Estes - Der Red Max {Kit} (651) [2007-]

Estes Der Red Max

Estes - Der Red Max {Kit} (651) [2007-]

Contributed by Douglas Gardei

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Diameter:	1.64 inches
Length:	16.25 inches
Manufacturer:	Estes
Skill Level:	1
Style:	Sport

Brief:
Re-release o' a classic Estes rocket! Includes a cool pre-assembled pirate skull 18" parachute!

My first memory o' t' Der Red Max be a little over twenty years ago. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I be betwixt t' age o' 6 and 8, and my grandfather had given me $20 for me birthday. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My parents took me t' a mall and I be in Kay-Bee Toy and Hobbies. Ahoy! Blimey! I was tryin' t' find somethin' t' spend me loot on, then I saw t' model rockets. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I remember a few years prior t' that my parents bought some model rocket stuff, flew some, me hearties, but then me twin brother got very sick. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Shortly after he recovered, my Dad changed jobs so we moved...and rockets were forgotten. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I saw t' Der Red Max and thought it looked cool. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My dad, however suggested I get a different rocket because he felt that it was too small for t' motors he still had. Begad! Blimey! Instead, I chose an Estes Marauder. Blimey! Blimey! That was me first o' many model rockets!

Construction:
T' kit itself is pretty much a standard three fins and a nose cone design. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! You get a nice white wall body tube that is better quality than many other kits Estes offers. Arrr! T' large fins are laser cut but you will still need t' use a knife t' loosen them. Begad! You also get two nice lookin' waterslide decal sheets that have a paper sleeve t' protect them. Blimey! I did nay like t' centerin' rings. T' me, me bucko, they seemed t' be flimsy. Also, t' rubber shock cord is way too short. Another interestin' note be t' kit comes with a jig t' help mark t' fins locations on t' body tube.

Construction o' t' Der Red Max is pretty simple. I found that t' fit o' t' centerin' rings on t' motor tube to be tight so some sandin' was required. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I made sure I gave t' joints some extra fillets in case I decide t' stick a D13 in t' motor tube. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

Estes Der Red Max Once t' fins were loosened from t' balsa sheet, I sanded t' leadin' and trailin' edges round. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I did nay bother with t' fin jig that came with t' kit t' attach t' fins. Instead I used me classic Estes Fin Alignment guide, which did a great job keepin' t' fins straight. Once t' fins were dry, arrr, I attached t' launch lugs (which were short) and applied all t' fillets. Avast! Aye aye! An additional step I had t' do was wrap tape around t' shoulder o' the nose cone because t' fit be very loose.

Finishing:
T' Red Max's finish was very simple. Ya scallywag! First I coated t' fins with Bondo Spot putty. Begad! Once that was dry and sanded, me hearties, I applied several coats o' Rustoleum Light Gray automotive primer, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, sandin' betwixt coats. Avast, me proud beauty! After a couple Bondo touch ups and more primer and sanding, t' Red Max is ready t' paint. It is an easy paint job. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' booster section be painted red and t' nose cone sprayed black.

When t' paint dried, it was time for t' decals. Aye aye! Care had t' be taken when handlin' these waterslide decals. Well, blow me down! The film was very thin and wanted t' bunch up. Well, blow me down! Begad! If t' film bunched up, shiver me timbers, it creates a crease, and is impossible t' straighten out. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Other than wantin' t' bunch, they went on without a hitch. Aye aye! Avast! I love t' optional "Kills" decal and I made sure it made it on one o' t' fins o' me model. Avast! Once t' decals were dry, I finished me Red Max with Future Floor Polish. I am very impressed how t' finish came out as t' polish really makes her shine.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
So far I only flew me Der Max once with a B4-4. Arrr! Avast! Very nice liftoff and got a good clip o' altitude.

Recovery:
T' parachute did nay deploy fully because it was cool enough for t' plastic t' stick, but thar was no damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think this is a great kit. Avast! Every collection should have one. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Take your time, me hearties, sand where things are too tight, ya bilge rat, me hearties, wrap tape around things too loose, shiver me timbers, arrr, and be careful with those decals!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews

Estes Der Red Max By Matthew D. (December 24, 2013)
This one's a classic. Easy assembly, great decals, cool decals, and presumably a good flier. Components This is a pretty regular 3FNC rocket, but the part quality is what makes it shine. The rubber band shock cord is about 1/4 inch wide, much thicker than others I have come across. It also seems to be a slightly different, more sturdy material. This may be standard for all ...
Estes Der Red Max By Todd Mullin (March 25, 2008)
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 ...

Flights

Comments:

D.R. (January 16, 2008)

I never had one of these back in the day, but now, as an adult, I suddenly appreciated the unique and colorful character this rocket has, so when Estes re-released it last year, I jumped and added it to the fleet. The building process is fairly unremarkable, your basic 3FNC sport model, but it's the decals and finish that make this baby. My only criticism is that the Estes supplied decals are WAY too thin and hard to work with. They also aren't true repros of the original decal set. I've flown mine once, on a conservative B6-4, and it flew like a dream, arrow straight, with no spinning or arcing, and came down within 50 feet of the pad. I'm looking forward to it's second flight, this time on a C. So I didn't have one as a kid like most other BARs did. But I'm proud to own one now, and I'm looking forward to passing it on to my own son when he's a little older!

J.T.S. (May 11, 2009)

I had one of these back in the day and have to say it was the most reliable all around flier in my fleet. As an adult I built a clone right down to modifying the nose cone to a proper profile. I had just a few (awesome) flights on it when Estes reissued the kit. Just my luck. My clone was lost to a swamp landing and my new wife needed an intro to the hobby soooo.... The new kit builds and flies like the original, ROCK SOLID! The laser cut balsa fin sheet is a marked improvement over the old die-cut sheet. Assembly is quick as one would expect with 3FNC, and we had it ready to launch in one evening. Flight was just as I remembered with a B6-4. It currently has 9 flights without a single problem. The only complaint I can lodge is with the decals. In a word, THIN. Too thin. a coat of Krylon Crystal Clear fixed this. That and the omition of the 'X882' for the nose cone.

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