Estes 1403 Riptide Rocket Launch Set, Prebuilt Beginner Flying-Rocket-Model Set for Ages 10+, Includes Launch Pad System

Got this to launch rockets with my daughters and this kit was so easy for them to put together and start launching rockets. It just works and was such a good kit for beginners. Highly recommend if you are just starting out. It can take several different size motors but I recommend for your first few launches use the smaller motors first and then work your way up to the larger ones. With the biggest one on the rocket it really goes high so only do that on a day with very little or no wind. Great first rocket.

Ordered for a birthday- Arrived a week too late- Order estimated delivery in 5-7 days but took 14 days- beware of estimated delivery dates!Rocket is pre-assembled except for attaching parachute. Good build.Launch tower is good quality, and assembled easily.The cheap red Estes Launch controller did not work most of the time. This appears to be a design flaw rather than a bad lot. The internal metal strips near the safety key and launch switch failed to make contact reliably. (I really miss the days of having REAL push buttons in the launch controller). And yes, we held the safety key down firmly, but couldn't get the continuity LED to light reliably. Alligator clips were properly connected to starter. Batteries were fresh and delivering good voltage. Voltmeter could not register any consistent voltage being delivered to alligator clips. Very unreliable.I'd give the launch controller 1 star. Shame on Estes for using this cheap design to keep cost down! Big disappointment for my grandson when it would fail to launch. Fortunately, I had several older launch controllers in my field bag that still worked, so we just threw the new red controller in the trash and used the old controllers that have never failed.

My husband bought this to use with our nieces and nephews (he used to do rockets when he was young). It works great and seems to be holding up okay after a few launches. It's nice that it comes with everything you need to launch. The only downside is the rod. It comes in 2 pieces and fits together. It's hollow, and pretty thin, and has already bent and had to be bent back into shape. You can tell it's just not going to last. I understand they have to make it come apart to fit in the shipping box, but we'll probably be replacing it with a single solid metal rod from the hardware store pretty soon.The rocket itself is what you would expect for an inexpensive beginner rocket. It's ready to use right out of the box, and the whole setup (including launch pad) took about 5 minutes to assemble. Very easy. The kids were so excited. Overall great value, highly recommend!Don't forget the motors! They are not included.

DO NOT BUY! NOT COMPLETE!! YOU HAVE TO BUY SEPARATE ITEMS! The box will state “ready to put together” or “fully assembled” Then, on the other side of the box it shows 3-4 items needed to complete and fly rocket. Waste of money and time, that’s how they get you!

We ordered this rocket and launch set for our son's Christmas, and didn't open the package before Christmas morning when he opened it, so we didn't realize that this setup was NOT complete and ready to use. You need to purchase separately the rocket engines and the engine igniters before you can use it. These things may be purchased through Amazon, but you have to buy them separate.The manufacturer (Estes Rockets) recommends using the following engines:B4-4B6-4C6-5To find these on Amazon, just type in "Estes rocket engine C6-5", for instance. The engines come packaged with their own igniters, which you'll need to use to fire them up when the rocket is ready to be used - in other words, you don't have to buy separate igniters. Typically, each package of engines comes with 3 engines, 3 igniters, and 4 igniter plugs.The engines behave as follows:* B4-4: fires for 1.1 seconds, generating a maximum thrust of 3.0 pounds of thrust (or 13 Newtons).* B6-4: fires for 0.8 seconds, generating a maximum thrust of 2.7 pounds of thrust (or 12.7 Newtons).* C6-5: fires for 1.6 seconds, generating a maximum thrust of 3.4 pounds of thrust (or 15.3 Newtons).In addition to the engines and igniters, you'll need to purchase separately four AA batteries. However, this is something you can find out from the information provided by Amazon here - the need to purchase the engines is not...

This is a great starter set. But remember, you need to buy Rocket engines and wadding.Rocket engines are available online, but since they are made of explosive material, it has to be shipped USPS. Instead of waiting you can go to a local Hobby store, Large Box Hobby store, or Large Box toy store. Rockets are about $3 on average, and come in packs of 3 with igniters. The wadding is flame retardant tissue paper. You need this.I have never done this before, but inside the box was everything we needed. The kids and I removed the contents from the box, and in less than 15 minutes we were ready to fly.The igniters make this extra safe. Ignnitors are like little light bulbs without the glass around it. You connect power to them, then they create a spark and ignite the rocket engine. The small yellow box in the picture is really a control panel. It has a safety switch you hold down, then you press the ignition button. So you are a safe distance, and the rocket reliably fires. This is safer than fireworks in my opinion.We have fired our rocket 12 times already, and it looks like it can still keep going. It took a bounce off the pavement on the way down one time, but it was only a bit scratched.This is an excellent thing to do with your kids, and it's not that expensive.I have a youtube of me and the kids firing the rocket, and I show you how to do it. Enjoy:[...]