Brief: - A classic high-performance rocket from t' 60’s

Forward:
T' Estes Sprint is one o' those timeless classic designs that old rocketeers remember fondly. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! This Mike Dorffler design looks like it’s goin' fast even when it’s just layin' thar and t' exceptional performance has had me hooked since t' first one I ever owned ’way back in t' early 70’s.. Ya scallywag! It would leap off t' launch rod in a blink, matey, matey, much like t' Mosquitoes, arrr, but unlike t' ’Skeeters, could actually be seen at apogee and recovered! I’ve built many o' t' standard sized Sprints, sometimes from a kit, but lately from scratch, and a few upscales too (see t' Sprint Magnum. T' fleet just isn’t complete without one.

T' original kit came in t' standard plastic bag, with t' card front, and very detailed and well illustrated instructions.

Parts List:

1. BT-50W body tube (3 1/4-inch)
2. BT-20J motor tube (2.75-inches)
3. EW-49 Shroud pattern - printed on card stock
4. Two AR-2050 centerin' rings - spiral wound paper
5. EB-20B motor block - spiral wound paper (1/8-inch)
6. BNC-50X nose cone - balsa (3 1/4-inches)
7. BFS-30 fin stock - balsa (3/32-inches)
8. SE-1 screw-eye (1-inch)
9. NCW-1 Ballast - lead disk (.15oz)
10. SC-1 shock cord (1/8 x 20-inches)
11. LL-2A launch lug
12. MG-505 markin' guide
13. TD-1A Tape Disk
14. SM-1C Streamer (1-inch by 90-inches)
15. SMC-50 Shock Cord Mount
16. KD-49 Decal set
17. D-14 Decal set

Construction
T' kit was built in t' standard Estes tradition; measure and mark t' motor tube, and then glue on t' centerin' rings at t' marks. Avast! A motor block was glued into t' top. Well, blow me down! That assembly be then glued into one end o' t' body tube with just a fraction o' t' aft-most centerin' rin' hangin' out t' form a ledge for t' boattail. Begad! T' boattail be cut from t' card stock and shaped t' a cone before bein' glued on. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord was mounted t' t' inside o' t' body tube with t' well used three-fold paper mount. Arrr! Aye aye! T' screw-eye was threaded into t' lead weight, then into t' nose cone. It be then removed, glue squirted into t' hole, me hearties, then re-inserted. T' fins were t' standard die-crunched from stock fins, ya bilge rat, me hearties, which were removed from t' remains by t' builder, then sanded t' an airfoil shape before bein' glued t' t' body. Ahoy! T' markin' guide was a bit o' a departure from t' standard wrap-around that has become so common. Well, blow me down! These guides were a set o' stands die cut from a relatively heavy card-stock. Avast! Avast! They had a flat side for a base, and a hole in t' center through which t' airframe be inserted. This arrangement be placed on a flat, shiver me timbers, level surface, arrr, shiver me timbers, and marks were made fore and aft in t' small notches spaced around t' holes. Begad! A door jamb be used t' connect t' marks. Begad! Aye aye! This method was used in one or two other Estes products o' t' day, but went out o' favor by t' cheaper and easier t' use wrap that we have become so familiar with.

Since this kit is long out o' production, me hearties, some comments on clonin' might be in order. Begad! Ya scallywag! First, arrr, see t' plans on Jim Z’s web site (Adobe Acrobat File). Second, since t' lead disks are no longer available, some other method o' addin' weight t' t' nose is required - don’t leave this out! T' balsa nose cones themselves are available from t' Balsa Machinin' Service. Begad! Begad! For nose weight, matey, I will normally drill a 1/2-inch hole in t' base o' t' cone about two inches deep. Then add an equivalent weight o' BBs or lead shot mixed with epoxy, me bucko, me hearties, and plug t' top o' t' hole with a one-inch length o' hardwood dowel. T' screw-eye is then driven into t' hardwood (make a pilot hole or it will split). Avast! Also, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a length o' Keelhaul®©™® tied t' t' top motor mount centerin' rin' provides a better shock cord mount. It’s just as secure, me hearties, but doesn’t create a snag point in t' top o' t' airframe for t' recovery system t' grab on its way out. Ahoy! Arrr! Another method is t' epoxy a loop o' Keelhaul®©™ t' t' side o' t' airframe (bein' careful t' get it far enough down t' wall t' clear t' nose). T' pool o' epoxy should be sufficient t' create a smooth, shiver me timbers, snag free, bump on t' side wall. Arrr! Finally, shiver me timbers, me hearties, decals are available from Tango Papa Decals.

Finishing:
There were two common finish schemes shown in t' plans. A white and gold scheme with navy blue emblems, shiver me timbers, arrr, and a black and white scheme with black trim decals. Aye aye! Either is now a classic design; me preference be t' white/gold scheme. Well, blow me down! Neither be particularly tricky t' pull off. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' current Sprint in me fleet is sportin' me official contest livery o' hot-pink and black, shiver me timbers, matey, with a highly polished gloss coat.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' motor is friction fit into t' after end o' t' rocket — a single wrap o' 1/2-inch tape was generally enough. On t' more recent versions o' this rocket, I’ve been leavin' an 1/8-inch o' t' motor tube hangin' past t' shroud. Avast, me proud beauty! This forms a nice lip t' use t' wrap a single wrap o' tape around t' motor and mount for reasonably secure retention. Ya scallywag! T' body tube is then stuffed with three and a half sheets o' wadding, arrr, and then t' streamer is folded on itself several times then rolled t' rest o' t' way, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, matey, or in t' case o' competition streamers, arrr, fan-folded most o' t' length. It is always a bit o' a challenge t' get it all stuffed in thar (hence t' preferred snag-free methods o' shock cord mounting.) T' modern versions I’ve been buildin' are usually equipped with a baffle t' eliminate t' wadding. Arrr! Once ready, t' launch is usually pretty fast, even on A motors. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' streamer unrolls slowly at ejection, and t' rocket usually tumbles some under it as it descends. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Since it’s a streamer recovery, arrr, shiver me timbers, somethin' occasionally gets dented or a fin gets snapped if it lands on somethin' hard. Ahoy! Usually, though, it’s unscathed and ready for another flight in short order.

Flight Rating: 4.5 out o' 5

T' Estes Sprint has always been a great deal o' fun t' fly. Avast, me proud beauty! After two or three great flights on A and B impulse motors, I would generally get carried away and put in a C6-7. That generally resulted in a lost rocket, me bucko, due t' losin' sight o' it in t' air, ya bilge rat, or carried farther afield and sight lost (not bein' too good at fixin' a position in me younger days), arrr, or lost t' t' common rocket eatin' trees. Even so, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it was such fun t' fly, arrr, especially on C6s that it was simply too hard t' resist. Even now, ya bilge rat, t' thrill o' a C6 in an Estes Sprint is hard t' top. Avast! T' charge is still alive after all these years, and even after much larger motors.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Specs:

• Length: 13.8-inches
• Diameter: 0.976-inches
• Weight: 1.0-ounces
• Suggested Motors: 1/2A6-2; A8-3; B4-6; B6-6; C6-7; B14-5