Brief:
Single stage model rocket with 'retro' styling.

Construction:
The kit consists of Thrustline's typical high quality components. The main body tube is a glassine coated BT-60 tube. Both the nose cone and tail cone are balsa. The three fins are cut from an 1/8" balsa sheet. The body "strakes" are cut from 3/32" thick balsa strip. Since the tail cone supports most of the BT-50 (24mm) MMT, there is only one black fiberboard centering ring on the forward end of the MMT. The recovery harness consists of a length of Kevlar® thread that is attached to the MMT/tail cone assembly. A length of elastic cord is attached to the Kevlar® leader and then to the nose cone and parachute.

The kit includes an excellent set of illustrated instructions making construction a breeze. In typical Thrustline fashion, the Arapahoe E is a "builder's" kit. Cardstock fin patterns are included for you to trace and cut out your own fins. The only tricky part to the build are the two piece fins. This is to allow proper grain orientation on the balsa for maximum strength of the fins. It takes a bit of 'fine tuning' to get the fins to fit nicely on the tail cone to body tube transition. It's not really difficult...just a bit finicky, but once completed it makes for a very sturdy and handsome design.

Finishing:
This was a beta kit from Thrustline Aerospace so it was up to me to come up with a paint scheme. I started finishing it by filling in the balsa nose and tail cones with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. This was sanded smooth and several coats of gray auto primer were applied. John Rowan-Stern at Thrustline gave me a few hints on what he wanted for the paint scheme so I just went with the flow and tried for a modern look with a hint of 'retro'. The "Arapahoe E" decal was supplied by Thrustline and I understand that production versions of the kit will also include waterslide decals. I'm pretty happy with how the rocket turned out.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
For it's first flight, I sent it up on an Estes C11-5. This motor took it to approximately 600-700ft. The 5 second delay was perfect. I've since flow it several times on D12-5s and it flies great on that motor too. The D12s give it a bit more altitude. I'd estimate around 1000 ft on the D12-5. There is no motor hook with the tail cone on this bird. Motor retention is by the tried and true masking tape friction fit. Not fancy but I've never had a problem with it.

The rocket flies straight and true.

Recovery:
Flight prep is standard fair. I use a bit of "dog barf" to protect the rip-stop nylon chute that come in my beta kit. The 18" parachute brings it down slowly and gently. It may be a bit big if you're launching on an E9. I would reef the chute or put in a slightly smaller one if it's a windy day.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
The main PRO to this kit is its looks. It has a 'retro' feel to it plus some not so subtle design references to the classic Estes Cherokee D. It's a sturdy rocket that flies great.

No real CONs to the kit, just don't expect laser cut fins and plastic nose cones. This is an 'old school' kit that will reward your skill and patience during construction with a fine model rocket that you can be proud of.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5