Brief:
T' Super Flea was a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Arrr! Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, and it was t' first kit I ever purchased with me own money. Arrr! There was nothin' really special about them, shiver me timbers, but it has a sentimental value for me, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, me bucko, who is no longer with us. So, I kind o' built it as a tribute o' sorts.

Construction:
I used a couple small pieces o' 13mm body tube, shiver me timbers, a nose cone from a Rogue Gnat (not exactly a true replica, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, but close enough), and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. Arrr! Blimey! For a tubin' coupler, I used a small slice o' a 25 year old A3-4T I found in me dad's closet, where I found a lot o' other rocket goodies as well. Aye aye! T' shock cord is very un-Estes like; I made it out o' a 3 foot section o' elastic thread, shiver me timbers, whereas t' original was t' old flat elastic that Estes be pretty stingy with. T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Blimey! T' illustrations were great, which helped me get t' proper scale for t' fins and body tube lengths. T' only thin' I didn't like about t' original kit was t' shock cord mountin' method: t' shock cord be wrapped around t' tube coupler, then t' coupler be inserted into t' lower body tube. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, ya bilge rat, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. Begad! Well, blow me down! So, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, ya bilge rat, givin' me a perfectly round tube. Arrr! I coated t' fins and nose with a thin coat o' 2 hour epoxy for durability, then painted t' whole thin' with testor's Aluminum. Begad! T' best part about it be t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, except for t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! So I bought a fistful o' Gnats from Lawn Dart Rocketry at LDRS and used one o' those.

Finishing:
T' rockets always looked kind o' plain, since they came with no decals. After I epoxied everything, I sanded it all down, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, me bucko, and t' thin' looked stupid. Ahoy! Blimey! So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, and it looks fairly good now. Nothin' difficult about this rocket, or t' original kit either. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Way better than t' junk Estes puts out now- NO PLASTIC! Blimey! I would give this rocket a 5 if it wasn't for t' goofy shock cord mounting.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My memory must be cloudy, because I don't remember this bein' a particularly good performer when I be a kid. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, me hearties, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! All I did be insert some cellulose wadding, matey, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), ya bilge rat, stuff in t' shock cord, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and put it on t' launcher. Ahoy! Blimey! T' countdown came over t' PA system, and when it reached 1, ya bilge rat, that be t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! Blimey! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all be t' smoke. Ahoy! Blimey! All future flights will be on smaller motors, me hearties, maybe even some micro-motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

Recovery:
Recovery works well, shiver me timbers, even without a streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay too fast, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, no drifting, matey, me bucko, arrr, and no damage on landing. Begad! I am startin' t' see some charrin' around t' base o' t' fins though, me hearties, but that's easily repairable. Blimey! This is almost t' easiest t' prep rocket I've ever had, and thanks t' t' epoxy, ya bilge rat, pretty near indestructible.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Main pros: Easy t' prep, matey, good recovery system with t' mid-body separation, me hearties, matey, and eye-poppin' flights. Aye aye! Avast! Cons: too small t' see at apogee, and too fast t' watch on a "big" motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Best o' all, ya bilge rat, t' thin' cost just over a buck.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5