Estes 2231 Fin Alignment Guide Model Kit , Color Varies

9 reviews for Estes 2231 Fin Alignment Guide Model Kit , Color Varies

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Rod – November 10, 2022

   Better than trying to get find to stay other ways but hard to use on small rockets

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   RLew – November 25, 2022

   This tool helps a great deal, however, mine wasn’t quite ready to go to work out of the box. The plastic that holds the fins is firmly held to the base(expected). But, after the plastic is inserted in the base, mine wasn’t sitting straight, they had a lean. This lean would translate to a twist in the fin on the rocket. This is fixable after the jig is assembled. The plastic will need to be bent by hand to obtain correct fin positioning. I would check this at every fin installation.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   RLew – November 25, 2022

   This is kind of pricy for what it is, but it is very nice when it comes time to put the fins on a kit such as the V2. For kits that have grooved placement of fins, this jig makes it way easy. For kits that directly glue balsa to the body tube, there is some technique involved with getting one fin aligned and held at a time. This would involve patience to let the fin set up a little more before using the included clips. The alignment plates are helpful, but you really need to read the instructions on which side of the plate to use depending on whether the rocket is using 2mm (common) or 3mm thick fins. This jig also uses the motor mount to line things up, so you may need to change your order of building to get the motor mount in first before the fins get put on. This jig has helped me on the V2 and Magician build that uses D-E sized (24mm) motor mounts. It can be used on 18mm (ABC) motor mounts and micro motor mounts. There is nothing included for 29mm motor mounts. But, you can probably rig it to take larger motor mounts.

   This is definitely my “go to” fin jig now that I have it. I plan to use it on all my future 18mm and 24 mm motor builds.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Faith, Hope, Love – December 10, 2022

   A great asset to have for rockets

5. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   jhachtel – December 16, 2022

   I’d have given it a star or two more if one of the backets on the three fin arrangement wasn’t loose. Causes these rockets to fly with bit of a wobble. The four fin arrangement works great, but I seem to be on a 3 fin kick.

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   H. J. Seeley – January 20, 2023

   I think it’s best if you use it to do one fin at a time, there’s a fair amount of slack in the system so I think it’s less precise that you may want.

   I’m not sure it works at all with fins that extend well below the main tube such as with a Big Bertha or Baby Bertha, etc.

   I stopped using it for construction and instead I painted it and use it as a display stand, where I think it functions extremely well.

7. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Matthew J. Hunt – January 24, 2023

   I’m not a big fan of this fin alignment tool.

   Its design seems to be OK at the onset, but setting it up and putting the rocket tube in place is not the easiest thing to do. It doesn’t hold anything securely. There’s a lot of wiggle room.

   I, and the kids I taught, did much better marking the body tube with pencils and gluing one fine at a time without this rig.

8. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   William Currie Jr – January 25, 2023

   The fin alignment guide is loose and sloppy. It’s better than nothing but not by very much. I’ve had my best luck by mounting the fins manually as usual, then setting up the rocket on this guide to let it dry in place. I’ve found it impossible with this tool to apply any pressure at all on the fins and the body. Think of it more as an extra set of hands, not as a fin jig.

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Catie Garrett – January 27, 2023

   If you’re putting rockets together, you want this!!!