built a Klingon spaceship as a kid. When first flown, it got stuck ...

  • Estes Star Trek Starship Enterprise By Frank Casey

    Brief: This is a single stage 18mm kit of the famous Starship Enterprise. There are other excellent reviews of this rocket that accurately detail it’s construction so I won’t call out every detail on this build. I picked this kit up on eBay for $12.00 including shipping. As a matter of fact, I have purchased five of these in total for right around that same price. I notice that ...

  • Estes Star Wars Darth Vader's Tie Fighter By Bill Eichelberger

    A seldom seen bird from the last Star Wars craze, the Darth Vader Tie Fighter is one of those rockets that you look at and say "No way that can fly right."  Well, based on my experience, you might be right. Components Darth Vader Tie Fighter plastic model plastic flight coupler 18mm engine mount 2 black BT-50 body tubes tube coupler PNC-50YR nose  ...

  • Estes Star Wars Darth Vader's Tie Fighter By Matt Gillard

    Another Star Wars rocket, which is basically a plastic model with a rocket tube sticking out of it. As with most Star Wars rockets, it's not the most aerodynamic of shapes and requires a significant amount of nose mass for stability. Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter comes in several plastic parts - the "probe" which is two body tubes; a two-part nose cone; a connector; and a Star Wars ...

  • Estes Star Wars Death Star By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a skill level 1 flying model of the Death Star from the Star Wars movies. It consists of a booster and four foam quarters that make up the Death Star. It flies on B and C engines and has a parachute for the booster and a streamer for each Death Star quarter. The kit includes instructions, two body tubes (one slotted), coupler, engine tube, hook, centering rings, four fins, ...

  • Estes Star Wars Droid Fighter By Scott Turnbull

    This is one of those Star Wars plastic model starter kits. The kit consists of a handful of standard rocket components to which is mounted a detailed plastic representation of a Star Wars Episode I Droid Fighter. Recovery is via a standard chute. Included with the kit is a Porta-Pad, Launch Controller with Star Wars Logo, and launch supplies for three flights. The base of the rocket ...

  • Estes Star Wars Droid Fighter By John Lee

    Brief: Almost ready to fly, Star Wars-themed 18mm motor powered rocket. Construction: Aside from the Estes launcher set which I have yet to open, the kit consisted of: 3 glossy black body tubes, 2 narrow and 1 wide Plastic Nose Cone Plastic Shoulder Coupler Tube Plastic Fin Can Droid Fighter Elastic Shock Cord Parachute kit Since this one ...

  • Estes Star Wars Mini Naboo Royal Starship (RTF) By Casey Smith

    Brief: This is the mini engine powered version of the Naboo Royal Starship. It has a streamer deployment. Construction: The rocket comes pre-assembled, you merely have to glue on the clear plastic wings and tie the streamer on. The instructions are very easy, there are only 3 assembly steps, and 1 motor placement step. I used Testors plastic cement that is available at any ...

  • Estes Star Wars Naboo Royal Fighter (RTF) By Daniel R Sloan

    ( Contributed - by Daniel R Sloan ) Brief: A through C motor, close to RTF rocket with parachute recovery. Ready-to-fly plastic Naboo Fighter requires no construction or painting! Must be flown with flight probe. Construction: Assembly is very, very minimal and that it why it is a RTF. There was one joint on the tubes and then a full plastic fin assembly with a built-in motor ...

  • Estes Star Wars Naboo Royal Starship (RTF) By John Lee

    Brief: An all plastic ready to fly rocket from the Star wars episode 1 range. There is a smaller version available as well. I got this in a job lot from a Star Wars fan and he had never flown it Construction: Its ready to fly. With the except on two detachable jets at the back, four clear plastic fins, and a Star Wars stand, you only need to open the box, glue the fins on, and you ...

  • Estes Star Wars Naboo Royal Starship (RTF) By John Lee

    This is an almost Ready to Fly Star Wars rocket that is powered by 18mm motors and returns under parachute recovery. This rocket is almost ready to fly and was released to cash in on the second Star Wars trilogy merchandise bonanza. It does not look too bad out of the box but requires clear plastic fins for stability. The components in the box consist of: An assembled and finished ...

  • Estes Star Wars R2-D2 (mini) By Matt Gillard

    Brief: The smallest of the R2D2 range, it takes 13mm motors and recovers via a 12 inch star wars plastic parachute ejected along with R2D2's head. This is a ready to fly (almost) fun little rocket for the kids. Construction: R2D2 comes nearly pre-constructed. The clear plastic fins give flight stability and need to be screwed on. Also, a Star Wars 12 inch parachute needs to ...

  • Estes Star Wars R2-D2(2) (Modification) By Ken Johnson

    Another in the continuing series of improved "little" R2-D2 rockets from Estes. This one features what the "big" R2 had all along: A REAL nose cone, thereby eliminating recovery failure. Modifications: The first thing that had to go was the top, so R2 was beheaded at the blue band, just below the reinforced bulkhead. This bulkhead was then lowered about an inch and reattached to the inside of ...

  • Estes Star Wars R2-D2 By Thomas Beach

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. ...

  • Estes Star Wars R2-D2 By Ken Johnson

    A flying replica of the Star Wars R2D2. The instructions were easy to follow, and the order of assembly seemed logical. The kit components were all there and fit well, except for the body wrap decal, which was a bit too short, leaving a 1/8" gap. Regular wood glue and styrene cement were all that was needed. Finishing: The decal for the body tube fit poorly, requiring additional painting. ...

  • Estes Star Wars R2-D2 By Herb Estus

      This started as the Estes Fifteenth Anniversary R2D2 . Which was designed to fly off a C6-3. I have modified it to fly off 29mm motors because R2D2 just begged for more power to fly . Modifications: First step was making the fins bigger, I used the original plastic fins for the pattern, however I made them 2" longer with the 1/8" plywood. When I first did this I just glued the ...

  • Estes Star Wars Sith Interceptor By Casey Smith

    This is Estes's representation of Darth Maul's Sith interceptor from Episode 1. It is a single stage 18 mm rocket that doubles as a nice display model, and a fully functional model rocket with the flight probe attached. It has parachute recovery. The main plastic body comes as one piece, you merely glue some pieces on the flight probe and glue the probe together and your are ready to fly. It ...

  • Estes Star Wars Star Destroyer By Dan Priven

    The Star Destroyer is a big plastic model of the classic workhorse of the Empire, and a "Flight Probe" which holds the engine, parachutes, etc. The Star Destroyer is not a complex model. It is essentially two projects - one is a simple 34" x 1" finless rocket - body tube, shock cords, parachutes, nose cone, engine mount. The other is a simple plastic kit, comprised of only 14 parts, that need ...

  • Estes Star Wars Trade Federation Battleship By Frank Casey

    This is one of the Estes Star Wars collection rockets. It is the Trade Federation Battleship from Episode I. I picked up three of these in a package deal on eBay for very short money. I later learned why... It is a single stage rocket which consists of the Trade Federation Battleship with two clear plastic fins and a flight probe that are all attached for flight. The kit components ...

  • Estes Star Wars Trade Federation Battleship By John Lee

    Brief: The Trade Federation Battleship is an almost ready to fly adaptation of a ship from Star Wars Episode 1. In order to have a hope of stability, a long "flight probe" must be fitted to the movie version of the ship and that require weight and the addition of some clear plastic fins. The ship itself is built. All that needs building is the probe section and I had some ...

  • Estes Star Wars X-Wing (mini) By Wayne Froese

    Brief This is a quick to fly, ready-built model. An easily removed engine mount holds the mini engine and is recovered by streamer. The main body is tumble recovery. Construction There wasn't much to do before you were ready to fly. Add clay weights to the 4 rear 'engines' and CA the 4 small fins and then you are ready for finishing. Finishing A decal pack came with no guidance as to where ...

  • Estes Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Maxi Brute By David Montgomery

    Estes released the Star Wars fleet model rockets in 1978 following the very successful Star Wars movie on the big screen. The Estes Maxi-Brute X-Wing Fighter kit is a full scale replica used by the special effects team of Lucas Film in the making of the first movie. The Maxi-Brute X-Wing is a single stage model designed to be powered by a single D12-3 and recovered via twin 18" plastic ...

  • Estes Star Wars X-Wing Fighter By Jeff Howard

    This kit is easy to build but, due to the amount of detail, takes a great deal of time to build. It is a "scale" model of a Star Wars X-Wing fighter. The body consists of several plastic parts that must be fit and clued, along with a center body tube. It also has elaborate wing assemblies with many parts that must be fit together and carefully aligned. Fortunately the pieces are well cut and ...

  • Estes Star Wars Y-Wing Starfighter (RTF) By Matt Gillard

    Brief: 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!  Parts list: 1 pre-built rocket 1 Star Wars Electron Beam controller 12 inch Star Wars parachute 6 ...

  • Estes Star Wars Y-Wing Starfighter (RTF) By John Lee

    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 ...

  • Estes Starbird By Jeff Curtis

    I'm always keeping an eye on eBay for out-of-production kits.  About a year ago I spotted an Estes Starbird kit.  It had been opened, which must have hurt interest as I was the only bidder.  All parts were accounted for and I was happy for my good fortune. While essentially a 3FNC rocket, the three-section fins move it to the realm of the unusual.  It's not an easy kit ...

  • Estes Stardust (RTF) By Bryan Penfold

    Brief: This Ready to Fly (RTF) Starter Set comes with launch pad and controller. It was released in 1998 and is now Out of Production. It comes with a silver glitter body tube and purple plastic fins and nose cone. Also included is a pack of large sized glitter for special effects upon ejection. Construction: This kit is premade and ready to fly. I made a slight modification to ...

  • Estes Stars and Stripes By Donald Besaw Jr

    This is a Starter Set that includes the Stars & Stripes E2X Series rocket with streamer recovery, two B6-4 motors, igniters and wadding. Also included is a launch pad, controller, special USA decal and complete instructions for the rocket and launch pad and controller. The rocket components included a white BT-56 body tube, red fin assemblies and retention ring, blue nose cone, shock ...

  • Estes Stars and Stripes By Ed Rodrigo

  • Estes Stealth By Lester Anderson

    This is a Futuristic style kit, aparently meant to look like a interceptor/fighter capable of atmospheric and space flight. Skill level 3 due to the plastic body. Components This build was actually part kit, part cloning for me. I got the original plastic body form a fellow BAR in Arizona, but the rest of the parts I had to copy myself. The motor mount is standard 18 mm of ...

  • Estes STM 012 By Barry Harmon

    The Estes STM 012 is a tall, slim sport rocket designed for E impulse motors. It stands an impressive 44.4" tall whan completed. Components Kit contents include: 2x slotted body tubes 2 sheets of laser cut balsa fins Estes red coupler Moulded plastic nose cone 24mm motor tube 2 card stock centering rings Engine hook Engine block Spacer for D and ...

  • Estes Stormcaster On Board Video By Dan Cox

    ( Contributed - by Dan Cox - 01/29/06) If you are interested in filming digital video from the perspective of an estes rocket itself, then you've come to the right place. What follows is a project which was inspired by the Eye Soar design. Mine is simpler and uses only the parts from two Estes Stormcaster rocket kits, an Aiptek 1.3 Pencam and a bit of padding material. Below ...

  • Estes Stormcaster By Kirk Meckem

  • Estes StormCaster By Brian Guzek

    Your basic rocket design: body tube, nose cone, three fins, engine mount, and parachute. It is basically and upscaled version of the Alpha. The kit consists of: 2 12" BT-60 body tubes with one pre-cut for TTW fin mounts 1 Tube connector for BT-60 1 5" BT-60 nose cone 1 1/8" thick balsa sheet w/ die cut fins 2 1" long x 3/16" diameter launch lugs 2 cardboard centering ...

  • Estes StormCaster By Michael Doherty

    Brief: This is a new Skill Level 1 kit from Estes designed to fly on the new C11 motors. It is a tall, BT-60 based 3FNC design with through-the-wall fins, and a 24mm motor mount. The kits parts were all in excellent condition. The BT-60 has 3 slots on one end of the tube for the TTW fins. Die cut fins were high quality, as were all the other parts. Elastic shock cord was longer than expected, ...

  • Estes StrikeFighter By Dick Stafford

    I built this kit in the late 1980's. This model really looks cool and, despite the number of parts, was not terribly difficult to put together. It is a futuristic space fighter reminiscent of something from Star Wars or maybe Battlestar Galactica. The Strikefighter sports a unique nosecone that gives the appearance of a ramjet engine. The body tube is BT-55 and the fins are die-cut balsa. ...

  • Estes Super Alpha By Dillon Frazier

    Stands about 20 inches tall with a BT-60. Large nose cone. It's a pretty fat rocket, but quite easy to assemble and fly. Components Balsa wood fins, BT-60 body tube, engine hook retainer, engine mount components, very long rubber shock cord, 18-inch parachute. Construction and Finishing This rocket really doesn't have many cons. I would say the only one is ...

  • Estes Super Alpha By Bill Eichelberger

    The Super Alpha is the newest member of the far-reaching Estes Alpha family, only in mid-size BT-60 garb and with a terminally mismatched nose cone profile.  I love the concept, but not so much the actual presentation, and decided to go with a balsa nose cone with a more Alpha-like profile.  Since I was making wholesale changes, I also ditched the decal and went with the ...

  • Estes Super Alpha By John Bergsmith

    An upscaled version of the classic Alpha that flies on standard Estes 18mm engines . Almost 20 inches tall, this rocket reaches heights of 600 feet. Balsa Nose Cone, Laser-cut Balsa Fins, Cardstock Centering Rings , Engine Hook, BT-60 body tube , and waterslide Decals The motor mount is constructed using typical methods. The only thing I changed was to add a Kevlar shock cord that ties ...

  • Estes Super Alpha By

  • Estes Super Big Bertha (38mm) (Modification) By Steve Adler

    A Super Big Bertha modified to a 38mm motor mount, through-the-wall fins, baffle ejection system, and Anti-Zipper recovery harness. Modifications: This project required a number of advanced techniques and material. Fortunately I work in a field that allows me the opportunity to have access to all the materials and special tools required (like a kid in a candy shop). The airframe is covered ...

  • Estes Super Big Bertha By Darren Wright

      Estes' re-release of the upscale Big Bertha. Modifications: Converted to fly on dual-24mm motors and changed the upper body-tube into a payload section. The kit includes: Two (2) standard Estes BT-80 tubes Four (4) upscale Big Bertha 3/16" Balsa Fins A 24mm mount Paper centering rings A NC-80 nose cone An Estes 18" parachute An Estes standard chute mount ...

  • Estes Super Big Bertha By Mike Goss

    Intro: The Super Big Bertha is a re-release of the Classic Super Big bertha that Estes produced in 1989. This is an upscale of the venerable Big Bertha, one of the most popular Estes rockets. Rating: 4 ½ The Super Big Bertha comes in a cardboard box that helps to protect the components very well. None of the parts were missing, and all were in good condition. The materials are the ...

  • Estes Super Big Bertha By Tim Burger

    Brief A largish 2.6 inch rocket with a 24mm motor mount. This kit is pretty nice built stock, but came out before the new E9 motor was available. My version includes a motor mount that can accommodate this new product, as well as the new F21 from Aerotech. It also includes an ejection baffle, and fins that go through the wall made from basswood that are not a part of the original kit. ...

  • Estes Super Big Bertha By Michael Doherty

    The Estes Super Big Bertha is an upscale version of the immensely popular Big Bertha kit. It is based on a BT-80, and has a 24mm motor mount to accommodate the recommended D12-5 engine. Recovery is via a 24 in parachute. The kit contains 2 sections of BT-80, die-cut fins on 3/16th balsa, parachute, plastic nose cone, a long stuffer tube, chute, centering rings, engine hook, and a very narrow ...

  • Estes Super Flea (Clone) By Ken Johnson

    The Super Flea was a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with the Javelin. Estes sold these in the early 1970s, and it was the first kit I ever purchased with my own money. There was nothing really special about them, but it has a sentimental value for me, as I built the original with the help of my grandmother, who is no longer with us. So, I kind of built it as a ...

  • Estes Super Neon (original) By Matt Gillard

    Brief: This review is for the old version of the now newly released Super Neon. I built it quite a few years ago, but I'm reviewing it as part of the "You Flew It" campaign. At the time, it was the first tube fin rocket that I had built. Construction: By memory, the kit was a pretty standard Estes kit. Everything was present. Estes was still using the old sty ...

  • Estes Super Neon XL By Gregg Discenza

    Brief: The Super Neon XL from Estes is a modified tube-fin rocket with a beefy appearance and an E engine mount. As one of the taller Estes kits, it is certain to draw a crowd among the E2X flyers. Construction: The only exceptional thing about this kit is the high-quality balsa nose cone. right out of the bag it had a good weight to it, and with wood filler and gloss paint it is a ...

  • Estes Super Neon XL By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a new, upscaled version of the well known Estes Super Neon kit and it's a biggie at 35 inches tall and 1.6 inches (BT-60) in diameter. This new kit flies on 24mm D and E motors up to 975 feet and is recovered on a 24 inch parachute. Although it took well over 2 years for this kit to be released, it's finally here at last!!! Construction: This kit comes in a big ...

  • Estes Super Neon XL By Gareth Williams

    The Super Neon XL from Estes is a tube-fin rocket with a beefy appearance and an E engine mount.  A taller rocket it really draws peoples attention on and off the launch pad. Components BT-60 body tube, and tube fins larger balsa ogive nose cone. smaller balsa fins attach to the tube fins. Two large decals for main body tube allow for a personal touch when ...

  • Estes Super Neon By Larry Brand

    Super Neon is an updated 2007 re-release of an older kit. It is what I would call a "fantasy" tubefin in that it has decorative stub fins supplementing the 6 tubefins that provide the actual stability to create a futuristic appearance. The packaging highlights its "Space Age Tubular Fins". Well, so maybe they're not "stub fins", maybe they're cooling plates for the hyper-leptonic fusion ...

  • Estes Super Neon By Matthew Bond

    Originally produced by Estes in 1991, the Super Neon was reintroduced on 2007. The Super Neon is a tube fin rocket that also sports small “stub” fins on each of the tube fins. The Super Neon flies on the standard assortment of 18mm black powder motors and uses a 12 inch parachute for recovery. The header card promises soaring flights to 1000 feet, which is beyond optimistic ...

  • Estes Super Nova Payloader By Doyle Tatum

    Brief: Large but not chunky payloader. Lots of room. Construction: Quality; have only seen this one boxed. I prefer the boxed ones - any damage on the inside is likely to be visible on the outside. All parts present. None broken. Clear and cardboard tubes, lots of plastic parts including transition, motor mount and fins. Instructions: Easy to follow, usual decent illustrations in ...

  • Estes Super Nova Payloader By Doyle Tatum

    (by Doyle Tatum) This is one large rocket and is extremely easy to put together. I read through the instructions and test fit all the parts together before beginning. The instructions are easy to follow and seem to be precise. I was surprised at the quality of the plastic parts, as they all fit together well with minimal flashing (plastic from molding that must be cut away). The only ...

  • Estes Super Nova Payloader By Jonathan Rogers

  • Estes Super Shot - Military By Donald Besaw Jr

    This is a starter set that includes the Army and Air Force mini engine E2X series kits with parachute recovery, launch pad, controller, two A10-3T motors, igniters, plugs, and wadding. I purchased this kit at Wal-Mart for $19.99, not bad for two rockets. By image, the Army is a shortened AGM-57X Heetseeker while, the Air Force is a shortened MK-109 Stingray. The kits included the body tubes, ...

  • Estes Super Shot - Military By Adam Sepe

    Two small, single-stage, semi-scale model rockets, with parachute recovery. E2X style (almost RTF). This is a starter set which comes with: (2) A10-3t motors, a Porta-Pad II, an Electron Beam launch controller, igniters, recovery wadding, (2) body tubes, (2) nose cones, (2) pairs of really cool fins (3 each), (2) mini engine mounts, clay, pre-assembled chutes and more! The instructions are ...

  • Estes Super Shot Mini By Douglas Gardei

    Mini Engine Starter Set. Comes with a "Space Bus" bullet style rocket, and a "Space Hauler" Jayhawk style rocket. Also included is a mini launch pad, Electron Beam launch controller, two A10-3T motors with igniters, plugs, and wadding. The rocket kits each feature two body halves, a nose cone, nose cone base, plastic launch lug, motor tube, motor hook, overlap tube, shock cord, half width ...

  • Estes Super Shot Mini By Eric Truax

    A kit containing 2 plastic bodied rockets (Space Bus and Space Hauler) with cardboard engine tube and metal engine hook. Well, I tried model cement but saw that it wasn't sticking to the plastic. Rather than second guess it, I went straight for the CA! I thought that since these little buggers were so small it would be OK--and it was! Construction was a snap, with about 10 minutes or less ...

  • Estes Super Shot By Marty Wiggins

    Simple Beginner rocket that is easy to build and fun to fly. This rocket came as part of a kit. The simple plastic fin through the body construction makes the rocket easy to build. The motor mount is plastic and the rocket can be ready to fly in about 1 hour. The instructions are easy to follow. The only supplies needed are some plastic cement. The rocket does not need painting. The decal ...

  • Estes Super Shot By James David Reyome

    ( Contributed - by James David Reyome - 10/01/02) Brief: Easy to build, simple to fly, novel recovery. Construction: The Twister came to us as a part of the Super Shot starter set, which also includes the Super Shot rocket (looks like a Bandit with a different decal set) along with a launch controller and pad and three motors. Fins are die-cut balsa and the easy to follow ...

  • Estes Super Vega (Modification) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Estes Super Vega was among a group of rockets that I received as a Christmas gifts in 1994 after my wife stumbled upon a hobby shop closing sale. (I also received a Hornet, Greyhawk and F-22 Interceptor as a part of this haul, but the D-powered Super Vega was definitely the kit that caught my attention.) I began work on it soon after the holidays while my son ...

  • Estes Super Vega By Peter Davidson

    Brief: The Estes Super Vega is a truly glorious upscale of the classic futuristic Estes Starship Vega, and I'd say one of Estes most appealing and beautiful designs ever to see the light of day. At over 35" in height, this upscale towers over the original Starship Vega but is sadly now OOP along with its little brother. Construction: Included in the comprehensive parts ...

  • Estes SuperNova RF Video Payloader By Bob Weiss

    ( Contributed - by Bob Weiss - 06/27/09) Brief: Upon returning to the rocketry hobby a few years ago, one of the first "serious" projects I wanted to attempt was an onboard video camera system. Most of the commercial systems being used in LPR rockets (such as the Estes "Oracle") utilize onboard digital recording and suffer from poor video quality and limited ...

  • Estes Surveyor By Daniel Hanson

    Brief: This was one of the first kits I built as a kid and I flew it so many times that I had to retire it. A couple months ago I found this kit for sale and had to get. This is a great rocket to get started with. It is more then just a 3 fin rocket. Construction: This kit has four fins, 5 nosecones, and a transition from BT20-BT5, with a simple streamer for recovery. ...

  • Estes Sweet Vee By Chan Stevens

    If you're interested in flying radio control and want to move up a notch above the very beginner-friendly Edmonds Arcie II boost glider, try to grab yourself one of these vanishing OOP kits. It's a pure rocket glider, meaning it goes up on its own without a pod. With a wing span of 55" and weighing it at a bit over a pound, it can boost slowly enough for even a novice flier to get the hang of ...

  • Estes T-25 Centurian By Daniel Miner

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport Rocketry - Jan/Feb 2004 ...

  • Estes Tandem-X Starter Set By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Estes Tandem X Starter Set is an entry level or re-entry into the rocketry hobby consisting of the Amazon and the Crossfire ISX rockets. It is easy to build both of the great fliers and all around fun rockets included. The Amazon consists of: Plastic nosecone Plastic fin-can/motor-mount Plastic coupler with launch lug 2 black body tubes 1 decal Pre-assembled chute ...

  • Estes Tandem-X Starter Set By Nick Esselman

    The Estes Tandem-X Starter Set is a good way to get into the hobby. According to the Estes website: Two is better than one! You'll get X-tra value with the Estes Tandem-X Model Rocket Launch Set. This exceptional rocket set features a pair of extreme, high performance rockets with a launch system ...

  • Estes Tao (Plan) By George Pike

    Brief: Tao is a 2-stage model rocket that was originally published as an 'Design of the Quarter' by Estes, and now available on JimZ rocket plans Website. This unique design incorporates a number of innovative, even radical features. The main feature is the use of angled tips on the fins of the booster stage to impart spin during the D12-0 powered boost stage, which 'theoretica ...

  • Estes Taser Twin By John R. Brandon III

    An easily assembled two-stage minimum-diameter rocket with a decent price tag. I purchased the kit at my local Wal-Mart for $6.96. It came in a corrugated cardboard box and consisted of three sections of body tube, a balsa nose cone, a sheet of laser-cut balsa fins, a combination upper thrust ring and tube coupler, a 24" long rubber band shock cord, a 30" plastic streamer, a lower engine ...

  • Estes Tercel By Mike Richardson

  • Estes Tercel By Mike Caplinger

    Boost gliders have a long and not completely successful history as kits.  Early Estes gliders included the Astron Space Plane, Falcon, and Nighthawk, but these soon gave way to a series of kits better known for their interesting appearance than their great glide characteristics.  Larry Renger's invention of the pop-pod configuration in 1966 came to dominate competition, but there ...

  • Estes Terrier Sandhawk By Yitah Wu

    ( Contributed - by Yitah Wu)  This kit has been discontinued, but there's still more than a few floating around - I've seen some at out of the way hobby stores as recently as 6/97.  I started this kit in 2/97, and finished most of the Sandhawk (less fins) and recently started to finish.  The Sandhawk portion of this kit is the same as the old Sandhawk kit. Lots of ...

  • Estes The Bat By John Bergsmith

    Brief: Estes The BAT has a unique fin design, and some really cool bat decals. This is a skill level 1 design that is very easy to clone and the design performs very well. Combined with the trademarked black color scheme, it's just one cool looking rocket. Construction: All materials needed to build are easily purchased.: Body Tube-BT-50 Engine Tube-BT-20 Engine ...

  • Estes The Dude By Joe Cacciatore

    This is sure a strange rocket. It is 7.5' tall and uses a balloon for the body of the rocket! Fins and an engine mount are attached to the balloon which uses an 11' parachute for recovery. It flies only on a D12-3 engine. The whole thing weighs about 10 ozs. It costs $19.97 at Walmart and that includes a launch pad and controller! The launch pad is just a plastic stake that you stick in the ...

  • Estes The Dude By Les Bradshaw

    This rocket goes back to the time when the body of a rocket was so thin it could not support its own weight. The rockets relied on the pressurization of the fuel to keep them from collapsing. The Dude has a fin/motor mount cage and then a chrome covered nylon "balloon" that is inflated for the body and nose. There are no body tubes. A simple plastic cage consisting of 2 rings and 3 ...

  • Estes The Dude By Victor R Gigante-Hueber

    This is an interesting rocket from Estes. It is basically just a plastic fin canister with a large Mylar balloon on the front. It comes with a launch pad and a launch controller and can be ready to fly in a few hours. This rocket comes packaged with its launch pad and controller in a very brightly colored box. The rocket's parts are bagged and the launch set is taped to a piece of cardboard. ...

  • Estes The Dude By Glenn Roth

    Brief: This is a large rocket that uses a mylar balloon as its airframe (like a blimp), is powered by a 24mm motor, and recovers by parachute. Construction: There is no body tube or payload, just an inflatable mylar balloon, and 4 fins. It uses a right angle motor mount for chute and motor with a monofilament line coming from the nose ring down to the parachute on the outside ...

  • Estes Three Pointer By Kyle James Yawn

    ( Contributed - by Kyle Yawn - 12/10/06) Brief: This is a kitbash I did for the 2006 EMRR Challenge. I had never tried anything like this before and it was exciting to do. I altered the DC Gemini to fly as a parallel staged rocket. The Parachute compartments were changed into boosters and hold 18mm motors as does the central core. This was a great challenge and makes you be ...

  • Estes Thunderstar By Kyle James Yawn

    This is a scale model of the Starchaser Industry's entry in the Ansari X-Prize. Just like the real Thunderstar, this model is a cluster kit. It has a two engine cluster mount that flies on 18mm motors. It's a beautiful scale model and a good first cluster rocket. The kit comes with the following parts: 2 18mm engine mount tubes 1 body tube 1 spacer tool for construction 2 mylar ...

  • Estes Thunderstar By John R. Brandon III

    A fairly accurate single-staged scale representation of the Starchaser Industries' Thunderstar (their entry in the Ansari X-Prize competition) that uses a two-engine cluster like the real rocket was planned to. The rocket kit consisted of a white BT-60 body tube for the main airframe, a dual 18mm motor mount (consisting of two fairly thin centering rings, two 4" long motor mount tubes, two ...

  • Estes Tidal Wave (RTF) By Brian Jarchow

    Brief: A ready to fly starter set with rocket, launch pad, controller, and two B6-4 motors. The rocket is essentially the Code Red with blue plastic & tube sticker. Construction: The rocket comes almost ready to fly; all the purchaser has to do is to attach the 12 inch parachute, which is pre-assembled. Look at the instructions before attaching the parachute, especially if you ...

  • Estes Tiger Shark (Plan) By Yitah Wu

    Estes Tiger Shark (From JimZ Plans)  ( Contributed - by Yitah Wu)  This one is Estes version of the Black Widow.  It's a 2-stager with glider recovery on the booster.  I downloaded the plans but as it is a major pain to get the drawings scaled properly, I ended up asking Jim Z for a Xerox copy of the patterns.  The original kit is BT20 based, but I like to ...

  • Estes Titan IIIE By Tim Doll

    Brief: The Estes 2019 Titan III E is a 1/73rd scale model of the mid 1970's vintage Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) launch vehicle. The Titan III E - basically a Titan III with a Centaur upper stage - had a relatively short service life with only seven launched. However its historical significance was considerable, as it was used to launch the two Helios solar explorat ...

  • Estes Tomcat By Hank Helmen

    Brief: This model rocket has a single stage 18mm mount, expanding wings for a gliding recovery. Construction: All the parts were in the packaging, like most Estes models. The kit utilizes balsa wood, a canopy for the nose cone, and what I consider a really neat way to swing the wings out. Maybe this method is used a lot ( I'm sure it is) but this was the first time I saw it, and ...

  • Estes Top Shot By Chris Flanigan

    I wanted a larger rocket that could shoot D & E engines to go around 1000 feet so I got this one.   It is an extremely fast build and fun to fly.   The E12 shoots it over 1100 feet! 37" high 5 oz total Parachute recovery. Components E2X - Easy to Assemble The only thing I don't like is the plastic cheap parachutes.   They work but they also rip ...

  • Estes Tornado By Eric Miller

      I recently bought a Estes Tornado. The Tornado is an Estes Explorer (Intermediate) series rocket.  This kit was packaged in plastic with a cardboard picture of the rocket.  The price was very right, $4.95. All the parts were included and none were damaged. The instructions were typical Estes. The instructions were typical Estes. Recently I've been exploring rockets with ...

  • Estes Tornado By Matt Gillard

    Brief: a neat little rocket that separates into two halves for recovery, one maple seedling and the other tumbling head over heels. I got this rocket from The Model Shop in the UK after coming second in the 2006 EMRR Challenge. (Thanks to EMRR and Paul Lavin from The Model Shop/Deepsky.) Construction: The kit consists of two body sections, a two part plastic nose cone, a sheet ...

  • Estes Trajector By Lester Anderson

    This is a sci-fi inspired kit recently released by Estes. It uses the same nose cone as the Interceptor E and Cosmic Interceptor, only pre-colored silver and black. Components Where to begin, Nose down? The nose is the same one as on the Interceptor E/ Cosmic Interceptor, only it's been pre-colored silver with black for the cocpit windows. Body tube is also pre-colored ...

  • Estes TransWing By Chris Taylor Jr.

    I got this one at Walmart for $10. It was a Glider so I had to have it.    Packaging: Full Color Box (nice for storage to build later) Parts: This is the ONLY area where I down-grade this kit. The hinges (explained later) for the wings are tape and prone to slop and failure. In addition, I had to do a lot of work to get the wings made e.g. cut my own shapes for wings and ...

  • Estes Trident II By David Fergus

    Exotic re-issue of the original Estes Trident, but with only two BT-20 ejection gas porting tubes instead of three BT-5 porting tubes. Kit comes with: (7) balsa nose cones (4) balsa fins original rubber shock cord and screw eye BT-50 engine pod and parachute bay BT-20 ejection gas porting tubes 18mm engine mount excellent decal set; all of excellent quality. I ...

  • Estes Trident By Kevin Johnson

    Classic exotic kit with unusual ejection gas porting. 1 BT-50 propulsion tube 1 BT-50 passenger tube 3 BT-5 ejection gas tubes 6 BNC-5 3 BNC-50 3/32 balsa fin stock 18 mm motor mount several CR-20/50 centering rings The instructions were typical for Estes at the time of the rocket's production. Good illustrations for the major steps and good descriptions of ...

  • Estes Triple DC By Matt Gillard

    ( Contributed - by Matt Gillard - 12/03/06) Brief: This is my first attempt at a kit bash, using a Gemini DC converted into a 3 motor parallel staged cluster that ejects two 13mm motor boosters on steamers, leaving the 18mm motor sustainers to recover on a 12 inch parachute. I never would have bother with a project like this, but with the 2006 EMRR challenge and a Gemini DC kit sat in ...

  • Estes Turbo Copter By Donald Besaw Jr

    This is an Estes E2X series rocket. It is a single stage rocket with streamer recovery for the booster and a helicopter recovered nose cone. The kit includes a body tube, engine hook, fin unit, plastic launch lug, shock cord, streamer, nose cone, helicopter blade, blade mast, nose cone insert, and decals. All parts are precolored so no painting is required. PROS: Easy Assembly, good ...

  • Estes U.S. Army Patriot M-104 (#2056) By Ray King

    I built this as part of the EMRR Challenge #7 as outlined I built this exactly as the instructions specify and then built a second with my own modifications. This rocket is a Semi-Scale version of the US Army Patriot Air Defense Missile. The rocket is designed to use an 18mm engine and 12" parachute recovery. 2 – BT-60 White Body Tube (6.625” Long) 1 - Yellow Body Tube ...

  • Estes U.S. Army Patriot M-104 (#2056) By Jim Bassham

    Brief: A semi-scale model of the US Army anti-missile missile. A friend of mine said no Estes rocket built stock can survive more than twelve flights. I decided to prove him wrong with this kit. Construction: Two White Body Tubes One Yellow Body Tube Blue Motor Tube Two Red Couplers Mylar Ring Engine Hook Green Engine Block Cardboard Centering ...

  • Estes UP Aerospace SpaceLoft By James Jason Wentworth

    The Estes UP Aerospace SpaceLoft is a BT-5 size, 13 mm mini motor-powered flying scale model of the SpaceLoft suborbital launch vehicle that is built and flown by UP Aerospace, which is based in New Mexico.  The model has a conical nose cone and three short-span clipped delta fins.  This E2X (Skill Level 1, "No Painting Required") kit is sold only in 12-kit bulk ...

