Description
- There’s no thrill quite like launching a model rocket, watching it streak skyward, reach peak altitude, and then return gently to earth. When you build them, the thrill is even better than ever. Thanks to Estes model rocketry, kids can explore the wondrous world of science while experimenting with different combinations of rockets, engines and accessories to better understand how rockets reach outer space.
- SKILL LEVEL: The Amazon is an easy-to-assemble, Beginner level rocket with pre-colored parts. The Crossfire ISX is an Intermediate level rocket which will help a budding rocketeer develop some basic model building and finishing skills.
- RECOMMENDED ENGINES: Amazon : B4-2, B4-4, B6-2, B6-4, C5-3, C6-3, C6-5 ; Crossfire ISX : A8-3, B4-4, B6-4, C6-5, C6-7
- PROJECTED ALTITUDE: Amazon : 600 ft. (183 m) on a C6-5 ; Crossfire ISX : 1150 ft. (351 m) on a C6-7
- ESTIMATED ASSEMBLY TIME: 1 Hour (painting and glue drying time not included)
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David B. –
These were purchased as a gift for children. They were actually a bit more challenging to build than I had expected (to me, that’s a good thing), and they were a blast to fly. If you are new at this, be careful to not fly in a breeze. We used the larger size engine in one of the flights, and the slight breeze caught it and carried it off into a neighboring swamp. And that was the end of the Crossfire.
Children love these things. A good project for a family.
Brooks –
Awesome, awesome. Was a quarantine project for my 9 year old and it delivered. He needed help putting it together and we had to watch a you tube video or two to figure out how to set it up for launch but the end result was worth it.
Cons: the engines that propel it are sold separate and I had to order them from another vendor. Also you need some craft supplies for assembling which I did not have. Actually just used some construction adhesive on a popsicle stick which worked fine.
Both rockets launched great. Parachutes came out and we re-launched them multiple times. The big rocket did catch some wind and sailed easily a 1000 yards away on us. So you need a big treeless area. The little one not as bad. Football field is big enough.
Stu –
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These are awesome they were a Xmas gift for my daughter and today was the first chance we got to launch them(no wind and +temps) they worked really well and did what they advertised. Absolutely recommend these for all ages.
sean –
This is great for beginners. Easy to use & assemble. Can use pretty much anywhere. Definitely makes you wanna go right to the hobby store to get more engines & designs.
Flip Phone 808 –
If you are new to this…. before you buy it, watch assembly videos on youtube and SHOP AROUND. Price for this kit was high before the holidays $40-50, and can be found for $25.
You’ll save a lot of time and potentially expensive mistakes. Imagine you get the kit and engines, go to your local store to get glue and paint, and find you overpaid for everything, and most of it either can’t be returned or you don’t have time to do that.
Watching a few youtube videos for these and other Estes rockets will make your assembly more enjoyable, rather than getting stuck then stopping to look for help. Amazon rocket was kind of simple (don’t lose the launch lug!) and the Crossfire was tricky. Some of the cardboard inserts were too tight, and if you don’t expect that, you might not test fit, you’ll find yourself with stuck parts, wet with glue, that need to be removed and sanded. Meanwhile, the cardboard is buckling, and just a mess.
Engines are a little confusing. The letter tells you the power, the first number indicates something like burn time or boost curve, and the second number indicates delay before nose cone is blown off..
An A8-4 and A6-5 would both have about the same power, but the 8 and 6 would burn for shorter or longer time (not sure which still), and the 4 and 5 indicate seconds before the engine pops the chute or streamer. A is plenty high for the smaller rocket, and people who jump to a C engine sometimes lose sight of their rocket and never find it to launch again. The larger rocket, though, needs a B at least. Apparently, on an A won’t lift fast enough to get stability, or not high enough for the parachute to have time to pop. Not sure, but nobody shows it launching with an A. Being bigger and heavier, it is potentially a little slower on the takeoff, which is a good thing for spectators who might blink or sneeze and miss it.
After learning a lot, one thing I still need to do is replace the flimsy 3 piece launch rod, need to go to hardware store and get some kind of longer one piece 1/8 rod.
Good luck!
