Best starter mid power rocket?

Hello fellow rocketeers,

Recently I was thinking about starting with mid power rockets.
This means that I'm looking for a good mid power rocket.
Mid power rocket's are new to me, so I thought that maybe some of you guys could help me pick a good one.
I've already been looking around the internet and found the: estes nike some (pro series) very interesting.
Maybe some of you have some suggestions/ tip's.

Would be happy to hear from you!

there are quite a number of makers of mid-power kits...perhaps if you could give us a bit more on what you're looking for. for example are you looking for an all in one package that includes pad & launch controller? or just the rocket? scale or sport? that sort of thing would give us a starting point. thanks
Rex

Thank you Rex,

I am looking for just a rocket (no launchpad and launch controller), and also I am not looking
for the best performing rocket but for a nice looking one (scale or something), although performance would be nice if those could combine.

Pick one out that's...

Pointy on the top...

And has those fin...

Thingys on the bottom...

You'll do just fine...

I would go with the Estes Pro II Argent or Partizon.
They are only $22.50 right now.


https://www.estesrockets.com/rockets/pro-series/rockets?dir=asc&order=position

I say the Estes Pro Argent. Of course, any of the PSII models are fine, and I'm a fan scale models like the Nike Smoke. But I'm rather partial to the Argent (and Sahara) due to the size, ease of construction, stepped diameter to make it more interesting, and, of course, the current price makes them very attractive.

The Aerotech HV Arcas was my first midpower. Almost 4' tall. It was a little challenging in that you had to fabricate a fincan, but it was very true to scale, and it flew GREAT. One however would be to get the Estes 29mm motor retainer and use it instead of the included clip. Also leave out the baffle and the wire mesh. That way if you ever wanted to take it to high power (it can handle a 6-grain I) you would be ready.

I'll second the Estes PSII series. What you pick then depends on your build skill level. If you just want to get into bigger mid-power rockets, look at the E2X line (easy to assemble). If you're more comfortable with your build skills, look into the higher skill level build models.

My favorite PSII is the Estes Trajector. It was my first mid-power rocket. Looks cool, lifts off slowly with an F15-8, and climbs forever. That's an E2X rocket, so I had it put together and drying within an hour.

I'm going to get away from all the Estes stuff, not that there is anything wrong with them but I prefer the Loc Precision kits and components when you get into mid and high power. There are a large number of nice looking kits of the sport or "scale like" variety and these things will take the abuse of the learning curve as you advance. The Graduator is a pretty popular kit around here and one that many folks have earned their L1 certification on without modifying the build in any way. Opinions are like......well.....opinions, everyone has one. This is mine. Thanks for playing.

If you want something a little bigger, the Aerotech G-Force and Sumo rockets have 29mm motor mounts. The G-Force has a baffle, so no wadding or dog barf is needed. The Sumo has a piston. Both are 4" diameter, so you end up with a pretty large, but lightweight, bird. The Sumo is HPR-ready, meaning if you want to certify Level 1, you can just put an H in it and certify. The G-Force can be modified when you are building it to be HPR-ready.

But if you want to try fiberglass, try looking at some of Wildman's Mini kits. This one is nice: https://www.wildmanrocketry.com/ProductDetail.aspx?product=2893

I have the PSII Nike Smoke and really like it. Great flyer and a great looking semi-scale model. As other have mentioned, deals can be had on some of the other kits in the Estes PSII line. I'll add my two cents for the Aerotech Strongarm:



https://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0001P?I=LXAVYG&P=8

A nice scale look and a good, tough flyer. Aerotech models, when built per the instructions, are practically ARF's. Mr. Bob at Countyline Hobbies has a nice selection of U.S. Rockets kits; old school, no frills builders kits with some semi-scale models.

https://www.countylinehobbies.com/us-rockets.html


Lots of choices and hard to make a bad one.

I like the Estes PSII Nike Smoke for looks and ease of build, and I like the Aerotech IQSY Tomahawk because of it's fantastic performance and the build will expose you to some concepts that will be new to you.

Just my two cents,
David

I was going to point to the Aerotech kits, but yeah the Estes PSII series are very nice for the price.

smarra01 said:

I would go with the Estes Pro II Argent or Partizon.
They are only $22.50 right now.


https://www.estesrockets.com/rockets/pro-series/rockets?dir=asc&order=position

Click to expand...