  • ESTES UP Aerospace SpaceLoft (Modification) By Neal Miller

  • Estes US Army Patriot Starter Set By Carl Cravens

    Brief: Basic four-finned, parachute-recovery rocket, fully assembled and decorated. Appears to be physically identical to the Code Red RTF starter set rocket. Construction: Single body tube, four fins in a single-piece plastic casting. Motor mount is integrated into the fin section and the motor retainer is a twist-lock cap. Ready-to-fly, the only construction step was to tie the ...

  • Estes USSF Goonyflash (Modification) By

  • Estes V-2 (E-motor Version) By Brian Jarchow

    Brief: Single state, 1:19.5 scale model of the German V2 ballistic missile. The only skill level 4 kit Estes currently sells. The kit comes with plastic nose and tail cones, four plastic sheets of fin, a short 4" body tube, a BT-50 for the engine, centering rings, two 24" parachutes, and the usual motor retention stuff. Also, some decals for a more scale appearance. When I first started on ...

  • Estes V-2 (E-motor Version) By Frank Casey

    Brief: Large Mid-engine rocket with dual parachutes. Construction: The model came in a huge box. It was dented but there was no damage. Parts in the kit: Nose cone Shock cords Parachutes Engine tube holder Engine tube Tail cone Four fins Engine hook Cardboard adapter ring to use with D motors Instructions The instructions are easy to follow and ...

  • Estes V-2 (E-motor Version) By Frank Casey

    Brief: The Estes V-2 "E" Engine Powered kit aka Maxi V-2 is the latest version of the original Model No. 1267 Maxi V-2 which was produced from 1974-1981. I had that original kit way back in the day and it was by far my favorite rocket then just as it is now. This newest version (now also OOP) is setup with a 24mm motor mount capable of holding a D or E engine. It utilizes ...

  • Estes V-2 By Brett Buck

    This is the Estes BT-80 sized V2 that was recently re-issued. It is a 1/25 scale model of a production V2. It has significantly over-sized fins for stability purposes, and a minimal amount of scale detail. It flies on a 24mm motor, recommended to be a D12-5, although most will look for more power. The components are typical Estes, which is largely pretty good. The body tube is a standard ...

  • Estes V2 By Ken Hubal

    A semi-scale, D and E motor powered model of the German V2 Rocket Components Plastic nose and tail cones, balsa fins. /h2 This kit is lacking in several aspects.  As a 40-plus year veteran of rocketry, I've seen far better instructions that came with Estes kits of years past.  I've noticed a severe decline in the quality of the instructions included with ...

  • Estes V3 By Brian Mardirosain

    ( Contributed - by Brian Mardirosain) Introduction: One of the few remaining Estes rockets I own that's in flyable condition. Thanks to Rich Pitzeruse for figuring out what the rocket was via chatting at ROL's conference . Simple, balanced lines and nice flight characteristics makes this rocket perfect when you want something a little bigger that still moves quickly off the pad with a ...

  • Estes Vagabond By Douglas Hurstell

    003217 - Vagabond Description Skill Level 2 Standing almost 3 feet tall, this amazing rocket can reach heights of 1275 feet. Launched on D and E engines, this rocket is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Components Estes brings back the very long ogive BT-60 compatible nose cone (plastic) 2 body tubes 3 x 3 piece laser cut balsa fins. Standard rubber band ...

  • Estes Vagabond By Wayne Comfort

  • Estes Vagabond By Evan

    This was estes new rocket that they realeased. It is a very good kit, instructions were easy to follow for a beginger or for the experenced rocketeer. It containd all the parts for the rocket, and every thing was in good register. there was onley a few issues with the rocket but other than that it was a nice build. Components Heres the contence of the kit Engine tube ...

  • Estes Vagabond By Mike Landry

    Stock except for paint and extended shock cord. Components /h2 Finishing Construction Score: 3 Flight Recovery Flight Rating: 5 Summary Overall Rating: 4

  • Estes Vector Force By Bill Eichelberger

    The Vector Force reminds me of another recent Estes offering, the Stratocruiser, in that they're both rockets that Estes got right from start to finish.  I've built them both and painted them as close as possible to the face card, and the results have been two of the better looking recent rockets in my fleet by far.  Both are fairly easy to build 4fnc birds, but sometimes that's ...

  • Estes Vector Force By Rich DeAngelis

    The design of the Vector Force appears to have been inspired by military air-defense missles, but it is not a scale or pseudo-scale model by any means. It's just (to me) a good-looking kit. It is fairly large and uses standard 18mm motors (B & C power). The unique design features are it's two transition/reducer sections and a second set of small "finlets" a few inches ahead of the main ...

  • Estes Vector Force By Ed Rodrigo

  • Estes Vector (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Back in the early days of Ebay I picked up a lot of Estes kit decals that somehow didn't make it onto the rockets they were meant for.  Quite a few of them were minimum diameter BT-5 and BT-20 kits from the mid to late 80's, rockets that would rarely be noticed unless you happened to choose one of them for your first rocket.  I didn't, but I like oddball stuff that never ...

  • Estes Venom By Mike Goss

    Intro The Venom model rocket kit is a basic sport rocket with a unique nose cone and snake graphics to set it apart from the rest of the four-fins-and-a-nose-cone sport rockets. This was a Father-Son project with my 12 year old son doing all of the work with the exception of painting the model. The style of the rocket appeals to this age group, I like the looks as well. Construction ...

  • Estes Ventris By Bill Eichelberger

    The Ventris is one of the first four rockets released by Estes as part of their new Pro Series II mid-power collection.  While all are great looking birds, the Enerjet-esque lines of the Ventris were the clincher when it came time to make the choice of which bird would be my 50th birthday present. Components Plastic nose cone Payload section Main body tube ...

  • Estes Ventris By Bas Dickson Leach

    Part of the Pro Series II line of 29mm mid power kits, the Ventris is a payloader with a larger diameter paylod bay and stylish curved fins. I liked the look of it and found the enlarged payload bay interesting and wanted to build one, received as a birthday present and waited less than a fortnight to get cracking. Components The Pro Series II kits are all bagged. It had stood ...

  • Estes Venus Probe (24mm Mod) (Modification) By Mike Goss

    This was one of those kits that I found at Hobby Lobby and had a 50% off coupon. It looked like an interesting build, so I purchased it even though there was a weird alien in the lander. After hearing about how underpowered the Venus Probe was on 18mm motors, I decided to change the rocket to a 24mm motor mount and remove the alien to make it more of a real lander. This is the story of the ...

  • Estes Venus Probe By Tom Bell

    The Venus Probe is an unusual Estes kit to build and fly. There are two pieces to the completed rocket - a booster and a three-legged lander, complete with an alien on top. This is NOT an easy rocket to build, and should only be built if you have built several rockets already. INSTRUCTIONS: The Venus Probe's instructions, at first glance, seem to be complete and well illustrated. But, when ...

  • Estes Viking By Curtis Williamson

    Brief Very small, easy to lose, hard to see because it goes so high, but has a lot of building options. Construction Very cheap. Easy to construct, for the most part. All the parts were there in the package. There are 48 different fin arrangement possibilities, which I thought was very cool (I used the four fin forward-swept arrangement). The only special tool needed is a placement ...

  • Estes Viking By Evan McLatchy

    Good kit, flies good, 48 building options. Good price 5.99 Parts list: 1 Body Tube Motor Mount 5 Fins Nose Cone A Neon Streamer Shock Cord The instructions were easy to follow with lots of pictures and 5 templates. Every thing fit. All you need is glue, scissors, work board and some knowledge about rockets. Finishing: Always prime before painting - it makes it ...

  • Estes Viking By Eric Miller

      I recently bought a Estes Viking. The Viking is an Estes Beta (Beginner) series rocket. This kit was packaged in plastic with a cardboard picture of the rocket. The price was very right, $6.95. All the parts were included and none were damaged. The instructions were typical Estes. The instructions were typical Estes. The special feature of this rocket is that there are 48 possible ...

  • Estes WAC Corporal Clone By Mike Atwood

    This is a simple sport scale model of the WAC Corporal sounding rocket developed by CALTECH and JPL in 1945. 1 Body tube - Estes BT-20 8.65 inches long 3 fins - 1/16in basswood 1 Conical balsa nose cone 1 Motor mount - Estes BT-5 2 inches long 1 1/8in launch lug - Estes 1.25 inches long 1 Conduit 1/8in balsa strip 1 Streamer - 24in x 1.75 inches Mylar 2 Centering ...

  • Estes Wacky Wiggler By Timothy Morris

    Brief: Estes new E2X series break-apart recovery rocket. All components were present and undamaged. Rocket was a quick build, less than an hour. The only gotcha was the engine mount. It had to be sanded to fit into the tube. Finishing: Finishing was a breeze. Body and all parts were pre-painted/finished. Construction Rating: 5 out of 5 Flight: Here is where this cute little rocket ...

  • Estes Wacky Wiggler By Marty Wiggins

    The Wacky Wiggler is a fun, easy build rocket. It is made of 7 plastic sections that are held together by string. The rocket goes up as one piece and comes down in 7 pieces. The package includes the nose cone, fin section, 5 plastic body sections, 6 paper body sections, motor mount and a 6' section of string. The components are mainly plastic, but are usual Estes make. The rocket is ...

  • Estes Warp II By Billy Stepler

    Brief: Estes Warp II, is a two-staged payloader that is fun and easy to build. Construction: Quality: It came in the standard plastic bag with the display card. All the parts were there and in good condition. The fins were balsa wood and the body and booster were standard paper tubes. Instructions: They were easy to follow, and in a logical order. One thing Estes does do well is ...

  • Estes Wildfire By Dustin Deckard

    Brief This rocket has an interesting recovery. It has a parachute and a streamer. I think it's kinda cool. Construction This rocket was in a plastic bag. All the parts were there and none were broken. It consists of: nose cone, 3 balsa fins, streamer, 12 inch parachute, shock cord, paper shock cord mount, launch lug, 2 centering rings, decal sheet, engine hook and a BT- 50 body tube. The ...

  • Estes Wildfire By Bill Eichelberger

    I bought my original Wildfire from Ebay for the sole purpose of canibalizing the nose cone to clone a Satellite Interceptor. One night while bored I decided to build the rest of the rocket which I mated with a PNC-50 nose cone that I had no other use for at the time. When finished, I found that I had anything but the disposable rocket that I anticipated, and finished the paint and decals ...

  • Estes Wizard By James Johnson

    This guy is a good starter's rocket, as it is easy to build, fun to fly, and yet it presents more of a challenge than the "ready-to-fly" kits. The instructions were easy to follow with basic sketches to depict just about every step. I felt that no special measures needed to be taken during assembly -- just follow the instructions! Finishing: I find the best way to finish small diameter ...

  • Estes Wizard By Doyle Tatum

    This is truly a great beginner's rocket. I picked it up, being a BAR, to get myself back into the rocket building world. I built mine exactly by the instructions. When preparing for flight, I find it sometimes difficult to pack the streamer so that it ejects with no problem. If I were to build another, I would tie a length of Kevlar to the engine block for use as the shock cord. This way, there ...

  • Estes Wizard By Mike Salter

    Brief: The Estes Wizard is a basic 18mm rocket but it's a very fast and high flying rocket. Construction: The kit came with 8.75" of BT-20, a launch lug, engine block, shock cord, streamer, a plastic nose cone and die-cut balsa to make fins. The Estes Wizard is extremely easy to make, especially since the motor is friction fit so you just need to glue in the engine block. ...

  • Estes Wizard By David Sindel

    Brief: One of very few good Estes little minimum diameter rocket kits. Construction: The kit includes: 8.75" of BT-20 EB-20 NC-20,plastic ogive 3 balsa fins 1" x 18" streamer ~18" of shock cord Construction was easy taking about 2 hours. You could do it in half an hour with cyanoacrylate (CA). No problems here. Motor retention is ...

  • Estes Wizard By Bill Eichelberger

    Upon becoming seriously involved as a BAR in the spring of 2001, I went looking through local hobby stores, hoping to find that some of my favorite rockets from my early years were still available. The Wizard, a high flying minimum diameter rocket, turned out to be the sole remaining holdover from my original fleet. Included in the kit: 1 - 8.65" BT-20 (BT-20B) 1 - Engine block ...

  • Estes Wizard By Evan

    A very easy kit to build, good price. The hobby store I go to sold them in the bulk pack and put it on the shelf so it it was even cheaper :) Components Engine Spacer Engine Block Body Tube Launch Lug Shock Cord Mount Tube Marking Guide Streamer Shock Cord Nose Cone Nose Cone Insert Blasa Fins Decals It seems like a lot, but ...

  • Estes X-15 (RTF) By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a fully assembled plastic sport/scale model of the X-15 Hypersonic Research Vehicle. This model is capable of flights up to 600 feet high and recovers on a 12 inch parachute. Construction: The model came packaged in a blister pack and included: 1 fully assembled plastic X-15 1 retention cap 1 12 inch plastic parachute Instructions Since the model ...

  • Estes X-Fliers By Michael P. Morley with Alex Morley

    I received the Estes X-Flyers as a gift from our neighbor Zachary. The kit is one of Estes Ready-Built series and includes two rockets, one yellow and blue, and one black and purple. This kit was packaged in plastic and came in a box and cost $14.99. A pretty good deal for two rockets. No construction on a Ready Built just attach the chute and jam in an engine. Finishing: The X-Flyers are ...

  • Estes X-Fliers By Mark Fisher

    The X-Flyers are BT-20-based, minimum diameter birds that even with their full-length tube wraps, weigh practically nothing. Both employ the plastic fin can of the Nike Arrow resulting in relatively low drag. Modifications: Recovery system and engine mount, as detailed below. Specifications given are for X-flyer #1. X-flyer #2 differs very little, both in parts content and flight ...

  • Estes X-Fliers By Michael P. Morley with Alex Morley

    Brief: The Estes X-Flyers is a kit in the “Launchables“ series which contains two easy-to-build pre-decorated model rockets. Alex, age 10 at the time, built both rockets in under ten minutes each without adult assistance. Construction: The two rockets are referred to in the kit as “X-Flyer #1” and “X-Flyer #2.” X-Flyer #1 is 15.25” long. It ...

  • Estes X-Prize Canadian Arrow By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: A single-staged, D motor powered sport scale representation of the Canadian Arrow competitor for the Ansari X-Prize. Construction: The kit consists of a really big blow-molded nose cone and tail cone, two sheets of laser cut balsa fins, motor mount tube, main airframe body tube, motor retainer hook, motor block ring, sheet of die-cut cardboard centering rings, 1/4" x ...

  • Estes X-Prize Eagle By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: Another fine single stage scale model of an Ansari X-Prize competitor from Estes. Construction: The kit parts included a BT-55 body tube, a BT-60 body tube, a BT-20 motor mount tube, a wire motor-retainer hook, a mylar ring to retain the motor hook, a block of clay nose weight, a launch lug, a preassembled 12" parachute, a heavy 1/4" x 30" rubber shock cord, a ...

  • Estes X-Prize Eagle By Jon Revelle

    Single stage scale model of the Vanguard Eagle spacecraft for the X-Prize competition. I don't think the real one got off the ground. The kit came in a plastic bag with a cardboard face card as with every other Estes kit. It contained:   2 plastic nose cone halves clay nose weight 1 decal sheet 1 12" chute 1 rubber shock cord 1 long BT-55 body tube 1 sheet of ...

  • Estes X-Prize Gauchito By Brian Ray

    This modification was my own personal response to what I had seen as an all-too-common statement on model rocket forums: add nose weight. It seemed to me that no matter the situation, the clarion call was for more and more nose weight. "Hey, I painted this rocket blue instead of yellow." "You better add some nose weight." While not usually a kit builder, I found this kit on clearance and decided ...

  • Estes X-Prize Gauchito By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The Estes X-Prize Gauchito is a 1:55 scale model of Pablo de Leon and Associates' Ansari X-Prize entry. This model flies on 13mm motors up to 300 feet, recovers on a 12 inch parachute and has a removable display nozzle assembly. Construction: The kit came packaged in a plastic bag with header card and included the body tube, motor mount tube, motor retention hook, motor ...

  • Estes X-Prize Lucky Seven By John Thro

    The Estes Lucky Seven is a 1:50 scale model of the rocket being designed and built by Acceleration Engineering. It features 95% plastic construction, Estes mini-engine power, and parachute recovery. Santa brought this kit for my 5 year-old son for Christmas 2004. This model is made entirely of plastic, except for the motor tube, motor hook, shock cord and parachute. Here is a reasonably ...

  • Estes X-Prize Lucky Seven By Alan Tuskes

    Brief: 1:50 Scale model of the Acceleration Engineering LLC's entry in the X-Prize race. Single stage, parachute recovery. Skill level E2X. Construction: The kit includes: 1 BT-5 engine mount 1 mini engine hook 1 rubber (REAL rubber) shock cord. 1 12" chute clay weight plastic parts: nose cone assembly (2 halves, nose cone cap) body and body ...

  • Estes X-Prize Lucky Seven By Chris Gonnerman

    This is a semi-scale model of the Acceleration Engineering "Lucky Seven" rocket, one of the contestants for the Ansari X-Prize. This is a largely plastic rocket. The package includes a three-piece plastic nose cone (two side halves and a bulkhead), a plastic body tube with integral bulkhead, a plastic tail bulkhead, four plastic decorative nozzles, four plastic fins, a paper engine tube, a ...

  • Estes X-Prize Lucky Seven By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The Estes X-Prize Lucky Seven is a 1:50 scale model of Acceleration Engineering's Ansari X-Prize entry. This model flies on an A10-3T motor up to 200 feet and uses a 12 inch parachute for recovery. Construction: The kit came in a plastic bag with header card and included: 1 motor tube 1 motor retention hook 1 pack of clay weight 1 rubber shock cord 1 12 ...

  • Estes X-Prize Lucky Seven By

  • Estes X-Prize Rubicon By John R. Brandon III

    Brief: A single-staged D-powered scale representation of the Space Transportation Corporation's entry in the competition for the Ansari X-Prize. Construction: The rocket kit consisted of a 24mm motor mount tube, a motor block ring, a motor retainer hook, a thick stage coupler-like hook retainer ring, six tank tubes, a large main body tube, a truly massive blow molded plastic nose ...

  • Estes X-Prize Rubicon By Bruce Canino

    Single stage D power scale model of an X-Prize rocket with 18" parachute recovery. It has a Saturn 1b look to it, so if you're a fan of the Saturn 1b you will probably like this kit. The kit includes: 7 lower rocket body tubes 1 upper body tube 6 plastic fins 2 plastic body tube holders plastic nose cone rubber shock cord Estes paper mount 6 plastic rocket ...

  • Estes X-Prize SpaceShipOne By Dick Stafford

    After many months with breathless anticipation, the Estes SpaceShipOne finally arrived. This kit is a 1/30th sport-scale kit based on a BT-200 tube, which is 2" in diameter. This was the first time I noticed the SS1 being attributed to Mojave Aerospace Ventures vs. Scaled Composites. There are some issues for the scale fans out there. For instance, if you look at the rear nozzle, it looks ...

  • Estes X-Prize SpaceShipOne By Eric Maglio

    Brief: This is a scale model of the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne. It is part of a new line of rockets including many X-Prize kits from Estes. This rocket uses 18mm motors and has a 12" parachute recovery. Construction: The kit comes with a motor mount kit, body tube, nose cone, and a scale tail cone. Also included is the recovery system and laser-cut balsa parts. The ...

  • Estes X-Ray By G. A. Dean

    Brief: The X-Ray is an easy-to-build 'bug-lofter' for 13mm (mini) motors. It's essentially an Estes Gnome with a clear plastic payload section, and it shares the easy building and flying characteristics of that popular rocket. Like the Gnome, the main body tube is a minimum-diameter 13mm/BT5, but the upper, payload section is wider; the equivalent of an 18mm/BT20 tube. A plasti ...

  • Estes XL Blue Ninja By Jewel B. Butler Jr.

    ( Contributed - by Jewel Barton Butler Jr. - 05/20/10) Brief: Well I had too much time on my hands and two Blue Ninja's kits .I threw away the plastic fins and the bottom plastic parts, added some basswood delta3 modified fins and the XL BLUE NINJA was born. Modifications: First I sanded the nose cone and the couplers with 220 grit sandpaper then built my motor mount attached the ...

  • Estes Xtreme By

  • Estes Xtreme By David S. Kemp

    The Estes Xtreme appears to be an elongated clone of the Estes Hi-Filer.  Comparison of the Xtreme vs the Hi-Flier: The body tube (BT) is 12 inches vs 9 inches.   The nose cone (NC) is elongated and comes to a pointy tip vs a shorter ogive style.   Because the Xtreme is longer in both the BT and NC, there is no need to add clay weight to the nose cone. & ...

  • Estes Yankee By Ken Johnson

    A small, lightweight 3FNC rocket with an unusual nose cone. Actually, I built 2 Yankee kits; one to replace the initial rocket that disappeared after its third flight. The first kit featured a nice balsa nose cone, but the second kit, while otherwise identical, had a plastic nose cone. But both kits featured a paper body tube, die cut balsa fins, a short piece of elastic, a streamer, and a ...

  • Estes Yellow Jacket By Ted Phipps

      This is my all-time favorite Estes rocket. Straight-forward construction and an inspired paint job make this a great 'first big' rocket kit.  Like most Estes kits, it comes in a plastic bag. I like the fact that I can inspect the parts for damage before buying. My kit had no missing or damaged pieces. Building is as standard as it comes, with no surprises or special tricks. ...

  • Estes Zinger By Patrick Byrnes

    A Skill level 1 rocket that can fly to over 2,000ft. This kit came in a small plastic bag and none of the pieces in my kit were damaged. The rocket was pretty easy to build and the instructions were easy to follow. I recommend spending a lot of time sanding the fins (it will give the rocket a little more altitude). The fins were not easy to align because they were really small, I used the fin ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry '57 Goony (Plan) By Lester Anderson

    A kitbash modification of an Estes Baby Bertha kit. It looks like a sci-fi version of a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air. Components The usual standard of Estes parts found in the Baby Bertha kit. /h2 Pretty easy build. You end up cutting 2 of the stock fins to make the primary wings on the model. The "exhaust stacks" need 8 launch lugs to fabricate them. The hardest part is ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry '57 Goony (Plan) By Lester Anderson

  • Excelsior Rocketry '57 Goony (Plan) By

  • Excelsior Rocketry '57 Goony (Plan) By Steve Lindeman

    The '57 Goony is unlike any of Excelsior Rocketry's other "Goony Retro-Bash" line of decal/plan sets in that it is not based on any of the Estes kits as the other offerings are. Instead this one gets its insperation from an automobile. Their ad says " The 57 GOONY is the rocket that says.. "Tailfins? I'll show you tailfins!". Components Components required for this build ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Der Fat Max (Plan) By Ron Wirth

    Brief: The Der Fat Max is another Goony Retro-Bash plan set from Excelsior Rocketry. While it might not be the typical size of a Goony, it sure looks and feels Goony to me. As with the other Goony Retro-Bash rockets available from Excelsior, this is a kit-bash where you get receive the plan set, decals, and fin pattern. For this rocket you need to supply a Fat Boy kit and balsa for ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Der Fat Max (Plan) By Bill Eichelberger

    I always loved the versatility of the Estes Fat Boy, and over the years I bought quite a few of them for different projects, most of them of the Goony persuasion.  When a fellow club member decide to move away from low power and offered one for sale from his stash, I jumped at the chance to pick it up with this project in mind.  Under normal circumstances all of the Fat Boy ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Der Goony Max (Plan) By Matthew Bond

    The Goony Max is one of Excelsior Rocketry's "Goony Retro-Bash" line of decal/plan sets. Fred Talasco at Excelsior has created a line of kit bashes that are a throwback to the old Estes "Goonybirds". Fred's designs are based on old Estes kits (in this case the Red Max), and some original ideas which all use the Estes Baby Bertha as the starting point, although there is now a "Fat Max" ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Der Goony Max (Plan) By Steve Lindeman

  • Excelsior Rocketry Der Goony Max (Plan) By Bill Eichelberger

    Der Goony Max is an inspired bit of lunacy from Excelsior Rocketry, and I guess depending on where you stand on the Goony issue, this series is either genius or a waste of a good Baby Bertha. Speaking as the one-time-owner of an original Goonybird Cloudhopper, I happen to fall on the genius side of the ledger, and to be honest, I can't imagine anyone would fall anywhere else. Der Goony Max is ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Gooneydent (Plan) By Matt Gillard

    Brief:     Somewhere in the twisted mind of a goony fanatic, the goodydent was created. The goonydent is a kit base goony from two baby berthas. It uses gas venting tubes so no wadding is needed. I was bitten by the goony bug this year, this will be my second goony. It gets noticed on the pad.       The idea of the kit bash goonies from gordy is that ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goony Ghost (Plan) By Moe Bertrand

    The Goony Ghost is one of Excelsior Rocketry's line of Goony-themed rockets inspired by the original Estes Goony Birds of the mid '70s. While many of Excelsior's offerings are Goony versions of Estes kits, the Ghost is an original design with no specific role model. The Excelsior "kits" are marketed simply as a set of plans and a sheet of very nice decals. The builder supplies the parts ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goonybird Cloud Hopper (Plan) By Geof Givens

    Brief: Excelsior's Cloud Hopper is a bunny themed kit bash of the Estes Baby Bertha to build an OOP Estes Cloud Hopper. My kids (5.5 and 7.5) chose this rocket for obvious reasons; some of their comments are included below. The Cloud Hopper debuted in the 1973 Estes Catalog . Mosquito Mike has a nice page with more history and examples of Estes Goonybirds. Excelsior gets into ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goonybird Iron Wombat (Plan) By Matthew Bond

    Brief: The Iron Wombat is one of Excelsior Rocketry's "Goony Retro-Bash" line of decal/plan sets. Fred Talasco at Excelsior has created a line of kit bashes that are a throwback to the old Estes "Goonybirds". All of Fred's designs are based on old Estes kits (in this case the Wolverine), or his original ideas and use the Baby Bertha as the starting point. ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goonybird Nike-G (Plan) By Matthew Bond

    Brief: The Nike-G is one of Excelsior Rocketry's “Goony Retro-Bash” line of decal/plansets. Fred Talasco at Excelsior has created a line of kit-bashes that are a throwback to the old Estes “Goonybirds”. All of Fred's designs are based on old Estes kits, or original ideas, and use the Baby Bertha as the starting point. Construction: My Nike-G plans, along with ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goonybird Zero (Plan) By Kevin Johnson

    The Goony Bird Zero (GBZ) is part of Excelsior Rocketry's retro bash line of goony kits. It is based around a Baby Bertha kit, using all components except the fins and the decals. When you buy one (or two or three) of the goony's you get a sheet of instructions, templates for cutting new fins, and a sheet of really nice quality decals. There are two fin templates for the GBZ, one for ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goonybird Zero (Plan) By Bill Eichelberger

    Anyone who has paged through a 1973-75 Estes catalog has undoubtedly seen and puzzled over the Goonybirds. The Goonybirds were a series of cartoonish, youth-oriented rockets thought by some to be the flying equivalent of the Rat Fink hot rod characters, and thought by others to be proof of someone spiking the Estes water coolers. Economically mini-engine powered and easily built with stick on ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goonybird Zero (Plan) By Matthew Bond

    The Goony Bird Zero is one of Excelsior Rocketry's "Goony Retro-Bash" line of decal/plan sets. Fred Talasco at Excelsior has created a line of kit-bashes that are a throwback to the old Estes "Goony Birds". Fred's designs are based on old Estes kits (in this case the Blue Bird Zero) or his original ideas, and they use the Estes Baby Bertha as the starting point. Excelsior rates this kit bash a ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Goonydent (Plan) By Steve Lindeman

    The Goonydent is Excelsior Rocketry's Goony version of the Estes classic Trident kit [K-33, 1233](1968-1974). It was by far the most expensive kit bash I've done so far at a cost of about $45.00. However the end results were worth the investment. Components For this build I used the following components:  ♦ 1- Set of plans and decals from Excelsior Rocketry ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Honest Goon (Plan) By Geoffrey Kerbel

    Brief: The HONEST GOON is another Goony retro-bash decal/plan set that is available from Excelsior Rocketry. This is not a kit but rather a set of instructions, fin patterns, and most importantly decals to kit bash an Estes Baby Bertha (plus a few extra parts) into some rocketry fun. If you could not tell by the name (you certainly can from the finished product), this is based on an ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Honest Goon (Plan) By Geoffrey Kerbel

    Brief: The Honest Goon is another great idea from Fred at Excelsior rockets. It is a modest downscale of the larger kits that are out there and comes with an outstanding set of decals. Remember though, they are GOONY! If you have never done an Excelsior goony, you really need to get one! These are fun builds, mostly easy and finish up looking wonderful. They also fly with the best ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry KRAM (Plan) By Ron Wirth

    Brief: What happens if you take an Estes Mark/Mark II design and turn it into a goony style rocket using a Baby Bertha kit? You get the KRAM from Excelsior Rocketry. As with the other goony retro-bash plansets, the KRAM is not a kit but rather the instructions and decals to turn a Baby Bertha kit into something unique. For this goony, you only need add a BT60 tube coupler and a ...

  • Excelsior Rocketry Love Bug (Plan) By Chris Guidry

    Brief: The Love Bug is one of Excelsior's Original lines of plans but unlike most of them which are based on bashing the Baby Bertha kit, this one utilizes the Big Bertha as an origin. The Love Bug kit comes packaged in a heavy, plastic sleeve and contains instructions, fin templates, and a sheet of decals to replace those parts of the Bertha kit. Construction: The Love Bug goes ...

  • Experimental Rocketry Group Experimental Composite Propellant (Book) By Dick Stafford

    Brief: For some time, I've been interested in learning how to make composite motors and have heard many recommendations for 'Pr'fesser' Terry McCreary's book, "Experimental Composite Propellant." When I discovered that Aerocon distributes the book, I couldn't resist ordering a copy. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it was worth the price just to learn more about those cool little things that I ...

  • Extreme Rocketry LDRS XX DVD (Other Product) By Scott Pearson

    In late October 2001 Extreme Rocketry (ER) published their first Video production a VHS video and DVD of LDRS XX. I like the magazine that they publish so I thought that I would see what they could do with this medium. The DVD cost ten dollars more than the video but DVD's are usually worth the expense with added video and better picture quality so I went with the DVD. I have watched to DVD ...

  • Fade To Black Rocket Works Mullet By Lance Alligood

    Fade To Black Rocket Works' Mullet offers a financially attractive, comfortable method of protecting a rocketeer's neck, shoulders, and ears from the harmful rays of the sun during an enjoyable afternoon of launching rockets.   I ordered several Mullets from Cowboy Rocketry, one for me and a few for my fellow club members. (They are so cheap that it wasn't worth ordering just ...

  • Fat Boy to AttaBoy Modification (Modification) By Tad Scheeler

    The ATTABOY is a boattailed FATBOY with 24mm upsized motor mount that can be flown in two different configurations--both with and without upper payload tube. Modifications: I was inspired by Michael Bade's " Big Bad V-2 Daddy ", Kevin Johnson's " OY!FATBOY ", and David Fergus' " Boattail FATBOY ". I applied similar techniques to those that Michael Bade describes for his "Big Bad V-2 Daddy" ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Centaurus By Nick Esselman

    (09/10/00) I first heard about Starship Enterprises (now called Fat Cat Rockets as of 1/1/01) from a couple of contributed reviews. I was impressed with the uniqueness of their kits and in the variety of model, advanced and high power. So I am pleased to build their Centaurus. According to Starship Enterprises, "The Centaurus is a hail back to those future ideas from yesterye ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets F104 Starfighter By Andy Hobbs

    Brief: The Fat Cat Rockets F104 Starfighter is a unique and robust mid power rocket that has fighter jet-like styling. This is a builder's kit as there are a number of advanced techniques used for creating many of the rocket's features. The reward of this kit isn't just a challenging build--it turns in some of the coolest flights I have ever seen! Unfortunately it is now (like all of ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets F104 Starfighter By Andy Hobbs

    ( Contributed - by Andy Hobbs - 01/17/07) Brief: Lance covered the components and construction of the rocket very well in his excellent review. I also built the model exactly to the plans the kit is rated skill level 5. I agree with this, although it maybe is not as detailed as a Saturn V, but it's probably not recommended for the impatient type builder. Construction: The ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Frenzee By Steve Ramberg

    Brief: The Frenzee is an 8 motor cluster rocket (1-24mm and 7-18mm) which returns via parachute. Construction: I ordered this rocket using the companies order form found on the Fat Cat Rockets website. The rocket arrived in a short amount of time. The parts were packed loose in a sturdy box of packing peanuts. The parts consisted of a 17" body tube, nose cone, 2 plywood ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Galactic Marauder By Nick Esselman

    (07/10/03) I've had the Fat Cat's Galactic Marauder sitting around for a while and decided to get it out and build it. You need a rocket like this every now and then to keep you excited about the "building" part of the hobby. This kit takes skill and has the looks (variation) to make it exciting. It even has a futuristic theme: " Loaded with excessive firepower, the Galactic ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets GTX By Moira Jean Whitlock

    - by Moira Jean Whitlock Brief This is a sturdy, single staged high power rocket with a hardwood nose and boattail. It recovers by chute and comes with a 54mm mount, but can fly on 38 and 29mm motors as well. Construction After getting my level 2, I began to surf the net to answer the question, "What next?" I wondered what was out there that was different. Then ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Hypersonic Transport By Nick Esselman

    (07/13/02) The Hypersonic Transport is my 2nd Fat Cat Rockets' rocket. I had also built the Centaurus prior to Starship Enterprises becoming Fat Cat Rockets. I bought the Hypersonic Transport for one of the same reasons I built the Centaurus , its unique look in a medium to high power rocket. The Hypersonic Transport is "for those quick trips to the moon or just to the other side of ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets I.P.F.I. Strikeship By Nick Esselman

    After holding the Fat Cat's Name This Rocket and Story Contest over this sleek, futuristic looking rocket, I decided to purchase one at Fat Cat's special introductory price. You should check out the contest stories. They are great. Fat Cat's decided to combine the suggested names from the top three winners and came up with the I.P.F.I. Strikeship "Lightning". I call it the Strikeship for short. ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets I.P.F.I. Strikeship By David Fergus

    Summary: A fantasy futuristic single pilot space fighter. It has a unique fuselage shape, flies on 29mm motors (F50 is the only motor recommended by the kit maker) and has rear ejection parachute recovery. This rocket was named in a contest sponsored by EMRR. The name was a combination of the top three vote getters with IPFI being the abbreviation for InterPlanetary Fighter In ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets K-1 By David Urbanek

    ( Contributed - by David Urbanek) Brief: Cool rocket inspired by Russian amateur and 1950s Sci-Fi movies. Construction: One short body tube, nose cone (Estes long BT- 80) and tail cone (cut from Estes long BT-80). Three big balsa fins and hardwood landing pods. One plywood centering ring. Nose weight in the form of BBs. Recovery system connects through steel cable that you have to ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Lil Leader By Chan Stevens

    ( Contributed - by Robert Runnalls - 07/01/02) Brief: This is a downscale version of Fat Cat Rockets Ring Leader. It's distinguishing feature is the round tail fin and the 3 canards. Construction: 1 38mm body tube 1 24mm motor mount tube 2 plywood centering rings. 1 thick walled plastic nose cone 2 lengths of Kevlar ® cord 3 plywood rear fins 3 plywood canards 1 ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Lil Leader By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This little wonder is clearly a Fat Cat. Weighing in at a little over 8 ounces, it's built like a tank and could probably even be bashed to handle HPR motors. As it is, this is about the smallest thing I've ever stuck a composite motor in, though well worth it. It's a great little kit, with a combination of ring and fin stability, and awesome performance. Construction: ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets P.T.S. Shaman By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Brief: 24mm rear ejection fighter jet Construction: The kit contains: Pre-cut balsa fins Pre-assembled and pre-weighted nose cone Nylon chute 24mm mount Decals/stickers Plywood centering rings Rear ejection recovery parts Polystyrene engine pods Fat Cat Rockets are known for their unique designs. The P.T.S. Shaman is no exception. The most unique ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Push By Moira Jean Whitlock

    ( Contributed - by Moira Jean Whitlock) Brief: Single-staged, 3-finned rocket with 3 side pods that can also contain motors so that flights can be with 1 or 4 motors. The rocket is not designed with a payload section, so simultaneous ground starting of all motors or thermalite air ignition of the outboards is suggested. Construction: There is one main body tube of kraft paper and 3 ...

