When I first got into model rocketry, I got an Alpha III launch set, including a 1/8 inch 3 piece launch rod. The pieces snapped together easily and the rod held up for about a year. So I bought a new rod to replace it. When it arrived, I tried to assemble the rod. The problem is, the pieces do not fit together! I had recently had a similar experience with a maxi rod. After an hour of painstakingly sanding and filing down the joint that connected the two rod parts together, the rod finally snapped into place. With the 1/8 inch rod I had no such luck. The joint is too big to fit into the other rod segment, but it also bends easily. The joint was bent trying to put both segments together. Rod is useless now.
Estes, please bring the old design back!
