Estes 1225 Alpha Rocket-Building Kit, Intermediate Flying-Rocket-Model Kit for Ages 10+

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!!

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.

A classic Estes rocket.. Everyone should have one on their bookshelf or mounted on the wall. Yes..I do think it's overpriced..but it is the classic "Alpha". Get a "Big" or "Little" Bertha to round out the the wall display. "Big" or "Little" Bertha is easier to assemble cause the parts are much larger ....just saying. It flys great and very fast..just use "A" engines for small football field size launch areas. If you use a "B" engine it will go out-of-sight and you may lose it....just say'n. If you use a "C" engine you "will" lose the rocket as it will disappear into the sky..you won't even see the smoke from the tracking charge in the engine.

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 .

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!

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.

This rocket was a huge hit. We launched it over and over until it burned up (wadding failure) Great great purchase.

Amazon shipped this in a plastic bag, and during shipping the cardboard body tube of the rocket was crushed a lot on one end and a little on the other. This made the rocket difficult to assemble and less than attractive when complete. I started buying rockets only from Estes directly, which ships them in cardboard boxes so they arrive in good condition, and I would advise others to do the same.

Easy to construct and everything that was needed was in the kit. I haven't flow it yet.

Haven't tested yet as it is a Christmas present for my boys. But from the other reviews, it seems like it was worth it to buy as a starter kit. I also like the fact that they are re-usable. Keep in mind that a launch pad and 'engine' are not included, which makes sense as then the package would be labelled as a dangerous good. But didn't think of that at the time of purchase.

Terrible value, haven't launched it but I'm worried for the structural integrity though.

not what was discribed