  • Fat Cat Rockets Ringleader By Moira Jean Whitlock

    Brief A real looker, this short and stout rocket with a ring around the fins to add stability. It also has forward finlets forward to each fin. Construction When I ordered its sister kit, the GTX , this model was temporarily sold out, so I told the company please to inform me when more came and that I'd send for it. Less than 2 weeks later, they arrived, although at a higher price, but the ...

  • First Flight Hobbies A-Corn By John Lee

    Brief: I was asked to test 2 oddrocs of similar design, differing only in their size. First I built the Corn Roc, a Styrofoam ear of Indian corn with an 18mm motor mount. Now I am trying its little sibling, the A-Corn, designed for 13mm power. Construction: Construction is very similar to that of the Corn Roc. It begins with making a slit in the motor tube for the engi ...

  • First Flight Hobbies A-Corn By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Brief: The smallest of the Corn on the Cob shaped oddroc collections by First Flight Hobby. This rocket once complete is really cute and fun. Promises to be a head turner and also a great flyer. Construction: The parts include: One styrene foam corncob one body tube 13mm tube for mmt engine block (2) centering rings small bag of bb's 8" ...

  • First Flight Hobbies Corn Roc By John Lee

    The Corn-Roc is a fall themed oddroc I was asked to beta test. It is basically a conversion of a Styrofoam ear of Indian Corn from a craft store into a rocket. Construction began with the building of the motor mount. A slit was made for the engine hook and the hook was secured in place with several wraps of masking tape. The mount was then marked at each end and the centering rings were ...

  • First Flight Hobbies Corn Roc By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Brief: The main stay of the Corn on the cob shaped oddroc collections by First Flight Hobby. This 18mm rocket once complete is interesting and fun. It promises to be a head turner and also a great flier. Construction: The parts include: One styrene foam corncob One body tube MMT 18mm tube One engine block 2 centering rings Small bag of bb's ...

  • First Flight Hobbies Corn Roc By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a seasonal oddroc based on a Styrofoam ear of corn. It is a cool-looking, sturdy rocket and looks better in person than in photos. My beta test version flies on 18mm motors but 13mm and 24mm versions were also offered. Unfortunately, all had limited runs and more will not be available until next year. I normally don't submit reviews until I've flown a rocket but, ...

  • First Flight Hobbies Corn-E By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Brief: This is the largest of the Corn on the cob shaped oddroc collections by First Flight Hobby. This 24mm rocket once complete is interesting and fun. Promises to be a head turner and also a great flier. This rocket uses both D and E engines. Construction: The parts consist of: One styrene foam corncob One body tube One MMT 24mm tube One E to D motor ...

  • First Flight Hobbies Mega-Sonic By Kathy Kippen

    Brief: A single stage large model rocket. Construction: Two sheets of 1/8” balsa fin stock – 3” X 16” and 4” X 16” Fin patterns and alignment guide Balsa nose cone Two BT 60 body tubes – 8” and 11” BT 60 coupler 24mm motor mount tube Two plywood centering rings Engine block Engine hook 15” ...

  • First Flight Hobbies Semi-Sonic By Dick Stafford

    Brief: The Semi-Sonic is a sleek 18mm rocket that sports three split-fins (6 fins total) and a long balsa nose cone. Mine was a beta test-build, so some minor details may vary. Construction: The nose cone came pre-weighted with a hefty eye-bolt. This is a good way to ensure stability while sacrificing very little building. The kit comes with balsa fin stock, requiring the user ...

  • First Flight Hobbies Semi-Sonic By John Lee

    Brief: LPR, Sleek, 18mm, Parachute Recovery I was fortunate to be asked to test out a new rocket from First Flight called the Semi-Sonic. Mine was a pre-production model. It arrived in a hanging bag with all parts and instruction included and neatly bagged. It is a sleek looking design which has two sets of 3 fins, one mounted just before the other, that gives a visual impression ...

  • First time kit gives good experience! By Kirk Greenfield

    Brief This is a Skill Level One rocket with balsa wood fins, a single body tube, and a plastic nose cone. Components The parachute is a 12-inch plastic ‘chute with an elastic shock cord.  The fins are die-cut and were almost ready to fall out, cleanly cut and clear.  There is also a double-sided sheet of instructions. The "anchor" for the shock cord must be cut from the ...

  • Fishhead Rocketry Gooney Vector G (Scratch) By Bill Eichelberger

    ( Contributed - by Bill Eichelberger - 01/22/10) I've long flown the Goony flag, but a recent thread at TRF showcasing different Goony creations got me wondering if I was neglecting the Goony side of my brain. After much introspection it was determined that not only was I neglecting the Goony side, but the rest of it as well. With that decided, I began spending time at www.ninfinger.org ...

  • Fishhead Rocketry Rogue XL (Upscale) By Bill Eichelberger

    I got started in rocketry with a group of kids from my old neighborhood in the summer of 1977. I had picked an Estes Beta as my first kit, but one of my friends who had managed to get to the J.C. Penney Toyland before I did and he got the one and only Estes Rogue kit that they had in stock. (He pronounced it Rouge, no matter how many times we corrected him.) I liked the Beta but always secretly ...

  • Fishhead Rocketry Satellite Interceptor XL (Scratch) By

  • Fishhead Rocketry Screw Loose (Scratch) By Bill Eichelberger

    This was one of those great rockets that costs next to nothing and proudly flies the SPEV banner.  The Screw Loose was built using an empty paper ring from a recently emptied roll of masking tape, a length of BT-20, a PNC-20N nose cone, an engine block, some Kevlar, elastic and a parachute.  Everything about this project was a shop scrap or just on hand. Components ...

  • Flight Dynamics Zepher 5 By Bill Eichelberger

    This was a long ago Ebay win that started off badly when the rocket didn't arrive for two and a half weeks, despite my making payment within hours of the auction end.  My enthusiasm for the project started off low, then sank when I kept encountering errors in the instructions and templates.  Despite all that, the finished rocket looked good and flew better.  ...

  • FlisKits 18mm Motor Mount for BT50 By John Lee

    Brief: This motor mount is intended for use either as a permanent installation in a rocket or for use as an adapter to put 18mm motors in 24mm motor tubes. It is for the latter purpose I purchased two of these. I wanted to adapt my Estes 36D Squared to be able to for use in smaller fields. Construction: Each mount comes with: 18mm motor tube Engine hook Thrust ...

  • FlisKits 29mm Upscale Deuce's Wild! (Upscale) By Mike Reese

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. I made this upscale Deuce's Wild! sometime ago. It uses two 29mm 180 cases. I have flown it on all of the AeroTech reloads for ...

  • FlisKits 4x24mm Motor Mount By Greg Elder

    ( Contributed - by Greg Elder - 12/04/04) Brief: The FlisKits EMK4-24-80 motor mount kit allows you to cluster four 24mm size motors in a BT-80 size body tube. The kit comes with four 4" long 24mm motor tubes, four motor blocks, and two fiberboard centering rings. Also included is a nice set of clearly illustrated, well written, and easy to follow instructions. Construction: ...

  • FlisKits 7x18mm Motor Mount By John Lee

    Brief: 7x18mm cluster motor mount for BT70 tubes. Having built 2 clones of the Centuri Vulcan and a BT60 based upscale with a 29mm motor mount, I decided that BT70 was the next logical place to try and build a member of the Vulcan family. In a bid to do something a bit different, though, I decided I wanted to use a cluster. I finally settled on a 7x18mm mount and chose ...

  • FlisKits A.C.M.E. Spitfire By Dick Stafford

    This is yet another review of this unique, crooked rocket. Hopefully, this provides another perspective on its construction, finishing/decoration, and flight. The FlisKits kits are professionally packaged and this is no exception. The printed face includes is in full color, includes photos and specs, and a serial number--mine is #87. The small parts are contained in a small Zip-loc bag. My ...

  • FlisKits A.C.M.E. Spitfire By Chan Stevens

    Absolutely the most INNOVATIVE commercial kit I've ever seen in rocketry, this rocket looks like Wyle E. Coyote has built and flown it a few too many times. You won't believe it flies nor will anyone else at the pad, yet you'll all be laughing your fannies off when you witness its perfect flight path. I witnessed the prototype of this kit in action at NSL this May and have been chomping at the ...

  • FlisKits A.C.M.E. Spitfire By Bill Ralston

    Brief: This is one bizarre rocket that looks like it should not fly. Construction: The rocket is made from a BT-50 inside pieces of BT-70 with 6 centering rings, balsa nose cone, and 4 fins (all are a different shape) mounted to a paper transition piece. The instructions were very precise and easy to follow with lots of useful illustrations. It is my opinion that the ...

  • FlisKits A.C.M.E. Spitfire By Carl Tulanko

    The FlisKits ACME Spitfire was a long awaited item from their line of models and was recently introduced at NARAM 45 in Evansville, Indiana. Well, I just had to be first in line to get a couple of these kits, one to save and one to build. I had seen this model debut at NSL 2003 earlier this year as a prototype and it’s a real head-turner. The kit resembles something you would see in a ...

  • FlisKits Adfecta By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is another fine addition to the futuristic-themed line of Flis kits. A far cry from your 3FNC style rocket (try 20 fins!), which features an unusual nose cone and really sweet inverse parabolic transition. Construction: For all you collectors out there, I did the market price a favor by tearing into kit #24. I had thought about hanging onto it, but this design and ...

  • FlisKits Alien 8 By Preston Hoover

  • FlisKits Alien8 By Andy Miller

    Brief: This is an over three feet long single staged rocket with a 16 inch plastic parachute. Construction: This kit comes with two body tubes, one coupler, 5 balsa fins and three ping pong balls to cut out. And that's just for starters! There are also two large wing like fins. All of these parts have to be glued on precisely. The shock cord attachment is a step above the ...

  • FlisKits Alien8 By Joe Policy

    Brief: A totally unique looking skill level 3 rocket designed by Shrox and sold by FlisKits. It even includes ping pong balls as a design feature! It's a great flyer and a rocket that people will take notice of at any launch. Construction: The kit includes: 2 NCB-50AB nose cone, balsa 2 BT-50-18 body tube, 18" 1 BT-50-04 body tube, 4" 1 BT-20-0275 body ...

  • FlisKits Area 51 Deuce By Michael Herndon

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Michael Herndon - 02/16/07) Brief: Parts List: 1 Deuce Engine Kit 1 BT-60 ...

  • FlisKits Avalear By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This kit was released in October 2008 at NEMROC and is in tribute to Geln Avalear, a longtime friend of Jim Flis who passed away in July 2008. It's a 2-fin plane-like design, simple to build, and clearly aimed at the beginning rocketeer, even potentially as a first kit. Construction: Your $12 retail gets you a bag of typically high quality Flis parts and includes: ...

  • FlisKits Avalear By John Bergsmith

    Brief: The Avalear is the 2008 NEMROC 2008 commemorative kit. The design features two main fins that have finlets attached. The kit named after Glen Avalear, a long time friend of Jim Flis that unfortunately passed away. Construction: The kit includes a nice balsa nose cone, and a nice sheet of balsa for the fins. Also included is a Kevlar ® shock cord and a nice plastic ...

  • FlisKits Big Honkin' Rocket By Chan Stevens

    Jim Flis is up to his usual shenanigans again with this one. This "Big Honkin' Rocket" is a mere 3.25 inches tall, and weighs 1.3 grams (after heavy painting). The punchline comes when, at a club launch, you call for the heads up flight (so everyone can help you recover it) and announce that you're flying a Big Honkin' Rocket that in fact, can't likely be seen from more than about 50 feet ...

  • FlisKits Borealis By Ted Jones

    The Borealis is not only a unique looking rocket, it also provides a unique construction challenge. A quick look at the rocket suggests fragility, but don't be fooled. If properly assembled (the instructions provided are excellent), this is in fact an extremely durable kit. Appearances are also deceiving in terms of flight characteristics. This rocket gets off the pad quickly, flies great, and ...

  • FlisKits Borealis By Chan Stevens

    Another absolutely wild futuristic design by the mad scientist/evil genius Jim Flis, featuring primarily ring fin stability and ducted ejection plus a nose cone sure to draw a strong like/hate opinion... While you might be a little scared off by the $28.95 retail price on this, when you open up the kit and start to look over the amount and quality of parts, you'll find it's really a decent ...

  • FlisKits BT55 Baffle (Other Product) By John Lee

    The BAF-55 is a simple baffle intended to protect recovery components from ejection charges in a BT-55 sized body tube. While building a Refit USS Atlantis from Sirius Rocketry, I decided that I wished to replace the manufacturer's recovery harness with a baffle. I did not have a lot experience with baffles, but the experiences I have had have been good thus far. Fortunately, I happened to ...

  • FlisKits BT60 Baffle By John Lee

    Brief: This is a simple baffle for use in a BT60 body tube. Construction: The kit comes with instructions, a Kevlar ® thread, a coupler tube and two perforated fiber disks that serve as the actual baffles. For my upscale Vulcan project, I needed BT60 tubing longer than the 18" that comes standard from Estes. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use a ...

  • FlisKits BT70 Baffle By John Lee

    ( Contributed - by John Lee - 08/09/08) Brief: The BAF-70 is a baffle system from Fliskits intended for rockets with BT70 airframes. It consistes of a coupling tube, 2 perforated disks and a length of Kevlar. Construction: While building an otherwise nice Estes kit recently, I absolutely refused to use their cheap rubber band and trifold mount. By the time I thought of it, the ...

  • FlisKits Buck Shot By Scott Pennington

  • FlisKits Caution Rocket By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This was a special edition of the standard Caution paper rocket, commemorating the 2004 National Sport Launch. I downloaded it from the NSL site that year, and have been waiting for the right occasion and motivation to build it. Thanks to the 2005 EMRR challenge, I found both on a "snow day" in mid December. Construction: This was a great little project to do in a ...

  • FlisKits Caution Rocket By Kyle Hancock

    Brief: This rocket is a single-staged, streamer recovery rocket that is made entirely from cardstock. It's unique triangular body tube make this a Level 1 kit. Most cardstock rockets require precise rolling and bending, making them too hard for younger modelers. With only straight folds, this rocket can easily be done by a small child. Construction: Everything you need to build ...

  • FlisKits Celtic Thunder By Edward Chess

    Celtic Thunder is a ring fin rocket that has a unique Celtic Knot fin ring design (an interlocking of three BT-80 rings). The finished rocket is 12.25" in length, has a balsa nosecone, is based on a BT-50 body tube (0.976" diameter), and has a fin span of 4.0'.  It flies on 18-mm engines (the recommended engines are A8-3, B6-4, and C6-5), and equipped with a 48" crepe streamer. ...

  • FlisKits Cheetah By Russ Anthony

    Brief: The Cheetah is a basic 4 fin, dual stage, 24" rocket with streamer recovery using high quality components. An individual production number is included on the package card with the first 100 kits. I own production kit #1 and #25. FlisKits rates the kit as Skill Level 2. Construction: The following parts were included in the kit: 1 Nose Cone 1 17" Body Tube ...

  • FlisKits Corona-2 Booster By Lance Alligood

    The Corona-2 is a separate kit that compliments the FlisKits Corona creating a 2-stage rocket. What also makes this stand out is that it takes the tube fin design of the Corona one step further. Before starting the Corona-2, you must have a built FlisKits Corona kit. If you built your Corona with the motor retention clip, you will need to cut it off the rocket so that you can direct stage ...

  • FlisKits Corona-2 By Geof Givens

    Brief: The Corona II is perhaps the sleekest, best looking futuristic staged rocket I know. In the summer of 2005, I learned that FlisKits was developing this kit, and immediately inquired about one after reading Lance's preview on EMRR. Finally, in February 2006, the model was on the market and I snapped up one of the first kits. Construction: Lance's review covers the basics ...

  • FlisKits Corona By Greg Deeter

    This is a single stage rocket, skill level 2 from the new company FlisKits. It has an interesting fin area with a ring. It says that it was first introduced at the Seventh Annual North East Model Rocket Convention (NEMROC7). I ordered this direct from FlisKits online and had it in 2-3 days by mail. The package is very nice looking. It came in a retail type bag (like Estes) with a hole punched ...

  • FlisKits Corona By Lance Alligood

    This is an updated version of the FlisKits Corona. To prepare the Corona for the release of the optional Corona-2 booster, FlisKits now includes laser cut plywood fins instead of balsa fin stock and a pattern so the builder no longer has to cut out the fins. There are 3 minor changes to the build of the Corona: The builder has the choice of building the motor mount with or without the ...

  • FlisKits Corona By Nick Esselman

    " Futuristic Starship Design " " Long, sleek appearance " " Highly stable for fantastic flights! " " Wind cheating design for extreme altitudes! " Those are the headlines on the FlisKits Corona. The Corona is a "longneck" rocket with and interesting, perhaps one would say, futuristic, ...

  • FlisKits Cougar 440 By Andrew Scott

    Brief: The FlisKits Cougar 440 is a model designed to fly on 1/2A through full A 13mm motors. Recommend motors are 1/2A3-3T and A10-3T. The kit is advertised as a competition streamer duration model. I am not really into competition rockets, but I wanted to try one of these kits and besides it looked like a lot of fun to build. Construction: As far as actual components are ...

  • FlisKits Cougar 660 By Carl Tulanko

    Brief: The Cougar 660 from FlisKits is a 13mm Streamer Duration Competition Model designed to fly on 1/4A through full A motors. The kit is advertised as a competitive model with several contest wins under it's belt and appears to incorporate many of the tricks used over the years to optimize the models performance. I was not really interested much in competition, but wanted to try one of ...

  • FlisKits Crayon By Chan Stevens

    Not to be confused with the numerous upscale flying crayons popular of late, this kit is a true scale crayon. It's one of the FlisKits hot new kits designed for MicroMaxx motors. It's a quick and fun build and really zips off the pad under that whopping 1/8A average thrust. The FlisKits Micro Series took its time to get to market, but the wait was definitely worth it as the quality of ...

  • FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor By Chan Stevens

    ( Contributed - by Chan Stevens - 02/07/09) Brief: This is a neat display of the interior of a model rocket motor, and at 3:1 upscale, it's large enough to use in a typical classroom presentation. Construction: This kit comes packed in a typical rocket baggie with color header card and contains the following parts: BT-70 tube Laser-cut cardboard detail sheet ...

  • FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor By Hans "Chris" Michielssen

    ( Contributed - by Hans "Chris" Michielssen - 02/01/09) Brief: I "won" this kit on a rocketry forum. A build thread hosted by Powderburner followed the steps of the assembly. After the last assembly post, the host asked the readers to find the mistake in his build. If you found the error you would receive a Cutaway Engine Kit as a prize. I read through the ...

  • FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor By Jim Bassham

    ( Contributed - by Jim Bassham - 03/08/09) Brief: This is FlisKits' new model of a cut-away rocket motor. It is designed to be used as a classroom or science-fair demonstration model. Construction: The kit consists of a laser-cut sheet of fiberboard parts, two body tubes, a coupler tube and a sheet of paper parts. OK, I really wanted to like this kit, but it was frustrating ...

  • FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor By David Landgraf

    ( Contributed - by David Landgraf - 01/02/09) Brief: If you have ever been at a loss for a giant version of a model rocket motor to use as a teaching aid to hold up in front of a class, this is your ticket. This little kit provides a good illustration of the internal parts, gives you a model in a good, usable size, and is easy to assemble in a couple hours of total work time. It ...

  • FlisKits Dead Ringer By Kathy Kippen

    A MicroMaxx kit with unique large rings for fins. The parts came very well packaged and include: ¼" x 2" coupler BT-2.5 x 1" tube BT-2.5 x 5" tube Launch lug Streamer 30" Kevlar thread shock cord Laser cut fins Three BT-60 x 3/8" rings Balsa nosecone Tiny nail Instruction sheet The instructions are easy to follow with easy to follow ...

  • FlisKits Dead Ringer By John Lee

    The Dead Ringer is a sort of downscale of the FlisKits Borealis, one of the coolest in the FlisKits Fleet in my opinion. This will be my first attempt at a MMX build. I have plenty of kits but the idea of working with the extremely small sizes have intimidated me. I started off with a mistake because I glanced at the instructions instead of reading them. I marked off 1/4" on the 3/16" x 2" ...

  • FlisKits Dead Ringer By Chan Stevens

    This is a sweet little micro-sized design based on the larger Borealis} (though it's not a pure downscale, as this is a much simpler design). It's another great addition to the {{http://www.jonrocket.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_39_61 line of true ...

  • FlisKits Decaffeinator By Scott Turnbull

    Brief: This is a 2nd Opinion review of the Fliskits Decaffeinator, a foam cup rocket with a 24mm motor mount. I made a couple of minor modifications to the design. This kit is pretty basic. At its core is the lengthy 24mm motor mount configured for rear ejection from a BT-70 body tube. Around that mount are a collection of foam core fins and Styrofoam cups. The assembled rocket stands over 6 ...

  • FlisKits Decaffeinator By John Lee

    Brief: I opened this package to try and build it quite some time ago but stopped when reading the instructions. Most of the construction is done with a hot glue gun and I didn't have one. When my brother in law asked about it sitting on my desk, I told him I didn't have such a tool. A few weeks later, one magically appeared. Thanks Toby! This kit is made from Styrofoam coffee ...

  • FlisKits Decaffeinator By Joe Policy

    The face card of this most unusual offering from FlisKits proclaims it is "nearly 6 feet tall and weighs only 6 ounces". This rocket is built out of Styrofoam coffee cups! The kit includes: 1 Nose Block 1 BT-50 Body Tube 1 BT-70 Body Tube 1 Launch Lug 2 Centering Rings 1 Engine Hook 1 Engine Block 1 16" Parachute Shroud Line Tape Disks 36" Shock Cord ...

  • FlisKits Decim8 By Chan Stevens

    Brief: For those that want a bit more of a challenge than the traditional 3FNC, consider the Decim8, which as Nigel Tufnel would say, goes to eleven, and that's better than 3, innit? This kit is a challenging build rated at skill level 4, but will reward the careful modeller with a beautiful futuristic alien battle ship. Construction: Numbered kit 44 has been sacrificed for ...

  • FlisKits Deuce Booster By Jim Myers

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Jim Myers - 02/16/07) Brief: The attached is my Deuce Booster entry to the Deuce Bash ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Jason Toft

    (by Jason Toft - 04/15/03) Brief: An awesome little rocket with dual canted motor mounts. Just BEGGING to be upscaled Construction: When I received my Deuce, there was one 17 inch BT-60 tube, a balsa ogive nose, fin stock, motor mount materials, and other miscellaneous materials required for construction. (launch lugs, chute, etc.) I opened the package and inspected the quality ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Carl Tulanko

    Brief: The Deuces Wild is a very unique model rocket from FlisKits, a newer company on the block in the model rocket industry. The Deuce boasts a cluster using dual 'canted' 18mm motors, which gives it a really cool look both on the pad and in the air. The model came in a plastic bag, similar to Estes Rockets, but that is where the similarity ends. Inside the bag was a real balsa nosecone, ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Dick Stafford

    Brief: Just another quick review of The Rocketry Forum's favorite kit...large fins, 2 canted 18mm motors, 'nuff said! I won't repeat all of this information, I'll just be pointing out what I think are the high points, assuming you have read the other reviews, above. The parts are all of good quality, and the laser cut fiber motor mount components make assembly easy. With a balsa nose cone, ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Mike Salter

    The Deuce's Wild! is (in my opinion) one of the most innovative kits available at the moment and will undoubtedly become a classic. It's unique point is the dual smoke trails from the canted motors, a great spectacle that grabs anyone's attention. The moment I saw the Deuce (when FlisKits first opened), I wanted one and soon set about trying to bring them to the UK...this basically involved ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Hank Helmen

    This is a skill level 3, two engine canted cluster rocket. The Duce has one body tube and uses four fins. It comes with a very nice balsa nose cone and two parachutes. The motor mount is unique but goes together easily and works great. Two pre-cut engine mounting rings are included with in the hardware. A BT-60 body tube is supplied in the kit as well as 30" of thin shock cord. The 1/8" ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Douglas Gardei

    Dual Canted 18mm motor mounts. Designed to produce two distinctive smoke trails when launched. The Deuce's Wild comes with Estes quality parts. The Body tube is BT-60 sized, and is topped with a nice Balsa nosecone. The kit includes two 18mm motor tubes, and two thrust rings. No motor hooks are provided. Two sheets of balsa is used to cut out the four large fins form the pattern provided. The ...

  • FlisKits Deuceship One By Matthew McFarland

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Matthew McFarland - 02/16/07) Brief: After watching the Discovery Channel program ...

  • FlisKits Diminutive Deuce By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a micro-sized downscale of the very popular Deuce's Wild!, scaled to fly on the Quest MicroMaxx engines. While it's a very cool concept, given the tiny size of the components, I would recommend it only to skilled and patient modelers. This is a tiny kit in appearance only--it's still got at least as much construction work as a "regular size" low power rocket. ...

  • FlisKits doo-Hickey By Jon Chrisman

    Brief: This is a micro-sized downscale of the popular Thing-A-Ma-Jig, scaled to fly on the Quest MicroMaxx engines. It incorporates the very cool design feature of the Jig-Tech fin tub first introduced in the Thing-A-Ma-Jig, and it eases the assembly enormously in the micro scale. Construction: The parts list: 1 Motor mount tube 1 Body tube 1 Balsa nose ...

  • FlisKits dooDad By Tim Fischer

    I was asked to lead a small rocket build and launch event.  In preparation for this, I looked at several "Skill Level 1" kits from various manufacturers.  Estes is the usual "obvious" case for such classes, but I was a little unhappy that all of their beginners kits seem to have plastic fin units.  I really wanted to give the kids a taste of working with real wood f ...

  • FlisKits Double Deuce By Nick Evans

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Nick Evans - 02/16/07) Brief: The name of my entry is DoubleDeuce. It is basically a ...

  • FlisKits Double Deuce By Matthew McFarland

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Matthew McFarland - 02/16/07) Brief: I built the Double Deuce thinking if two or three ...

  • FlisKits Drake By Dan Westley

    Brief: A futuristic looking 24mm sport rocket featuring an unusual fin configuration. Commercial version of the 'Proconsul', the anniversary kit of the 2003 National Sport Launch. Construction: The kit contains: 3 body tubes (one each of BT-20, BT-50, and BT-60) Balsa nose cone 16in Parachute 2 sheets of laser cut balsa fins 24in Shock cord Various bits & ...

  • FlisKits Espresso By Joe Policy

    Brief: The face card of this unique kit from FlisKits claims to be "The ultimate 13mm caffeine machine". The Espresso is also the 2005 National Sport Launch anniversary kit. It uses 4 ounce coffee cups for construction and is quite a bit smaller then its big brother, the Decaffeinator, but definitely is not small on performance. Construction: The kit includes: 1 ...

  • FlisKits Farscape By Andy Turits

    Brief: A skill level three build. Very interesting design featuring two offset body tubes, elliptical primary fins intersected with smaller and similar secondary fins and many small details, some that can be included or modified at the builder's option. Recovery is by way of 16" parachute which is deployed via ducted ejection gasses. The kit as the "Farscape" has ...

  • FlisKits Flea By Dan Westley

    Brief: A skill level 1, Minimum Diameter, 4FNC (4 Fin & Nose Cone), Sport Model. Construction: This model kit comes in the usual Fliskits packaging; a clear plastic bag, with eye-catching face-card, and transparent back, so parts can be clearly seen. As usual, this product is individually numbered — mine is #74. The kit consists, mainly, of one high quality 228mm * ...

  • FlisKits Freedom Forge Missile By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: This is a new kit from FlisKits with cool missile styling including three sets of fins and six struts at the bottom. It flies on 18mm B4-2, B6-4, and C6-5 motors and recovers with a parachute. The kit came from BRS Hobbies . My kit was also hand numbered serial #06. A nice touch. Construction: The kit includes: 1 sheet of assembly instructions 1 BT-60 main body ...

  • FlisKits Frick-n-Frack By Bob Cox

    Brief: One of the few two-stage saucers on the market, Frick-n-Frack takes off like a fairly conventional 6-sided saucer. At motor burnout of the first stage, the saucer separates into two sections, each with 3 drag-plate fins. The booster section (Frick) tumbles gently to the ground while the sustainer section (Frack) continues to burn, often with a nice spinning action. Jim ...

  • FlisKits Goddard L-13 By Duane Boldt

    ( Contributed - by Duane Boldt - 05/26/10) Brief: Dr. Robert H. Goddard built the first successful liquid fueled rocket, "Nell", making history on March 16th, 1926. This review is of FlisKit's sport scale model of Dr. Robert H. Goddard's highest flying rocket, known as "L-13." The L-13 achieved its historic altitude of 2700 meters on March 26th, 1937. The ...

  • FlisKits HEMV-4 By Chan Stevens

    This is a very cool looking futuristic mini-roc based upon the FlisKits Herc-5 and features many of the same design features such as scalloped/nested tubes, sci-fi command ship styling, and fantastic graphics/decals. As is typical of the Micro-to-the-Maxx line, the kit comes packed up in a small plastic bag. Parts were very good quality although the balsa nose cone was a tad rougher than ...

  • FlisKits Honest John By Robert Koenn

    Brief: FlisKits recently added another new kit to their line of Micromaxx kits. This is the first scale kit by FlisKits and a notable addition to the line. I have previously built a number of Micromaxx scale kits from Aerospace Specialty Products and when I saw this new scale kit from FlisKits at NARAM this year I knew I had to have it. It makes a neat addition to the display of ...

  • FlisKits Intergalactic Man of Space By Mark Alterio

    This is a tumble recovery Micromaxx oddball rocket. The parts list: 1 laser cut basswood sheet 1 MMX motor tube 1 BT-20 body tube 1 BT-60 ring 1 balsa head cone, launch lug The kit contains 12 steps of easy to follow instructions with clear illustrations. The instructions have a printed tube marking guide for the motor tube. I glued a 1/4" dowel to the guide, which ...

  • FlisKits Interloper By Chan Stevens

    If you're ready to move beyond those RTF Micromaxx kits and step into honest to goodness kits to build , you can't go wrong with the FlisKits line of micro kits, and the Interloper is as good a place to start as any. It sports a futuristic spaceship design and flies great. Sure, it only goes up about 70 feet, but for about 1/4 the cost of an 18mm motor, you can send this one practically out ...

  • FlisKits Journeyman By Mike Caplinger

    The Fliskits Journeyman is a 1/16th sport scale model of the Aerolab Argo D-8 Journeyman sounding rocket.  The Journeyman flew eight times from 1960 to 1965 on NASA and AEC missions from Vandenberg and Wallops Island. Components The kit includes body tubes, centering rings, balsa nose cones and transition, a 24mm motor mount with motor hook, balsa sheet for the fins, a 16" ...

  • FlisKits Just Past Due By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a very cool tube-fin micro-sized kit flying on the Quest Micromaxx motors. This is a downscale of the very rare Overdue and commercially available Long Overdue. Construction: You get great quality tubes for this kit. In fact, all the components are first rate. The body tubes are at least as good as typical full-sized kits and the itty bitty balsa nose cone and ...

  • FlisKits Land Shark By Susan DeBerg

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Susan DeBerg - 02/07/07) Parts List: 1 FlisKits Deuce's Wild! kit 1 ...

  • FlisKits Long OverDue By Chan Stevens

    Since its inception, FlisKits has had a policy that if an order ever shipped late, they would provide a free rocket called "OverDue". I've ordered quite a few products from them and to my knowledge, only pre-order customers of the Grissom and/or Nomad have ever been fortunate enough to get their orders late, and therefore accompanied by the ever-elusive OverDue. Now, Jim Flis has released a ...

  • FlisKits Midnight Express (Plan) By Nick Esselman

    I decided to do a bit of "paper building" with some of the free rockets throughout the Internet ( See my "Free" Paper-Rocket Comparison Page ). One of the first that I downloaded was FlisKits' Midnight Express™. I downloaded the Pre-printed Pattern Sheet in the PDF format from FlisKits. I printed it on 110lb Card Stock (Georgia Pacific brand purchased from WalMart). I also downloaded and ...

  • FlisKits Midnight Express (Plan) By Elliott Bavely

    Midnight Express (free paper rocket) by FlisKits. This rocket is available as a downloadable PDF file that you print on cardstock then cut and build yourself. The basic design is 3 fins, paper nose cone, and a paper body tube. Since this isn't actually a kit, you must provide a recovery device (streamer is recommended), glue, and some sort of nose weight (clay, for example). I first ...

  • FlisKits Morning Star By Chan Stevens

    Brief: About 20 years in the making, this futuristic 5FNC design was released by Flis to celebrate their 6th anniversary in 2008. It's a pretty cool design, with fins blending into the transition. This is a design that Jim has been doodling with since the 1980's, originally starting out at 18mm and half the current length, eventually growing to 24mm and 30" length my popular ...

  • FlisKits Morning Star By John Lee

    Brief: The Morning Star is a nice looking futuristic design from FlisKits that still looks like a traditional rocket. It is not trying to be an extra from a sci-fi series. It's simple but cool. Construction: Construction began by my locating a spent 24mm casing and marking off 1/4" from one end. A ring of white glue was then applied inside the BT-50 motor tube using a swab ...

  • FlisKits Morning Star By Les Bradshaw

    Brief: This is a new offering from FlisKits. It is a single stage that uses parachute recovery. I got the rocket as part of their 6th anniversary celebration. It was quickly delivered in a well packaged box. Construction: There are 2 body tubes, a BT-55 that transitions down to a BT-50. There are 5 forward swept fins that blend into the transition. They provide toothpicks to ...

  • FlisKits Mudwasp By Chan Stevens

    Fliskits continues to drive the rebirth of Micromax rocketry with this kit. 6 external tubes serve both stability and as anchor points for fins. This is a very simple build, and can probably be done in a half hour. It also flies very nicely on those tiny 1/8A motors. Once you get past the concept that you're dealing with really small parts, you'll appreciate that you're getting very good ...

