Estes - Blue Ninja {Kit} (001300) [2002-]

Estes Blue Ninja

Estes - Blue Ninja {Kit} (001300) [2002-]

Contributed by Herb Estus

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Diameter:	1.64 inches
Length:	31.30 inches
Manufacturer:	Estes
Skill Level:	1
Style:	Sport

Brief:
A E2X series Easy to build kit.

Construction:
The Kit contained:

BT60 body tube 12"
BT60 body tube 8"
PNC-60AH nose cone
1/4" 36" shock cord
Engine mount tube
18" plastic parachute
engine block
4 plastic fins
2 piece plastic engine mount
plastic rear engine mount centering ring
Plastic tube coupler with a place to hook shock cord to

Instructions where easy to follow and well illustrated. You use plastic cement and white glue for assembly. I did cut the length of the engine stop down so I can also fly this on the E9 motors.

Everything went together quickly. The rocket was put together in about 1/2 hr and I could have flown it the same day.

Finishing:
No finishing is required for this kit. The body tubes are a blue type metallic while the fins and nose cone are black.

Only thing we had to do was but the decals on.

Construction Rating: 5

Flight:
Put some shredded paper in for wadding and a D12-3 for it's first and only flight so far. Was a nice flight with the parachute ejection just past apogee.

Recovery:
Shock cord is attached by placing a double knot in it then putting it into a supplied connector in the tube coupler. I replaced the plastic chute with a 18" nylon chute.

Flight Rating: 3

Summary:
This indeed is a very easy kit to build, but they should of used a smaller engine block so it could also be flown on the E9 motors.

Overall Rating: 3

Other Reviews

Estes Blue Ninja By G. A. Dean
The Blue Ninja is a very basic four-fin rocket in the Estes E2X line, with one special feature, its a big rocket, using 24mm motors. Like all the E2X kits it builds quickly and easily without painting, using plastic parts except for the body tubes. The completed rocket sports a reflective blue finish and a big, powerful look that is a big hit with the younger rocketeers (and some of the older ...

Flights

Comments:

P.J.B. (July 14, 2002)

I cut the engine block shorter to accept the E9, can use the cut piece to use D12. The plastic twist retainer melts over time, makes it hard to get off. I replaced the chute with a ripstop streamer, as on the E9, it will hit about 1400 feet.

J.R. (September 2, 2002)

I did the usual Kevlar® cord treatment in place of the shock cord. THEN square knotted the shock cord to the Kevlar® cord. Soaked the upper tube with CA to help prevent the zips, and when the blue plastic started to unravel, I put a few dabs of plastic cement and it stays put. I wonder if you could laminate foil to the motor mount ring to make it last longer...hmm..

J.C.S. (November 12, 2003)

This is a perfect "first rocket" for 24mm motors. Very easy to build (I did it with my 7 year old) and cheap enough that losing it isn't a big deal. If you have a large field, this rocket flies great on an E9-6. I'm looking forward to trying it on an E30 and maybe an F21 sometime. I tried it on a C6-3 with an adapter but it was underpowered. C11 works well on tiny fields. Both of the other guest opinions are right on the money. If you want to fly it more than a few times, definitely insert a long peice of Kevlar® cord in-between the rocket and the far too short Estes shock cord. Gluing down the end of the blue wrap is also a must if you don't want it to turn into a Silver Ninja. Make sure you cut the cardboard spacer in half so you can fit Estes E and the longer Aerotech 24mm motors.

A.M. (June 7, 2004)

Great Rocket. I just left the engine mount and let the E stick out a little. I also trashed the retainer ring to rely on a friction fit. When launching with an E9, I just took off the parachute and used a nose blow system which pretty much let the rocket set itself on the pad(safely). Great rocket with an E9, can be spotted easily high in the sky because of its reflection. Once, I had it land in a goat pasture and the goats destroyed the parachute which is another reason that nose blow came into play.

J.H. (June 15, 2004)

Not so great of a first flight. It reminded me why I do not like plastic fins, they seem to fall off. I did lose one fin but plan on making my own out of balsa. Yes, the blue did start peeling back. I took the top part of the blue foil off and now it is silver and blue. Yes, my parachute melted. Need to use more wadding and definitely a longer shock cord. I flew on a D. I think once I make these adjustments it will do fine though.......but then I will have a different rocket than the one that comes in the kit.

B.C. (July 7, 2004)

Great kit for beginners. Big and good looking. Easy to build right. Superb job in molding the fin can/engine mount assembly - no trimming required. Only complaint is too-short elastic shock cord

C.J.B. (February 20, 2006)

Have flow the Blue Ninja on C11's and D12-3 engines, it really soars on the D's. The blue covering peeled off the top of the 8" tube, but PVA glue is fine to fix it with. I fly rockets on a beach, and have no trouble with fins breaking or coming off. The ony trouble I haveis the cardboard getting wet on the sane, again PVA glue on the inside of the 12" tube prevents is expanding when wet.

B.G.A. (February 27, 2006)

The Blue Ninja is an awesome rocket. For an E2X rockets, this one is a keeper. It flies great on C11's, and on D12's, it soars. C11's are good for it on a small field. I have 3 now, one the blue wrap is completely off (renamed the Silver Ninja), and the kids love it when I drag race them.

D.L.K. (January 7, 2008)

This is a great rocket to modify to fly on E motors. I replaced the parachute with a streamer made from caution tape and lengthened the shock cord. I used epoxy for the motor mount and fins which has held up great so far. I also replaced the screw on motor retainer with a metal retainer clip is had for an E motor. This kit is a great kit for those looking to try flying larger motors at half the price of other kits.

J.G. (April 23, 2008)

This is a really nice kit. It flies beautifully, and can take a real beating. We have probably flown ours about 10 times now, always on a D12-5. We have had two major crashes, once where a parachute failed to deploy correctly, and a second where the body separated from the chute/nose cone. In both cases, I was sure we were going to find a destroyed rocket waiting for us. To my surprise, there was only minor damage (to the bottom launch lug) from the first crash, and NO damage from the second crash. The engine retainer ring begins to "melt" over time with heavy use, but Estes will send you a new one if you ask for it. We like the characteristics of this rocket so much that we are going to build a "stretched" version of it that can fly on E engines. Look for it in the mods section in a few weeks.

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