Generic Easy to Assemble

If you want a kit that requires some assembly, but isn't too difficult to built, this is a kit to consider. The plastic fin can takes away a lot of time and frustration during a build and the plain white main body tube gives the builder (young child or veteran rocketeer) the chance to draw or paint a one-of-a-kind design on the rocket. One thing to keep in mind is that the tri-fold or teabag method of attaching the shock cord isn't the most durable. It should launch a fair number of launches, but if you want a rocket to last a few dozen or more flights, you may need to do some upgrades or repairs. But then again, if you enjoy launching this rocket that much, chances are you'll have purchased 1, 2 or 5 more kits in the meantime.

When it looked like I might be called upon to help with a scout launch, I set out to find out which of the easy to assemble birds would be best called upon for a group of 8 year olds. I'd previously built the Alpha III and Gnome, two Estes kits that I'd seen pressed into action as group build kits in the past. The Alpha III was pretty good, and the Generic was of similar construction with the added benefit of being a project in white, which would let the kids be the art director. I couldn't stand the idea of an all white rocket, so I painted the nose cone and fin can black, then used only some of the sticker decals, not all of them like I would have done at age 8. The result was very impressive. A quick build that could easily be done in the time allotted to a pack meeting, then flown the same day if necessary. Hard to top that.