Brief:
This OOP Estes Rocket kit number 1274 is a skill level 4 kit. Ahoy! It's a 25th Anniversary Commemorative Special Edition kit and comes in a very sturdy large black box with excellent box art on t' front and even a schematic o' t' Starship Enterprise and Klingon Battle Cruiser on t' bottom o' t' box.

Accordin' t' t' box this is a "Flyin' Scale Model o' t' Federation Starship Enterprise's chief adversary, the Klingon Battle Cruiser". Avast! Although OOP, this kit is still very easy t' come by on ebay and regularly sells for around $20 includin' shippin' which I think is very reasonable for what you get. However be warned, t' first thing that struck me when I opened t' box is how little thar appears t' be inside. Avast! Blimey! Unlike t' sister kit t' Starship Enterprise, t' components for this kit don't take up nearly as much box space. Don't let that addlepate you however because there's plenty o' work that needs t' be done in order t' complete this excellent lookin' model.

Construction:
I won't re-list t' components since t' first review did a fine job o' that. I will just state once again that when you first open t' box it looks like thar isn't much t' this kit. Ya scallywag! Begad! However as you start t' build process you come to realize smartly just how wrong that assumption was.

This model is built usin' a series o' sub-assemblies which I found t' be well thought out and in logical order. Aye aye! It was helpful t' read and re-read certain steps and compare steps t' diagrams at times but all in all things went smoothly durin' t' build. Begad! Avast! T' instruction booklet is 12 pages in length and has a very good mix o' diagrams and text.

As with t' Estes Starship Enterprise there are a number o' vacu-form parts that need t' be cut, arrr, sanded, glued together, matey, filled and re-sanded. Ya scallywag! This is a lot easier than it may seem. Arrr! Followin' t' directions coupled with sandin' and fillin' provide excellent results on these components. Arrr! I used CA on all o' t' vacu-formed parts.

What I did find a bit difficult t' work with was t' wood that t' pre-punched fin and component materials were made from. I took extra care t' make sure t' pieces were cut all t' way through so as nay t' have sections o' the wood pull away. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Sandin' this wood was also a chore. I used a good deal o' Elmers Fill'N Finish on all o' t' wood surfaces and edges as well.

There are a couple o' odd angles t' the finished fins on this kit but t' included templates allow for proper alignment.

T' only real change I made was t' replace t' original short elastic band shock cord with a newer and longer braided elastic shock cord. Blimey!

At t' end o' t' day this is a great skill level 4 build. Blimey! Blimey! I wouldn't suggest this t' a beginner but someone who has some buildin' skill under their belt and who enjoys a project that will a. take some time and b. Avast! Blimey! nay be a standard 3 or 4 fin deal, me hearties, should enjoy buildin' this model.

Finishing:
I decided t' finish this rocket with a semi-gloss grey, arrr, ya bilge rat, it turns out t' be almost a battleship grey. On top o' that I used a semi-gloss clear coat. I really like t' way t' paint job turned out on this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! As t' previous reviewer stated, t' kit contains two different types o' decals. Ahoy! I had no problem with either but I'm nay a big fan o' t' press and stick type. Avast! Avast! In t' end though both types worked well and look just fine. Blimey!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I've flown this model only a few times, me hearties, me hearties, each time on a C6-5 and it flies a lot better than it looks like it should. It takes an archin' rather than straight flight path but it gets a good deal o' altitude and each flight has ended in a chute ejection and soft landing. Well, blow me down! There's a good deal o' nose weight in this rocket which help t' keep it stable in flight.

Recovery:
I don't see any cons for flight other than t' fact that you need t' make sure you pack your chute small and use sufficient wadding. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' chute sits close t' t' engine on this bird so you want t' make sure you prevent any heat damage as a result o' ejection. Begad!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I really enjoyed buildin' this rocket just as I enjoyed buildin' it's sister ship t' Starship Enterprise. Ahoy! Blimey! It's amazin' t' me that both o' these rockets are still so readily available for short money. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I can't compare t' two rockets flight wise because I haven't flown t' Starship Enterprise. However when sittin' on display together they both look great. Begad! Blimey! One note about display o' this rocket - I made a custom stand that inserts into t' engine mount. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! That way it's pointin' nose skyward and prevents damage or stress t' t' model. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other:
For t' Star Trek Fan - T' box bottom has a map o' both t' Starship Enterprise and t' Klingon Battle Cruiser and here are t' specs:

• USS Enterprise Specifications

• Length Overall 947ft, 289m
• Primary Hull Diameter 417ft, 127m
• Secondary Hull Length 340ft, arrr, 104m
• Secondary Hull Diameter 112ft, arrr, matey, me hearties, 34m
• