BAR Fleet #118 Bandit 3

Source:  Estes Industries

Kit #: 2435  1 of 3

Type:  Sport Model

 Stages: Single

Engine Type: 13mm
Recovery:  Streamer or parachute

 Length:  27.8cm

Diameter:  18.8mm
Weight Empty:  17.8g
Nose Cone:  Tangent Ogive
Fin Type: Combination / plastic fin can
Number of Fins: 4

Color Scheme:  White, Violet w/ orange, violet, and green trim.

Date Completed:  15 September, 2018

 A Quick Build Kit

 Saturday, September 15, 2018, my two oldest grandkids visited my home.  They indicated that they would like to build another model rocket, so it was off to Hobby Lobby to pick out some kits. 

They chose the ‘3 Bandits’ E2X kit because we could each have one to build.  This would actually be good because I could instruct them step by step as I built mine.

 The kids selected the green and orange versions as their preferences, so I got the one with the violet color scheme.  The build was extremely simple, taking around an hour, including helping the youngsters build theirs.  The only difficulty I had was in trying to peel the many decal ‘stickers’ from the backing paper without the use of an X-Acto blade.  Poor eyesight and big, clunky fingers conspired against me!

I found the model’s engine mounting system to be rather interesting in that the casing is intended to be supported solely by the internal tabs and rings of the plastic fin/engine unit.  The engine is retained by a removable plastic ring that clips onto the rear of the fin unit.

I have a bit of skepticism about how durable this arrangement will be after a couple of flights.  I envision a melted plastic fin unit from the engine heat, but I’ll just have to wait and see.

If the fin unit doesn’t survive, I can always re-purpose the body tube and nose for another future model build.

Anyway, this model provided somewhat of a refreshing change from the more advanced models I’ve been constructing over the past few months.  No cutting, sealing, sanding, masking, or painting required.  A great model kit for spending a quiet afternoon with the grand-kiddoes doing something constructive and fun. 

It’s not really a bad looking bird either….