DynastarSnarky

Fun to build and flew great

$36.00 is too much for what you get in this kit. Two large paper tubes, two balsa wood sheets, a plastic nose cone and a parachute.

This is an expensive rocket kit, and very challenging to build. Pay close attention to the scoop directions, as I screwed it up twice ! Flies straight as an arrow and the unusual look attracts plenty of attention on the line. I used Estes E12-4 black powder engines in the launches I photographed. Everyone cheered on liftoff and it was exciting to see it soar over 800 feet high !This is an adult building skill rocket, but a kid can fly it.

First off, I like McDonald's coffee. It is cheap and tastes good to me. Many, many people are very happy with MD coffee. Why then is Starbucks so popular when it costs multiples more? Well the answer to that also explains why l like this rocket so much even though it costs more...you get more than your standard Estes kits.I have probably over 100 rocket kits. Much fewer than that have been built, however I've still built many and successfully launched almost every one. I have Estes Pro II kits which costs more than this kit and I still think the quality and build of this kit is better.I've just finished building this bird and it is a beauty! I honestly can't think of another similar rocket at around this price. This isn't your Estes kit available from your local toy store, it is a marked level above. Plus you pay more for the engineering and design that went into it. The kit includes several templates...some for cutting the tubes (a unique construction method which isn't too common) and another for setup and gluing. Shiny self-stick decals are included (note that Estes pro II kits don't include the decals needed to duplicate the schemes shown). Some people prefer wet-transfer decals; however when they're large, they're more difficult to work with and more likely to rip, so in this case I think self-stick makes sense. Also I tested Rust-oleum Acrylic Enamel Gloss clear coat on it and it covered fine (no pooling).The only negative for me was that the motor retention method noted is to use tape. While there is an argument for this (I heard it can protect the rocket in case of an extremely forceful ejection charge), I prefer other retention, so I added one of my own (Estes proII 24mm screw-on motor retainer - looks almost like afterburner exhaust nozzle now!).Overall this was an enjoyable and beautiful build which I'm proud to add to my collection and have no regrets buying. I haven't had the chance to launch it yet, but there are reviews and launch records of this on the internet and they seem very positive to me.