  • FlisKits Mudwasp By Jon Chrisman

    One of the newest additions to the Micro-to-the-Maxx lineup from Fliskits is the Mud Wasp. A unique six tube and fin design rocket. The parts consisted of: NCB-3AM Nose Cone CA-M Cord Anchor Launch Lug Engine Block 2 Centering Rings Motor Tube Body Tube 6 Short Body Tubes Streamer 6 Laser Cut Fins Kevlar Cord The instructions for the Mud Wasp are ...

  • FlisKits Mystic By Chan Stevens

    Sci-Fi design of an alien troop carrier, with a pair of high aspect ratio wings (fins) and some eye-catching craftsmanship challenges. Flies on 18mm A8-3, B6-4, C6-5, streamer recovery. Components Parts were very good quality, and included: Balsa nose cone BT-20 body tubes (2) BT-70 body tube (for trim/details) TC-20 coupler balsa fin stock laser-cut ...

  • FlisKits Nanite By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Rocket gliders and Micromaxx mini-rockets are cool, but what happens when you combine the intricacies of rocket glider geometry and the miniaturization of micro-scale? You get the Fliskits Nanite. It's an amazing little glider that you'll be hard pressed to ever get back, so enjoy it while you can. I have to point out that this review is of the beta of the kit, not yet ...

  • FlisKits Nantucket Sound By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Inspired by the return of NARCON in 2009 to the New England area, this oddroc is a flying lighthouse. Thanks to some outstanding engineering/prototyping and excellent instructions, this is not nearly as difficult to build as you'd think and it flies perfectly. Construction: Parts are top quality and include: BT-55 body tube BT-50 motor tube (24mm) ...

  • FlisKits Nebula By Jim Rupp

    Brief: A Level 1, three fin 13mm cardstock rocket. Construction: This rocket is available as a free download from FlisKits and is my first cardstock rocket. I was amazed how easy it went together, not to mention the amount of detail in the instructions. The rocket "kit" consists of 3 pages of PDF instructions, along with 3 different PDFs of rocket patterns: the ...

  • FlisKits Nebula By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The FlisKits Nebula is an all paper rocket that can be flown on 13mm motors. The kit can be downloaded for free from the FlisKits website. I would consider it on a difficulty level comparable to the other free FlisKits paper rockets available. Construction: The kit and instructions are all available on the FlisKits website. There are 3 versions of the Nebula available: ...

  • FlisKits Nell By John R, Brandon III

    A truly-historical model of the most significant rocket ever flown in the United States--Robert Goddard's first liquid-fuel rocket, Nell.   Components The kit includes five different sizes of body tube (BT-70, BT-60, BT-55, BT-20, and BT-2), a balsa nosecone, a number of centering rings, a sheet of cardstock printed with a long nozzle and a cone, a bundle of dowels, ...

  • FlisKits Night Whisper By Claude Maina

    Brief: This is truly a unique kit. It has a sleek, non-symmetric, futuristic look with an elaborate fin pattern and a split body tube design that creates an ejection baffle. It is a Skill Level 3 with recommended engines, B6-4 and C6-5. There are a lot of parts, including many fins that have to be cut from balsa stock and aligned. The fin design and arrangement are truly un ...

  • FlisKits Nike Deuce By Fred Talasco

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Frederick Talasco - 02/16/07) Brief: This is a pseudo-scale conversion plan for the ...

  • FlisKits Nomad By Carl Tulanko

    Brief: The FlisKits Nomad is a very unique 3-stage model rocket that fills the gap in model rocketry that has been missing for quite some time. As is, a three stage model is hard to find, but they've hit the target with the Nomad, producing a very cool and unique model that stands four feet tall and has one of the most unusual and innovative fin patterns you will ever see. The fins for ...

  • FlisKits Overdrive By Carl Tulanko

    Brief: I was at a two day Launch in Whitakers, NC where I had the pleasure of visiting a newer manufacturer who had a booth set up on site. FlisKits had come to the launch and boasted a professional display of their line, to include kits, parts and supplies for the fliers at the meet. It is there I got to meet one of the owners, Jim Flis, and that's when the Overdrive caught my eye. I ...

  • FlisKits Overdrive By Russ Anthony

    ( Contributed - by Russ Anthony - 10/01/03) Brief: This is a 4 fin, futuristic, lightweight 10" rocket with streamer recovery and high quality components. The packaging is very attractive, professional and colorful as per FlisKit standards. An individual production number is provided for the first 100 kits, mine is #29. Although advertised as skill level 1, eight fin parts must be ...

  • FlisKits OverDue By Russ Anthony

    Brief: The OverDue is a wild tube-finned rocket available only through a special promotional offer from Fliskits, Inc. It has stylish, nested tubes within tubes for fins, plus a simulated payload area which actually houses the parachute. Certainly a most unique and creative model from a company known for its devotion to customer service and fantastic designs. Construction: Since ...

  • FlisKits PayLord By Joe Policy

    Brief: A great three motor cluster rocket with a 9.26 cubic inch payload bay that works well as an egg lofter. This is the little brother to the Fliskits StarLoad. Construction: The parts list: 1 balsa nose cone 1 balsa adapter 1 clear payload tube, 5" 1 8.5" body tube 3 8.62" body tubes 3 fiber vent plugs 1 1/8" thick balsa fin stock ...

  • FlisKits Petite Praetor By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Based on the roughly 24" tall Praetor, this 1:4.6 downscale continues the FlisKits expansion into Micromaxx territory. It's one of the easier micros to build, so once you're ready for branching out from those plastic RTFs that came with your starter set, consider this for the next step. Construction: Clive's previous review does a great job of covering the parts and ...

  • FlisKits Petite Praetor By Clive Davis

    Brief: This is a downscale of Fliskits popular Praetor model. It is a single stage Micromaxx rocket that uses streamer recovery and features a balsa transition, balsa nose cone, and nice, big wide fins. Construction: Components from Fliskits are great as usual. This kit comes with: 1 balsa nose cone 1 balsa transition 2 body tubes launch lug material motor mount ...

  • FlisKits Pheord X150 By Dan Westley

    CONSTRUCTION: Being newish to this hobby, I'm slowly working my way through the different types of rocket there are to offer. My first cluster was Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; having had a lot of fun building and flying that one, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for my first saucer type. As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in the UK, I have to buy direct from Fliskits - they are ...

  • FlisKits Pheord X150 By Nick Esselman

    The FlisKits Pheord X150 is more than rocketry, it's humor as well. Starting with its name, Pheord, pronounced like Ford, add the X150 and you'd think you were dealing with a pickup truck. And the similarity does not stop there. Notice FlisKit's introduction: " 'Built Pheord Tough' takes on a whole new meaning! The 2003 Pheord X150 come fully outfitted for the alien on the go, whether you are ...

  • FlisKits Praetor-2 By Ron Wirth

    Brief: The Praetor-II booster is an aftermarket design for the popular Praetor rocket kit from FlisKits. The booster like the rocket has a unique look with long thin fins that extend out from the body tube further than what you might expect. The Praetor-II boost complements the original rocket perfectly. With the booster attached to the rocket, it reminds me of some sort of ...

  • FlisKits Praetor-2 By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Following in the footsteps of the Corona 2, this is a retrofit booster module designed to complement the standard single stage FlisKits classic Praetor. The booster shares in the same design standards as the Praetor, featuring rather large span fins. Construction: Components are of good quality. The kit includes: balsa fin stock BT-60 body tube BT-20 ...

  • FlisKits Praetor By Greg Deeter

      The new Fliskits Praetor is a single stage, dual diameter "Sport" design, with a very unique and bizarre looking set of four fins. The kit says that this was first introduced at the "Pearl River Model Rocket Convention (MODROC)". This comes in the same type of package as my previous rockets from FlisKits. Estes type retail package, which is a plastic bag with hole punched hang tab. ...

  • FlisKits Praetor By Nick Esselman

    Why does Summer, and even Fall, always run out of time? I guess so we'll have the opportunity to sled, build snowmen and throw snowballs! But, here in Vermont it simply halts all rocket finishing activity! Still, I was interested in getting my 2nd kit built from the the newest kit manufacturer, FlisKits (opened in September 2002). As with my FlisKits Tumble Weed I was impressed with the ...

  • FlisKits Rhino By Scott Oblander

    Brief: Skill level 1, 4FNC rocket, parachute recovery Construction: 1 Balsa Nose Cone 1 18" BT-60 body tube 4 1/8" laser cut balsa fins 2 2" launch lugs 1 30" shock cord 1 screw eye 1 18mm motor mount kit w/ fiber centering rings peel 'n' stick decal set 1 16" parachute The instructions were very good and easy to follow. I ...

  • FlisKits Rhino By Clive Davis

    Background: This spring I ran a build session for faculty kids at the school where I teach. I ended up using the Quest Bright Hawk for the 7-9 year olds and the Quest Big Betty for the 10-12 year olds. After the build session, I began thinking about the types of rockets that would make great first builds for a budding rocketeer. I wanted to select rockets to compare that had the ...

  • FlisKits Rhino By Jason Toft

    Brief: A simple, super stable beginners rocket. Perfect for use in classes. Construction: In the kit there is: 1 BT-60 tube 1 Balsa NC 2 Fin Stock Sheets 1 Engine mount kit (motor tube, hook, rings, etc.) 1 Adaptable Size Chute A set of miscellaneous items (shockcord, shroud lines, tape disks, screw eye) I bought ten of these kits to use in a rocket class my ...

  • FlisKits Richter Recker By Greg Deeter

    ( Contributed - by Greg Deeter - 01/14/04) Brief: This is a huge rocket, over 7 feet tall that thumps the cloud cover with a hefty trio of D's. The Richter Recker is the top of the line rocket from the new company FlisKits at $28.95. It's huge, good quality and is very impressive looking. I ordered mine right after FlisKits opened, and my Richter Recker is hand numbered #05. I think the ...

  • FlisKits Richter Recker By Jason Toft

    Brief: A EXTREMELY large 3 x 24mm model rocket. The Richter Recker measures in at 92.2 inches, or seven feet, eight inches tall! FlisKits says it is the largest model rocket you can fly without having to get a NOTAM, since when you build it stock it weighs in at 15.9 ounces! I build mine on the heavy side, but that's kind of my technique! Construction: LOTS of rocket in a bag is an ...

  • FlisKits Rock Star By Patrick Bissonnette

    Brief: This is another unusual design by FlisKits. It is supposed to look like a flying V guitar. I believe it first came out at NARAM 47. Construction: Everything is packaged well. Here is what you get: A nice Honest John style balsa cone with screw eye. BT-60 tube BT-50 tube 2 short BT-5 tubes Motor hook and 2 centering rings 1/8in launch lug ...

  • FlisKits Rose-a-Roc By Chan Stevens

    Brief: You read that right. The classic Art Rose helicopter design based upon the Rota-Roc is going to be available in kit form. This review is of the beta version of the kit, which Jim Flis allowed me to build while at NARAM-49. I was so impressed with this kit that I wound up flying it in the A helicopter duration event at NARAM. The standard Rota-Roc is the most popular ...

  • FlisKits Saturn 1B By Chan Stevens

    Brief: If you're looking for a good scale Saturn model but don't have the money and/or room for a 1:100 scale kit (or larger), then consider this little gem. Standing less than 10" tall and retailing for under $24, this might just do the trick. It packs an impressive amount of detailing into the model, though in this scale the build can be extremely challenging. For the faint of ...

  • FlisKits Shadowlord By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a basic 4-fin single stage model, though features a boat tail and some interesting finishing that results in a really nice looking overall model that flies well on 24mm motors as low as C11-s for small fields or baby F's for larger fields. Construction: Your $19 retail gets you a somewhat short list of parts, but all very good quality. I'd especially note ...

  • FlisKits StarLoad By Joe Policy

    Brief: A big 3x24mm cluster rocket with a huge 22.56 cubic inch clear payload bay. This is the big brother to the FlisKits PayLord. Construction: The kit includes: 1 balsa nose cone 1 2" balsa adapter 1 10" clear payload tube 1 17.5" body tube 3 9" body tube 1 1/8" thick balsa fin stock 2 centering rings 3 engine blocks 1 ...

  • FlisKits Stinger By Robert Koenn

    Brief: Since Chan has done a second review of one of my reviews, I am giving a second review of the Stinger (I didn't know he had already submitted one when I wrote mine up). A couple of years ago I became interested in rockets that were built around the MicroMaxx engines from Quest. It actually wasn't so much flying them but more that the small size made for an interesting display ...

  • FlisKits Stinger By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a downscale of the Sting Ray, with somewhat simplified construction. It's a sweet futuristic design and another fine addition to the Micro to the Maxx line of kits. Construction: In your 3" x 5" baggy you'll find some good quality parts, all of which are tiny so be careful not to open over, say, shag carpet. I build Micromaxx kits exclusively on our ...

  • FlisKits Stingray By Kyle Hancock

    Brief: This is a single staged sport rocket with an unusual design. It is classified as a skill level 3. Construction: The components came in a hanging bag-style package with insert art. My particular model was production #45. It contained two sheets of balsa, a single body tube, balsa nose cone w/ eye screw, launch lug, a toothpick for the guns, engine mount hardware (tube, ...

  • FlisKits Stingray By John Lee

    Brief: This rocket is a 18mm futuristic space fighter using parachute recovery system. When I became a BAR, I found numerous kits that I absolutely HAD to have. Many of them came from Fliskits. The problem was I was well aware of my technical skills and was loathe to butcher such nice projects. As a result, I spent a lot of time working on simple "level 1 and 2" rockets ...

  • FlisKits Stingray By Joe Policy

    Brief: The Stingray from Fliskits is yet another innovative design from one of the leaders in model rocketry today (my opinion). It is a challenging level 3 build but is well worth the effort. Construction: The kit contains: Body tube, 9" - BT-50-09 Body tube, 2.75" - BT-20-0275 Nose cone, Balsa - NCB-50AD Engine block, 18mm - EB-20-0025 Centering ring, ...

  • FlisKits The Long Deuce By Matthew McFarland

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Matthew McFarland - 02/16/07) Brief: This is my favorite so far! Notice in the ...

  • FlisKits Thing-a-ma-Jig By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    ( Contributed - by Drake Damerau - 10/04/06) Brief: This is a stretched version of the FlisKits Thing-A-Ma-Jig. A simple, easy quick build for beginners and educators. In fact, the only kit simpler to build is an RTF! Modifications: I didn't start this one out intending to do a review on it, but after the smoke cleared--pardon the pun--I decided to do a quick write up on it. I ...

  • FlisKits Thing-a-ma-Jig By Dr. Thomas Rackers

    The Thing-a-ma-Jig is almost your standard 3FNC (three fins and a nose cone) rocket except for the fin design. FlisKits' new "Jig-Tech" technology produces three fins that interlock in such a way that you're virtually guaranteed to get all your fins on straight. The Thing-a-ma-Jig (also called the TamJ) is designed to be easily constructed by first time rocket builders. The Thing-a-ma-Jig ...

  • FlisKits Thunderbird By Andy Hobbs

    Sport-scale version of the Thunderbird Anti-aircraft missile with a single 18mm motor mount The parts list: 1 BT-60 body tube 4 BT-20 booster tubes 1 BT-60 balsa nosecone 1 18mm motor mount tube 2 sheets of 1/8" balsa fin stock 1 small sheet of 1/16" balsa fin stock 16" chute and ample elastic shock cord Kevlarleader 1/8" launch lug rings and engine block ...

  • FlisKits Tiddlywink By Chan Stevens

    Brief: There's something seriously wrong with Jim Flis, and thankfully the rest of us in the hobby can enjoy the fruits of his eccentricity. FlisKits continues to expand the Micro To The Max line and also continues to dabble in NAR competition designs. Rather than monkey with relatively simple events, Jim started with one of the most challenging events held today, and with the ...

  • FlisKits Tiddlywink By Glenn Roth

    Brief: MicroMaxx helicopter duration rocket. Construction: 1 small BT, 3 fins/helo blades, motor taped in BT, small nosecone glued on a shaft. BT is slid up on locking pins that are mounted on each blade. Instructions were straightforward and somewhat easy to follow if you read through them several times. CONs: way too delicate and hard to get hinges mounted correctly. I've ...

  • FlisKits Tiddlywink By Ray King

    Brief: This is another innovative MicroMaxx rocket from FlisKits. It was developed by Jim Flis based on customer requests and in preparation for the upcoming NARAM contest. Based on my results it will likely be a very popular model at NARAM and any 1/8A HD competitions. Construction: The parts list: BT 2.5 Body Tube NCB 2.5TW Nose Cone 0.060" Fin Stock ...

  • FlisKits TOG By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Rounding out the initial wave of FlisKits micro kits, the TOG has got to be the coolest design of the fleet. It's a miniature spacecraft with sleek, futuristic styling. Even though it looks big and heavy for an MMX, it flies very well. Construction: At first I thought the $9.45 price was a bit intimidating (the other micro kits run $5-6), but when I opened up this kit, I ...

  • FlisKits Torpedo By Scott Clement

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Scott Clement - 02/16/07) Brief: The Torpedo is a kitbashed FlisKits Deuce's Wild! ...

  • FlisKits Tres 24mm x3 custer By John Eric Thompson

    I enjoyed building and launching the 18mm version of the Tres, I just had to get the bigger 24 mm version as well. Components The components were sturdy.  You do have to pay attention to the instructions and cut out the fin template patterns.  Make sure the arrow aligns with the grain of the balsa wood. /h2 The building process was straightforward.  I ...

  • FlisKits Tres By Warren Wattles

    Brief: This is a 3x18mm cluster, vectored-thrust, single stage. Construction: Parts List: 1 BT-55 (18") 1 BT-60 (18") 3 BT-20 (2.75") 1 Balsa nose cone (5 3/8" straight cone) 1 Balsa transition (1") 3 Sheets balsa fin stock (1/8") 1 Sheet balsa fin stock (1/16") 1 Custom laser-cut centering ring 1 Wide shock cord 1 ...

  • FlisKits Tres By Chan Stevens

    Brief: For those who have outgrown the Deuce's Wild cluster from FlisKits, this 3-motor cluster is the big, bad cousin to the Deuce. With it's huge fins and giant smoke trails, this rocket will certainly command attention at the pad. Construction: The kit includes: BT-55 18" body tube (upper) BT-60 18" body tube (lower) BT-20 motor tubes (3) Balsa nose ...

  • FlisKits Tri-Glide By Joe Policy

    Brief: A unique kit where the body tube has no fins but uses the fins from three attached gliders instead. Construction: The parts list: 1 nose cone 1 18" body tube 1 18mm motor tube 2 centering rings 1 engine hook 1 engine block 1 16" parachute, plastic 1 shroud line 1 set tape disks 1 elastic shock cord 1 Kevlar ® shock cord ...

  • FlisKits Triple Threat (13mm) By Clive Davis

    Brief: The Fliskits Triple Threat is a unique kit offering 3 small UFO rockets, each with a different shape. The UFF Persephone is circular, the UFF Athena is pentagonal, and the UFF Odysseus is hexagonal. The kits are made out of card stock and balsa, each with a 13 mm motor mount. Definitely for the experienced builder. Construction: 3 sheets of balsa to cut out fins ...

  • FlisKits Triple Threat (MMX) By Art Applewhite

    Brief: Fliskits sells a great line of kits and they also give some good ones away. You can now download for free, 3 Micro Maxx versions of the 13mm flying saucers they sell in their Triple Threat kit. The downloads are Acrobat Portable Document Files or PDFs on their "Free Stuff" page. A free PDF reader can be downloaded and installed from the Adobe website. Each of the 3 ...

  • FlisKits Triskelion By Andrew Scott

    Brief: The pride of the thrall fleet, Triskelion. The Triskelion is a unique skill level 1 rocket. With its high quality instructions and laser cut fins, this rocket can easily built in 2-3 hours. Construction: As far as the actual components are concerned, the kit includes: 1 Ogive nose cone 1 8.5" BT-55 body tube 1 Engine tube 6 Laser cut fins, 3 main fins ...

  • FlisKits Triskelion By Joe Policy

    Brief: "The Triskelion represents the highest standard of Thrall technology" says the face card on this unique skill level 1 rocket. With its high quality instructions and laser cut fins, this rocket can easily be built in just a few hours. The kit contains: ogive nose cone 8.5" BT-55 body tube engine tube laser cut fins shock cord, elastic 16" parachute screw eye ...

  • FlisKits Tumble Weed By Carl Tulanko

    (by Carl Tulanko - 05/20/03) Brief: The FlisKits "Tumble Weed" Model Rocket Kit had caught my eye on the FlisKits website when I was looking to purchase a Nomad, so I had it added to my order. It's by far the smallest rocket in their line, resembling somewhat a dressed up Mosquito and it is designed to fly on 13mm motors. However, upon arrival I knew this was much more than ...

  • FlisKits Tumble Weed By Al Duprey

    Brief: I am partial to ring fin rockets. The Sprite was the first rocket I built at 11 years old. This kit will not disappoint with its fine materials, classic form, and good looks but has a little higher price than that Sprite I built. Supposed to be a tumble recovery but more on that later. Construction: The kit includes a small body tube, balsa nose cone, balsa sheet, ...

  • FlisKits Tumble Weed By Al Duprey

    FlisKits is the newest company in town (opened in September 2002) and from my vantage point, they have come in with a big banner-like entrance. I have built kits from 22 different manufacturers and when I received the (3) FlisKits I had ordered, I was initially amazed at the packaging. They are so professional looking that if hanging in a hobby store you would think they were mass-produced in ...

  • FlisKits U.S.S. Deuce's Wild (Modification) By Justin Cartisano

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild.   Here's my entry, The USS Deuces Wild. This is the bash I started in November and posted construction pics of on The ...

  • FlisKits U.S.S. Grissom By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Inspired by the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Trident", this flagship of Fliskits was inspired by the Estes classic ducted-ejection charge Trident. Micro-sized and finely detailed, this rocket has an impressive appearance and is a very challenging and enjoyable construction project. Construction: The main body tubes are BT-5 (13mm), with 3 side tubes that are, I'd ...

  • FlisKits UFFO By Clive Davis

    Brief: This is another one of Jim Flis' unique Styrofoam cup rockets. It's Styrofoam, it's a rocket, it's a UFFO! Construction: The rocket consists of 14 Styrofoam coffee cups, cardstock, foam board, and motor mount supplies including a BT-20 tube, two motor blocks and a launch lug. Construction is a little unique for this rocket. Unlike most rocket builds, here you are ...

  • FlisKits UFFO By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The FlisKits UFFO (Unidentified Flying Foam Object) is a flying saucer oddroc that is built up with foam coffee cups and foamboard fins. It flies on 18mm B and C booster motors and uses tumble/featherweight recovery. Construction: The kit came packaged in a plastic bag and included the following parts: 14 4oz foam coffee cups 1 core tube 2 motor blocks 2 ...

  • FlisKits Ulysses By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Sleek and futuristic, even has a tiny payload bay, this is a very cool design scaled for Micromaxx motors. Construction: Parts are very good quality--standard model rocket materials, just miniscule in scale. Unpacking the little baggy you'll find: Balsa nose cone Balsa transition Payload bay/tube Lower body tube 1/16" balsa fin stock ...

  • FlisKits US TOG By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Almost immediately after the Micromaxx TOG was released in 2006, Jim Flis was buried with requests for an upscale. This 24mm version is a gorgeous rendition of the stylish, futuristic spacecraft design. It flies every bit as great as it looks, too. Construction: Collectors will be pleased to know that I just increased the scarcity of the numbered kits by building #11. ...

  • FlisKits Whatchamacallit By Ron Lemke

    Brief: Beginner Rocket, single staged with streamer recovery. Construction: Single body tube BT-20 with a BT-5 MMT, Basic 3FNC rocket with the only twist being the Jig-Tech fins. Excellent rocket kit for the first time builder!!! The instructions were very detailed and my 7 year old second grader was able to follow them. Since I had 2 x 45 minute sessions to build the rocket with ...

  • FlisKits Whirlygig By Matthew McFarland

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Matthew McFarland - 02/07/07) Brief: Here is another entry for the FlisKits Deuce Bash. ...

  • FlisKits Wild D'ufo By Adam Selene

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. ( Contributed - by Adam Selene - 02/16/07) Brief: The Wild D'UFO can be built using a DW motor mount kit, ...

  • FlisKits Xtermin8 By Todd Mullin

    Brief: The Alien8 design came to us from a very private race of beings who inhabit the Horse Head Nebula. Their xenophobic nature has lead to much speculation but little real information about their biology, science, or philosophies. While very aggressive, this race until recently has seemed to accept a lasting truce with her surrounding neighbors. They have spawned a new class of starship, the ...

  • FSI Black Brant II 1/8 Scale By David Montgomery

    Brief: The famous FSI catalogs of the early years featured the very nice looking 1/8 scale model of the Black Brant - II, probably one of the best looking rockets around (maybe, after the Saturn 1-B). I was fortunate to have purchased this kit in the late 1970s or early 1980s before I had to leave the hobby (due to career obligations) in 1982. The FSI Black Brant - II featured a ...

  • FSI Dart (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    I'm always on the lookout for vintage rockets on Ebay.  Something about continuing the career of old veterans appeals to me, and I picked up several mystery birds from a collection back in the summer of 2012.  The only notation on the rocket in question was "Mach Buster", so after receiving them, I started checking through the catalogs on Ninfinger to see what I had, and it ...

  • FSI Echo I By Tim Wood

    ( Contributed - Reviewed by Tim Wood )  Flight Systems calls their Echo 1 "an advanced two-stage bird capable of flights to extreme altitudes." I can vouch for the extreme altitudes.  Flight Systems and the Echo have been around for some time, but I didn't discover the company or the rocket until my "BAR" experience about one and one-half years ago. ...

  • FSI Intrepid (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Intrepid was an interesting in-line cluster bird from FSI.  I've been building a lot of my FSI clones as upscales of late, but there is no need to upscale this one.  It's pretty huge just as it was designed.   Components BNC-70AJ main nose cone (Semroc) 2 BNC-20Y pod cones (Semroc) TA-6070 transition (Semroc) 3/32" balsa fin stock (Hobby Lobby) ...

  • FSI Maverick (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Maverick was one of the more plain-jane rockets in the FSI universe, lacking the tube-finned cool of the Vikings or the outright bulk of the Hercules.  While not quite a minimum diameter rocket, it was still meant to carry payloads to extreme altitudes, so when I decided to clone it, I decided to make it E9 or E12 capable, just to get a fraction of a feel for what it ...

  • FSI Micro (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Before the untimely end of Semroc I spent the bulk of a year using their parts to create upscales and 1:1 clones of FSI kits.  For the most part, this meant that I was building the rockets, then figuring out a paint and decal scheme that was of my own making, something I'm not exactly a master at.  One exception to this was the Micro.  The plans for the Micro are located at ...

  • FSI Nova (Clone) By Mark Kulka

    Sport rocket with pass-through transition. This is a clone of FSI's third rocket model as it appeared during the first half of the 1970's. The following parts were all obtained from Semroc Astronautics: ST-1160 (6") - lower body tube ST-8F90 (9" cut to 8") - upper body tube ST-940 (4") - motor tube BC-8F28 - balsa nose cone BR-8F11 - balsa transition (1") CR-9115 - ...

  • FSI Sandia Sandhawk By Tim Wood

      The FSI Sandia Sandhawk is a 48-inch tall, two-inch-diameter scale model of a sounding rocket developed by the Sandia Laboratories in the 1960s.  The kit is designed to use FSI's high-thrust black powder motors, the E60 and F100. Because of the difficulty in obtaining these motors, not to mention their expense, I modified my Sandhawk to accept 29mm reloadable motors and 24mm ...

  • FSI Sprint 2.2 Clone (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    Back in 1977, I sent for an FSI catlog after finding an address in the back of a library book. While not as flashy as the Centuri and Estes catalogs I was used to, there were a couple of designs that caught my eye back then, specifically the Nova and Sprint. I eventually found an original FSI Nova that I built and flew, but the Sprint remained elusive. I recently made a Semroc purchase of ...

  • FSI Viking V (Clone) By Bill Eichelberger

    The Viking 5 was the last in the Viking series, a tube-finned family of performance birds from Flight Systems, Inc.  I was looking at http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/rockets.html  for something different and seldom seen to build before NARAM 53.  I'd previously built a BMS Viking 1 Clone of the Month and was familiar with the Viking ...

  • Full Circle by David L. Cisco (Book) By Roger Smith

    Full Circle is an autobiography by David L. Cisco. Cisco worked on the Lunar Module which carried men to the surface of the moon during the Apollo program. Ciscos tells the story of his life from a 13-year old kid working part-time in a junkyard after school, to a successful businessman and community leader.  His time working for Grumman on the Apollo program is given only a little ...

  • Fun Rockets Silver Hawk By Matt Gillard

    Brief: As with other Fun Rockets, the Silver Hawk is another foam version of the Holverson Design Silver Hawk. It boosts on a 13mm motor, and recovers in two pieces: a glider and pod recovers via a streamer. The foam isn't that bad on this fun rocket Construction: The box says a skill level three rocket, however, this rocket is an ARTF, everything is assembled, even to the point ...

  • Fun Rockets Swinger By Matt Gillard

    Brief: This almost-ready to fly kit is a good introduction to the concept of the swing-wing glider. I stumbled across one in a clearance bin at my neighborhood craft/hobby store and at $5 couldn't pass it up. With a lightweight and colorful Styrofoam body, this looks like a nice little flyer (but mine wasn't...). Construction: Opening the box turned out to be harder than making the ...

  • Fun Rockets Swinger By Matt Gillard

    Brief: I bought 36 Swingers in a job lot. Obviously I was going to fly one, as I’ve been more interested in rocket gliders than rockets for some time. Construction: After a bit of trimming, this rockets is ready to go. The general feel of the kit is cheap. The elliptical wings that sweep forward are very stiff and unless the elastic band is stretched taught the wings rarely ...

  • Fun Rockets Tangent By Michael Rangitsch

    Single staged sport rocket with parachute recovery. This is the redesign of the Holverson Designs Tangent . The nose cone, fins and fin can have been replaced by pre-colored expanded polystyrene versions. The shock cord is far longer than any supplied by Estes for similar rockets. Instructions are simple for this beginners rocket. Only white glue is needed for assembly. The new foam fins ...

  • Fun Rockets Tangent By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: The foam Tangent is one of the Doug Holverson designed rockets produced by Fun Rockets under Doug's name. While certainly an innovative idea, it wasn't necessarily a great business idea in the somewhat fickle world of low power rocketry. The Tangent was selected for this comparison because it fit the "low and slow" description, and despite its OOP status, it added ...

  • Fun Rockets Wicked Winnie By Bill Eichelberger

    Back in the good ol' days when Hobby Lobby could be counted on to stock a variety of kits from companies other than the Big E, I picked the Fun Rockets Wicked Winnie up on clearance for a song.  I'd already owned a Tangent and Zoomie, so when I saw this one on the block it was just natural to pick it up for use at B6-4 Field. Components Main body tube with cheesy foam ...

  • Fun Rockets Wicked Winnie By Mike Goss

    ( Contributed - by Mike Goss - 10/20/03) Intro A modification of a cheap bad rocket into a cheap good rocket. I couldn't resist it. There it was sitting on the shelf at Hobby Lobby, with a clearance price tag. I thought long and hard. This rocket had a bad reputation, Styrofoam. It had replaced all of the balsa wood in the original kit. The reviews were bad and the owner was ...

  • Fun Rockets Wicked Winnie By David Logan

    ( Contributed - by David Logan) Brief: This is the re-design of the Holverson Wicked Winnie payload kit, using styrofoam nose cone, boat tail, and fins. Construction: The body tubes included are thick paper tubes, one for the main airframe, and one for the payload section. The boat tail, nose cone, fins, and coupler are all made of expanded styrofoam. This kit is mostly ...

  • Fun Rockets Zoomie By John Lee

    Brief: A polystryrene rework of Holverson design's Zoomie. It is a neat little glider that was spoiled by replacing balsa wood with cheap foam. I first saw one of the Fun Rocket versions of the glider about two years ago, when a friend bought one for £3. It was the first rocket glider that I had ever seen and I've been hooked ever since. Construction: Components consist ...

  • Fun Rockets Zoomie By John Lee

    Brief: This is an Almost-Ready-to-Fly glider using 13mm mini engines. The Zoomie is a simple "kit" that arrives already assembled. I am aware through EMRR that at least some of these rockets were sold as kits that had to be assembled. Mine was not one of those. The only real construction is the addition of the decals and the addition of clay to trim for gliding. It is ...

  • Fusion Rocket Arrow X By Pat Chiles

    After wading through a sea of mundane "Dad" presents this past Christmas (literally socks and underwear), at the end of it all my wife retrieved one final gift hidden deep in the back of a closet: a Fusion Rocket Arrow X. It was my Red Rider BB Gun moment - the box was even marked "FRAGILE" so it must be Italian... I'd recently renewed my Tripoli membership and recertified Level 1 after ...

  • G-Wiz Partners G-Wiz LC Deluxe 400 By Jerry O'Sullivan

    The G-Wiz Deluxe is a flight computer for model & HP rocketry which offers great flexibility and ease of use. The unit combines both an accelerometer and barometric sensor to allow a flier to light clusters, perform staging, deploy a recovery device at apogee, and a secondary recovery device at 400'. Interestingly, the accelerometer is used for apogee detection so if you're not using the ...

  • G-Wiz Partners G-Wiz LC Deluxe 400 (Electronics) By Chris Scott

    When searching for my next altimeter, I wanted an altimeter with a few specific functions. First and foremost, I wanted an altimeter that had accelerometer-based deployment for the first or drogue stage. The reason I wanted an accelerometer and not a barometric based unit was because barometric units suffer from atmospheric effects. These effects can cause a late ejection (after apogee) or early ...

  • G-Wiz Partners G-Wiz LC Deluxe 800 (Electronics) By Dean Roth

    G-Wiz LC Deluxe 800 review is provided courtesy of: G-Wiz LC Product Review G-Wiz Partners manufactures rocketry electronics that can be used to collect maximum altitude, control parachute deployment and ignite the motor of a two-stage rocket. With some creative thinking the devices can probably be put to other uses, too, like camera activation upon launch. There actually are two ...

  • G-Wiz Partners G-Wiz LC Deluxe 800 By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Construction: The G-Wiz LC Deluxe has both a G-force sensor and a barometric sensor for launch detect, motor burnout and accurate altitude determination. Because of this, it is not affected by Mach transitions. Having two sensors enables it to add an additional output channel for clustering, staging or air-starts. Pyro output 1 - Jumper select between Launch detect for clusters and Burnout ...

  • Gabriel III (Scratch) By Marlin Meyer

    BT-60 based, single stage, scale-like missile. Recovery with 18" parachute All parts are Semroc numbers: BNC-60L nose cone SE-3 screw eye BT-60 body tube (18 inches) BT-50 engine tube (3 inches) RA-5060 centering rings (3) 1/4" balsa fins (8) LL-423 launch lugs (2) I started by attaching a Rocketarium 24mm motor retainer to a 3" length of BT-50 tubing with JB ...

