Brief:
This is a review o' t' OOP Estes Master's Series Space Shuttle, EST# 1284. It is a 1/162 scale replica o' t' Space Shuttle and includes both Orbiter and booster sections. Avast, me proud beauty! These sections are connected at launch, boost on a single C5-3 or C6-3 engine, matey, and separate when t' 'main engine' ejects. T' Orbiter uses glide recovery while t' booster uses a parachute. For flight, thar are removable fin units that mount in t' SRBs. Well, blow me down! Begad! For display, plastic nozzles are provided.

Construction:
T' Space Shuttle came packaged like a typical Estes kit (plastic bags, arrr, etc). Begad! Ya scallywag! This is definitely a skill-level-4 kit with 16 pages o' detailed instructions containin' 53 steps. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It claims t' require 4 types o' glue and 6 colors o' paint. Ahoy! T' parts list includes 27 line items includin' t' chute, me hearties, decals, etc. T' balsa fins, me bucko, me hearties, cardboard body wraps/detailing, arrr, ya bilge rat, and vacuum-molded Orbiter components are all die cut. Arrr! Begad! T' die cut plastic components made t' Orbiter assembly a lot easier, as I never seem t' get a good fit when I have t' cut them with a knife.

I built t' kit stock, matey, me hearties, down t' t' elastic shock cord. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I figured it be good enough for several flights, arrr, and I probably will nay fly it too often. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I substituted Titebond for t' white glue, and since I didn't want t' go out and buy 3 types o' glue that I normally don't use (contact cement, plastic cement, and liquid plastic cement), matey, matey, ya bilge rat, I used CA (medium and thick) instead. Aye aye! Blimey! I assembled t' entire booster (main tank/SRBs) this way and it worked fine. Arrr! Blimey! Later, me hearties, arrr, when I got t' t' Orbiter, which is almost all plastic, I broke down and got some liquid plastic cement. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I want t' point out a general rule in buildin' models - one that I don't seem t' follow. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! That is, read ALL t' instructions before you start. Ahoy! Blimey! I didn't pay attention and used t' elastic strin' required for t' adjustment o' t' Orbiter's elevons in another spot. Blimey! Blimey! DUH. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I did, however, arrr, find a suitable replacement when buildin' t' Orbiter. My feeble mind was confused by t' fact that t' chute came pre-assembled, and t' instructions called for a piece o' twine from t' chute. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I followed t' instructions pretty much as is, me hearties, but I did skip ahead at times t' keep busy while parts dried. Begad! Blimey! I found one fin was broken out o' t' bag; however, arrr, this was easily fixed with some glue and tissue. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I stopped at t' point that t' main tank, SRBs, and removable fin units were complete. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! At this point, me hearties, I decided that I would separately paint each section. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! After these sections are assembled, arrr, arrr, it would be very difficult t' paint them different colors. Avast! Blimey! T' fit o' t' plastic Orbiter parts was nay perfect, but nay too bad. Blimey! Blimey! T' first step in trimmin' t' Orbiter glider is balancin' it and adjustin' t' nose weight. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' kit provides two weights. Well, arrr, blow me down! I used one weight and some clay instead o' cuttin' t' second one up. Ahoy! Next, ya bilge rat, you adjust t' elevons with a strin' that is run through t' center engine nozzle in t' rear. Avast! This strin' pulls on a plastic arm on t' elevon assembly, while t' elastic strin' mentioned earlier maintains tension. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After quite a bit o' adjustment, t' Orbiter still seems t' glide like a brick (kind o' like t' real thing?). Well, me hearties, blow me down! If I was confident in me detailed model buildin' abilities, I would give a construction ratin' o' 2.5, arrr, me bucko, but will give it t' benefit o' t' doubt and bump it up a point.

Finishing:
I decided t' use t' current Shuttle paint scheme, me bucko, with a brown main tank and white boosters. Begad! As I mentioned above, ya bilge rat, these were painted prior t' their final assembly. Begad! I used white spray paint and t' rest was brush-on. Blimey! Aye aye! I didn't want t' buy multiple spray paints, me bucko, nor am I that skilled in maskin' small details. Avast! I even mixed me own light gray-green for t' tip o' t' Orbiter's nose and t' leadin' edge o' t' wings. Avast! Arrr! T' decals are t' water-slide variety. They went on fine, shiver me timbers, arrr, but some o' t' smaller ones literally blew away when I sprayed t' final clear coat. Begad! T' end result, like many o' me finish jobs, me bucko, me hearties, looks good from a distance.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' kit flies on C5-3 and C6-3 engines only. Ahoy! I chose a C6-3 because that is what I had available. T' winds were blowin' betwixt 5-10 mph (my guess) when I launched. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' boost be slow (read that realistic) and thar was some wobble and weathercocking.

Recovery:
T' recovery system is typical Estes with an elastic shock cord and a plastic chute. Ejection appeared t' occur just before apogee and t' Booster separated, just as it be supposed to. Aye aye! Blimey! It turned with t' wind and came down at a fairly steep angle, ya bilge rat, again, just like t' real thing. Arrr! Blimey! It landed nicely without damage. Begad! Blimey! T' one problem be singein' on t' elastic shock cord, arrr, arrr, which is no big surprise. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I will have t' replace it before t' next flight - should have done it at t' start! Blimey! I rate t' flight/recovery at 5/5, me hearties, arrr, and take off ½ point for t' elastic shock cord.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs 1. Avast, me proud beauty! Great lookin' scale model. Well, blow me down! 2. Relatively easy t' build, me hearties, considerin' t' number o' components. Arrr! Ya scallywag! 3. Begad! Realistic lookin' boost and Orbiter recovery. Begad! 4. Blimey! Neat rocket!

CONs 1. Blimey! Ahoy! Fin stock was broken out o' t' package. Well, blow me down! 2. Avast! Some steps are hard t' understand and require lookin' at all t' finishin' diagrams t' understand what is intended 3. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' fit o' t' Orbiter parts is so-so 4. Blimey! Junky recovery components - typical Estes.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5