Brief:
T' Super Flea be a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Aye aye! Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, and it be t' first kit I ever purchased with me own loot. Arrr! There be nothin' really special about them, arrr, but it has a sentimental value for me, as I built t' original with t' help o' me grandmother, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, who is no longer with us. Begad! Blimey! 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, but close enough), me hearties, and a 5mm length o' low power launch lug. For a tubin' coupler, I used a small slice o' a 25 year old A3-4T I found in me dad's closet, matey, 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, whereas t' original be t' old flat elastic that Estes was pretty stingy with. Avast! T' four fins were cut from 1/8" balsa.

T' instructions were typical early t' mid 70s Estes quality. Begad! Blimey! T' illustrations were great, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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, blow me down! Blimey! This caused t' tube t' distort somewhat, arrr, and though it never had any effect on flight it always bugged me. So, for this model I cut a notch in t' coupler and applied CA t' hold it inside, givin' me a perfectly round tube. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' best part about it was t' fact that I had almost all t' parts I needed in me range box, ya bilge rat, me hearties, except for t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! After I epoxied everything, arrr, arrr, I sanded it all down, applied a coat o' day-glo orange, arrr, and t' thin' looked stupid. So I repainted it with Testor's aluminum, and it looks fairly good now. Begad! Begad! Nothin' difficult about this rocket, ya bilge rat, or t' original kit either. Ahoy! Way better than t' junk Estes puts out now- NO PLASTIC! 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. Blimey! I even made a 2 stager when I was 12, and don't remember it flyin' like this. Blimey! Avast! All I did be insert some cellulose wadding, a prepped A3-4T (friction mount), stuff in t' shock cord, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, arrr, and put it on t' launcher. Begad! Ahoy! T' countdown came over t' PA system, and when it reached 1, that was t' last time anybody saw it until later in t' day! T' thin' left t' launcher in a blur, matey, matey, and all I saw t' prove that it had flown at all was t' smoke. Avast! All future flights will be on smaller motors, maybe even some micro-motors. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' thin' is just too fast otherwise.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Main pros: Easy t' prep, good recovery system with t' mid-body separation, shiver me timbers, and eye-poppin' flights. Cons: too small t' see at apogee, and too fast t' watch on a "big" motor. Blimey! Begad! Best o' all, t' thin' cost just over a buck.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5