Brief:
A 1/35 semi-scale model o' t' rocket used t' launch America's first satellite. This be t' same scale as t' Estes Mercury Redstone and Mercury Atlas.

Construction:
No plastic parts in this kit with t' exception o' t' booster adapter, ya bilge rat, spin bucket and t' Explorer I payload. Aye aye! Blimey! Body tube is a one piece Centuri ST-20. Motor tube is a short length o' BT-20 and t' centerin' rings are fiber. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I replaced t' rubber shock cord with sewin' elastic, and t' original 1/8" launch lugs with 3/16" lugs.

This be a skill level 4 kit. Ahoy! T' oversize fins were built up from 2 fin halves glued together. T' fins were easy t' carve a good lookin' bevel into. Engine mount be a standard mount that I've built dozens o' times. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I built it with epoxy t' give me t' option o' usin' Aerotech power later, should I choose to do so. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I added a 1/4" long piece o' spent engine casin' t' t' top of the motor clip for added strength. Arrr! Begad! T' fin alignment guide had 2 lines per fin, and you centered t' fins betwixt t' 2 lines. Well, blow me down! This helped me get t' fins on very straight.

T' only problem I gad was gluin' t' spin bucket t' t' top o' t' booster adapter. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' fit was too loose and I never did get it t' align correctly. Aye aye! As a result, t' top o' t' model has a small but noticeable tilt t' it.

T' instructions call for you t' fly without t' Explorer payload, but I opted t' build a cradle for t' top section a la t' Redstone, me bucko, and recover the model in 2 sections. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I used an 18" chute for t' main section, shiver me timbers, and a 12" chute for t' top section.

Finishing:
There were no decals for t' roll pattern at t' bottom o' t' booster, so you have t' paint it in yourself. Aye aye! This came out lookin' pretty good, me bucko, certainly better than t' one piece roll pattern decal Estes is usin' for t' Mercury Redstone. Begad!

T' old black stripes had flaked a bit over t' years, so I replicated them with black trim Monokote. Aye aye! T' instructions were very clear about placement of the decals. Interestingly, you are instructed t' place t' horizontal stripes first, me bucko, ya bilge rat, then t' diagonal stripes last. Blimey! Begad! I realized too late that, had I done it in t' reverse order, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' intersection o' t' diagonal stripes would have been covered up by t' horizontal stripes. T' "UE" decals were still usable and look good on t' model.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' C5-3 is hardly available anymore, shiver me timbers, so I used t' C6-3. Avast! T' motor is held in place by old-fashioned motor clip Estes used for years. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I had no problem gettin' t' motor into or out o' t' model. Well, blow me down! Preparation is easy, t' body tube is long enough t' hold a generous amount o' waddin' and still have room for 2 parachutes. Aye aye!

This model isn't exactly a fast flier, but it was very stable, with ejection very near apogee on both flights. Begad! Flights were nay vertical, but more of a long, graceful arc. I think that t' C5 would have given a more vertical flight due t' its higher initial thrust spike. Begad! Aye aye! Both times t' model recovered without damage. I look forward t' tryin' this model out on D13 power someday.

Recovery:
T' Jupiter-C requires t' standard recovery system upgrade that every experienced rocketeer should use. Ya scallywag! This is typical o' kits from this era. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This model is an excellent addition t' me fleet. It goes well with t' Redstone and Atlas. Ahoy! Begad! I would have given it a higher rating, but t' problem with aligning the spin bucket gave me fits. Ahoy! If Estes ever re-releases t' kit, they'll need to fix that feature.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5