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. 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.. Aye aye! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It would leap off t' launch rod in a blink, much like t' Mosquitoes, arrr, matey, but unlike t' ’Skeeters, matey, could actually be seen at apogee and recovered! I’ve built many o' t' standard sized Sprints, sometimes from a kit, me hearties, me hearties, me bucko, but lately from scratch, matey, arrr, arrr, and a few upscales too (see t' Sprint Magnum. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fleet just isn’t complete without one.

T' original kit came in t' standard plastic bag, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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. A motor block was glued into t' top. Begad! 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. T' boattail was cut from t' card stock and shaped t' a cone before bein' glued on. T' shock cord be mounted t' t' inside o' t' body tube with t' well used three-fold paper mount. Ahoy! T' screw-eye was threaded into t' lead weight, then into t' nose cone. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It be then removed, ya bilge rat, glue squirted into t' hole, shiver me timbers, matey, then re-inserted. Blimey! T' fins were t' standard die-crunched from stock fins, which were removed from t' remains by t' builder, shiver me timbers, then sanded t' an airfoil shape before bein' glued t' t' body. T' markin' guide was a bit o' a departure from t' standard wrap-around that has become so common. Avast, me proud beauty! These guides were a set o' stands die cut from a relatively heavy card-stock. 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, level surface, and marks were made fore and aft in t' small notches spaced around t' holes. A door jamb be used t' connect t' marks. This method be used in one or two other Estes products o' t' day, matey, shiver me timbers, 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, some comments on clonin' might be in order. Begad! First, me bucko, arrr, see t' plans on Jim Z’s web site (Adobe Acrobat File). Second, me hearties, 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. Avast! For nose weight, me hearties, I will normally drill a 1/2-inch hole in t' base o' t' cone about two inches deep. Begad! Then add an equivalent weight o' BBs or lead shot mixed with epoxy, and plug t' top o' t' hole with a one-inch length o' hardwood dowel. Well, blow me down! T' screw-eye is then driven into t' hardwood (make a pilot hole or it will split). Arrr! Also, me hearties, a length o' Keelhaul®©™® tied t' t' top motor mount centerin' rin' provides a better shock cord mount. It’s just as secure, but doesn’t create a snag point in t' top o' t' airframe for t' recovery system t' grab on its way out. 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). Avast, me proud beauty! T' pool o' epoxy should be sufficient t' create a smooth, shiver me timbers, snag free, matey, arrr, bump on t' side wall. Ahoy! Finally, decals are available from Tango Papa Decals.

Finishing:
There were two common finish schemes shown in t' plans. Aye aye! Blimey! A white and gold scheme with navy blue emblems, and a black and white scheme with black trim decals. Either is now a classic design; me preference be t' white/gold scheme. Blimey! Blimey! Neither was particularly tricky t' pull off. T' current Sprint in me fleet is sportin' me official contest livery o' hot-pink and black, 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 be 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. Aye aye! Blimey! This forms a nice lip t' use t' wrap a single wrap o' tape around t' motor and mount for reasonably secure retention. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! T' body tube is then stuffed with three and a half sheets o' wadding, shiver me timbers, and then t' streamer is folded on itself several times then rolled t' rest o' t' way, or in t' case o' competition streamers, fan-folded most o' t' length. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! Once ready, t' launch is usually pretty fast, arrr, even on A motors. T' streamer unrolls slowly at ejection, ya bilge rat, and t' rocket usually tumbles some under it as it descends. Ya scallywag! Since it’s a streamer recovery, arrr, somethin' occasionally gets dented or a fin gets snapped if it lands on somethin' hard. Arrr! Usually, ya bilge rat, me bucko, shiver me timbers, though, me bucko, 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. Aye aye! After two or three great flights on A and B impulse motors, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I would generally get carried away and put in a C6-7. Begad! Ahoy! That generally resulted in a lost rocket, shiver me timbers, due t' losin' sight o' it in t' air, or carried farther afield and sight lost (not bein' too good at fixin' a position in me younger days), shiver me timbers, me hearties, or lost t' t' common rocket eatin' trees. Even so, it be such fun t' fly, ya bilge rat, especially on C6s that it was simply too hard t' resist. Even now, t' thrill o' a C6 in an Estes Sprint is hard t' top. Begad! T' charge is still alive after all these years, me bucko, 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