Customer –
You won’t get the Porta-Pad II and Electron Beam controller as shown in the picture, you’ll get the Astron II pad and controller, which, according to the Estes website, is the newest launch set in their line-up. Doesn’t really matter one way or another, unless you’re purchasing batteries specifically for this set prior to arrival. The Astron II controller uses a 9V battery instead of the 4AA batteries that the product description tells you that you need. Also, you don’t really need “plastic model cement,” I use Loctite Control Gel super glue and it works great.
I got this kit getting back into rockets after about a 25 year break. Didn’t see the point in getting one rocket with a launch set when I could get two rockets for a couple of dollars more. I was really expecting to like the Crossfire more than the Amazon, because faster and higher is always better with rockets, right? Wrong.
I built the Amazon first, since I’m a crawl before you walk guy. Used the super glue for everything except the shock-cord-to-body-tube attachment. Used white glue for that. Total building/decorating time was about half an hour, checking the instructions constantly to see what I was supposed to be doing. This is my favorite of the two in the set. It’s big, it’s easy to follow as it accelerates, and it’s easy to track on the way down. After the last launch, I decided that I need to cut a hole in the parachute to speed decent, because I have varying wind layers where I live. I recommend the C6-3 engines over the C6-5 just because I don’t really like watching my rockets nose dive for several seconds before the recovery system deploys, shortly after apogee makes me much happier.
The Crossfire is a fun rocket. It goes high, fast, which is super cool. However, I’ve found that trying to go too high, too fast is a pain in the feet. I won’t launch this rocket with anything more powerful than a B engine, because on every C launch it goes about 100′ in the air and then careens to the side at about a 35 degree angle and I end up hiking forever to get to it. Which indicates to me that maybe C engines are too powerful for the stability level of the rocket. Every A engine and B engine launch has been straight as an arrow in the vertical realm, and I haven’t gone more than about 50 feet to recover it.
As for the launch system, it’s decent and does what it’s supposed to do. I was hoping that the two-piece launch rod was a screw together contraption that I could take apart for transportation and storage. It’s not. It’s held together with a roll pin, so you hammer it together and it doesn’t come apart with any sort of ease. Which wouldn’t be so bad if the joint didn’t leave an uneven surface for a launch lug to catch on. I replaced mine with a 1/8″ x 36″ music wire. When I get something that needs the “Maxi-Rod” I’ll go to my nearest home center and get a 3/16″ metal rod for 1/4 the price of the Estes Maxi-Rod and it won’t have a lip on it.
Update 9/9/13:
So I’m thinking that I may have gotten a bum set of C6-5 engines the first time. I had purchased two 3-packs of them, seperately for the different rockets. After the second time of chasing down the Crossfire I stopped using the C6-5s, leaving me with a leftover. Went out to launch the Amazon and lose some mini rockets and used the leftover engine. The Amazon went about 50′ up then careened off creating a long walk for me. Intrigued, I decided to launch the Crossfire on one again the next week. The Crossfire on a C6-5 is impressive, as long as it’s a good engine. Flight was beautifully straight, nearly out of sight. Make sure there’s no wind and it’s fun on C engines, I still stick to B engines, though, as I find them more fun with the better chance of recovery.
As for the launch pad, apparently it’s not designed for 3\16″ rods. I got one and tried to install it to no avail. I ended up drilling out the rod holder about half way through. That way I can secure a bigger rod in the top part of the holder, and still have enough to hold the smaller rod.
Ed H –
Pretty easy to build, rockets worked well.
But the igniters seem to get old, or maybe the engines, so we had more and more dud launches. We live in a damp area so maybe that didn’t help.
The Crossfire goes really high, so we lost that one quickly. Suggest you use a small engine. The big Amazon is low and slow, so we have never lost it. My son loved these, and remembers them fondly.
Amazon Customer –
The product and quality is great for a hobbyist with all of the tools and other parts. This is not an all in one kit though you will still need engines and other components that are sold separately before being able to launch the rockets
Shukhrat –
Bought this for my daughter and ended up assembling myself. Daughter helped with painting. Crossfire was hard to assemble/paint and it flew away never to be seen again (too light for the engine I used). Amazon is still alive and has been launched 7+ times.
AG519 –
Rocket kit is great, value priced and high quality. It’s a Christmas present for my Son and im sure he’ll love it.
Normally Amazon shipping is spot on. But unfortunately shipper just threw this into a plastic bag so the box was punctured and crushed. Thankfully the product inside is not damaged but its kinda crummy giving a present with a box thats been destroyed. This is the reason for the 3 stars otherwise it would have been 5 stars.