This was a fun highlight for my daughter's birthday party. It's simple to assemble and get going. That being said, be sure that when you have small kids around make sure they don't stand too close and are all paying attention.You don't really need a full bike pump for this. I was able to use a small portable basketball pump (e.g. Spalding 12" Dual Action Pump). If you have the stopper sealed tightly, you may need to do about 4-6 full pumps with the Spalding pump to get it to finally launch. That being said, if you are using a hand pump, make sure that while pumping it won't pull the bottom of the rocket and knock the rocket over. So if you are having kids do the pumping, I recommend that the parent holds the pump itself in place while the kid pushes the pump handle so there's no chance it will tug on the tubing and knock the rocket over.I've seen this thing shoot up to what must have been at least 70' (maybe even 100'). When it depletes its fuel (water), it will come back down relatively quickly without a parachute, but it's as light as an empty 2-liter bottle of soda would be, so it's even fun to try to run and catch it.When launching, it's best to be in an open field (especially if it's windy) so that the bottle doesn't get stuck in a tree or go over a fence into the neighbor's house, etc. We've launched in an open parking lot before, too, but be careful since the area where the plastic fins attach may eventually break if it lands on a parking lot too may times.
Very easy to put together. An extra fin is included which is great. The included bottle is very durable and a nice thicker walled bottle than a normal soda bottle.My kids and I had a ton of fun playing with this. I think we shot it off probably 30 times the first day. So much fun experimenting with different amounts of water. Kids are excited to try different bottles as well.Worth every penny!
This was great. Used it at a VBS program and kids loved it. To use it you need your own air pump. I recommend the standing type pumps with their own hose. It included adapters for the two standard valves (seems like a change since earlier reviews). Only takes a couple minutes to setup. Comes with one smaller bottle. Any bottles you want to use need to have standard pop bottle size screw caps to work.When using be careful. But the bung in securely for longer flights. Some flight s where short others pretty high and long. Best flight with a 2 liter bottle 1/3 full went up over 200 feet and landed over 80 yards away. I had a large open area and it went out of the area!Highly recommended but use with care!
Oh my gosh, so much fun! Works as intended. We put it together in seconds and grandkids love it!It pops off really high so careful where you pop it off, I would go to an open area.I bought them some glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces to play with and one of the kids got the bright idea to put them in the bottle rocket. It was really fun to watch the glowing rocket blast off at night. Good purchase for the price, well worth the fun.
Amazing gift! My 7 yr old received this for Christmas and was excited from the moment he unwrapped it. He quickly put it together and headed outside with dad to try it out. He is able to fill, plug and pump the rocket on his own, using a standing bicycle pump. He has enjoyed experimenting with different amounts of water and even different bottles. The bottle and fins that come with it are very sturdy. They have hit several branches and still look good as new. The kit came with several pump adapters, which I wish had been clear in the listing, since I had also ordered a presta adapter as other reviews indicated it was required. We did not need anything other than the contents of the kit, a bicycle pump, and water. This has already provided hours of fun and learning and Christmas was only three days ago!