Estes Pro Series II " Leviathan"

[o1d_dude]

This is a brief summary of random things that I observed while getting this project underway.

1. The 3" tubing is not the same size as LOC or Madcow standard 3" tubing which means if you were planning to supplement or add LOC/Madcow components it's not going to be just a drop-in.
2. The 3" Estes tubing has thinner wall thickness than standard LOC/Madcow tubing. For mid power rocketry, this is perfectly acceptable. The brave among us will take that to mean we can also use baby H motors.
3. The 3" nosecone is designed to fit the slightly smaller diameter Estes body tubing. This means you can not swap in a LOC or Madcow nosecone. The Estes nosecone will not properly fit in LOC/Madcow tubing without a bit of work.
4. The included nosecone is lighter in weight and composition than LOC/Madcow units but equivalent to the nosecones offered by Mercury Engineering and others.
5. The included parachute is made of non-ripstop nylon, maybe 1.5 oz material. It measures 24" across the flats, has 8 attachment points, and the shroud lines are 24" long. When the shrouds are tied into an overhand knot to create a loop, the overall length runs to about 20-21". No center spill hole. Overall, a decent kit parachute.
6. Included 1/2" elastic braid shock cord is 8 feet long.
7. A short length of green tubing is included to use as a collar when marking the location of the centering rings. I found this collar a bit undersized and had to engage in a fair of amount of rocketeer chicanery (stretching over a nosecone, sanding the burr off the edge, etc.) to get it to slip over the motor tube.
8. The included motor tube is standard 29mm motor tubing and 8" long.
9. The three included centering rings are made of 1/8" ply and are laser cut.
10. The four included plywood fins are made of the same 1/8" ply and are also laser cut. Oddly, one of the four fins is slightly longer than the others. No big, I have sanding blocks.
11. The slots in the fin can tubing are a little bit longer than the tabs of the fins. On my Leviathan I want the middle centering ring to show in the top of the slot to the point that it blocks the rounded end of said slot. This will locate the fins such that the trailing edge meets the end of the body tube with no overlap or shortage. YMMV.
12. The included motor retention system MAY not have enough threading to securely contain an Aerotech 29mm HP motor. I haven't tried this yet and will report back when I have done so. [EDIT: See the following two posts for other members' experiences. - OD]
13. No decals included other than a simple "Estes Pro Series II" but a suggested color scheme and decal locations are provided in the instructions.
14. The instructions could be a little clearer in describing how apply the masking tape to hold the igniter in place. I can see how someone might mistakenly cover the end of the nozzle with tape.

IIRC, TRF member be69ar was involved in the design of this bird and I can see where compromises to meet the target audience were made. That being said, I commend be69ar and Estes for delivering a product to the mainstream hobby shop market that should prove to be quite successful.

I will most likely build the kit as designed...well, mostly. I've already added blocks for mounting the rail buttons and who knows what else will follow...

[Rex R]

retainer works fine with the 29/40-120 hobbyline case and I believe that Grimracer(and others) have used it with the high power cases. I found that the tube coupler to be a snug fit on my ventris...I used epoxy to secure it.
rex

[jus_rockets]

This a great kit and flys straight as an arrow. And the retainer holds the 29mm HP case just fine, I flew mine on a g75J on the 29/180 case and held perfectly fine. Here is a video of the flight:

[o1d_dude]

Thanks for contributing, rocketeers!

I've edited my original post.

[thobin]

This rocket has become my work horse It will fly every time I get the chance. great rocket!

TA

[gpoehlein]

Sorry - no photos or videos of the flight were taken, but I got to fly mine today on an Estes F26-6FJ today. Fantastic flight! Nice black smoky thrust and the rocket performed perfectly! Nice straight flight and beautiful chute!

Mods I made were minimal: I added epoxy fillets on the fins and launch lugs, and I added four half-moon baffle plates to the coupler connecting the fin section to the forward body tube. I still used some wadding just to be sure, but there was no scorching at all on the chute. The retainer showed absolutely no damage from the flight.

"I LIKE IT!!!"