  • George Gassaway Two Minute Egg (Plan) By Chad Frey

    I built the ”Two Minute Egg” on the NAR website . Components Download the plan from the NAR website. You will need: 1 Plastic egg 1 Page card stock 1 Sheet 3/32 balsa 1 BT-20 tube 1 Centering ring 1 Launch lug 1 Yard shock cord material 1 Parachute (I made a 30-incher) /h2 The idea of building this has been in my brain for ...

  • George Gassaway's 2 Minute Egg (Plan) By John Lee

      The 2 Minute Egg is a rocket designed by George Gassaway for egglofting competitions. It is posted as a free download at the NAR site and I found it by posing a general question on The Rocketry Forum (TRF) and following the many helpful links provided in response. The 2 Minute Egg can be made with a piece of cardstock, some 3/32" balsa, a 4" piece of BT-20, a centering ring and an ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Aerospace Composite Fins By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 07/01/04) Brief: This is a review of Giant Leap Rocketry's 'Aerospace Composite' fins. These fins are offered in 1/8, ¼, ½, and 3/8 inch thicknesses and in 15 pre-defined shapes. If you want to cut your own, you can also buy the raw stock. Giant Leap describes their composite fins as follows: " Giant Leap Rocketry now offers the ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Avionics Bay (3.0-inch) By Scott Pearson

    ( Contributed - by Scott Pearson - 09/20/03) Brief: When I was getting ready for my L2 rocket I decided that I wanted it to be dual deployment capable. I was going to design my own bay when I saw the Giant Leap Avionics Bay. Since I had never designed one before I decided it might be better to use an existing design and learn from it before building my own. Construction: The GL ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Avionics Bay (3.9-inch) By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 07/01/02) Brief: This avionics bay is made to be used with Giant Leap’s 4-inch flexible phenolic tubing. It also fits in LOC’s 4” tubing, but you should check the detailed dimensions on Giant Leap’s web site before planning to use it with anyone else’s tubes. It features dual threaded rods and an O-ring seal on one end. I added ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Crossbow By Darrell Mobley

    Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet: Product Review by Darrell D. Mobley Thursday, December 18, 2008 The Crossbow comes with a whole box full of goodies, and promised to be a lot of fun. Recently, I had the opportunity to get my hands on Giant Leap's new Crossbow, a 4" diameter rocket with what looks like a ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Elipse By Darrell Mobley

    Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet:   Introduction Back at the end of 2006, Giant Leap Rocketry of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, released the latest addition to their family of high power kits named the Elipse. 3" in diameter and 78" long, the Elipse comes with a 38mm motor mount and stands apart from the rest of the ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Elipse By William Beggs

    Brief: This is Giant Leap Rocketry's entry into the “sport kit” class of rockets. It's touted as the most advanced kit in rocketry. The Elipse is a 3” diameter rocket that stands 78” tall and is not a design you are use to seeing at a regular club launch. Its fins are half circles and with the ogive tail cone it has a very sleek look. The kit comes with just ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Escape Velocity 2.6 By Darrell Mobley

    Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet: Product Review by Darrell D. Mobley Sunday, July 06, 2008 One of the first rockets I got my hands on when I got back into rocketry a couple of years ago was the Giant Leap Rocketry Escape Velocity 2.6, one of their line of "Ready to Fly (Almost)" kits, a 2.56" speedster that includes everything you need other than a motor and launch ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Escape Velocity 2.6 By Bryan Sparkman

    Brief: The Escape Velocity is a single stage, high power, dual or single deployment rocket for 38mm motors or 29mm with an adapter. Construction: The Escape Velocity came with everything you could want for a HPR rocket and more. Included were 1 pre-cut phenolic body tube, 1 phenolic payload tube, fin can, payoad bay, 1 18" drogue parachute, 1 36" main parachute, ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Fireball By

    Brief: 100% Kevlar - The FIREBALL helps prevent ZIPPERS by cushioning airframes from the severe shock of ejection. It softens and spreads the destructive force of shockcords on the lip of your airframe. Construction: It exactly as GiantLeap describes it. The large one that I've flown was 1/2" tubular Kevlar ® , loop sewn in one end, was about 4" long. The other ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Firestorm-54 (Modification) By Will Ferry

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Firestorm-54 By Scott Pearson

    Minimum diameter 54 mm kit. This kit is advertised as a HPR "Almost Ready to Fly" kit. It can be used for either L1 or L2 flights and it is capable of breaking mach with the right motor. It is single stage rocket without frills, however, frills can be added at cost as GL offer's a number of discounted offers to upgrade the kit. The upgrades include G10 fiberglass tubes, Kevlar shockcord and heat ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Firestorm-54 By Owen DeLong

    Photo courtesy of Giant Leap Rocketry     This is a single-stage super-sonic capable dirt-simple HPR rocket. A great HPR certification kit for L1 and L2. The kit comes with 1 body tube (phenolic or optional fiberglass extra $$), a 3-fin Acme Fin-can (very solid and easy to install), and is minimum diameter so there's no need for centering rings. The body tube is the motor ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Kevlar(R) Sock By David Kneble

    ( Contributed - by David Kneble - 08/01/03) Picture courtesy of Giant Leap       The Giant Leap Kevlar ® Sock is a great new product for rocketry. Kevlar ® has been used in the past in bulletproof vests and the aerospace industry as well as rocketry. However, the Kevlar ® of the past was sold by the foot and cost quite a lot because there was ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Mariah 38 By Christopher M. Cain

    Two weeks ago I got a sneak peak of Giant Leap Rocketry's new kit, the Mariah 38. Just like the front page of the instructions indicate, it is an extreme altitude kit. The first time Ed showed me pictures of this kit I knew I had to have one. The Mariah 38 is only 17oz and will take an Aerotech 38/1080 case or a CTI pro38 6gxl case.  It is 44.75” long and a 38mm minimum diameter kit ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Motor Retainer (38mm) By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford) Brief: This is a brief review of Giant Leap Rocketry's 38mm snap-ring style SLIMLINE Motor Retainer. SLIMLINE retainers are also available for 29mm, 54mm, 76, and 98mm motor tubes. There are also motor adapters, boat-tail retainers, and a newly released threaded SLIMLINE retainer system. Construction: The SLIMLINE retainer system includes a ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry On-Board Video By Nick Esselman

    (10/01/01) After purchasing a couple of the Point39 LDRS videos I found it always fun when there was a video or and T.V. transmitter rocket flown. It brought a new perspective to flying rockets as if you were ascending with it. Then I saw the Giant Leap "On-Board" video advertised and decided to purchase one. This is what Giant Leap has to say about it: " See the ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Slim-Shot Recovery Device (Other Product) By Brad Shea

    Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet: Product Review by Brad Shea Tuesday, October 21, 2008 When Giant Leap first announced their new product called the Slim-Shot, I was excited. The idea of an easy-to-use motor topper that didn't break the bank was something I was quite interested in obtaining. When the introductory offer came out at roughly $100, I was sold - I bought ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Spherachute PLUS+ By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a review of Giant Leap Rocketry's 48" Spherachute PLUS+. The Spherachute PLUS+ is "a true hemispherical panel chute. ULTRA HIGH QUALITY high drag design." This product is exclusively available through Giant Leap. Construction: Here are the specifications, right off of Giant Leap's website: Tight, high density stitch, made to last! 400# test ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry T-Bolt By Will Ferry

    The Giant Leap Rocketry T-Bolt is a member of their "Almost Ready To Fly" rocket kits.  It is a single deployment, 38mm minimum diameter rocket kit that comes with all of the necessary parts.  The only option at ordering is a 38-to-29mm adapter for 29mm motors. Components The kit contains: 36" long 38mm "Magna-frame" tubing 38mm 5-to-1 Pinnacle nosecone ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Talon 2 By James Turner

    ( Contributed - by James Turner - 10/06/08) Brief: The Giant Leap Talon 2 flies on MPR and HPR motors. Construction: This is a high quality kit that arrived very quickly and in good shape. The kit contains phenolic body tube (pre-slotted), 6 G10 fiberglass fins, 2 ACME 1/4" conformal launch lugs, plastic nose cone and boat tail, 29mm MMT and centering rings, 1/2" ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Talon 2 By Geof Givens

    Brief: Who am I to resist the "sexiest kit alive"? Giant Leap's Talon 2 is a 48" tall, 2.1" diameter, 29mm mid/high power downscale of their flagship design. Construction: Ordering was a breeze and the kit arrived undamaged despite severe damage to the shipping box. During the ordering and early construction phase, I exchanged several emails with Kent at ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Talon 3 By Bradley Vatsaas

    Visit Rocket Team Vatsaas to enjoy their incredible rocket talents and an all around fun rocketry website! Go to www.giantleaprocketry.com and you will find the Talon Series of rockets billed as the "Sexiest Kit Alive!" That's a bold claim, given that so much of our hobby is dominated by oversexed participants. Look around at your next club launch, or at the regular contributors to this web ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Talon 3 By Kevin Drayson

    Single stage, split-fin HPR rocket. Giant Leap describes it as "The Sexiest Kit Alive". Photo courtesy of Giant Leap      The kit includes: 2 3.0" diameter "non-brittle" phenolic airframe tubes 1 8" long airframe coupler 2 3.0" bulkheads (plywood) 2 coupler bulkheads (plywood) 1 plastic boat tail 3 large forward fins (G10) 3 small aft fins (G10) ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Threaded Slimline By Osgood Conklin

    The following excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the link above. (Extreme ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Thunderbolt 38 By Herb Estus

    (by Herb Estus - 06/10/02) Brief: 38mm minimum diameter rocket that can be flown with anywhere from an F50 with the optional 29mm adaptor to a 38mm J350. Construction: 8" Ogive nosecone 38mm Acme Fin can 48" 38mm non-brittle phenolic tubing 2" coupler with a metal roll pin for shock chord attachment 1/4" Acme conformal launch lugs 12' of ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Thunderbolt 38 By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The Giant Leap Thunderbolt38 is a minimum diameter "almost ready to fly" high power rocket. By keeping the parts list as simple as possible, this rocket could be built and ready to fly in a single, rather short build session--especially for a high power rocket. However, despite the simplicity of the design, I would not consider this to be a good choice for someone ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Thunderbolt 38 By Thomas Rau

    ( Contributed - by Thomas F. Rau - 05/01/02) Pic Courtesy of Giant Leap Brief: Single stage, minimum diameter, hpr, with 24" Parachute. Optional SlimLine motor retainer, 29mm adaptor, Kevlar ® shock cord, Kevlar ® chute protector. Construction: Kit contains: Single 56 inch long, 38mm non-brittle phenolic tubing. One Acme Zytec fin-can (3 fin). One ...

  • Giant Leap Rocketry Vertical Assault 3.0 By Philip Levanda

    When I was standing in line at the RSO getting ready to put this baby up on a J528, a bystander said to me "You ready to lose that hypodermic needle?". This is a high altitude kit that was made for J motors. At 89in long and 3in diameter, it is long and sleek with short fins. It can easily reach mach on a big J. This lit includes: 2 very strong 3" phenolic body tubes 1 coupler ...

  • Graphix & Stuff Graphix & Stuff Decals By Lance Alligood

    ( Contributed - by Lance Alligood - 01/24/06) Brief: As the proud owner of a couple of BSD Rocketry kits, I was always blown away by how much the application of vinyl decals really dresses up the appearance of larger rockets. I had little luck though finding a printer who didn't charge what I felt was an exhorbitant price for vinyl decals. That all changed when I stumbled upon a recent ...

  • GrayLine co. Rocket 2 (Scratch) By

  • GrayLine co. Rocket 2 (Scratch) By Jacob Gray

  • Hartle Engineering Solid Resin Nose Cone By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 06/02/08) Brief: Last year, I received samples of the new Hartle Engineering solid resin nose cones from JonRocket . I've been remiss in submitting a review. Thanks, and my apologies John!. Hartle offers three styles of BT-5 cones and one BT-20 cone. You can see all of them on JonRocket's nose cone page . This review will describe the cones and ...

  • Hartle Engineering Thermal Rider Parachutes (Other Product) By John Lee

    ( Contributed - by John Lee - 03/09/08) For some reason my imagination was always captured by paper rockets such as the Centuri Vulcan. The use of paper opened up so many interesting possibilities for shapes beyond mere tubes and cones with fins. Because that love of paper rockets has stayed with me as a BAR, I recently tried to clone the Centuri Vulcan, my childhood nemesis. That project, ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Aluminum Fin Can for 4" Airframe By Jack Caynon

    Brief: Pre-manufactured aluminum fin can you bolt together Construction: For those of us who want a rugged fin can to handle high thrust applications with 4 inch fiberglass tubing, Hawk Mountain has manufactured a nifty 3 fin aluminum fin can for its 4 inch airframes. The unit is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum with beveled 0.125” thick fins. The fin can weighs 25 ounces ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Bad Attitude Long By Frank Hermes

    ( Contributed - by Frank B Hermes - 07/22/09) Brief: This review describes the substitution of a 54" x 4" booster section for the standard 42" x 4" booster. Modifications: The booster section did not require much work other than finish/paint and bolting on the fin can. Since the tube is rather long, I decided to take it to an auto-body paint shop for ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Bad Attitude By Frank Hermes

    Brief: The Bad Attitude is an all-fiberglass 4" dual-deployment rocket that is designed to fly on 38mm to 75mm motors. The Bad Attitude is equipped with a fiberglass piston ejection system for the main chute. The rocket comes standard with a 24" long 54mm-fiberglass motor mount, but is also available with an optional 30" long 3" motor mount (as described in this ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Bad Attitude By Darren Wright

    ( Contributed - by Darren Wright) Brief: All fiberglass 4" HPR rocket capable of M flights. Construction: As is all of Hawk Mtn's kits, the BA is completely made up of spiral wound fiberglass. There are several options in the kit, and I modified the kit in a few ways, so I will note the differences. The kit came with: (1) 4' 4" Booster Tube, fin slots cut. (1) 4' ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Jumanji By Jack Canyon

    Brief: A 4 inch diameter all fiberglass rocket of unparalleled quality with a silly name. An expensive, but perfect choice for a Level 2 certfication rocket. Construction: The rocket airframe is spiral wound solid fiberglass tubing. The kit comes wit:h:- a 60" airframe a 17" fibreglass nosecone with a built-in payload bay three large fibreglass fins ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Raptor By Alex Bellenie

    Brief: The Hawk Mountain Raptor is a near minimum diameter high-performance rocket kit with all fiberglass components, Kevlar shock cord, pre-cut and pre-beveled fins, pre-slotted airframe, and thru-the-wall fin mounting. This sky-puncher can fly on E-I power! Construction: When I ordered this kit, it came on time and packaged in a 4’ x 4” x 4” box with packaging ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Raptor By Jack Caynon

    Brief: At the foot of the northern slope of Hawk Mountain sits the quiet hamlet of New Ringgold, Pennsylvania, an unlikely aerie for the fabulous fiberglass rockets of Hawk Mountain Enterprises. The fledgling of this flock of birds is the Raptor, an all fiberglass 29mm high power rocket capable of supersonic flights with large H and 29mm I motors. Construction: The Raptor is the ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Transonic By Stephen Pellegrino

    Brief: A high altitude, 38mm minimum diameter, fiberglass, mach capable rocket. Very high quality parts. Construction: 2 fiberglass 38mm diameter body tubes. One main tube and one payload section. Includes a fin can made of high impact plastic and fiberglass. Approximately 8ft of 3/8" Kevlar ® strap, and a Kevlar ® reinforced Nomex ® heat pad. A Rocketman ...

  • Hawk Mountain Enterprises Transonic By Darren Wright

    ( Contributed - by Darren Wright) Brief: A 38mm minimum diameter all fiberglass rocket of unparalleled quality. Construction: The rocket airframe is spiral wound solid fiberglass tubing. The kit included the main airframe plus a payload section, with a fiberglass coupler and plywood bulkhead. The nose cone is solid resin, with no casting marks. The fins are the molded Acme 38mm ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super 305 Mark By James Gartrell

    Brief: I was provided with my Mark 305 for beta testing. As the name implies, this is a “super” upscale of the old Estes Mark. Although the interchangeable motor mount included in the kit is designed for a single 24mm motor, you can get additional motor mounts that provide a variety of options for clusters or bigger motors depending upon the weight you add to the nose. A ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Goblin By Rob Hoffman

    1.85 Upscale Of The Estes Classic Contains 1 body tube, a full balsa nose cone, an ejection baffle, plywood fins, 24mm motor mount (60mm/E-engine size), 24" octagonal nylon parachute. As I write this review, it would appear that Hawks Hobby is OOP. I really hope they come back if for not other reason than the superb quality of their kits. The Super Goblin is the perfect homage to the ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Javelin By James Gartrell

    Brief: I was provided with my Super Javelin for beta testing. This upscale is of the early Javelin model that came in an Estes combo kit and is designed for 24mm motors. A spacer is included with the motor mount kit to allow the use of either Estes D or E motors. The rocket recovers on a very nice 24 inch rip-stop nylon parachute. The rocket is over 3 feet tall and weighs only 7 ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Mark By David Montgomery

    The Super Mark is one of about nearly a half dozen kits Hawks Hobby has put on the market that are upscale versions of very popular Estes classic OOP from years ago. Hawks Hobby is located in Crosby, TX which is basically a suburban area just outside of Houston. I'm very impressed by the fantastic line up of the current kits Mark and Loretta Hawkins, owners of Hawks Hobby, that I had to make ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Mars Snooper By James Gartrell

    Brief: I received this as a Christmas present from Hawks Hobby. The Snooper really takes me back to my early days of rocketry, and Hawks' upscale has excellently reproduced this rocket with lots of upgrades to go with the larger size. This is their latest version with through-the-wall basswood fins and is one huge, fantastic rocket. It flies on 24mm motors and recovers by parachute. ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Mars Snooper By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Upscale of the Estes classic Mars Snooper sized to fly on 24mm motors and packed with great quality components. Thru-the-wall fins and thick wall tubing make this a rugged beauty that could certainly handle the move up to 29mm if you're daring. It even flies as great as it looks! Construction: After paying a little over $60 for this (including shipping), I was a l ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Solar Sailer By James Gartrell

    I received this as a prize from Hawks Hobby in the Dallas Area Rocket Society's 2007 Fall Classic Rocket Contest. Thank you! One word best describes this rocket: "Wow!" It is one huge, fantastic rocket. It flies on 24mm motors and recovers by parachute. The rocket flies on AeroTech E or F motors. You could easily convert this to fly on 29mm motors, but remember the fins are surface mounted ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Sprite By John Lee

    Brief: The Super Sprite is an upscale of the old Estes Astron Sprite. It is a stubby rocket that features a ring fin, body tube sized for 24mm motors and uses parachute recovery instead of the tumble recovery of the original. Construction: Other reviews have covered this and I have nothing to add except that the quality was first rate. The instruction were easy to follow and ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Sprite By James Gartrell

    Brief: I won the Super Sprite at a DARS classic kit contest. I don't remember having the small Estes original, but after seeing Hawk's upscale fly earlier on the day of the contest, I had made my mind up to buy theirs. The flight on an Estes E-9 is a thing of beauty! Naturally, I was one happy guy when I found out I had won the kit! It flies on 24mm motors and recovers by parachute. ...

  • Hawks Hobby Super Trident By James Gartrell

    Brief: I won the Super Trident at a DARS classic kit contest. This is one huge, fantastic rocket. It flies on 24mm motors and recovers by parachute. A spacer is included in the motor mount kit to allow the use of either Estes D or E motors. The rocket stands a whopping 52+ inches tall and has a fin span of 11 inches! Wow! Construction: There are a lot of parts in this kit, all ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Backdraft By Dick Stafford

    The Backdraft is a BT-60-based, 24mm-powered rocket that on face value looks like a standard 2-stager. If you've read the previous reviews (and I assume you will before you continue past this intro), you'll know that there is one major difference--the upper motor is used as a retro rocket. Heavenly Hobbies calls this the TailWind delayed deployment system. The upper stage is ignited with a ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Backdraft By John Smolley

    Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet: Product Review by Dr. John Smolley, MD Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Photo 1: The many, many parts in this kit are of very good to excellent quality Bungee jumping for the fainthearted? The new Backdraft, a BT-60 based three-foot rocket from Heavenly Hobbies, appears ordinary enough ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Backdraft By Nick Esselman

    I purchased the Heavenly Hobbies Backdraft because it sounded really different. The site says " The exciting Heavenly Hobbies’ BACKDRAFT is a dual-engine rocket... ". Notice is said dual-engine, not cluster. It then went on to describe the rocket this way: " The BACKDRAFT looks like a 2-stage vehicle, with booster and sustainer sections. The propulsion module (booster) holds the primary ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Brutus 2.6 Payloader By Steve Shannon

    (Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet)   Contents of the Heavenly Hobbies' Brutus 2.6 Payloader kit. My first thought when I was offered the chance to review the Heavenly Hobbies Brutus 2.6 Payloader was "you bet!" The Brutus is a 2.6 inch single stage rocket with a 29mm motor mount and a sizable payload bay. If ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies H.H. Simit By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 08/01/10) Brief: H. H. Simit is the simulation spreadsheet that Heavenly Hobbies distributes for free with their kits. I thought I’d take the time to do a quick review even though it is not separately available. Simit consists of an Excel spreadsheet and an accompanying instructions file in .pdf format. I initially tried loading this is ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Resistor 224 By Dick Stafford

    Brief: The Resistor 224 Planetary Defense Weapon is the latest offering from Heavenly Hobbies. This futuristic, dual motor, 24mm design features their ‘Amaze’ ejection baffle, laser cut plywood fins, rings and baffles, thick wall tubes, and a single big decal. It has two main fins with winglets at their tip. The configuration is a little reminiscent of the Jayhawk. The kit ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Stratos-13 ELM By James Weaver

    Brief: This kit is a 3FNC (3 Fins and a Nose Cone) piston-ejection, streamer duration competition rocket. The "ELM" stands for "Extremely Low Mass." It is a companion kit to its only slightly larger brother the Stratos-18 ELM. Construction: My kit came with balsa nose cone, two sheets of 1/32" balsa fin stock, balsa nose block for the piston, a Kevlar ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Stratos-18 ELM By James Weaver

    Brief: A minimum diameter, piston ejection, streamer duration competition rocket. Construction: The kit is a 3FNC that utilizes piston ejection for streamer recovery. The ELM in the name stands for Extremely Low Mass. Heavenly Hobbies states that they use thin, but high quality, competition grade balsa for their fin material. The piston is a NB-20 style nose block with a tiny ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Washigei By Dan Nocera

    Presented with written permission from RocketyPlanet: Product Review by Dan Nocera Sunday, June 07, 2009 Rocketry and video are two great tastes that taste great together. So it was a given that I'd purchase and build Heavenly Hobbies' Washigei front-engine, rear payload video-capable rocket. According Jose Andrade-Cora, the designer and owner of Heavenly Hobbies, a Washigei (pronounced ...

  • Heavenly Hobbies Washigei By Scott Berfield

    The Washigei Reconnaissance Vehicle is an unusual design with a forward motor mount and rear camera bay. The main body of the rocket is 2.25" cardboard tube with balsa nosecone and plywood centering rings. Motor retention is supplied. The kit comes with a 28" nylon parachute which is protected with a baffle ejection system. The lower bay has its own balsa nosecone as well as a plastic ...

  • Hi-Snitch-Jax (Modification) By Matt Gillard

    A kit bash between two Estes kits: A RTF Snitch and a Hijax kit. The Snitch will be the booster and the Hijax, the sustainer. Modifications: Booster build: The snitch makes an excellent booster, very stable, and will recover well. To adapt it to a booster, the top "engine block" part of the snitch was removed with pliers and then sanded down. This will allow the motor from the sustainer to be ...

  • High Flying Cards Patriot (Plan) By Rick Chartres

    Brief: This is a FREE, all paper (cardstock) model of the Patriot missile, using a streamer for recovery Construction: The entire rocket is constructed from a single sheet of cardstock. I used 67lb. You have to supply your own shock cord, streamer material, and nose weight. The rocket has 4 fins, and the instructions say it is a 1/22nd "fun" scale model. I used 30cm ...

  • HobbyLab SR-71 By Mark Fisher

    Wingspan 19¾ in. Weight 13.2 oz. Length 34 in. Engines Aerotech E15-P Cox .049 Radio Hitec Focus II Prop 6x3 pusher Well, I swore I'd never buy one (as big a fan as I am of the Blackbird, she's just been done to death), but a local hobby shop finally reach my level of pain with a price of $99 for HobbyLab's ~36th semi-scale R/C ARF ...

  • Holverson Designs Silver Hawk By John Hogan

    Brief: A Boost-Glider with the booster is recovered by streamer. Construction: The quality of the materials was excellent. The instructions were clear and straight forward. The supplied jigs for wing dihedral were adequate, but I found I needed to secure them to the work surface (tape). I didn't like the plans for the shock cord mount, but that is a personal preference. It would ...

  • Holverson Designs Tangent By Dave Stout

    ( Contributed - by Dave Stout) Brief: The Tangent is a single staged sport rocket. It is built with traditional methods and materials with a couple of new twists. Construction: The Tangent came in a bag with 1 laser cut balsa sheet, one beautifully die cut sheet of centering rings, a balsa nose cone, and a 1/8" fabric shock cord about 2' long. It has a single paper MMT and a ...

  • Holverson Designs Tangent By Bill Eichelberger

    The Holverson Designs Tangent is a big, stable sport flier from the second golden age of rocketry.  Designed by renaissance man Doug Holverson, the Tangent was unique in that it was one of the early kits to offer laser cut balsa fins, and eventually became one of the first rockets to offer cheesy foam.  Having built the foam Tangent previously, I'd long wanted to bu ...

  • Holverson Designs Wicked Winnie By Nick Esselman

    (07/16/00) After trying one of Holverson Design's gliders, I decided to try one of their rockets, the Wicked Winnie™. It is rated at a skill level three. It has a payload section, a boat tail design, and elliptical fins to give it a unique look. Holverson indicates that the design goes further than looks by saying, a properly built Winnie™ will lift from the pad faster and fly ...

  • Holverson Designs Zoomie By Nick Esselman

    (05/01/99) I purchased the Holverson Designs' Zoomie™ from Apogee Components with an order of motors. It is my first boost-glider. Zoomie™ is 6" long with a little over an 8" wing span and flies on mini (13mm) motors. It is a boost glider because it ejects a portion of the rocket while the remaining portion glides to earth. In the Zoomie's™ case, it ejects the motor ...

  • Hostile Projectiles Delta X-15 By Dick Stafford

    This is sport scale model of an X-15 variant proposed by North American Aviation. More accurately, it is fantasy scale since this stretched, delta-winged version was never produced. Like the other offerings from Hostile Projectiles, this kit features a hand-crafted resin nose cone. It flies on 24mm power. Parts Included: Resin nose cone 16" BT-60 body tube 24mm motor mount ...

  • Hostile Projectiles V-2 By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a sport scale BT-60 V-2 that flies on 18mm motors. The main thing that differentiates this kit is the hand-cast resin nose and tail cones. These are not your daddy's resin cones. They are thin walled and not much heavier than solid balsa (if at all). The initial flight reports indicate are that they are also tough. The detail is really makes them stand out. ...

  • HotRod Rockets Buffalo By Claude Maina

    There are two versions of the Buffalo offered by HotRod Rockets, the standard or 'Full Buffalo' which comes with an ejection baffle and 24" nylon parachute, and the 'Buffalo Speed' with comes with a longer 29mm motor mount tube, no baffle or parachute. There is also an electronics bay kit that can be used with the Buffalo Speed. HotRod Rockets bills the Buffalo and it's electronics bay as ...

  • HotRod Rockets Discovery By Dick Stafford

    This is another of the rocket trio that I won from EMRR's Quarterly Rocket Giveaway. Thanks Nick! The Discovery is a 'modular concept rocket', that features three interchangeable fin units. It is part of HotRod's Educators Series and is intended either builders who have previously built a rocket or newbies under the guidance of an experienced builder. It flies on 18mm motors and recovers via ...

  • HotRod Rockets Fruit Fly By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Brief: The Fruit Fly was a nice minimum diameter rocket from HotRod Rockets. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued. It is a simple build with elliptical wings reminiscent of those of an insect. It has a resin nose cone and streamer recovery which should make it easier to recover this light rocket. Construction: The first step in construction is to insert the thrust ring. The ...

  • HotRod Rockets Fruit Fly By Charlaine Cadence Nordin

    Brief: Hotrod's rockets Fruit fly is a small but great flier. It is a simple build and great for groups. Construction: Parts include: Cast resin nosecone Balsa fins Kevlar ® shock cord BT-5 body tube Thrust ring Streamer recovery The four fins are first cut from the balsa and sanded. One fin is notched for the mounting of the shock cord. ...

  • HotRod Rockets Kestrel By John Lee

    This rocket, which as yet had no name when I was asked to test it, is part of an education series designated to teach rocketry. It is a simple kit but achieves its aims well, providing an introduction to such topics as baffles, motor selection, changing CP/CG relationships, etc. Construction begins with the building of the 24mm motor mount. A slit is made to accommodate the engine hook and ...

  • HotRod Rockets Nitro By Jonah Dahncke

    Picture courtesy of Brad Kelley       Brief: This is a review for a model that isn't out yet but will be soon. The Nitro is meant to be a first time cluster for rocketeers looking to start with cluster rockets. It is a sleek rocket and has a classic look. Construction: Components are top notch. My nose cone came pre-assembled with paint and ...

  • I Build Rockets Ballistic Chicken By Dick Stafford

    The Ballistic Chicken is a basic 3FNC, 18mm-powered rocket...with a cool chicken-head nose cone. It is the first offering from Australia-based I Build Rockets. This was a beta test build, so the final kit may vary slightly. (I modified the shock cord attachment.) Thanks, Sascha, for providing the opportunity to test this interesting kit...and for putting up with the long delay in flying ...

  • I Build Rockets Orbital Decay By Nat Callea

    The Orbital Decay is the perfect rocket to earn your level one certification. It's straightforward and uncomplicated to build and fantastic to fly.  Components S ascha from I Build Rockets has a lot of thought into pitting his kits together. An experienced flier and model maker in his own right, he's crafted a kit that those just getting into the hobby can build and fly ...

  • iengdesign My Rocket Parts By robert matevossian

  • Impulse Aerospace Quad-Pod Launch Pad By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The Impulse Aerospace Quad-Pad and Quad-Pod Pro Launching Pads are robust, heavy duty, and practically indestructible launch pads that can handle rockets up to 225 pounds as well as rods/rails up to 1" in diameter. When not in use, they occupy very little storage space. Construction: The central assembly of the Quad-Pods are the centerpiece of the design. A c ...

  • InFlight Rockets Blue Bird Zero Clone Kit By Marlin Meyer

    Brief: Single stage, low powered rocket, recovery via 18 inch parachute. Construction: Parts list: 1 BNC-55AO balsa nose cone 2 BT-55 body tubes - 18" 1 BT-20 Engine Holder Tube 2 CR-2055 centering rings 1 3/16" screw eye 1 engine hook 1 1/4" x 24' shock cord (elastic) 1 18" plastic parachute kit 1 3/16" launch lug 1 ...

  • InFlight Rockets Blue Bird Zero Clone Kit By Stu Young

    Brief: This is a single stage, three fin rocket with a parachute recovery Construction: The kit comes in a sturdy transparent bag, with a header card printed in three colors (which, conveniently, means that the picture of the rocket on the card is in full color). The body of the rocket is comprised of two body tubes of glassine-coated kraft paper. There is no payload section. ...

  • InFlight Rockets Firehawk Clone Kit By Matthew Bond

    While browsing through the manufacturers links on EMRR one fine evening, I happened upon a company called InFlight Rockets. The bulk of their product line included a few original designs and a selection of clone kits. The reviews of their kits on EMRR have been quite favorable, and since most of their clone kits were rockets that I wanted to build, it was only a short time before a box from ...

  • InFlight Rockets Goblin Clone Kit By Paul Kinzer

    This is a clone kit of the Estes K55 Goblin. It is a single stage high flying D powered kit. The kit was bagged with a nice color header card. Most of the parts were in separate smaller clear plastic packs, including a fin pack, cord/streamer/LL pack, streamer pack, decal pack, and engine mount pack. Very nice. Part quality was high all around. Clean laser cut balsa fins, reasonably ...

  • InFlight Rockets Nike Smoke By John Lee

    Brief: This is a skill level 2, parachute recovery, 24mm motor scale rocket. Back when I was in engineering school, I was told that if you really wanted to test something out, abuse it in every way possible and see how well it fares. You learn the weak points that way. The folks at InFlight Rocketry ® must have much the same general philosophy because I was contacted a few ...

  • InFlight Rockets Sonic Shark By Nick Esselman

    (08/04/08) SONIC SHARK: a new release from InFlight Model Rocketry and my first kit from them. As I've often said, I like trying out new kit manufacturers. I think over the years it is more to see how ideas and techniques are incorporated into kits. InFlight is relatively new on the scene and has produced some Clone kits and a couple of their own designs. The Sonic Shark (as stated) is ...

  • InFlight Rockets WASP Clone Kit By Jason Augeri

    Brief: This is a clone of the Estes WASP #1930, which was available from 1984 to 1985. It is a single stage, low power, streamer recovery, three fins and nose cone design. Construction: The parts consist of one BT-55 body tube 11 15/16" long, one BT-50 motor mount tube 2.75" long, two AR-5055 motor mount centering rings, one motor mount block, three laser cut balsa ...

  • InFlight Rockets WASP By Bill Eichelberger

    The Inflight WASP is a clone of the short-lived Estes WASP, which was only available from 1984-85.  The only noticeable difference in the Inflight kit and the original is that the Inflight kit uses a balsa cone as opposed to the plastic cone of the original. Components 12" BT-55 main body tube  2.75" BT-50 motor mount tube  2 AR-5055 centering ...

  • Inspeed Digital Anemometer (Other Product) By Al Gloer

    One of the things that can plague a launch is our friend Mr. Wind. We all know there is an upper limit to how much wind we should launch in, but how do you tell if you have exceeded it? I found an inexpensive anemometer by a small firm called Inspeed. The device is based on a speedometer for racing bicycles and comes in a number of configurations. Hand held with integrated display Pole ...

  • Into the Wind Nylon Tape By Dick Stafford

    Burn holes in your nylon parachute? Have a tear? Bullet holes? Try self-adhesive nylon tape from Into the Wind ! This self-adhesive rip-stop nylon tape is 2" wide and is available in red, yellow, green, blue, purple, hot pink, black, and white. You can currently get it for $1.50 per yard or $8.00 for an 8 yard roll. Although developed for nylon or polyester kites, it works great on most ...

  • J&P Parachutes 12 Parachute By Nick Esselman

    The 12" PARACHUTE: (Take me to the 38" Parachute Review) The J&P Parachute arrived in a standard size ziplock bag with a small label indicating its manufacturer, that it was "multi-colored" and its size, 14".  Nothing fancy, but, then again nothing fancy expected. After initial inspection, tests were conducted to determine the performance of this ...

