Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Published: | 2010-02-21 |
Diameter: | 0.74 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes ![]() |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Futuristic/Exotic |
Brief:
This is a very small, arrr, futuristic lookin' rocket. Aye aye! Overall t' kit is pretty good, matey, it is just
tiny.
Construction:
T' kit comes with two body tubes, one o' which be t' motor mount, a tube coupler, matey, engine
block, me hearties, engine hook, me bucko, matey, me bucko, balsa fins and nose cone, water slide decals, rubber shock cord, and an eye hook for t' nose cone.
When I first bought this model it was in a cardboard box instead o' t' regular plastic bag t' kits usually come in. When I opened t' kit up at home I was surprised t' find a balsa nose cone and water slide decals (thank you for listenin' t' us Estes). Aye aye! T' instructions were pretty good besides t' fact that t' main win' placement measurements are nay given. Begad! Avast! I mounted mine too far back but it was no real problem.
T' balsa in this kit is very thin and flimsy due t' t' size o' t' model, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which is very small. T' engine hook is actually on t' outside o' t' body, but with some wood filler and sand paper I managed t' cover it up rather nicely. Begad! Ya scallywag!
Most o' t' kit be just a straight forward, shiver me timbers, Estes build. Begad! There be nothin' special or very hard about this kit at all. Blimey! Arrr! One thin' I did do, that I do t' ALL o' me Estes kits is t' nay use t' tri fold method t' attach t' shock cord, instead I used a steel fishin' leader. Aye aye! I filed a groove into t' tube coupler and secured t' leader around that.
T' parachute be a plain white plastic chute. Ahoy! T' body tube bein' so small t' parachute really has t' be folded up good for it t' fit inside and I was worried about it bein' able t' deploy. Ahoy!
Finishing:
Finishin' this kit be rather easy, me bucko, matey, even though I did a lot o' fillin' on it. Blimey! Getting
betwixt t' lower fins t' sand where I moulded around t' motor hook be t' most difficult part. After fillin' the
balsa and spirals and mouldin' everythin' smooth I painted t' rocket with a couple coats o' primer and then three
coats o' white paint. Aye aye!
T' decals included in t' kit are great. Aye aye! I am glad t' see water slide decals included with t' model. Begad! There is no direction really given on placin' t' decals other than a very small picture o' t' top and bottom o' t' display model. Blimey! There are plenty o' decals included, in fact I did nay even use them all and I felt t' model came out rather nice looking.
After applyin' t' decals and allowin' them t' set over night I coated t' entire rocket with Krylon crystal clear gloss. I let t' rocket set up in me hobby room for a few days waitin' on it t' dry and t' winds t' die down so I could launch t' rocket.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
I flew this rocket on a B6-4 for its first flight. T' winds were up above 10 MPH and thar was
a light snow falling. Aye aye! Temperatures at t' time were below freezing. Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight was picture perfect. Aye aye! I did have t' aim
t' launch pad into t' wind, but t' rocket flew very nicely. Begad! At apogee t' nose cone blew just fine, me bucko, shiver me timbers, draggin' the
parachute out with it, ya bilge rat, however t' parachute did NOT open, matey, in fact t' shroud lines did nay even unwrap from t' chute.
Nay sure if it be t' cold or t' chute be packed too tight or both, but t' model came down and stuck t' tail fin
about 2 inches into t' dirt. Avast! Lucky for me thar was absolutely no damage, nay even a chip in t' finish, matey, which
surprised me seein' as t' ground be pretty cold and frozen.
Recovery:
I replaced t' Estes tri-fold with a steel fishin' leader t' secure t' shock cord and
replaced t' shock cord with a piece o' elastic 2.5X longer than t' one included. Arrr! Recovery could have gone better for
me, but if proper care is taken in packin' t' parachute and maybe addin' some talc I am sure it would come down fine.
Seein' as t' model is very light weight as long as proper build techniques are used you should be able t' recover it
on t' supplied parachute with no damage at all.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
In closin' I would like t' say that this is one very good lookin' model rocket. It may be
small, but it is a great flyer and a very satisfyin' rocket t' build.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Brief: Estes labels the Crossbow has a basic builder series, simple to glue and paint, Intergalactic Cruiser, and flies up to 1600 feet. Overall it's a neat looking rocket when completed. Construction: The nose cone included is balsa which is a welcome change over the plastic cone. The body tubes are excellent quality, and the fins are laser cut. My laser cut sheet was very ...
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Jonny Miner (January 9, 2012)
I've had some trouble with my crossbow flying in a corkscrew pattern rather than straight up. Not sure if it's because of the 'backward' style fins, my launch rod being sticky or if I just didn't get the fins on straight. It flies OK, but the direction is unpredictable. :( Any help would be appreciated.