Estes-1225 Alpha Rocket, Each - White, Red and Blue

I love these Estes rocket kits and this is a perfect kit for a new rocket fan! I got this for my 11 yr old and with the help of his 16 yr old brother, construction was very fast and straightforward. Model Rocketry is a really fun hobby and this kit is a simple and fun way to get started. The pricing is perfect - it would be hard to get just the parts alone for this price, and it comes with instructions and suggestions for making it look nice so it's well worth the price.

The Estes Alpha is an excellent entry point to the hobby of model rocketry. It is a nice size, easy to build with minimum tools/supplies, a great flyer, and pretty forgiving of beginner building skills. Be sure to use a white or yellow glue like Elmers (School Glue is fine!) and not super glue, plastic model glue, or hot glue. Sandpaper is great for the fins, but not necessary if you aren't concerned with the appearance of the final product. A hobby knife is great, but a sharp pocket knife or kitchen knife will do. A ruler is a must, as is a pencil, pen, or fine-tipped marker. Paint is optional, but a good paint job lowers the rocket's resistance to the airflow and lets it go higher on a given engine. No engines or launch pad or launch system are included with this kit, but those can be purchased separately, or together with the Alpha kit if you get a STARTER SET. Pro Tip: use the lowest powered engine for your first flight to ensure you get the model back in one piece. Proceed to fly again and again with higher powered engines as you gain experience with flying your rocket.Disclaimer: I have been building and flying model rockets since 1968, and gave Estes Model Rocket Demonstrations at various Illinois hobbyshops from 1976 thru 1985. I'm no rocket scientist (actually, I'm a Software Engineer), but I know my hobby. Good Luck and HAVE FUN!!

Haven't built this one in a while. It's a good kit to learn on.

This is the classic Model Rocket. The type where you cut out the balsa wood fins and glue them onto the rocket. It is a good choice if you are a beginner to the hobby because the rocket itself is small and very durable. It should be able to endure multiple launches and even crashes without any problem. Being small and light also means that it will launch pretty high into the air and it is easily an over 1,000 feet rocket. Nice place to start because you get a traditional look at building a hobby rocket and you get a durable high flyer. My first launch with this rocket had a bad parachute deployment and it came streaming down quick yet it survived the crash intact. Durable little rocket.Note that if you are an absolute beginner to this hobby you are also going to need some other things to go with this. You need a launch pad with controller Porta-Pad E launch pad Estes Rockets, engines Estes B6-4 Rocket Engine (Pack of 3), and recovery wadding Recovery Wadding.

Perfect rocket for someone ready to do a little bit of painting as this one will require. The Alpha series of rockets are the best bang for the buck I’d say using B or C engines.Only issue I had was I had to request for a replacement as Amazon likes to ship these in just a padded envelope so it arrived crushed. Luckily the replacement arrive in perfect condition yet still being shipped in the bad envelope.

We bought this for my son for Christmas and just now (July) got around to it. It was a little more of a build than I thought it would be, definitely not a project for someone who likes things to be “snap into place” you will be gluing and cutting. We chose different colors than the recommended and had to trim up the stickers. Recovery wadding, a launch pad, and an engine pack are all extras you will need but after reading other reviews, we had purchased them too and were ready. It took us about 30 minutes of work plus glue and paint dry times. You won’t be launching the same day you start! The launch was worth the effort. Very exciting! We almost lost it in a tree on launch 2, so make sure you are in a big open field, or are ready to call it a day after one shot. Since it was less than $15 to order another, it’s worth the risk. We will be ordering more engines for now and more rockets when we have time to build them.To wrap it up, this is a great project if you are patient and are looking for some good quality hobby time with a kid. Good luck!

I built my first Alpha 50 years ago. I just retired and need a hobby so I’m starting to build and fly model rockets again. This version has balsa fins and a plastic nose cone. Wish they still had balsa nose cones but almost all models have plastic now. Also wish the decals were water slide instead of peal and stick but maybe i’m being nostalgic. Flew it twice today and it flew great both times. This was a blast from the past and it’s a great first model that you actually build. (no plastic fins and not pre built).