  • J.A.P. Systems D izzy Monocopter By Douglas Gardei

    This is the 24mm version of Joseph Peklicz's monocopter rocket. He has a 18mm version, but I wanted the 24mm since there are a variety of long burning motors available in 24mm format.   All the parts came is a thin plastic bag. All the components where there, and they were pre-shaped, and pre cut. The single balsa blade is pre-coated with paper. This adds strength without the ...

  • J.A.P. Systems Styro-F.O. 3D By Greg Elder

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport Rocketry - March/April ...

  • J.A.P. Systems Styro-F.O. Jr. Flying Saucer By Mort Binstock

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport Rocketry - July/August ...

  • JBGizmo Model Rocket Locator (Plan) By Kevin Johnson

    Plans for a small electronic rocket location device using a buzzer and LED's.   Editor's Note: This is the actual building experience from the Scratch Model Rocket Locator . There really are no instructions provided, but if you have built any electronic projects before (and even if you haven't), this will be a snap. The plans show a list of components (all available at Radio ...

  • John Gribbin - Alone in the Universe (Book) By Robert A. Morstadt

    After hearing many opinions stating that there are many intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy I thought it would be fun to hear the opposing viewpoint.   I was not disappointed.   With the number of newly discovered exo-planets increasing everyday these speculations and view points will become more apparent in the public awareness in the years ahead.    I ...

  • Jolly Logic AltimeterTwo By Mike Caplinger

    When I returned to rocketry as a BAR in 2009, I wanted to measure how high my rockets were actually flying.  At that time, there weren't a lot of options short of a dual-deployment controller, which I wasn't ready for, so I ended up with a "How High SP" unit from Winged Shadow Systems (now OOP) which had originally been developed for R/C airplanes.  The How High worked well (in ...

  • Jolly Roger Altimeter II By Glenn Roth

  • K&S Rockets 36" Parachute By John Lee

    ( Contributed - by John Lee - 11/14/09) Brief: Custom made, 36" Diameter, 12 Gore, Hemispherical Parachute While working on my Mercury Redstone from Sheri's Hot Rockets, I decided that I wanted to use a chute that looked somewhat NASAish. I contacted several rocketry chute providers (not all, by any means) and most did not want to take the custom job. Scott of K&S did. We ...

  • K&S Rockets Grey Wolf By Jim Fields

    Grey Wolf The Grey Wolf's basic stats: Diameter: 2.64" Length: 73" Span Diameter: 8" Motor Mount: 38mm  Components The Grey Wolf kit features Baltic Birch Plywood fins, bulkhead and centering ring, Tubular nylon recovery harnesses with sewn end loops, Nomex Fire Blankets, Rail Buttons, Plastic nose cone, heavy duty motor and ...

  • K&S Rockets Heavy Hitter 4 By John Lee

    I was snooping around the K&S site and had resolved to place an order and try them out. As I was doing so, I noticed a link for "Special Orders" and had to check it out. The link took me to the Heavy Hitter 4. I knew that this was one I had to try. The Heavy Hitter 4 is an interesting rocket in several respects that particularly appeal to me. First off, it is a two stager. I like that. ...

  • K&S Rockets Vapor Trail By Nick Esselman

    (05/27/08) Always enjoy checking out new rocket kit manufacturers and was pleased to get a Vapor Trail 24mm from K&S Rockets. The rocket has some really unique-looking fins and a slant-cut aft end. It also consists of a payload section. The kit comes with a kraft-type paper main body tube with a slant cut already made. The upper payload section of the same tube. There is a black ...

  • Kit Bash GoonyHawk (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    Here I go again. For those of you that have followed my  Goonyness    this was  Baby Bertha kit bash  #14. Again this is not a kit review of the original  Estes   Hawkeye   (Kit #0873) [1986-1996]   It is another of my many kit bashes. All fin patterns and decals came from  http://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/est0873.htm .  The ...

  • Kit Bash GoonAries SST (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    Here I go again. For those of you that have followed my  Goonyness    this was  Baby Bertha kit bash  #10. Again this is not a kit review of the original  Estes   Aries SST   (Kit #1927) [1983-1984].   It is another of my many kit bashes. All fin patterns and decals came from   http://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/est1927.htm . The ...

  • Kit Bash Goony Target Drone (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    Lucky or unlucky? For those of you that have followed my  Goonyness    this was  Baby Bertha kit bash  #13. As such I wanted to play it a little safer with this one so I choose a simpler design. Again this is not a kit review of the original  Estes   Advanced Target Drone   (Kit #1913) [1983-1985].   It is yet another of my many kit ...

  • Kit Bash Goonymarc (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    The Goonymarc was number eight in my line of modified Baby Bertha kit bashes. I started with the plans from Jim Z's for the Estes kit #654 with the thought of building the glider version of the Bomarc but ended up with the parachute version (kit #657). All templates and decals for this build were taken from the #657 Bomarc plans ( http://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/est0657.htm ). ...

  • Kit Bash NASA Goonasus (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    One again this is not a kit review of the original  NASA Pegasus (Estes Kit #1376) [1982-1986]  but another of my many Baby Bertha kit bashes (#12 for those following my Goonyness). All fin patterns and decals came from   http://plans.rocketshoppe.com/estes/est1376/est1376.htm . The major difference again being that mine is a Goony version of the  NASA Pegasus. ...

  • Kit Bash Quad Gnome By Tater Schuld

    Quad Gnome by Tater Schuld For Descon 13 I planned on entering something really cool! Boy, I really need to get out more. Anyway, I *was* planning on only doing the lander, but as I was scrounging around for an eyehook, I came across a bunch of built Gnomes from past make and takes gone bad (HINT: never use Gnomes for make and takes, very high failure rate) at one time in the past, I ...

  • Kit Bash Snarky Jr. (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    The Snarky Jr. (a.k.a. Goony Shark) was kit bash #6 in what was to become a long list of Baby Bertha's that I converted into various Goony Birds and such. The inspiration for this one of course came from my DynaStar's - Snarky and the fact that I wanted to be able to fly it in the smaller "B" fields near me. Components As stated this is a kit bash  so the first thing to do ...

  • Kit Bash Streamliner (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    The Streamliner was the fifth in a series of Baby Bertha kit bashes that I did while building my Goonybird fleet. The first four kits were used to make four of the original Goonybirds from Estes but now it was time for somthing a little different. I remember seeing this model in a Design This Rocket contest and being a lover of retro rocket designs, I knew I wanted to build it ...

  • Kit Bash USGF Goonasus (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    For those of you still following my  Goonyness  this was Baby Bertha kit bash #11. Again this is not a kit review of the original  but another of my many kit bashes. All fin patterns and decals came from  http://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/est0806.htm . The major difference again being that mine is a Goony version of the USAF Pegasus (Estes Kit #0806). It will ...

  • Kit Bash USSF Goonyflash (Modification) By Steve Lindeman

    For those of you following my  Goonyness  this is Baby Bertha kit bash #9. So OK this is not a kit review so much as it's actually another of my kit bashes. All fin patterns and decals came from   http://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/estes/est1909.pdf . The main difference is that mine is a Goony version of the USSF Fireflash (Estes Kit #1909). I'm only doing this ...

  • Klinger Productions Rocket Screen Saver By Andy Hobbs

    ( Contributed - by Andy Hobbs - 12/20/02) Brief: A self-installing CD ROM Screen Saver, featuring great photography, lots of smoke and flame, some spectacular Cato's, and crisp detailed rockets of all sizes and shapes. I unexpectedly noticed one capture of a particular rocket gone astray ,,featuring an uncomfortable " nose on" view! The Program: The system requirements ...

  • Klinger Productions Rocket Screen Saver By Nick Esselman

    (12/01/02) I decided to purchase the Klinger Rocket Screen Saver with minimal expectations, after all it is just rocket photos, right? Well, the short answer is yes, however, the long answer is no. It really is more than just rocket photos and yet is it nothing more than rocket photos! Whoa, too philosophical! Let me explain. The photos are taken by Marc Klinger, a professiona ...

  • Kopter Rotor Recovery Rockets Eagle By

  • Kopter Rotor Recovery Rockets Pterosaur By Robert A. Morstadt

    The Pterosaur is a unique rocket glider invented by Walter Senoski of Kopter Rockets back in the 1970's.  It uses a piston activated by the motor ejection charge to release the elevons to the up-position for gliding.  An article describing this model appeared in the March/April 2015 issue of Sport Rocketry.  At this time you will need to order the kit directly from ...

  • Kosdon East RMS Motors (I & J) (Motor) By Bob Thompson and Sunny Sisk

    The following article is from "High Power Rocketry" magazine. This information represents only a small portion of the contents of "High Power Rocketry". We strongly suggest that you subscribe to "High Power Rocketry". By doing so you will find many color pictures, articles, launch reports and projects primarily associated with High Power Rocketry activities.  For more information, use ...

  • KosRox Apollo Pad Abort Test Capsule By David Fergus

    ( Contributed - by Dave Fergus) Brief: This model rocket is a 1/26.5 scale rocket of the Apollo pad-abort test rocket. It was used to test the Launch Escape System(LES). The LES consisted of a four- nozzle rocket motor set atop a supporting tower with a dummy Apollo capsule. It was designed to lift the capsule away from an exploding Saturn 5 booster. The kit model has a 5.8" base ...

  • Launchpad Rockets Ready to Launch Kit By Caleb Scott

    We used Launchpad Rocket's custom designer to create our own model rocket, it came in the mail two days later and the build quality of it was amazing. We were able to customize the design and engraved it with what we named the rocket, Slicer. Components The entire model rocket was 3d printed and only came in 3 parts excluding the engine bay. It did include a parachute and shock ...

  • LawnDart Rocketry Nike Smoke By Tom Bell

    - by Tom Bell  Note: This kit was reviewed when produced by Seattle Rocket Works which has transferred rights to LawnDart Rocketry. The Nike Smoke was a NASA research rocket used to test wind conditions in the upper atmosphere. Several hundred of these 19-foot rockets were launched by NASA during the 60's and 70's.It used the Army's Nike booster, a workhorse on many research rockets ...

  • LawnDart Rocketry Piggyback Shuttle By Mike Goss

    ( Contributed - by Mike Goss - 12/10/02) Introduction: LawnDart Rocketry’s Piggyback Shuttle kit is a virtual clone of the wildly popular Estes Orbital Transport. Unopened Orbital Transport Kits often sell for over $100 on the popular Auction sites. This kit is Number 2 in their series of “Retro Rockets” that are copies of some of the more popular old kits. The kits come ...

  • LawnDart Rocketry SLAT/s By Nick Esselman

      (10/01/98) The Seattle Rocket Works' SLAT/s is the first rocket I've built from them. SRW's own description is "Loosely based on a Supersonic Low-Altitude Target drone design from the 1980s, the SLAT/s is Seattle Rocket Works' newest and coolest rocket. This model flies on standard 18mm engines and features a simulated ramjet and an unusual fin configuration. Laser-cut balsa ...

  • Leading Edge Rocketry Alien By Edward Chess

    The Alien is a single-staged mid-power rocket with a 20" nylon parachute, metallic wraps and decals, and 39 LEDs, animated by a micro electronics module that allow night launches and recoveries. It is the third and largest rocket so far in the "Night Flight Equipped" line of rockets from Leading Edge Rocketry. There are over 100 individual parts in this kit, so it is more than just a 3FNC. ...

  • Leading Edge Rocketry Fireball By Mark Yeager

  • Leading Edge Rocketry SubZero By Mike Caplinger

    The SubZero is a 3-inch-diameter mid-power 4FNC rocket with a translucent nose cone and a high flux blue LED strobe light specifically intended for night flying.  Other than the color of the LED and the decals, the SubZero appears to be identical to its companion product, the Leading Edge Fireball. Components The kit is very complete.  It includes a 3-inch-diameter ...

  • Leading Edge Rocketry X-10 Express By Nick Esselman

    Leading Edge came out of the shoots producing a night-flying rocket called the Night Skeeter which is new, unique and interesting. Their theme is "Fly the Edge". So, although I was not interested in a night rocket, I did want to sample at least one of their kits. I purchased the X-10 Express. The X-10 is part of their Sportser series of rockets, for which there are now five ...

  • Lemon Drop (Plan) By Greg Poehlein

    This is a featherweight rocket made from printed cardstock designed to use 13mm motors. Click here to download Lemon Drop plans in .PDF format. [Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.] The Lemon Drop uses a single 13mm body tube, has three fins, and a cardstock nose cone. The thrust ring doubles as the nose cone shoulder. This is a relatively easy build. The fact that alignment is important ...

  • Liberty Launch Systems MDRA Red Glare IV By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 07/16/08) Brief: This DVD set documents the Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association’s (MDRA) Red Glare IV launch that was held April 18-20, 2008 at the Higgs Farm in Price, MD. The set includes two DVDs. One holds 1.8 hours of video and the other has a slide show of 600 photos. The DVDs are organized by launch day and have chapter marks to ...

  • LOC Precision LOC IV By Cody Smith

    This kit was my Junior. Level 1 and I must say it is a beautiful kit. Some people say this rocket is not good for certifications due to the fact that the fins hang below the body. But, unless you land on concrete or desert, these fins are hard to break off. This kit is four-feet tall, four-inches in diameter and, coincidentally, my finished weight was four pounds. I tend to build heavy and ...

  • Loc Precision Minie-Magg By Theresa Pantoja

    This kit is great for people who want a fun high powered rocket. The size is not cumbersome and the build is not complicated.   Components Model:  07653 Skill Level 3:  Average Skills Needed Length:  37.000" (93.98 cm) Weight:  53.000 oz (1502.52 g) Diameter (Max):  5.540" (14.07 cm) Fin Count:  3 Motor Size:  ...

  • LOC/Precision 4-29SS By Michael Stephens

    It is a nice mid-high power rocket that makes you enjoy clustering The packaging was standard Loc plastic bag but it made it through the mail ok. The fins were hard to align because they just stuck in between the motor tubes. I did ok by using a square. Everything else went ok. The instructions were vague to me but that's ok I had a lot of fun figuring it out (no note of sarcasm). It was easy ...

  • LOC/Precision 4-29SS By Moira Jean Whitlock

      Single staged, but with the choice of being flown with two or four 29mm motors, specified as 2 G type or 4 F type. It has the fins attached wedge style between the four motor tubes, which extend below the main body tube. The nose cone is hollow plastic, and the fins are precut plywood. The tubes are spiral wound kraft paper.  The parachute is a lightweight pink nylon. Very bright ...

  • LOC/Precision Aura By Nick Aberg

    Brief: The LOC/Precision Aura is a tough, quick building, inexpensive, midpower model rocket with streamer recovery. Construction: The kit came in a bag with: 1 heavy duty body tube, 1 thick plastic nose cone, 3 pre-cut 1/8" ply fins, 1 shock cord mount and elastic shock cord, 1 5ft long streamer, 1 29mm MMT tube, 1 1/4" launch lug, and 2 paper centering rings. The ...

  • LOC/Precision Aura By Nick Esselman

    The Aura was my first rocket from LOC/Precision and I would consider it their entry level kit considering the size, ease of build and price. It is a basic three-fin-and-a-nose-cone (3FNC) kit with a 29mm motor mount.  Although the kit comments indicate that the "kit is recommended for those with previous model rocketry building experience", it is a very easy kit to assemble. The ...

  • LOC/Precision Big Nuke-3E By Michael Schneider

    Brief: This kit was modified sightly for level 3 certification flight with dual deployment with the SkyAngle Cert-3 24" drogue to pull the SkyAngle Cert-3 main chute from the deployment bag at 1,200 feet. Construction: This is one of Barry Lynch's great kits with some up grades for M powered flights. The kit includes: 1 5.38" LOC BT paper tube, 45" long 1 ...

  • LOC/Precision Big Nuke-3E By Steve Naquin

    Brief: The Big Nuke-3E is one of the newer Loc/Precision kits designed by Barry Lynch. The clean styling and mach fin design of the Big Nuke-3E is based on the classic PK-4 Lil' Nuke featured in the 2" kit line. Construction: The kit is shipped in a large, well packed box with a label with the kit name and a picture of the kit pasted on the outside of the box. I'm sure the ...

  • LOC/Precision Bigger Big Nuke By Greg Deeter

    Brief: This is a large single staged rocket by LOC Precision (Stock #PK-77) which has a 54mm motor tube which is designed to fly on I, J and K motors. I selected this rocket to do my Tripoli L2 Certification flight with. I ordered it from Quickburst.Net in October 2004 and had it in a few days. Construction: The components included with the kit were of overall fine quality as can ...

  • LOC/Precision Bruiser EXP-3 Hybrid By Kevin Davidson

    ( Contributed - by Kevin Davidson - 10/06/08) Brief: I recently made my Level three launch at the Sept. ROC event in Lucerne. My rocket is a Modified LOC Bruiser with a HyperTek M1000 Hybrid motor. The rocket name is JUICE and the sticker was made by Mark at StickerShock. Contact him and get your rocket name on your rocket. Modifications: I used both the Missle Works ® ...

  • LOC/Precision Bruiser EXP-3 (Scratch) By Stephen Krall

    Note: This is a slightly condensed version of all the information that Stephen has produced for his Level 3 project. Visit his homepage to read the additional information and enjoy additional pictures. Introduction: Ever since my Estees days I seemed driven to build the next project a little bit bigger than the last one, and of course to do that you need a bigger motor :-) hee hee. After ...

  • LOC/Precision Bruiser By Ken Johnson

      Modifications: Anti-zipper airframe Full 2 layer fiberglass Extra centering ring - mid fin Totally redesigned fins - g10 and 50's styling Dual recovery External access to electronics bays Internal wire race for timer air-starts Custom built "Y" shock cords - 1" x 50' Tubular nylon Full 98mm x 32" main motor mount 6 each 29mm x 18" motor mounts Custom ...

  • LOC/Precision Caliber ISP By Jeff Kelly

      Being a fresh BAR (born again rocketeer), I was looking for a good solid bird that I could attempt my Level 1 Certification with. After a couple of days of poking around on the web, I decided to go with the Caliber ISP, manufactured by LOC Precision. At a strong 56" in length and 3.1" dia. airframe, she seemed like the perfect mid-sized rocket for the Tripoli(r) Level 1 certification. ...

  • LOC/Precision Cool-Spool (RTF) By Al Gloer

    Brief: The first commercially available ready to fly (RTF) 29mm spool rocket. Construction: It's RTF, so there really are not any parts. I mean really ready to fly. Just stick in a motor, stuff in some wadding and parachute, and fly. It's well made. I mean how do you mess up a wire spool and some decals? There is an integral 29mm motor mount with a spring clip style motor ...

  • LOC/Precision Cyclotron By Joe Balsamo

    ( Contributed - by Joe Balsamo - 01/01/02) Brief: Single stage, tube-finned, 38mm rocket with a 3" BT transitioning to a 2.14" payload bay. The rocket is very suitable for Level 1 certifications. Construction: 3" LOC main body tube with 6 coupler tubes used for the tube fins. 38mm LOC Motor mount tube is held in place by two centering rings. The kit comes with ...

  • LOC/Precision Cyclotron By Mike Walsh, Jr.

    (by Mike Walsh, JR. - 04/01/02) Brief: Tube Rocket, with transition Construction: I received the package, and the kit was well packaged. It included 2 main body tubes, a 3.1”x 34” long tube, and a 2.14” x 12” body tube, as well as nose cone, transition, motor mount parts. It also comes with (6) 3.1” Tube couplers, which are used for the fins. They are ...

  • LOC/Precision Cyclotron By John Lee

    Brief: Tube Finned, 38mm Motor Mount, Parachute recovery The LOC Cyclotron looked to be a fairly simple HPR build suitable for somebody with not too much HPR experience. It was a kit I had around for a while but did not get around to building because of few opportunities to launch anything in the HPR range.With some prospects for flight opening up, I dug out this kit and got to ...

  • LOC/Precision Door Knob By Michael Erwin

    Brief: HPR, Parachute, Level2, 54mm MMT, Upgraded SkyAngle 60" Custom Classic II Chute. Construction: Parts in the kit were: 1 x 7.5" BT 1 x 54mm MMT 4 .x 25" Plywood Fins 4 x Loc-N-Fin Fin holders 1 x .25" MMT Forward Centering Ring with .25" hole drilled for Eye bolt 1 x .25" MMT Rear Centering Ring 1 x Eye Bolt 2 x ...

  • LOC/Precision EB-3.90L By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The LOC/Precision EB-3.90L is a electronics bay for use with 4" diameter paper tubing. This design comes from LOC in 4 different diameters (3.00", 3.90", 5.38", and 7.51") as well as extended lengths in the 3.00" and 3.90" (designated with an 'L' at the end of the part number). This review only covers the 3.90" extended version but ...

  • LOC/Precision Expediter By Dave Fountain

    (by Dave Fountain)  As everyone knows I like altitude and big rockets are no exception so I was rambling through the LOC catalog looking for a bird for my level two attempt at SOM 4 and I came across the Expediter. I liked it because it resembled an ICBM (inter continental ballistic missile, i.e. a Minute Man) so I bought it. The Expediter consists of a 4.0 inch booster that contains ...

  • LOC/Precision Expediter By Alex Jordan

    Brief: The LOC Expediter is a large, hi-power rocket. It is single staged with an airframe reducer from 4 inches -3.1. IT is over five feet long, so it is huge compared to my other rockets. Construction: This kit came with basic parts, and I used 5 minute epoxy throughout the entire construction. The parts it came with are: -One 3 inch nose cone (plastic) -one 14x3 inch ...

  • LOC/Precision EZI-65 By John Coker

    ( Contributed - by John Coker)  Note: For more EZI pictures, visit John's site. The Loc/Precision EZI-65 kit is the rocket which is supposed to get me my Tripoli level 2 certification. This is a high-performance rocket which is reasonably stable and should give outstanding flights on I and J motors. (Of course, as is typical for me, I've done things backwards and have already ...

  • LOC/Precision EZI-65 By Tai Fu

    Brief: This rocket is a high power flight capable, being large it is supposed to make a low and slow flight. I am writing this review because John Cocker's review does not seem detailed enough and his article is for Level 2 capable EZI-65 but that would be overkill if one only wants to use this rocket for his Level 1. Construction: The kit came in a plastic bag, one long tube ...

  • LOC/Precision Fantom 438 EXL By John Bergsmith

  • LOC/Precision Fantom 438 By Kyle James Yawn

    Brief: This is a large mid and high powered rocket which is a very good transition into HPR. I purchased this kit for the EMRR Hit List and used it to obtain my NAR Lever 1 Certification. It's a great kit that is very strong with the basic three fins, body, and a nose cone. Construction: The kit comes with a 34" long by 4" diameter slotted body tube, 4" diameter ...

  • LOC/Precision Fantom 438 By Mason Hazzard

    A 4" diameter rocket with a 38mm motor mount that is perfect for Level One Certification or someone just getting into HPR. Components The kit includes two 1/4" rings, a slotted body tube, motor mount tube, 3x1/8" plywood fins, a LOC shock cord and mount, and a nose cone, launch lug, and a 36" parachute. I had to separately but eye bolys, quicklinks, a retainer, rail buttons, a ...

  • LOC/Precision Fantom Mini By John Lee

    Brief: The Mini Fantom is a downscale of LOC's MPR/HPR Fantom. It is a simple 3 fin and nosecone design. I decided to start on it because my other projects had me sitting around and waiting for glue to dry. Construction: The first surprise I got with this kit was with the instructions. I kept looking for them in the little plastic case the kit came in and finally realized that ...

  • LOC/Precision Forte' By Moira Jean Whitlock

    Brief:   Single staged, came with black, 24-inch diameter nylon chute. Has 4 fins. Construction: All parts were there and in good shape.  I didn't get decals, but that's not a problem for me, as I often customize my rockets. The fins (4) are plywood, precut, and are clipped delta shape. The nose cone is hollow plastic, 11 inches long, fitting the standard LOC body tube of 3 ...

  • LOC/Precision Forte' By Jerry O'Sullivan

    Brief This is a single stage, baffled, glass reinforced model. Construction The kit arrived in a plastic bag containing laser cut 1/8" plywood fins and centering rings, plastic nose cone, elastic shock cord, 24" chute, 29mm motor mount tube, clear concise instructions (on the back of the cardboard label). No decals are included and no paint scheme is suggested, although one can copy the ...

  • LOC/Precision Forte' By Neil Thompson

    The Forte' is a single staged HPR capable rocket. It can fly on as little as an F up to an H or I, and maybe with a lot of reinforcements, a J350. It is a fairly basic rocket, my second mid-power. I probably could have made it without instructions, it's so easy. It does not have a payload section (Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh), but I plan on adding one soon. It has a heavy duty cardboard airframe ...

  • LOC/Precision Forte' By Alex Rothchild

    This LOC/ Precision Forte is a simple 3.1 inch kit. It has a 38mm motor mount, and can fly on anything from an F25-4 to a J350 with a lot epoxy and fiberglass. It does not have a payload section, and the fins go all the way to the motor mount (thank you LOC). All the parts that came with this kit fit together perfectly and were very sturdy. The parts included: -One main airframe ...

  • LOC/Precision Goblin (4") By Mark F Sanderson

  • LOC/Precision Graduator By Mark Trotter

    (by Mark Trotter)  This is a great kit to get you into the more advanced, mid-power rocket kits, but I would still recommend getting a novice kit first. The Graduator has the great feature of through-the-wall tubing which decreases the time and effort for you. It also comes with the LOC MMA-1 motor adapter to fly it on 24mm motors. The only problem, there is no type of "motor ...

  • LOC/Precision Graduator By John Hogan

    Brief The Graduator is an excellent rocket for those wishing to get into mid/high powered flight Construction The tubing, fins and everything were of excellent quality. The instructions were brief (few illustrations), but adequate. The preslotted tubing made fin installation straightforward, and all parts fit together nicely. I highly recommend reinforcing the fins so that they are ...

  • LOC/Precision Graduator By Todd Harrison

    LOC Graduator review is provided courtesy of: This rocket is a popular LOC kit for people new to composite motors. I liked the looks of the rocket and was in need for a new kit in that power range (D-G). The Graduator came promptly and packed well, however, the shipping company had still managed to kink the body tube. I contacted Barry, the new owner of LOC, and he shipped out another tube ...

  • LOC/Precision Hi-Tech H45 By Russell Taragan

    “The HI-TECH H45 is a smaller version of LOC's famous EZI-65. It has a single 38mm motor mount. This hot performer has been tracked to over 3500 ft. when flown with long burn "H" class motors.” Pre-slotted airframe/fin construction 28" Parachute Payload section RECOMMENDED MOTORS: (from Loc) F50-6 (requires 29mm motor adapter) G40-7 (requires 29mm motor ...

  • LOC/Precision HyperLOC 835 By Martin Otten

    The HyperLOC 835 has been designed by LOC Precision to be used as a dual deployment hybrid rocket, primarily for use with Hypertek hybrid motors although it will fly well on solid motors as well. I chose this rocket to use to do my level 2. First because I like the design of the rocket, and secondly because I intend to go down the hybrid route in the future. Essentially I am killing two ...

  • LOC/Precision HyperLOC 835 By Howard Smart

    Brief: Tall 4 inch 3FNC rocket built to be compatible with hybrid motors. I picked this rocket specifically out of the LOC catalog when I was shopping for my level 2 project. It has a 54mm motor mount, and is dual-deploy ready. It also comes complete with a drogue and main parachute. Construction: Plastic nose cone 1 4 in payload bay tube 1 4 in LOC avionics bay kit ...

  • LOC/Precision Iris (3") By Peter Stanley

    The LOC/Precision Iris is a 3" diameter single stage rocket. It can be built as 1/4 size sport scale Iris rocket. Recovery is via a 36" parachute. I modified it to use electronics for dual deployment. Modifications: I built everything stock except for the deployment/recovery method. I converted the coupler to an electronics bay. I built this by adding another bulk plate assembly and a ...

  • LOC/Precision Legacy By Kerry Garrison

    (by Kerry Garrison courtesy of WildRocketry.Com) I bought this particular kit recently from Hobby Town in Brea. I was pretty happy to find a good medium power kit that could also fly under power from a D12-3. This would give me a nice cool rocket that could be flown in town with the rest of the low power kits as well as fly on my existing RMS 29/40-120 hardware under a G64-10. I'm ...

  • LOC/Precision Lil' Ninja (Modification) By Bill Eichelberger

    Several years ago, my brother-in-law built a Der Red Max upscale using an LOC Lil' Nuke as a donor.  That Christmas he drew my name in the family gift exchange, so I asked for a Lil' Nuke kit of my own with which to do my own conversion.  Not wanting to do something that was frequently seen, I started the project with the idea of building a Centuri Magnum Hornet upscale that I ...

  • LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke to Red Max By Tony Fragge

    (by Tony Fragge) Brief: Used a LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke kit to approximate a 1.38 upscale of the Estes Der Big Red Max. Modifications: After losing a few auctions for a Der Red Max I decided to build my own. I noticed on Jim Z's site that Estes had released a Der Big Red Max with an 18" length body tube. I figured I would try building an upscale version using a LOC/Precision Lil' ...

  • LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke By Tim Burger

    A stylish yet standard three fins and a nose cone rocket for 29mm and smaller motors. Heavy body tube and rakish plywood fins make for a tough and fun to fly rocket. The kit was neatly packaged in the standard clear plastic bag, with the motor tube floating around in the airframe tube, and a nylon chute, pre-cut plywood fins, rings, and launch lug inside a zip-lock bag. The fins are ...

  • LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke By Bill Eichelberger

    The Lil' Nuke is a sleek, 3fnc rocket that is one of the more popular entry level rockets for mid-power rocketry.  When I got back into the hobby in 2001, my brother-in-law bought me a Lil' Nuke so that I'd have something other than my Estes fleet to fly at NARAM 43.  Tony and I had gotten back into the hobby in 1994, but he had spent the next seven years working his way up ...

  • LOC/Precision Lil' Nuke By Paul Gray

    The Lil' Nuke is a mid-power rocket part of LOC/Precision's Novice Kit series. It is single staged with a 29mm motor mount. The instructions of this kit were rather explicit. The assembly order was logical, but as far as I can remember, they did not have any illustrations. The kit came with all of the parts including an enormously thick paper body tube with lines pre-drawn to mark the fin ...

  • LOC/Precision LOC IV By Frank Ross

    ( Contributed - by Frank Ross - 11/11/00) Brief: Up-scaled to 38mm. Modifications: For my level-1 certification and my first high-power rocket I wanted a large, simple rocket kit without any bells and whistles. I chose the LOC-IV as I thought it looked to fit the bill, and wouldn't break my credit card. I decided to up-scale to 38mm rather than stick to 29mm because I liked the ...

  • LOC/Precision LOC-IV By Alex Rothchild

    - by Tom Bell  Instructions: The instructions were complete and easy to follow.  Although this is a large rocket, it was not difficult to build. The parts were well manufactured and fit together without problems. This kit was my first large rocket, and it is a good starter kit for large rocketry despite its imposing size.  This kit requires epoxy for assembly of the ...

  • LOC/Precision LOC-IV By Chris Kiekens

    Brief: An easy to build 3FNC rocket, built for my first shot with a reloadable motor. Construction: The kit contains a 4" kraft paper body tube, two centering rings (plywood) included, nose cone, 36" chute, elastic shock cord, 3 plywood fins, 29mm motor mount, and a 1/4" Launch Lug. This was a really easy kit to build. I spoke to LOC briefly regarding the fins, ...

  • LOC/Precision LOC-IV By Alex Jordan

    Brief: This is a large single staged, simple mid/high power rocket. It uses parachute recovery and was my first big rocket. Mine came with a 38mm motor mount, although many websites say it has a 29mm motor mount. Also, the fin tabs extend all the way to the motor tube. Construction: The components of this kit came in the typical LOC plastic bag. All of the parts were of the highest ...

  • LOC/Precision Magnum By Walter Kjellander

    ( Contributed - by Walter Kjellander - 08/10/02) Brief: The LOC Magnum is single-staged with a main 54mm motor mount and two 29mm outboards. A good rocket for level 2 certification. Construction: The parts were all OK. I was surprised that the slots for the fin tabs had to be cut. The other LOC kits I have done have precut slots, like the Forte, EZI-65, Expediter, LOC IV, Graduator, ...

  • LOC/Precision Magnum By Dan Patell

    ( Contributed - by Dan Patell - 10/20/02) Brief: A large high-powered rocket that should be considered for a Level 2 certification flight. Modifications: Several minor changes were made and are described below. Construction: The rocket comes with: A plastic Nosecone, 2 thick paper body tubes, three motor mount tubes, 2 1/4" plywood centering rings, 3 1/4" p ...

  • LOC/Precision Minie-Magg By Bryan M. Chuck

    LOC's Minie-Magg is a single-staged HP rocket popular with many fliers. Its stubby profile combined with a basic build make it a fun flier for larger motors, as well as smaller H motors for a lesser field. The parts were contained in a durable plastic bag. The inventory of parts are as follows: 1 nosecone, plastic 1 kraft paper airframe 5.54" diameter (fin slots pre-cut) 1 kraft ...

  • LOC/Precision Minnie-Mag By David Hunt

    This was my first High Power Rocket.  I certified L1 and L2 with this same rocket.  It is very easy to build.  LOC"s "LOC-N-Fin" method of using fin tabs inside to air frame worked very well.  With the tabs installed the fins naturally fell into the proper perpendicular orientation.  With the big 5.5" air frame applying epoxy to all the interior parts was very ...

  • LOC/Precision MMA-2 Motor Adapter (Other Product) By John Lee

    The MMA-2 is an adapter from LOC to enable the use of 29mm motors in 38mm mounts. Mine came with my LOC Cyclotron. Had I known it was present, I probably would have started construction of this rocket sooner. Construction of the adapter began with marking the 29mm tube for the location of the centering rings. The directions that come with this adapter are generalized for several different ...

  • LOC/Precision Norad Pro Maxx By Mark Van Luvender

    Brief: This is a single staged MPR/HPR rocket from LOC/Precision. This kit is a stretched Norad with the motor mount upgraded to 38mm. Construction: The kit contains a 3" booster airframe, two 2.5" upper airframes, two plywood centering rings, 4 plywood fins, plastic nose cone, parachute, elastic shock cord, launch lug, shock cord mounting kit, and assorted hardware ...

  • LOC/Precision Norad By Carl Tulanko

    Brief: The LOC Norad is a kit which has the looks and feel of a military missile and is one of the medium range kits from the LOC line of models. It sports a three inch body that transitions to two inches, uses a four fin configuration and stands over three feet tall. Modifications: Fiberglassed Fins, Reinforced Shockcord Mount. Construction: In the bag you will find a three ...

  • LOC/Precision Nuke Pro Maxx By Philip Levanda

    Brief: This is an extremely versatile high flyer. Capable of stable flight on as little as an F20 through J motors. It is 2.2 inches in diameter and 39.5 inches long. It has three sharp fins for a very sleek, fast look. Construction: The kit comes with a main and a payload body tube. The recovery system is a 28 inch parachute. The body tube is slotted and the fins slide through ...

  • LOC/Precision Nuke Pro Maxx By Andrew Grippo

    Brief: This is a simple to construct single stage, mid to high power rocket with a payload section and through the wall fin design. Kit is designed to use motor ejection for parachute deployment. A 38mm motor mount is included with the kit. A motor mount adapter is not included for the use of 29mm motors. Construction: Kit components come packaged in a heavy duty bag and include: ...