I think you should grab up a PSII while their on sale/still around. For the price, you cant beat it. Nothing fancy, just a larger LPR with a slightly simpler motor mount.

Thijs, are you in Denmark or somewhere west? I don't know what is available to you.

If you go with a PSII kit, you should probably invest in RMS motor hardware. With the AT 29/40-120 HW, you can build E thru G motors. If you do this, you'll want to leave out the motor block when building your kit. RMS rear closures serve as a motor block, and they will not fit in the PSII MMT with the Estes motor block in place.

However, if you do that, then it becomes a lot more difficult to put a standard BP motor in them. However, you won't get very much altitude out of a BP motor anyway. If you go RMS and leave out the Estes motor block, you can always stick an H motor in it later and get L1 certified (if you are in the USA).

The important thing is to decide what kind of motors you want to use before you build it. Good luck.

EeebeeE said:

The Aerotech HV Arcas was my first midpower. Almost 4' tall. It was a little challenging in that you had to fabricate a fincan, but it was very true to scale, and it flew GREAT. One however would be to get the Estes 29mm motor retainer and use it instead of the included clip. Also leave out the baffle and the wire mesh. That way if you ever wanted to take it to high power (it can handle a 6-grain I) you would be ready.

Click to expand...

Let's not scare anyone off by saying they have to fabricate a fin can...

You actually cut sections from a supplied paper tube that are glued to the main body tube, in between the fins, to simulate a fin can. Very easy to do.

The AT ARCAS was my wife's very first rocket and she had no trouble adding the extra sections of tube to surface the of the model.

Other than that, it is the normal very simple AT kit assembly.

I'd second the Argent or Partizon. If you want something a little sturdier and can fly on a wider range of motors, I really like the Loc Precision Graduator or if you want to venture to high power eventually, either the Loc Vulcanite or Hi-Tech 45.

Lots of good advise here , and there are lots of FG choices too

Thank you all for your reply's

The Aerotech kit's are certainly interesting, the only problem should be the price range, but if the rocket's great it's worth it.
The HV Arcas looks great and does have pretty positive reviews, although I'll replace the motor retainer and the baffle and the wire mesh, as suggested by EeebeeE
Furthermore I'm quite certain that the Aerotech HV Arcas will be my first mid power rocket, so you'll probably find a build threat in the future.
Thank you again for you're advice!

I'm always open for tips and tricks!

I am a fan of AeroTech kits . :wink:

My first choice would be an Initiator but the HV Arcas is a fine model also.
I built an AeroTech HV Arcas stock as it is the extra features over other kits (including the baffle) that make AeroTech kits stand out.

EeebeeE said:

One however would be to get the Estes 29mm motor retainer and use it instead of the included clip.

Click to expand...

Thijs said:

...I'll replace the motor retainer...

Click to expand...

Note that new AT kits (since maybe middle of last year) now include an AT aluminum motor retainer instead of the old spring clip, so no need to replace unless you're getting an old kit (also would account for what I saw as a slight price increase).

I like AT kits a lot and the baffle is very handy at the beginning, but like anything else it has it's drawbacks. One of my favorite kits is the Strong Arm...got one of my nicest flights with that one!


The trickiest part to me is snapping in those fins since you're supposed to do it with CA, so you don't have much time and if you can't get it snapped in, you're in a pickle. Before any glue, if the fin doesn't want to lock in without a lot of effort, I'll shave off some of the locking edge with an Xacto knife to make it easier before I glue - it's going to be superglued anyway, so why does it have to lock in place so securely? (I'm wondering if the original design was to allow them to snap off in a landing rather than break.) Strong Arm is great, but I found all the stickers a bit time consuming (those gray bars are individual pieces you have to trim out and apply properly spaced apart). I don't have the HV Arcas, but it looks beautiful and I'd like to get it one day.

Aside from my notes above, my personal favorite MP kit is the Estes Mega Der Red Max. Beautiful beast which non-rockethead friends usually think is the coolest rocket of the lot. Builds with wood glue, very sturdy, very stable and mine flies very straight. It's the most reliable and dependable of all my rockets and I haven't hesitated to be the first to put it up on the pads at any launch. Furthermore, it can be a good intro to reloadable motors and you can get your L1 on it. You may be able to find it for just under $50 if you shop carefully. Finally Estes may discontinue it, so get it while you can. :wink: