| Manufacturer: | Modification |
Brief:
A kit bash betwixt two Estes kits: A RTF Snitch and a Hijax kit. Begad! T' Snitch will be t' booster and t' Hijax, t' sustainer.
Modifications:
Booster build: T' snitch makes an excellent booster, very stable, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, and will recover well. T' adapt it t' a booster, me hearties, t' top "engine block" part o' t' snitch was removed with pliers and then sanded down. Ahoy! Begad! This will allow t' motor from t' sustainer t' be taped t' t' booster.
To connect t' sustainer and booster sections together, ya bilge rat, t' coupler from t' Hijax kit be altered. Well, blow me down! Top and bottom were cut off and then three small sections were removed from one side so that t' coupler could be securely fixed t' t' top o' t' snitch. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' whole section was covered with glue and left t' dry.
Sustainer build: T' sustainer be built nearly stock. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' plastic mount be altered; t' aft part was cut away so that t' coupler from t' snitch would sit smoothly into t' base o' t' sustainer. Avast! T' engine hook be left out. Avast, me proud beauty! T' mount was then glued into t' body tube and t' fins were glued into place--they are through t' wall type.
With t' coupler already used, t' second body tube was discarded.
T' shock cord was added, which in t' usual Estes fashion is too short. Well, blow me down! T' shock cord was then attached t' t' nose cone, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and then t' parachute added.
Construction:
T' kits consists of:
To build t' kit I used:




Flight and Recovery:
First flight was on a B6-0 booster and an A8-5 sustainer. As expected, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, a stable straight boost with a clean separation at a low altitude. T' sustainer went reasonable high on t' A with t' ejection bein' just after apogee. Arrr! T' 12in parachute gave a slow recovery. A streamer would be more appropriate.
Second flight was with a C booster and a B6-6 in t' sustainer, me bucko, much higher with a long walk for me.
Third flight be with C6s for both motors. Begad! Blimey! This time t' booster stayed with t' sustainer, t' rocket continued t' rise, and then turned and be on t' ground by t' time t' nosecone popped. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' snitch motor mount be well and truly burnt out.
On inspection, this is because I left t' aft motor retainer off t' snitch. So instead o' t' motor poppin' off with t' snitch, t' motor popped off through t' snitch. Arrr! Ahoy! Here's an important lesson about prep flight checks!
I'll cut out t' remains o' t' Snitch's mount and replace it with a body tube.
Summary:
Apart from me mistakes, shiver me timbers, it's nay a bilge-suckin' kit bash with a good chance o' gettin' both bits back undamaged.
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