  • LOC/Precision Nuke Pro Maxx By Lance Alligood

    The LOC/Precision Nuke Pro Maxx is a simple, robust high performing 3FNC mid/high power rocket that can fly on motors as little as an F all the way up to a the largest 38mm J motor that you can fit into the rocket. My big reason for getting this kick is that I fly a lot of H and I powered rockets. I prefer my rockets to be light and small as well. My USR Banshee only has a 29mm MMT, so ...

  • LOC/Precision Onyx to The Hornet By Gary Sinclair

    ( Contributed - by Gary Sinclair) Brief: Additional 6" payload section added, nose cone bulkhead added, 1/4" centering ring added to incorporate eyebolt hardware. Fiberglassed body, fins and fin-to-fin lay-up. Modifications: As a joint project between my son and my self this rocket started out with only a single body tube. Reinforcement of fins and body tube using fiberglass ...

  • LOC/Precision Onyx By Nick Esselman

    The LOC Onyx is my second LOC kit and I purchased it as one of three "stubby" rockets that were around three inches in diameter. This diameter compliments my 2.6" and my 4" collection. I had also purchased a RocketVision Grymm and the Estes Big Daddy. See my 3" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page The Onyx is the biggest of the three being 3.1" in diameter and 25.2" long, qualifying as a ...

  • LOC/Precision Onyx By Bryan M. Chuck

    ( Contributed - by Bryan Chuck) Brief: The LOC/Precision Onyx is a popular entry level mid-power rocket capable of G motor flights. After tinkering around with RockSim, I decided to convert the rocket for a 38mm motor. Modifications: Although for me this project was born via spare LOC parts, I had sitting around, the listing below is what one would need if he or she bought the Onyx as ...

  • LOC/Precision Onyx By Chip Jenkins

    Single stage mid-power rocket. All of the parts were contained in a plastic bag and they were all intact and high quality. The airframe had a very small spiral groove, the fins were top quality plywood, and the nose cone was sturdy plastic. The centering rings were also quality plywood. The parachute provided was hot pink in color and 15" diameter. The instructions were contained on the ...

  • LOC/Precision Onyx By Alex Jordan

    The LOC Onyx is a stubby 3 inch mid power single stage rocket with 14 inch chute recovery. The fins are glued directly to the body tube with no tabs. It has a 29mm motor mount. This was my first 3 inch and LOC/Precision kit. I didn't know what the quality of the parts would be but they turned out to be great. The contents of the bag were: 2 3" x 29mm plywood centering rings (1/8" thick) ...

  • LOC/Precision Starburst By Gary Sinclair

    ( Contributed - by Gary Sinclair - 07/10/01) Brief: Fiberglassed airframe and fins with additional tip-tip lay-up on mounted fins. Shockcord replaced with 3mm tubular Kevlar ® mounted directly to motor mount through forward centering ring. Modifications: As my first cluster rocket I decided upon a LOC Starburst which has two 24mm motors mounted within a 2.6" OD airframe. I ...

  • LOC/Precision Starfighter-152 By Patrick Corless

    A light small 29mm rocket with a stealth like appearance. A true departure from the traditional Loc kits. Single body tube design, with 2 large wood fins and 4 smaller stabilizing fins on the outer ends. This was my first Loc Precision kit, so I was not sure what to expect in terms of quality. After opening the package and examining the contents, I was very satisfied. The tubes were smooth ...

  • LOC/Precision Starfighter-152 By Andy Miller

    Picture courtesy of LOC/Precision          Brief: Loc/Presicion Starfighter is an aggressive looking mid power rocket that resembles a jet airplane. Modifications: I used an 18 inch custom parachute from Recovery Technology. There really wasn't anything wrong with the original, I just liked the Recovery Technology chute. The original ...

  • LOC/Precision Stovi By Chip Jenkins

    The Stovi is a unique 6-fin HP rocket with parachute recovery. The Stovi comes with seven (7) 24mm tubes and one (1) 29mm tube. It can be construted with either a 24mm or 29mm motor mount. All of the components were high quality that is typical with LOC products. It comes with a 3.1" Diameter airframe and a reducer to 2.26". The kit was easy to assemble with the instructions provided. I'll ...

  • LOC/Precision Stovi By John Coker

    ( Contributed - by John Coker)   Note: This is a slightly shortened, edited version of John's review and fewer pictures. Visit John's site for the full review or enjoy the bulk of it here. The Loc/Precision Stovi kit was the fourth rocket I built and certainly the most substantial. The kit goes together completely with epoxy and has plywood fins and a complex tail end with six ...

  • LOC/Precision Syonic By Mark Palmer

    Brief: The LOC/Precision Syonic is a great looking rocket with a unique tail cone assembly. The rocket is built around a single 54mm motor tube. Construction: Once I got home, I immediately opened the box to find it contained some very high quality parts. There were 2 sections of LOC 5.38 paper airframe, four flawless 1/4 inch plywood fins, a LOC 5.38 "long" nose cone, ...

  • LOC/Precision Tri-Star By Steve Naquin

    Brief: The LOC/Precision PK-30 Tri-Star 3" is a single staged kit that features three 29mm motor mounts for clustered flights with D, E, F or G motors. This is a new kit release from LOC/Precision but it is based on the larger OOP Tri-Star PK-68 ISP Performance Series kit (circa 1989) that featured three 38mm motor mounts. Construction: The kit features three 29mm motor mount ...

  • LOC/Precision V-2 By Gary Smith

    LOC Precision V-2 Kit 3.9 v2 on 38 mm. This rocket experienced a Cessaroni Pro-38 in and H100. The second attempt was with an I170 14a. It launched with no problem but tilted and shot horizontally. It was never recovered. After two drone recovery attempts, the rocket was deemed lost. Lost was altimeter, and Bluetooth Tile receiver.  Components Standard parts that are ...

  • LOC/Precision V2 (3.9") By Peter Lam

    This is a scale V2 MPR/HPR kit using parachute recovery The kit comes with four 5 ply fins and two plywood centering rings that fit the shape of the pre-slotted boat tail for a 13" long 38mm motor mount. A single 11" length of 4" body tube and a large plastic nose cone, 1/4 inch launch lug and a bag of lead shot for nose weight. There was LOC's typical dinky chord you epoxy to the side of ...

  • LOC/Precision V2 (5.38") By John Coker

    Loc/Precision just came out with a V2 kit in two sizes. I bought the smaller one at the April LUNAR launch. Apparently, I got one of the first few produced.  I like sport-scale rockets and hadn't built anything like a V2 before, so this was great timing.  This rocket flew for the first time on an I357, although I had my first burn-by of the Aerotech delay sleeve. The ejection ...

  • LOC/Precision V2 (5.38") By Kent Newman

      Show anyone the shape of a V-2 and they will immediately recognize a real rocket! That classic outline has been the love of some people to the extent that they establish websites dedicated totally to the V-2. These sites cover every possible topic related to the "vengeance" weapon. Its popularity continues in sport rocketry today with a number of companies producing V-2 kits. Public ...

  • LOC/Precision V2 (7.5") By Scott S

  • LOC/Precision Viper III By Bryan M. Chuck

    (07/01/04) The LOC Viper III is my third LOC kit and I purchased it for the 24mm x 3 cluster aspect. I wanted a cluster rocket that could fly on D12's and E9's and the Viper III fit the bill. The Viper III is a 47.5" tall rocket based on a 2.6" airframe with the cluster of motor tubes sticking out of the bottom. The three fins are attached at the joints of the motor t ...

  • LOC/Precision Viper III By Cliff Oliver

    Picture courtesy of LOC/Precision Brief: This model is a single-stage, three-motor, cluster rocket. It was designed for 24mm mid-power motors. Primarily D and E impulse motors. Construction: In this kit there are one body tube, three motor tubes, two 3/16" plywood centering rings, three 3/16" plywood fins, one 18" nylon parachute, one elastic shock cord and mount, ...

  • LOC/Precision Viper IV By Andy Miller

    Brief: The Viper IV is similar to the LOC Viper III which has several reviews here, but has four 24mm motors tubes instead of 3. Construction: The kit includes one body tube, four motor tubes, two centering rings, four fins, and a nose cone. I received it in pieces, with no instructions and the main body tube and nose cone were gone so I replaced the tubes with standard LOC ...

  • LOC/Precision Vulcanite H76 By Rick VanVoorhis

    After some consideration of a smaller kit for general purpose flying I chose the LOC Precision Vulcanite kit. Since I was going to be flying it on higher powered motors also I ordered it with one extra centering ring for the motor mount. After getting the kit I opened the package and inventoried the parts, all were there and in good order. I had decided to make some changes to the design for ...

  • LOC/Precision Vulcanite H76 By Curt Hillier

    LOC Vulcanite H76 is a 2.2" diameter high power rocket kit.  It is a sleek rocket capable of flights well over one mile in altitude and supports 38mm diameter motors (29mm can be used with an adapter).   Components Most components are of high quality.  Airframe tubing is thick and robust.  Fins are aircraft quality plywood.  Nose cone - ogive, very ...

  • LOC/Precision Warlock By Nathaniel Gilbert

    A short fat rocket capable of flying on H through J engines. All components were standard LOC components. 1 Huge plastic nose cone 1 7.67 inch. diameter paper bodytube 1 38mm paper motor mount tube 2 7.5-1.5 inch plywood centering rings 4 1/4 inch Plywood fins 1 54 inch nylon parachute 1 Eyebolt assembly 1 1/4 inch paper launch lug 1 9/16 tubular nylon shock ...

  • LOC/Precision Warlock By Joe Cacciatore

      Single 38 mm engine rocket almost 8" in diameter and 4.4' high with chute, plywood fins, cardboard tube and plastic nosecone. High quality cardboard tube, engine mount tube, three plywood fins, two plywood centering rings, eyebolt, quick link, 60" ripstop nylon chute, and 22' x 1/2" shock cord. It comes with no previsions for motor retention. I have bu ...

  • LOC/Precision Weasel-29 By Steve Graham

    Single stage, 14" parachute recovery at apogee using motor ejection. Two airframe BT's (27", 13"), 1.6" LOC nose cone, 3-plywood fins, 2- paper centering rings, LOC-type 29mm motor mount tube (8"long), 1 coupler, bulkhead, and eye screw. You also receive a length of 1/4" elastic for a shock cord. No decals. Instructions are straight forward. I always expect good things from Barry. The ...

  • LOC/Precision Weasel-29 By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The LOC/Precision Weasel is a simple, near minimum diameter 3FNC MPR that can fly as little as an E or absolutely tear a hole in the time-space continuum on a high thrust H. The Weasel is a basic kit with a minimal number of parts. The kit includes: 1 1.63"d ogive plastic nose cone 1 38mm x 11.5" payload tube 1 38mm x 27" body tube (premarked for fins and launch lug) 1 ...

  • Loc8tor Ltd. Loc8tor Tracker By Jim

    I've been using the Loc8tor tracker for a few months now to help recover my rockets. Summary The Loc8tor is an all-in-one tracking system intended for locating lost keys, remotes, etc. While its range is vastly less than the Beeline or other rocket trackers, the Loc8tor is cheaper, lighter, and easier to use. Pros: * Light weight * Small, easy-to-use receiver * Tags have ...

  • Logix Explorer By Bill Eichelberger

    Back in 1977, one of the Christmas gifts that I most looked forward to opening was the Science Fair SFX-4000 Aeronautical Lab Kit from Radio Shack.  I'd been flying for all of six months at the time and the idea of digging deeper into the science of aeronautics was oddly appealing to a kid who dreaded the idea of a science fair when he was in grade school.  Understandably the ...

  • Loki Research 38mm Reload System By Douglas Gardei

    Brief: Loki's line of 38mm reloadable motors. Cheapest of the 38mm reloadable options for both hardware and reloads. Currently, only the H144, I405, and J528 loads (Loki White propellant) are available for these motors, but more formulas and motor designations are coming out soon. Construction: Currently available is the Loki 240, 480, and 740 motor. Each motor comes with a quality ...

  • Loki Research 38mm Reload System By Lance Alligood

    Brief: The Loki Research 38/480 motor casing and I405 reloads are perhaps the highest performance to lowest cost ratio of commercial 4-grain 38mm motors available on the market. If you are looking for colored flame reloads, then Loki Research motors may not be for you. Jeff Taylor of Loki makes no excuses about his products delivering nothing but the highest performance and motor effects be ...

  • M2L2 - Mini Marz Lander Launcher (Modification) By Dick Stafford

    For this 2-stager, an Estes Mini Marz Lander serves as both the nosecone and second stage. The main rocket has a 29mm motor mount, while the Lander flies on 13mm motors. This review will focus on the method of adapting the Lander to the booster rocket. One Estes Mini Marz Lander One booster made from a 2" diameter mailing tube. The booster includes a 29mm motor mount, fins made from ...

  • MAC Performance Rocketry Rayzor By

  • Mach 1 Rocketry Patriot Missile BT50 By Derek Ford

  • Mach 1 Rocketry Patriot Missile BT50 By Derek Ford

  • Mach-1 Industries Hawaiian Sling (Plan) By Keith Smith

    This is a single stage rocket with unusual deployment. 1/8" ID tubes conduit the ejection charge from the sealed main BT to three pods on the end of 3" fins where there is a 12" chute in each pod. The nose cone does not come off. (click picture to enlarge) The biggest problem with this model is buying the 4" length, 1/8"id tubes to build the 'deployment' system. I ended up getting the three ...

  • Mad Science Skyblazer By Matt Gillard

    I found this rocket on ebay, its by a company called Mad Science, and they produce science toys/activities. They only have one rocket in their range. It is a basic rocket, very suitable for a first build for a young rocketeer. Parts are; 4 plastic fins engine mount engine hook engine mount tube body tube - silver engine block (missing!) adapter ring sticker ...

  • Madcow Rocketry AIM-54C Phoenix (4) By Tim Probert

    Brief: I have been fortunate enough to be given this sport scale version of the AIM-54C Phoenix long range air-to-air missile by Mike Stoop as a beta for construction and testing. This review looks at the components, construction and ultimately the maiden flight of this 4" mid power rocket. Construction: Parts list: 1 Nose Cone and eye bolt 1 Pre-slotted body ...

  • Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Brief: The Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk is a high quality mid-powered kit that is a close scale to the US Navy’s target drone. Construction: The parts list: 2.6” heavy wall body tube Aircraft plywood fins and centering rings Shock cord, chute, and even a Nomex ® heat shield Balsa nose cone with unusual ballast compartment High quality ...

  • Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk By Dick Stafford

    Brief: This is a nice scale model of the Navy's AQM-37 Jayhawk. It features high quality components and flies on 29mm motors. The kit has been upgraded with a plastic nose cone since the prior review. Construction: The parts list: Plastic nose cone and screw eye Balsa tail cone Pre-slotted 2.6" body tube One plywood centering ring 29mm motor tube ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Arcas (Fiberglass) By Peter Lam

    This is a single stage 1:1.7 scale all G10 fiberglass kit with a 29mm motor mount. The kit can be purchased either with or without a recovery system. The kit is composed of: body tube, fins, centering rings, nosecone bulkhead, which are all G10 fiberglass. 2 eye bolts, 2 nuts, 2 washers, 2 1/4" launch lugs and about 10 feet of 1/2" tubular nylon. The ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Arcas (Fiberglass) By Ken Tsai

    Brief: This is the fiberglass Arcas HV from Madcow. I bought it because they were giving away CTI Pro29 3g motors with purchase, so it becomes close to a no brainer if you're in the market for the case (I was) and a fiberglass kit. Construction: Aside from it being fiberglass, this kit is almost as simple as a rocket can be. Sure, it's sport-scale, but it really is just ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Army Hawk By Bill Eichelberger

    The Madcow Army Hawk is a mid-powered 1:5.4 scale version of the actual surface-to-air guided missile. The Hawk features a balsa boat tail, Nomex chute protector, vinyl decal, Kevlar shock cord, and 30" nylon parachute recovery. Skill level wasn't mentioned, but I'd place this at a skill level 2 for its size and the need for epoxy in construction. The parts list: Balsa nose cone ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Batray By Donald Besaw Jr

    The Madcow Rocketry Batray is a new 2.2 inch diameter MPR kit with bat wing shaped fins. It can be flown on a wide variety of motors, both BP and AP (composite) 24mm and 29mm. It will fly on anything from an Estes D12 up through SU and RMS F class motors. Each flight returns safely with an 18 inch nylon chute. This kit came neatly packaged in a thick plastic bag and included the following ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Batray By Chris Flanigan

    Brief The Batray is a Madcow rocket that is 2.2" wide and 26" long.   It has unique bat wing type fins.  The kit weighs about 8oz built and is of good quality.   Features Unique Bat Fins Cut Vinyl Decal Flameproof Chute Protector Laser Cut Plywood Parts Kevlar/Nylon Shock Cord Heavy Duty Body Tube   Specifications Length: 26" ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Black Brant II By Jon Preston

  • Madcow Rocketry Black Brant By Jeff Lane

    Large, all glass single stage high-power scale model of the Black Brant. The kit came from Apogee, and it arrived quickly and free from any defects or damage. 2 4-inch fiberglass body tubes, one fiberglass tube coupler, fiberglass and steel hardware for an avionics bay (dual deploy ready). Fiberglass 54mm mount with fiberglass centering rings and fiberglass fins. Tubular nylon shock cord ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Bomarc By Ken Lord

    I built this kit several months ago. It was a challenging, but fun, kit with a lot of pride when completed. I have not launched it yet but plan on soon with the G77R-7 . /h2 Pro: Very challenging and a lot of balsa carving, however with patience looks great Con: The white strip decals for the forward section are several small pieces with a few long. It's hard to make the ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Cowabunga By Geoffrey Kerbel

    Brief: This is a nice entry level mid/high power kit. Large tube, lots of room for recovery gear, simple build, and a great flier. Construction: The main components consist of high quality parts and is a very complete kit! 4" nose cone 4" body tube 3 1/4" ply precut fins 2 3/16" centering rings 8" length of 38 MM motor tube ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Discovery By Mike McCarty

    Madcow describes the Discovery as a great first entry into mid & high powered rocketry.  I would agree partially as my thoughts are below. Components List of Materials (1) Molded nose cone (1) Pre-slotted body tube (1) Forward section body tube (2) Centering rings (1) Bulkhead (1) Eyebolt, nut & washer (1) 29mm motor tube (3) laser-cut ...

  • Madcow Rocketry DX3 By Mike Caplinger

    Brief: The DX3 is a fairly simple 2.6" diameter 3FNC mid-power rocket with a large payload section. Construction: The kit is complete, with a pre-slotted body tube, a payload tube, plastic nose cone, 3 laser-cut 1/8" plywood fins, 29mm 8" cardboard MMT, plywood centering rings, a cardboard coupler with plywood bulkhead, a Nomex ® chute protector, a Kevlar ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Fiberglass Frenzy XL (54mm) By Devon Edwards

  • Madcow Rocketry Hawk MIM-23B By Patrick Bissonnette

    Brief: The U.S. Army MIM-23B Hawk is another beautiful model from Madcow Rocketry. It can be purchased in either 29mm or 38mm motors options. My brother chose the 29mm because those motors would fit his budget better. This review was followed by me as my brother built most of it. Construction: The kit includes: 1 Plastic cone with eye bolt 1 Balsa tail cone 1 ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Hawk MIM-23B By Mike McFadden

    Picture courtesy of Madcow Rocketry      Brief: Modified for dual deploy. 24" Drogue and a 36" main. A 38mm and 1/4" plywood fins were also added. Construction: 15.5" and 10.5" body tubes, 4 1/4" plywood fins, 1 1/8" centering ring, 1 balsa tail cone, plastic nose cone, 36" chute, chute protector, Kevlar ® ...

  • Madcow Rocketry HoJo 31 By Lance Alligood

    Brief: Madcow Rocketry's Honest John Basic Style 31 is a premium priced mid power rocket kit. If you are looking for an excellent scale Honest John kit at any price, then look no further. Construction: Madcow obviously lives by the "you get what you pay for" saying because from the moment the box arrived, it shows that they want to produce some seriously high quality ...

  • Madcow Rocketry HoJo 50 By Keith Hamel

    Brief: The Madcow HOJO M50 mid-power rocket kit is a fun kit to build and fly. The kit comes with precise laser cut parts and all of the extras. If you were talking about a car, you would say it is loaded. Madcow kits tend to be priced on the higher end but well worth it! Construction: Parts list: 1 custom balsa nose cone 1 custom balsa transition 1 custom balsa ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Honest John (Fiberglass) By Tim Doll

    The Madcow Rocketry Honest John Style M31 is a mid to high power fiberglass scale model of the 1950's vintage US Army Artillery Rocket. This Honest John uses a 29mm engine mount and a 2.6" diameter main body tube (it's basically the same size/scale as the Estes Maxi-Brute Honest John). I noticed this kit while putting together an order on the Apogee web site. I'd lost an Estes Maxi-Brute Honest ...

  • Madcow Rocketry HV Arcas 38mm Dual Deploy FG By Richard Evans

  • Madcow Rocketry Jayhawk By Annette

  • Madcow Rocketry Lil' Goblin By Larry Brand

  • Madcow Rocketry Little John (2.6) By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Brief: Lightweight 29mm HPR scale of the Little John complete with Nomex ® chute protector and rip stop nylon parachute. Construction: This kit comes with high quality plywood fins, a balsa nose cone and a sturdy motor mount. Full recovery equipment is supplied including a nice parachute and even a Nomex ® chute protector. The kit comes well packed in a heavy bag and ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Little John (2.6) By Peter Davidson

    Brief: Madcow Rocketry's Little John is a very nice 1:4.8 scale version of the U.S. Army's old Little John unguided artillery rocket with a number of thoughtful design features--especially the nose cone "ballast box" design. Loaded with top notch components, it is worth every cent one will ever pay. Construction: The Little John's components consist of: 1 ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Little John (4.0) By William Carpenter

    The 4" Little John by Madcow rocketry is a high-power rocket available with either a 38mm or a 54mm MMT. I chose a 38mm motor mount and used this rocket to achieve my Junior Level One Certification. It's a great first high-power rocket, both because of its ease of assembly, and good performance on a variety of motors. The kit included... One 4" Nose Cone A Pre-Slotted 4" Airframe ...

  • Madcow Rocketry MIM-23B Hawk By Bas Dickson Leach

  • Madcow Rocketry Mini DX3 By Mike Caplinger

    (This is a review of the thin-wall fiberglass version of the Mini DX3.  There is also a cardboard version.) The Madcow Mini DX3 is the smallest version (38mm diameter) of the basic DX3 design, which is now available in a size spectrum ranging from this kit all the way up to an 8-inch diameter fiberglass version weighing in at nearly 50 pounds.  My first mid-power rocket as a ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Momba By Larry Brand

    Photo Courtesy of Mad Cow      Brief: The Momba by Madcow Rocketry is a new kit for F-G motors. The Momba kit is a conventional 4FNC design deluxe product featuring full through-the-wall fins mounting to motor tube, laser cut fin slots, and what has to be the most complete accessory package in the industry, including a Kevlar ® shock cord, Nomex ® ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Mozzie By John Bergsmith

    Brief: The Mozzie is an upscale looking Mosquito so it naturally has a classic familiar look. The Madcow kits that I've built in the passed all have contained top quality materials and the Mozzie was no exception. Construction: The kit includes the following components: Balsa nose cone, ply bulkhead, eye bolt hardware Pre-slotted body tube for TTW fins Liteply ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Mozzie By David Sindel

    Brief: This is a 5x upscale of the Estes Mosquito suitable for mid-power motors. It is an excellent first mid-power rocket. Construction: The parts list: 1 2.6" thick-wall body tube, pre-slotted for fins 1 Balsa nose cone 2 1/8" plywood centering rings 1 29mm motor tube 3 1/8" thick laser-cut plywood fins 1 screw eye, nut, and washer ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Patriot (4.0) By Russell Garcia

    Brief: After doing my Level 1 certification with a scratch built rocket I decided that my next rocket would be a kit with all the hard parts already thought out for me and all the necessary parts all together in a kit. I also wanted my next rocket to be able to do dual deployment and Level 2 motors. After much online searching and feature and price checking I decided on the Madcow ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Patriot By Rodney Earp

  • Madcow Rocketry Phoenix (4") By Devon Edwards

    A high power, scale model of the AIM - 54 missle. Components   38 mm motor mount Thru the wall fins. 4" diameter tube 1/4 inch plywood fins and centering rings 36" chute and parachute protector included Rail buttons 9" length nose cone   /h2 Construction is solid and relatively easy. Through the wall fins and heavy duty ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Phoenix (4") By Thomas "Tweeks" Weeks

  • Madcow Rocketry Scooter By Nick Esselman

    (08/25/08) The Madcow Scooter™ is a classic-looking, stubby rocket with the capability of flying on D12's. From another view, the Scooter™ is a 29mm, mid-powered, solid-construction rocket that can reach 2,260 feet on a G64. Overall, the Scooter™ is an easy rocket to build and other than the balsa nose cone it finishes just as easy. You can do a lot with your paint ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Scout By Donald Besaw Jr

    Brief: The Madcow Rocketry Scout is a four fin and a nose cone (4FNC) mid-power rocket with a 29mm motor mount and can fly on a wide variety of single use and RMS motors in the E through G power range. Flights up to 1,700+ feet are possible and each flight recovers with an 18 inch nylon parachute. Construction: My kit came packaged in a plastic bag and included the following: ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Screech By

    Brief: This is a minimum diameter Hobby, mid, or high power rocket. It's motor selection is expansive and offers extreme height with the right motor loaded. Picture Courtesy of Madcow Rocketry Construction: (2) Body tubes (1) Balsa wood nose cone (1) Coupler (1) Shock cord anchor (1) 1/4"eyebolt, nut, and ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Screech By David Reese

    Brief: Single-stage minimum diameter 38mm model with parachute recovery. Construction: My early production kit included two body tubes, three lite-ply fins, a coupler/baffle/eyebolt assembly, full recovery system with Nomex ® protector and Kevlar ® shock cord leader, 1/4" launch lugs, and a beautiful balsa nose cone. All parts were clearly of high quality with ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Sea Wolf By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    The Madcow Rocketry Sea Wolf is a semi scale version of the Royal Navy‘s (that's British if you didn't pay attention in school) anti-ship missile Sea Wolf Missile system. This is a 38mm semi scale kit with cool features like fin plates, fin tips, and staggered fins. Contents: ¼" 5 layer laser cut aircraft plywood Nose Cone and steel eyebolt Pre-slotted airframe ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Skipper By Larry Brand

    Brief: Skipper is a 29mm 3FNC rocket of traditional but interesting design that has 3 rather tiny ply fins positioned above a beautiful balsa boat tail. Like the entire Madcow product line, it is a deluxe kit that includes virtually everything but glue and paint--you get sanded balsa cone and boat tail, eye-bolt hardware, nylon chute, Nomex ® chute protector, Kevlar ® ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Solar Express By Al Gloer

    Brief: The Solar Express is a retro styled kit reminiscent of the Binder Design Galaxy. It is styled to look like a futuristic (as was envisioned in the 1950's) spaceliner. Construction: The materials include: 2.6" heavy weight body tube Balsa nose cone 29mm MMT Plywood centering rings Laser cut fins Nomex ® parachute protector Nylon ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Solar Express By William Carpenter

    Brief: The Solar express from Madcow Rocketry is a mid-power rocket kit that flies on 29mm F and G motors. It's a great addition to an established mid-power fleet, and will fly on a wide range of mid-power motors (or probably even some Hs if you're willing to try it). The quality of the kit is superb, and it's a quick, enjoyable build. Construction: The kit conatins... 1 - ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Squat By Howard Smart and Todd Mullin

    Brief: Todd: Mad Cow Rocketry's new Squat is a fun little kit that has been released in conjunction with this year's LDRS theme of "29". As of the writing of this article, they are running a special on it for $29.00. The Squat brings a whole new dimension to the stubby kit. The scale of the kit is very deceiving in photos. The main body tube is 4", but with nothing to compare it to it ...

  • Madcow Rocketry Super DX3 By Mike Caplinger

    The Super DX3 is a 4" 38mm version of the Madcow DX3. It's a 3FNC with a large payload section. The kit includes a pre-slotted body tube, a payload tube, plastic nose cone, 3 laser-cut 1/4" plywood fins, 38mm x 18" cardboard MMT, 1/4" plywood centering rings, a cardboard coupler with plywood bulkhead, a Nomex chute protector, a 12-foot tubular nylon shock cord, eye bolts and washers, ...

  • Maine 15" Nylon Parachute By Lance Alligood

    ( Contributed - by Lance Alligood - 12/01/03) Brief: Maine Model and High Power Rockets is run by a very young, ambitious, & entrepreneurial (not necessarily in that order, mind you) Neil Thompson. Currently he is only offering parachutes up to 28in in diameter but is certainly "leaving the door open" for other components & even kits in the future. Neil recommended the ...

  • Maximum Thrust Rocketry Mach III By Moira Jean Whitlock

    Single-stage parachute recovery, suitable and simple to adapt to a level 3 project. Hosts a 3 or 4 inch motor mount and can fly on M and above class motors. Engineered to employ single event recovery, but can be set up for dual event deployment as well. There is ample room in the payload compartment for several avionic devices. The nose cone is Maximum Thrust Rocketry's own creation, ...

  • McCoy's Micro Wonder Works Bomarc (Plan) By Dick Stafford

    This is a scale model of the Bomarc surface-to-air missile. It flies on MMX II motors and uses streamer recovery. If interested, you can learn more about the Bomarc here . Parts List: - Body tube - 10.5mm tube, 6.25" long - Fins - 1/64" birch ply and foam picnic plate - Nose cone - three strips of 1/8" balsa, 2.5" L x ¾" W, and a short piece of 3/16" dowel - Nose weight ...

  • MegaBandit (Upscale) By Mark Morris

    The MegaBandit is a scratch built 3X upscale of the Estes Bandit and designed as my first K powered rocket. It's a 4" diameter, 79.5" long fiberglassed rocket with a 54mm motor mount. It was designed for dual deployment with altimeter. Components consisted of Giant Leap 3.9" phenolic body tubes cut to 21", 22" 1.5", and 17" long pieces. These were custom cut by Giant Leap and the 22" body ...

  • Mercury Engineering Atomizer By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a basic 4 fin minimum diameter 24mm rocket designed for impressive altitude performance. Construction: After ordering online, my kit shipped same day and arrived 2 days later priority mail (very reasonable shipping to boot!) and carefully packed. Parts are all very good quality with a very professional header card and sealed bag. Balsa nose cone ...

  • Mercury Engineering Atomizer By Bob Cox

    Brief: The Atomizer is a long, thin single-stage rocket designed for high performance. Its slender minimum-diameter profile allows it to reach great heights on a 24mm motor. Normally I don't go for 3FNC or 4FNC designs. However, I had recently bought some long-burning Apogee Medalist motors and I wanted something that would really take advantage of them. The Atomizer has attractive ...

  • Mercury Engineering Grave Danger By Mark Rose

    Brief: A simple mid-power 3 fin, 29mm MMT, stubby rocket. I believe this rocket is meant for those "graduating" from the Estes low power and want the next step up in materials and capabilities. My 9-year old daughter chose this as a birthday present and as her first mid-power rocket. She loves the thing so darned much I cannot get her to fly it a second time! ...

  • Mercury Engineering Hijacker By Tom Raneck

    Brief: The Hijacker is a good sized mid-power rocket with a 3” body, 29mm motor mount, 4 light-ply through-the-wall fins, a nice baffle in the coupler and recovery on a 28” rip-stop nylon chute. Construction: The parts list: (2) 3" x 17" body tubes Body tube coupler with ejection baffle set 11" nose cone 29 mm motor tube and engine mount ...

  • Mercury Engineering Integrator By George Beever

    Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". This is a single-staged, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out to 52.5 inches in length with a diameter of 4 inches. A 3FNC for those who like to cluster 24mm motors. The kit, which was packaged in it's shipping box and not bagged, consisted of two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, three 24mm motor mount tubes, fiberboard ...

  • Mercury Engineering Integrator By jeff ybarra

    Brief: This is the same model as the 3x24 cluster edition . The difference is a single 29mm mount. If you are looking for a big rocket and big thrills that won't break the bank, your search is over. Construction: Instructions for this model were straight forward, no surprises. I used 5min. epoxy for all joints. I was unsure about the fiberboard shock cord mount.It seemed that ...

  • Mercury Engineering Invader By Matt Gillard

    Brief: A low/mid power single staged rocket. Nice and beefy looking. I won this rocket in the 2008 Design this spaceship contest. Mercury Engineering were very generous: not only did they provide a really good kit for EMRR, but they also included a second free parachute, which i think is fantastic service. Construction: The kit comes in a plastic bag, with an art card, ...

  • Mercury Engineering Mutant Daddy By Aaron Tyler

    Brief: Single stage, 3" diameter body tube, single 24mm motor mount, standard parachute recovery (although two twin chutes are used). Construction: The parts list: 3" x 14" body tube 11" nose cone with 75mm base in rocket 24 mm motor tube and engine hook sized for standard E engines (or D with included adapter) 3/16" x 2" ...

  • Mercury Engineering Mutant Daddy By Mike McFadden

    Brief: This is a larger low power rocket with a 3" body and 24mm motor mount. My first impression was it's a Big Daddy, but the nose cone is longer and the body thus is longer. Twin parachute recovery. Construction: High quality parts. Body Tube: dia=3" lg=14". Nose cone: dia=3" lg=14.5". Motor tube: dia=24mm lg=5". 2 centering rings. 1 engine ...

  • Mercury Engineering RDR-1 By John Lee

    Brief: Stubby, MPR, 3FNC, Parachute. The RDR 1 is listed by the manufacturer as a Skill Level 3 rocket. Personally, I think it is much easier than that. It's a stubby thing made for mid power. The components are of good quality but surprising in that the fins are balsa and the shock cord mount is nothing more than a tri-fold. Construction: Construction begins simply enough ...

  • Merlin Missile Solutions The Sword By Chan Stevens

    Brief: A very unusual design from a new entrant into the rocketry field, this sword is definitely going to carve a niche for itself. With its sweeping curved fin pattern, the RSO could easily mistake this rocket for an attempt on his life, so brandish this one with care. Construction: The kit arrived a couple days after ordering, carefully packaged in a good sized box. ...

  • Micro Classics Andromeda By Drake "Doc" Damerau

    Brief: MicroMaxx sized downscale of the Estes kit, The USS Andromeda. Construction: The kit contains two sizes of tubes, some fin stock, Kevlar ® shock cord, a Mylar streamer and various other components. The kit comes with two pages of instructions and a fin template. Mine was signed and numbered #3. Resisting the urge to save it was difficult, so I had a hard time just ...

  • Micro Classics Andromeda By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a downscale of the Estes classic design, nicely upgraded since Drake's 2004 review. It holds fairly close to the original design and flies great on those tiny MMX motors. Construction: See Drake's review/photo. There are two upgrades since his review--you now get two sizes of launch lug for the various rod diameters floating around out there, and the kit now ...

