Estes 2231 Fin Alignment Guide Model Kit , Color Varies

Cheap and effective. I wish I had this when I was a kid. 90% of the time when I had a problem with model rockets as a kid it was because of fin alignment, and this goes a long way towards eliminating that problem with model rocket kits that need balsa wood fins attached to a cardboard tube. I have built several kits with my son and have had no problem with fin alignment. You still have to be careful, but this eliminates the guessing and trying to line up measurements on a curved surface so everything is straight and spaced evenly.

Grand kids built rockets on rainy days. For sunny days .

Son enjoys using it to build his rockets.

This is kind of pricy for what it is, but it is very nice when it comes time to put the fins on a kit such as the V2. For kits that have grooved placement of fins, this jig makes it way easy. For kits that directly glue balsa to the body tube, there is some technique involved with getting one fin aligned and held at a time. This would involve patience to let the fin set up a little more before using the included clips. The alignment plates are helpful, but you really need to read the instructions on which side of the plate to use depending on whether the rocket is using 2mm (common) or 3mm thick fins. This jig also uses the motor mount to line things up, so you may need to change your order of building to get the motor mount in first before the fins get put on. This jig has helped me on the V2 and Magician build that uses D-E sized (24mm) motor mounts. It can be used on 18mm (ABC) motor mounts and micro motor mounts. There is nothing included for 29mm motor mounts. But, you can probably rig it to take larger motor mounts. This is definitely my "go to" fin jig now that I have it. I plan to use it on all my future 18mm and 24 mm motor builds.

Great product, aligns the rocket fins as advertised.....just be careful with the glue! I wound up just being very careful with the gluing process and did just enough to make the fins stable while in the holder. Then once removed I would finish gluing them to the rocket body. This was to prevent gluing everything, including the holder, to the rocket body.

My kit came without the engine tubes.

I was a little concerned when I saw the reviews saying it was flimsy but I took a chance and bought it. I didn’t find it to be flimsy at all. You can use it for 3 or 4 fin rockets. It’s simple and straightforward to use.

I have two kids who take aerospace in 4H, and every year they each build a rocket. Every year, the hardest part of building the rockets was getting the fins installed at the correct spacing, lined up right, lined up with other sets of fins on other stages of the rocket, ..., ... WIth this guide, installing the fins is simple. Use the cardboard spacers to center the rocket (they go in the motor tube on the rocket and a hole in the center of the alignment guide to center everything), put some glue on the fin, clip the fin to the guide, slide the guide in the slot until the fin is in contact with the rocket. Repeat for all the fins, set it aside until it's dry, and you have perfectly spaced, perfectly aligned fins. The guide has channels at 90 degrees and 120 degrees so you can do 4-fin and 3-fin rockets.