Estes 1491 Taser Rocket Launch Set, Beginner Flying-Rocket-Model Building Kit for Ages 10+, Includes Launch Pad System

This was our first rocket and I had no idea what I was doing and I wasn't sure what to expect regarding the difficulty. The directions were clear and easy to follow and after a short time we had a rocket ready to launch. The taser is a smaller rocket, it has a sleek and appealing look that makes it visible after launch and easy to find after touchdown. We did 5 or 6 launches our first time out starting with the smaller a sized engines and worked up to the c sized engines. The c sized engines were impressive, I'm not sure what altitudes we were reaching but the rocket was barely visible at its peak, and took quite a while to return to earth. The rocket did really well and held up to the launches just fine and is still in service. My six year old son and I had a really good time time building and launching the rocket and we have built several others since. This kit includes everything but the motors, wadding, and starters. You'll need to buy those seperately. You'll also need AA batteries for the launch button, I think it takes 4 batteries. I definitely recommend this kit for anyone who is considering a new hobby, just be aware it's addicting.

I got two of these puppies along with Estes A8-3 Model Rocket Engine Pack (which come with wadding too)They are somewhat easy to assemble, but you have to glue most of the pieces and you need some patience - I know you or your kids want to launch it immediately, but better off waiting for all the glue (which you'll need to buy separately) to dry (I used some plastic glue and some carpenter glue). If you are the clumsy type - I recommend thinking twice before buying this.BUT - they fly great! Not bad at all with the A8 engines as well. Will probably try more powerful ones in the future, but the A8 are not bad. We had a fairly strong wind when we launched, but it was not a major issue for these rockets.I looked at most of the rockets on Amazon before buying these - if you are a beginner just like us(these were our first rockets) buy these ones. Also, they come with a launch pad, so given the low price, it is the perfect recipe to avoid a civil war between my 5 and 3 year old to decide who gets to send them into space, or onto the moon, or Mars, or to meet the aliens, or... that's it because we used all our engines. Time to get more.

Easy to setup and the best fun ever!

The media could not be loaded. To start with, a good recommendation for beginners would be to buy a rocket "kit" rather than just a rocket. Rocket kits come with a launch pad and the launch pad's accessories so buying the kit gets you that required stuff; the kits also come with with a rocket. From there what you will need seperately will be recovery wadding (which gets added to the rocket tube before each launch to protect the parachute from the engine blast and provide flame retardant), engines (to power the launch), some craft glue or super glue (for rocket assembly) and 4 AA batteries (for the ingenious electronic launch kit).This TASER rocket kit was a great place to start. For a modest price, this included a TASER rocket and the adjustable angle Porta-Pad launch pad (*reference the reviewer from 2014 that stated the pad is not adjustable, I can only assume Estes upgraded the launch pad in the last several years). Some assembly is required; together with my tween kids this took about a half hour to assemble; most of that time being dedicated to waiting for the super glue to set as we added each piece. Directions are fairly straight forward and the process is safe.Another recomendation I can make is to consider buying a seperate, fully assembled rocket in addition to the basic kit; doing so is a few dollars more but gives the flexibility of having a backup rocket in the event the assembly goes awry or the rocket cannot be recovered after a launch. That is what I did, and despite the assembly going fine and having recovered the rocket after our first launch, it was good to know we had a backup because on a few occasions our launch resulted in a never-to-be-seen again wind blown rocket and a rocket-in-a-tree situation. Plus you can set up for two launches at a time which is nice. All tallied up, I was in for about $48; that included this kit, wadding, engines and a back up ATHENA rocket. I had glue and batteries at home so I did not count that. The launch process is relatively simple and my kids have done it as well. The long wire extending from the launch kit allows the person launching to be a safe distance away from the rocket. I have included a short video of our first launch for reference; you can judge by the enthusiasm of my two boys how much kids (and many adults) dig rockets.One last tip I can offer is to start out with the lower powered A engines; then if you stick with it and get the hang of it, go to the C engines. Have fun, this is a nice hobby to do with kids. It makes them focus, build, get fresh air and think about physics while also getting the rush of launching and recovering a rocket. Have fun.

Great gift for Grandpa to show off with Grandson!! Lol

My elder daughter bought this for her younger (and very science minded) sister For Xmas, Off Amazon. She is 11, and had no problem assembling it without any adult assistance. We shot it off 3 times in one day, 3 chute deployments. We used A3 standard enginesThe kit did not come with wadding, so we improvised, using ordinary pink fiberglass insulation (which is easy to track and retrieve, by the way)Whilst looking for some tips on flying the rocket on Youtube, I came across someone that strapped a 808 Car Key Chain Spy Camera Recorder 720*480 TF - New We decided to try it.The results were spectacular! Search for "rocket cam final2" on youtube to viewPoint by point:1: The Kit comes with (almost) everything. (Wadding and motors come up as recommendation, just add them.)2: - Do your homework RE rocket engine sizes! I recommend a8-3 as a starter, B6-4 if you are going to strap on cameras.3: The Rocket is good for repeated Launches.(so far, we count 10, we had to repair one fin and lost the engine nut. Duct tape works fine for holding the engine)4: Amazon is by far the most affordable place to buy the basic stuff. Once again - do your homework on what fits and what does not!5: The kit is well worth the price - but your engines and wadding will double it, and if like my daughter, you like it, it will require more engines.