  • Micro Classics Assortment Pack By Chan Stevens

    Brief: After having thrown out most of my RTF flying micro bricks, I started looking for interesting Micromaxx rockets that are fun to build, attractive designs, and reliable fliers. I couldn't resist the Micro Classics assortment pack, which includes 3 different downscales of Estes classic designs, all for the bargain price of $12. The assortment pack includes a 1/3 scale Alpha, ...

  • Micro Classics Interceptor By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Micro Classics kits are a little hard to find, but are worth the effort looking for them. This is an approximate 1/5 scale version of the Estes K-50 Interceptor. Having built a clone of the K-50 a couple years ago, I was intrigued by the opportunity to build a tiny version. Construction: All tubing and fins are plastic with a nose cone that appears to be hardwood. The ...

  • Micro Classics S.S. Cassiopeia By Chan Stevens

    Brief: This is a roughly 1/3 scale Estes "classic" (only available from 1981-1982) is a wonderfully detailed kit. When you're tired of all those feeble RTF MicroMaxx rockets that came with your starter set and you want to move up to a somewhat challenging build and beautiful design. Construction: I'd heard good things about Micro Classics but had no idea where or how to ...

  • Mile High Rockets Explorer 1 By Bryan Penfold

    This is the second kit available from Mile High Rockets. It is listed as a Skill Level 3 kit and utilizes unique fin rails and a tube fin setup. Components are mostly high quality and include one cardboard body tube, one motor tube, three motor rings, an engine hook, plastic nose cone, 24" Kevlar cord and a 14" Kevlar wrapped shock cord, three cardboard fin tubes, three balsa fins, 9" of ...

  • Mile High Rockets Explorer 1 By Layne Pemberton

    Brief: Explorer 1 is a single stage, futuristically styled, sport rocket and is one of two kits available from Mile High Rockets. While rated skill level 3 by Mile High, I would put it at a solid 2. Fin tip tubes and the unique fin rail mounting system, which speeds fin attachment, add a bit of flair. The kit was supplied with: 1 plastic nose cone 1 BT-50 0.097" body tube 1 18mm ...

  • Mile High Rockets Falcon By Chan Stevens

    This is, I believe, Mile High Rockets first venture into rocket kits. Packed with quality components and sporting a somewhat unusual design, this kit offers a pleasant diversion from the standard modroc fare. BT-50 body tube, plastic nose cone, 18mm motor mount assembly with hook, 6 balsa fins, balsa fin mounting rail (more on that later), and Mile High's own flame proof recovery system, ...

  • Missile Works ASP By Neil Thompson

    Brief: This is a clone of the Missile Works Atmospheric Sounding Projectile, it has a 38mm outer tube. I got all the parts as a custom kit from LOC, but they say they may make a real kit out of it soon! It is about a 1/4 scale (.252) version of the rocket used to probe mushroom clouds, and the sky during a solar eclipse in the IGY. Construction: It has one very small (4 inch) ...

  • Missile Works PET2 - Programmable Event Timer By Scott Binder

    The following excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the link above. (Extreme ...

  • Missile Works RRC2 (Rocket Recovery Controller) By Nick Esselman

    The Missile Works RRC² (Rocket Recovery Controller) was my introduction into electronic deployment. The cost of the unit and the programmability are what drew me to the product. That introduction, though, has been excitingly frustrating due to my own mistakes. However, the product is proving to be a success despite my influence. The RRC² is 5.9" x 1.3" which allows it to fit ...

  • Missile Works RRC2 (Rocket Recovery Controller) (Electronics) By Al Casper

    Missile Works - RRC² review is provided courtesy of: Missile Works Rocket Recovery Controller Features, Setup, Operation and Evaluation By: Al Casper The Missile Works RRC2 altimeter is one of the most attractively priced units available to the high power rocket community; my unit was under $100 including shipping. The size (Fig-1), simplicity, features and price contributed to ...

  • Missile Works Viking 7 By Nick Esselman

    (07/16/99) As Missile Works just released their rocket kits, I was excited to try my hand at one of their Research Kits, the Viking 7 Sounding Missile. CONSTRUCTION: The Viking 7 is made up of 2.63" diameter "exclusive" Phenolic/Kraft body tubing. I'm not sure what makes it exclusive, but it is 1mm thick, were as PML Phenolic is just under 2mm thick. This gives Missile ...

  • Missile Works WRC2 (Wireless Recovery Controller) By Al Casper

    Missile Works - WRC² review is provided courtesy of: Missile Works WRC2 Wireless Recovery Controller Overview, Setup, Operation Test Flights  By: Al Casper The Missile Works WRC² Wireless Recovery Controller is a sophisticated, radio operated, two channel event activation device for high power rocketry. The WRC² is most often used as a backup recovery deployment ...

  • Missile Works WRC2 (Wireless Recovery Controller) By Paul C. Smith

    About four years ago I got a WRC2 for a student rocketry contest. I've since flown it six times, most recently just a month ago, and it has worked perfectly each time. It's a real kick to be able to push a button and watch your rocket respond by kicking out the main parachute. Details: The WRC2 receiver (the onboard part) is quite large. I put mine in a 5.5" diameter rocket, and at 3.25" ...

  • Mo' Skeeter (Upscale) By Chris Gonnerman

    This is my Mo' Skeeter, a 320% upscale of the classic Estes Mosquito . It's a rear-ejection model, which avoids the visible nose cone line that most Mosquito upscales suffer from. Components This rocket consists of a Baby Bertha cone , 6" of BT-60, 6" of BT-20, two 20-60 centering rings , a thrust ring, engine hook, and retaining ring, a launch lug, and a shock cord consisting ...

  • Model Minutes Flying Spider By Nick Esselman

    (04/01/04) The Flying Spider will be my 4th Model Minutes kit (3 purchased + 1 free download). I purchased it to do a comparison article on U.F.O.'s along with the FlisKits' Pheord X150 and an Art Applewhite's 6" Flying Saucer. Model Minutes' rockets are constructed primary with cardstock and foam board. The Flying Spider is no different. The Flying Spider has a story according ...

  • Model Minutes G-200 Carrier By Chan Stevens

    This is a monster of a paper rocket, capable of handling 24mm motors and carrying payloads. Paper rockets in general are always a nice break from the routine and this one is certainly a break from the paper rocket norm. I had the pleasure of building a beta version of this as well as the final version. This review is based on the final version. The parts list for this Model Minutes kits is ...

  • Model Minutes G-200 Carrier By Dick Stafford

    Brief: The G-200 is a large paper rocket that flies on 24mm motors. The diameter of the lower tube is about 2 3/8" vs the 2" in the specs above the first review--just a skosh too small to fit the Fat Boy cone that was sitting by my computer. It features a clear payload section (one of the few non-paper components) and two build options. The Orbital Launcher option deploys a ...

  • Model Minutes G-75 Carrier By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Want a cheap venture into space? Try this paper rocket complete with payload bay. If you've never built a paper rocket though, this is not the kit to start with as there are numerous intricate cuts and folds, 3 shrouds, and a paper nose cone. Construction: Components are--paper! OK, the fins are actually cut from foam board, the engine hook is metal, and there's a bit of ...

  • Model Minutes Leduc 22 By Chan Stevens

    Brief: A "paper rocket" made with cardstock and foam board. The kit is designed to fly on either 18 or 24mm engines. A nice cloth parachute is provided for recovery. Construction: This kit basically consists of several sheets of printed cardstock, a wooden dowel, and a sheet of foam board. A cloth parachute, clear windshield material, and a few other items are provided ...

  • Model Minutes Leduc 22 By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Based on the 1953 French ramjet attempt to hit Mach 2, this very challenging paper model looks impressive and flies amazingly well. I would recommend it highly to anyone with prior experience with paper rockets. Construction: Drake's review covered the basics, presumably an older version of this kit. My kit was purchased in early 2005 and I'll focus on the differences. ...

  • Model Minutes M.O.M. (Multi Operations Missile) By Nick Esselman

    The Multi Operations Missile (M.O.M.) kit is my second kit from Model Minutes and includes two rockets (note: the Minute in Model Minutes is not pronounced "min'it" like the time unit, but rather "mie nuet" like something small). Both rockets are the same with the exception of the color pattern. One is colorful with red, blue, yellow and white, while the other is a camouflage finish in various ...

  • Model Minutes M.O.M. (Multi Operations Missile) By Kathy Kippen

    ( Contributed - by Kathy Miller - 03/15/09) Brief: This is a skill level 1 kit with pre-printed full-color body parts printed on sturdy paper. Each kit comes with instruction sheets done up in a three dimensional effect with 3-D glasses for viewing the color photos. I made the 'glasses' but could not use them so I just followed the photos best I could. Construction: The ...

  • Model Minutes Space Racer By Chan Stevens

    (02/01/03) I picked up a link to Model Minutes off of RMR some time ago and thought the rockets they had were unique looking, but that was only half of it. The other unique characteristic of the Model Minutes' rockets is that they are paper. Maybe they can say it better: " Model Minutes is a company specializing in the creation and manufacturing of paper and cardboard models. We are ...

  • Model Minutes Space Racer By Clive Davis

    This is the CD version of the Model Minutes Space Racer paper rocket. The "kit" arrives on a CD with motor hook (0.76 mm piano wire) and cellophane to make one pair of 3D glasses. The rocket has a cool rear ejection system with a parachute, which must be supplied by the builder. If constructed properly, there should be no need for wadding. Because this version of the Space Racer is on CD, ...

  • Model Minutes Tricarrow (Plan) By Nick Esselman

    My second "paper build" from one of the free rockets downloaded from Internet was the Model Minutes Tricarrow ( See my "Free" Paper-Rocket Comparison Page ). This one has two PDF's to downloaded and print. I printed it on 110lb Card Stock (Georgia Pacific brand purchased from WalMart). The instructions are not downloadable and are only on the web. They also do not appear to be finished as the ...

  • Model Minutes Tricarrow (Plan) By Daniel Kirk

    This rocket is a free download in .PDF format. You just have to print on cardstock and build. (Some additional parts required.) This rocket prints on two pages. It has a hexagonal body tube and nose. Its 3 fins are cut from two layers of cardstock and glued together. Fins include attachment tabs that make it easier to glue them to the body tube. The directions recommend 110 lb cardstock. ...

  • Model Minutes XFLR-7 (Plan) By Dick Stafford

      The XFLR-7 is a paper/foamboard kit patterned after the Tintin rocket from the Destination Moon comic. This is a cool design and should be considered a classic. Although the kit is now OOP, existing stock may be around for a while, so I decided to submit a review anyway. I hope that my observations will help in the construction of other paper/foamboard rockets whether they are ...

  • Model Minutes XFLR-7 By Chan Stevens

    Model Minutes specializes in paper rockets and this is one wild looking futuristic design. It clearly draws a lot of looks at the pad and no one will believe it is made of paper. The parts list is pretty simple for this kit, just pre-printed cardstock patterns. Lots of them. There are also a few other items like foamboard for fins, some clay for nose weight, a motor hook, and a parachute ...

  • Model Rocket Design and Construction (Book by Tim Van Milligan) (Book) By Nick Esselman

    The third edition of Timothy S. Van Millian's (Apogee Components owner) "Model Rocket Design and Construction" book has been released. I dare venture to say that this edition should be considered the new primary reference and teaching publication for rocketry. I know that most will point to the "Handbook of Model Rocketry" which was written by one of the founders of model rocketry, G. Harry ...

  • Model Rocket Design and Construction (Book by Tim Van Milligan) (Book) By Dick Stafford

    Summary: The 3rd edition of Timothy Van Milligan’s Model Rocket Design and Construction contains 328 pages of rocketry goodness covering everything from planning and design through recovery. This edition is twice the size of the previous and includes an impressive array of facts, techniques and concepts about all facets of the hobby. Much of the material Tim has added in this edition ...

  • Model Rocket Design and Construction (Book by Tim Van Milligan) (Book) By Clive Davis

    Review: A soft cover book details how to design and construct model rockets. It is fiiled with numerous illustrative drawings and photos. 20 chapters plus an appendix. Price: $23.95 (as of January, 2003). 160 pages. The book includes a demo version of RockSim on CD-ROM. Book covers such topics as construction techniques, repair techniques, painting, designing gliders, helicopters, scale ...

  • Modeler's Notebook Model Design & Blueprinting By Dick Stafford

    ( Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 05/04/08) Brief: When this book was discussed on The Rocketry Forum, I knew I wanted a copy. The book is written by Charles Adams and is published by Modeler's Notebook . Adams has 20 years of drawing experience and is the founder of starshipbuilder.com . Here is the summary from his web site: "In the MODEL DESIGN & BLUEPRINTING ...

  • ModelRockets.us Boostar-C By Revell Walker

    Brief: An affordable and easy way to add 2 stage capability for the Centauri, Super Centauri, Toob-oh, and Super Toob-oh model rocket.us kits and other BT-50 based rockets. Sister to the ring-finned Boostoh staging kit. Availalble also in RTF form. Construction: The kit consists of: a laser cut booster section of their special .988 dia BT-50 sized body tube, laser cut ...

  • ModelRockets.us Cee-Yah By Stu Valenton

    A simple rocket, competitively priced with excellent materials, far superior to comparable Estes kits. Components The body has markings for the fins and lug - very handy.  The fins are thick and laser cut, very nice.  The streamer has a eye-hole so it doesn't get wrapped around the cord.  The cord is a two part: kevlar + elastic.  Very nice.  No burned ...

  • ModelRockets.us Toob'oh By John Lee

    Brief: Ready to fly, Tube Fin, Minimum Diameter, 18mm Motor, Streamer Recovery When placing a recent order at Discount Rockets, I noticed a line of LPR rockets that I had never heard of. They were inexpensive and I wanted to see what they were like. One of them, the Toob'oh, was ready to fly needing nothing. It is a tube finned, minimum diameter, 18mm rocket with streamer ...

  • Modification 1/48 F-18 Hornet Blue Angel (Plastic Model Conversion) By Kyle James Yawn

    This is a plastic model conversion of the Revell 1/48 scale model of the F-18 Hornet Blue Angel . This was the first plastic model conversion I had ever attempted and would not have done so if it were not for the EMRR 2006 Challenge. It was a lot of fun putting this rocket together. Modifications: To begin construction, I glued the engine blocks inside the motor mount tubes using a spent ...

  • Modification 12V Electron Beam Launcher (Modification) By Robert Vaughan

    Estes Electron Beam controller mod for 12 volts and 2 motors What you need: 2-Estes Electron Beam launch controllers A Dremel or equivalent rotary tool CA glue Wire cutters Phillips head screwdriver Soldering iron/gun and solder   Just reading this might not allow you to know what the heck I'm talking about, so I recommend having a launch controller in ...

  • Modification 24mm Fat Boy (Modification) By Morgan Hendry

    This project began when I read several posts from rec.model.rockets on placing a 24mm motor mount in a Fat Boy, normally a 18mm kit. I first looked at the instructions and made a list of what I needed to do. Replace the 18mm motor tube with a 24mm one Make bigger motor mount with modified centering rings (higher strength) and an engine block Remove some of the "through the wall tab" ...

  • Modification 4-29SS (Modification) By Michael Stevens

    I wanted to make it taller with a huge payload section. Modifications: Well I built it following the instructions carefully. Then I sliced the BT in half. The lower section stayed on the booster but the upper was shot so I replace it with a packing tube. This is where I got the extra height. I couldn't order a bulkhead coupler assembly so I just sliced the one off the nose cone (leave at ...

  • Modification Ahtreb (Modification) By Dennis McClain-Furmanski

    Brief: Big Bertha modified for rear ejection. Modifications: This is a Big Bertha modified so that the motor tube extends nearly the length of the body, and acts as a piston upon ejection. Recovery is nose first, making the rocket appear to be coming in upside down. I call it Ahtreb, which is Bertha backwards. Essentially the motor mount assembly is not glued into the body tube, but it is ...

  • Modification Aura (Auracle) (Modification) By Larry Brand

    I have modified the LOC Aura to a tube-fin design. Modifications: Tube fins described above were fastened to the main body tube in the time-honored, self-jigging manner for tube-fin rockets. Opposite tube fins glued on first with main tube on a flat surface to insure alignment; next pair added to the top of this array; last pair added to the bottom of this arrangement after the first 4 are ...

  • Modification Aura (L1) (Modification) By Larry Rudd

    The LOC Aura kit was modified for an L1 attempt with an H engine and an altimeter bay added. Modifications: Nose cone and electronics bay modifications : I cut 1" off the body tube to create the small electronics bay for the Pico-P1 altimeter. I then cut the sleeve on the nose cone and glued the 1" cut section of body tube to create an extended nose cone with a compartment for the small ...

  • Modification Bad Dad (Modification) By Larry Brand

    Brief: I modified the Big Daddy kit to replace the stock nose cone with a fixed nose cone made from a PET soft drink bottle; parachute deployment is from an open "mortar" mounted on the bottle opening. Rationale? I swiped the nose cone from a family member's Big Daddy kit to use in a building project, and had to figure out a way to replace it, or be a "Bad Dad". Modifications: The bottom 4" ...

  • Modification Baffled-Boat-Tailed-Bigger-Baby-Bertha (Modification) By Mike Goss

    It all started one day after I opened a Baby Bertha kit and found that the motor mount had the wrong size adaptor rings. The rings were for a BT-50 and not a BT-20. I thought about replacing the rings with a correct set, but then the creative juices started to flow, what could I do with this kit? I had always wanted to build a Big Bertha but had never purchased the kit. With the parts in the ...

  • Modification Beg Bertha By Darren Longhorn

    Beg Birtha Anyone remember Rocket Services? No? How about "Pitfield" motors? Ah, thought some of you might. Well, we don't see them around so much as in years gone by, but there are still a few around. In fact, I stumbled across a cache of them recently and thought I should build something to fly them in. I'd never actually flown a Pitfield motor before. Watching other ...

  • Modification Big Bad V-2 Daddy (Modification) By Michael Bade

    How to Make a V-2 out of an Estes Big Daddy Frustrated with the lack of availability of an affordable V-2 kit, I started thinking of ways to come up with a cheap and easy kit-bash from an existing in production kit that wouldn’t involve a lot of money or time. I also wanted to make a model as big as I could that would still fly on Estes "D" engines, again for cost reasons. I first ...

  • Modification Big Bertha Payloader (Modification) By Karl Upton

    How To Convert An Estes Big Bertha Into A Payload Rocket Purpose and Design I need a series of payload rockets to carry experimental flight recorders/dataloggers into the Troposphere. The BBPC is something I came up with after a scratch-build payload rocket project that was enjoyable, but I don't always have the time for such a grand project. The BBPC solves that problem. I am a big ...

  • Modification Big Daddy (29mm) (Modification) By Sascha Grant

    I've always liked the Estes Big Daddy, but even flying on an E just wasn't good enough. So I went about building this to fly on a H - the H128 specifically. Components Out of the box, the kit includes: Nose Cone Centering Rings Pre-Slotted Body Tube Motor Mount Fins Launch Lug Parachute Shock Cord Decals With this, I only used the body tube ...

  • Modification Big Daddy (29mm) (Modification) By Stephen Morrow

    Brief: Modified Estes Big Daddy to fly on 29mm motors. Modifications: I started this project with a regular Estes Big Daddy. When I bought the kit I knew I wanted to mod it to a 29mm so I bought a motor tube and cut it to a length that would allow it to come up and touch the base of the nose cone. I had heard some rumors that the nose cone with the added weight would cause the body tube to ...

  • Modification Big Daddy (3) By Mike Goss

    A modification to the Estes Big Daddy to use much less wadding. Modifications: The Estes Big Daddy is a short, fat rocket. With this being the case, there is a large volume in the interior of the rocket that needs to be filled with wadding to protect the parachute. I am always looking for ways that I can reduce or eliminate the use of wadding. I had heard of a similar modification being ...

  • Modification Big Daddy (CDI Upgrade) (Modification) By Andrew Hansom

    After seeing a Big Daddy upgrade kit by Commonwealth Displays for sale on EBay, I bought it and built the Big Daddy that I had on the shelf in the garage. The upgrade kit comes with plywood fins, plywood centering rings, 29mm motor mount, upgraded shock cord, spark arrester, motor retainer and a 36" nylon parachute Modifications: All bonding was done with 30 min. epoxy. To make roomm for the ...

  • Modification Big Dawg (Modification) By Orion Samoiloff

    Upgraded 18mm motor mount to 24mm motor mount. Changed parachute to 7-foot streamer. The Big Dawg is a fun kit to build and fly as a stock kit. With theses few modifications, the rocket is incredible. It's a very simple conversion. Added 24mm motor mount tube using 2 BT55 - BT50 centering rings. I had to modify where the fins attached to the motor mount (shortened tabs). Replaced the ...

  • Modification Big Dipper Daddy (Modification) By Dick Stafford

    I bought this Big Daddy (on sale, of course) as a test-bed for a Micro-Hybrid motor. This required an extension of the motor mount, and the capability to house electronics in the nose cone. Before flying it on a Micro-Hybrid, I'll probably try it on a conventional motor with motor ejection (1st flight) and with electronics (2nd flight). Modifications: Since there are already several articles ...

  • Modification Big Wild Daddy (Modification) By Tony Turley

    The Estes Big Daddy first caught my eye hanging on the rack at WV Hobbies in the fall of 1998. It looked to me to be a good candidate for conversion to 29mm power, so I put it on my Christmas list. My request was granted, and away I went. My first decision was to evaluate the kit parts to see what I would need for the conversion. I ended up keeping only the fins, body tube, nose cone, and ...

  • Modification BioHazard (Modification) By Dwayne Shmel

    This is a kit bash of a Baby Bertha that transforms a mild mannered rocket into mean, green, flying machine--the BioHazard. Modifications: One challenge was the tight fit of three 18mm motor mount tubes inside the BT-60 body tube. The 3 tubes were glued together and the inside "hole" was filled with a dollop of epoxy with a little paper wad as a backer. The 3 motor tube assembly fit inside ...

  • Modification BLU-97B Cluster Bomb (24mm) (Modification) By Dick Stafford

    This kit is a semi-scale version of an actual Combined Effects Munition (CEM). As I was applying the decals, I noticed that they identify the model as a GBU-87, whereas the package calls it a BLU-97B. If you look at this website , it looks like the overall bomb unit is the CBU-87, and the individual bomblets are BLU-97s. This is a brief description of how I upgraded my Cluster Bomb with a 24mm ...

  • Modification Cherokee D (Cloned from a CC Express Kit) (Modification) By Ronald West

    My clone of the very popular Este's K-47 Cherokee-D that was available from 1971 until 1983. Its 3FNC design and D power really packs a wollop off the launch pad. My review is very similar to the other Cherokee-D with the exception I used a E engine hook to allow either a E or with a spacer, a D engine. Components I constructed this kit from the CC Express that is still readily ...

  • Modification Commander (x3) (Modification) By John Thro

    Brief: I purchased three Quest Commander kits on clearance at Hobby Lobby, for a total of about $8.50. Since I had three of everything, I decided to use all three body tubes to build one long Commander. Also, I changed the fin configuration from 3FNC to, as it turned out, 8FNC. Modifications: I assembled the motor mount according to the kit instructions, using white glue. Since ...

  • Modification Der Max Squared (Modification) By Jim Bassham

    This is my twin-engine modification of Estes' Der Red Max kit for the EMRR "Twice the Thrust" Challenge Modifications: Construction started with the two motor tubes. I cut a slit 1/4" from one end of the tubes for the hook, held it in place with masking tape and glued the engine block in place above the clip. With the clips on opposite sides, I glued the tubes to each other using epoxy. While ...

  • Modification Der Red Max (Screamin Mimi) (Modification) By Frank Casey

      This is a kit conversion from an Estes Screamin' Mimi to an Estes Der Big Red Max based on Der Big Red Max instructions provided by JimZ #1977. The only change I made to the JimZ plan was to use the 24mm mount setup that came with the Screamin' Mimi kit rather than the suggested 18mm mount described in the Der Big Red Max instructions found on the JimZ site. Screamin' Mimi ...

  • Modification Der Red Max Army Patriot (Modification) By Howard Smart

    Stage bash of two Estes kits, Der Red Max (0651) and U.S. Army Patriot (2056). A two stage rocket is produced with gap staging, allowing both booster and sustainer to have engine hooks. The upper stage looks enough like the standard Patriot to be mistaken for a stock model, enough to use the Patriot decals for the sustainer and the Red Max decals for the booster. This brings a few laughs at the ...

  • Modification Deuce-4 Heavy Payloader (Modification) By Mark Schrader

    The following article was a submission to the FlisKits, Inc Deuce-Bash Contest and is archived with permission from FlisKits. Some of these designs are not actually kitbashes, however, all come from the basic motor design feature of the FlisKits Deuce's Wild. Attached is my Deuce Bash entry. Please let me know if you need any other information. The inspiration for this design came ...

  • Modification Dig Baddy (Modification) By Yitah Wu

    What is it about the Fat Boy, Onyx, Minie Magg, etc, that makes grown men's knees weak? I don't know, but the Big Daddy has it - and lots of it. I swung by Commonwealth Displays a couple of times, but they were out of the kit. The second time I was beat out by a telephone order by an hour or so. I was ordering a few things from A to Z hobbies, and they had them in stock, so.....Two days later ...

  • Modification Dorothy (Modification) By Verna DeArman

    My favorite movie has always been The Wizard of Oz . With that in mind I decided to build a rocket that could carry several passengers over the rainbow. The nice thing about building Dorothy from the Estes Loadstar kits is that you already have most of the materials and you will have spare fins and chutes left over. While there are many steps to assembling the Loadstars individually, there ...

  • Modification Estes Quasar from Estes Metalizer (Modification) By Bill Eichelberger

    I created an upscale Estes Quasar from the currently available Estes Metalizer kit. Components Estes Metalizer kit (Hobby Lobby) BT-56 body tube (Red Arrow) Mylar tape QUASAR decal (HP Inkjet) /h2 The Metalizer is an E2X kit that I normally wouldn't bother with except that a) it was on clearance, and b) I was bored and needed a project.  The Hobby ...

  • Modification Estes Vampire from Estes Jynx (Modification) By Bill Eichelberger

    My first Estes catalog was the 1977 version, which I got in mid-July and read to tatters by the time school started back.  Much of my cloning has centered around this catalog and the rockets therein, mostly those I never saw or couldn't afford.  I never saw an Estes Vampire, and if I did, I probably couldn't have afforded it.  These days I could afford a Vampire, but ...

  • Modification Exoskell Extreme (Modification) By Stefan Jones

    Brief: Estes Exoskell modified for 24mm motor power. Modifications: I usually don't go for Estes "novelty" kits, but when I saw an "Exoskell" on clearance for a few dollars, I snapped it up. I figured I could do something unusual with it, such as turning it into a cluster kit, or enhancing the pre-printed decor with more slimy details. Several months later, I had a go at it. I started ...

  • Modification Fat Boy - 24mm (Modification) By Colin Westgarth-Taylor

    An Estes Fat Boy modified with a 24mm MMT for D and E motors. External dimensions are stock. These modifications change one of Estes best packaged kits into a true performer. Modifications: Construction sequence was pretty normal for a MPR capable rocket: forward CR epoxied to the MMT, shock cord mount epoxied to the MMT (two 1/32" holes were drilled in the front CR to tie the Kevlar cord ...

  • Modification Fat Boy - 24mm By Morgan Hendry

    This project begun when I read several posts from rec.model.rockets on placing a 24mm motor mount in a Fat Boy, normally a 18mm kit. I first looked at the instructions and made a list of what I needed to do. Replace the 18mm motor tube with a 24mm one Make bigger motor mount with modified centering rings (higher strength) and an engine block Remove some of the "through the wall tab" ...

  • Modification Fat Boy - 29mm (Modification) By Scott McLeod

      An Estes FatBoy modified with a glassed body tube, 29mm MMT and G10 fins for F, G, and H motors. External dimensions are stock. Best "bang-for-buck" rocket that I ever built. Modifications: When glassing the tube, I used a long section of PML 2.6" coupler tube wrapped in greaseproof paper to provide some support as the Estes tube is very thin. The greaseproof paper released nicely ...

  • Modification Fat Boy to Schnoz (Modification) By Larry Brand

      The problem with overpowering a "stubby" design like the C-powered Estes Fat Boy with heavier engines is the CG dilemma -- the more power, the more nose weight is needed to keep the CG in limits, negating the Oomph you thought you were adding. I have modified Fat Boy for F-power with a nose cone extension to counter-ballast this with minimal added weight. Modifications: The only ...

  • Modification Gravity Rider 224 (Modification) By Les Bradshaw

    After reading Chan Stephens' review, I decided to modify the design to boost the power. I changed from a single 18mm mount to dual 24mm mounts. I also made the ejection charge to vent into the top center tube and eject from the very top. Modifications: After deciding to upgrade the engines, I looked through my parts pile and found appropriate 24mm motor tubes, centering rings, and engine ...

  • Modification Hermes A-1 (Modification) By Dick Stafford

    This review explains how I converted a sport scale Semroc V-2 xKit to a Hermes A-1. Components The following parts are required: One Semroc V-2 xKit, using the scale fin option 3/32” balsa stock Thin Kevlar twine Motor hook Mylar sheath to hold the motor hook (optional) Lead shot I’ll start by saying that the quality of the cone and tail ...

  • Modification Hybrid Mirage By Douglas Gardei

    Hybrid motors have always fascinated me. The extra complexity of a fuel and oxidizer in different states and trying to get them to combust makes adds a new challenge to rocketry. Also, since the fuel is inert, there are no permits required for storage, and ideally (except for Aerotech) require no haz-mat fee for shipping. Until recently, the only hybrid motors on the market are in the Level 2 ...

  • Modification Irhydavi (Modification) By Geof Givens

    Mostly seen at air shows and museums today, many rocket ship fans can still remember when the tri-engine Irhydavi played a significant role in history. Before the catastrophic defeat of the India-Paskistani Free States by China in the second Asian War (February 20-22, 2366), the Irhydavi was the premier fighter-rocket of the IPFS. It proved no match for the superior weaponry of the Lao Hu ...

  • Modification Jayhawk (Modification) By Eric Speckman

      Brief:   The 24mm motor tube was removed, and a 29mm mount was added. Modifications:   The reason I made this mod was because the rocket landed in water, and the motor mount tube was damaged when I tried removing the motor.  I carefully cut the boattail along the wing , and removed the top half.  I trimmed the old tube to an inch or so (I can't remember ...

  • Modification Klingon Star Dart (Modification) By Les Bradshaw

    Brief: This is the Estes Super Neon that I modified to become the Klingon Star Dart. I added 3 fins and moved the tube fins out to the ends of these new fins. Modifications: The motor mount was built stock. I cut out my new fins from 3/32" balsa. They were sized 3 1/2" at the root and tip with a span of 1 3/4". The slant length is 2 1/2" long. I glued the tubes together in pairs (I ...

  • Modification Longspear 3 (Modification) By John Lee

    B rief: The Longspear is the recycled body tube and fin can of the Sky Longmarch 3. It still uses an 18mm motor but is now a longneck rocket. Modifications: Earlier this year, I bought Sky's Longmarch 3 from Apogee. The rocket was a simple build with a distinctive look to it and, while it would not win any contests, I was quite happy with it. It did, however, have a few problems. One was the ...

  • Modification Magnum Cineroc (Modification) By Jeff Lane

    The Estes Magnum is a two-stage payload workhorse [now oop]. The Magnum is a simple, BT-60 based rocket. It has three fins on each stage which the modeler cuts from printed balsa stock. Materials include booster and sustainer body tubes, two engine tubes, one engine block, centering rings, fin balsa, coupler, plastic nose cone, clear payload section, nose block, shock ...

  • Modification Mean Machine (29mm) (Modification) By Michael Boucher

    It's Estes Mean Machine. It's a single staged rocket originally it is a 24mm rocket made to take D motors but I modified it with a home made 29mm motor mount. Modifications: Since I was planning to use an F-50 motor I thought it would be a very good idea to fiberglass it. I fiberglassed it twice with some 1.5oz fiberglass. I also fiberglassed the fins (not on to the rocket). Now for the motor ...

  • Modification Mean Machine(2) (Modification) By John Coker

    The Estes Mean Machine(TM) kit was one I remember wanting, but not being able to afford the first time in this hobby. So now, as a B.A.R., I can have it easily. (Also, the kit cover picture is priceless.)  I decided to high-power it by adapting it for 29mm motors so its name is now the "Meaner Machine." Adding a 29mm motor mount, fiberglassed tubes and fins and altimeter dual deployment ...

  • Modification Mean Machine(3) (Modification) By Morgan Hendry

    I got the Mean Machine for my birthday and have just finished it. There were a few requirements for the finished rocket: It must break into sections for easy transport. Center break recovery. Baffle system to eliminate recovery wadding. I began construction as in the stock kit, except I used 30 min Epoxy instead of white glue. When I got to the step about the tube couplers, ...

  • Modification Meanie w/Quick Change Motor Mount (Modification) By Nick Esselman

    I had the idea one day to make a switchable motor mount so that I could fly a rocket on various motor sizes and configurations. I searched the web and found I wasn't the first to have that idea (no surprise there). Then I connected with Mark over at True Modeler Rocket Kits . He is selling his "Quick Change Motor Mount" which is designed for any rocket with a diameter of 2.6" or larger. Because ...

  • Modification Mini Marz Lander (Modification) By Robert Geer

    A Modified Mini Marz Lander with a lengthened motor tube to accept Apogee's C6, 13mm x 83mm, motor. Modifications: Parts needed are (1) 13mm Airframe Tube 3.25", (1) 13mm x 18mm x 0.25" centering ring, (1) 13mm x 0.25" Engine block. The first thing I did was to enlarge the holes on either end of the lower section using 220 grit sandpaper rolled inside out on my hobby knife. This also ...

  • Modification Monarch 24mm (Modification) By Jeffrey Spidle

    Converted an Estes Monarch to a 24mm x 95mm motor mount. Modifications: The need for SPEED: Leave out the motor tube, aft CR, and engine hook. Use an old E9 engine to set the remaining CR 3.7 inches from the back of the body tube. This CR is now the motor mount. You may want to use thin CA to harden the aft part of the body tube so it can deal with the abuse of having to have engines ...

  • Modification Mongoose (Modification) By Shawn Bradley

    Modification from a 2-stage model to however many stages you want. Modifications: Put together exactly as the instructions indicate, then get extra booster assemblies and put them together. At the launch field, butt all the motors you need together, then slide into all the booster assemblies, and put the factory-supplied booster assembly at the bottom (you might want to fit this for a ...

  • Modification MonoGoose (Modification) By Larry Brand

    I have re-designed the Estes Mongoose as a single-stage 24mm, minimum diameter rocket I call the MonoGoose. It utilizes the kit's two plastic fin assemblies to create a strong, diamond airfoil fin can. MonoGoose can be flown on D12's, the new Estes E9's, E15's or any 24/40 reload. Components: To the packaged components of an Estes Mongoose all that is required to build a MonoGoose is two ...

  • Modification More G-Force DD (Modification) By Frank Hermes

    See prior article describing what basically was a MMT modification to the G-Force kit --I kept that modified booster section onl y, and added scratch components to turn it into a dual-deployment version. I added a