Brief:
Estes new E2X series break-apart recovery rocket.

Construction:
All components were present and undamaged.

Rocket was a quick build, less than an hour. The only gotcha was the engine mount. It had to be sanded to fit into the tube.

Finishing:
Finishing was a breeze. Body and all parts were pre-painted/finished.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
Here is where this cute little rocket gets ugly. A 6 ft. shock cord runs the inside length of the rocket's segmented body so it recovers just like it sounds wiggley. Estes did not have a recommended first flight motor listed on the package so I used a A8-3. At lift off the segmented body bent and the rocket went near horizontal! Rocket did recover due to the fact it landed in a soft over grown field.

I thought maybe a more powerful motor would fix the arc problem so the next motor used was B6-4. The body held tighter than with the A motor but still got a bit wobbley, sorry wiggley at apogee. Rocket recovered well.

The third flight I used a C6-3, much better flight. The C packed just enough punch to hold the body segments in place through apogee. Recovery was flawless.

Recovery:
Recovery was overall good with this rocket after using a C motor. The main problem is in the shock cord. From the 3 flights mentioned above I can see that the shock cord will need to be replaced after maybe 2 more flights.

Flight Rating: 2 out of 5

Summary:
On the Pro side it's an easy build and a nice looker on the flight line. Con: Bad or even dangerous flights on a A or B engine. Replacement of shock cord after maybe 5 flights and if it happens to land on anything but grass the rocket is history.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5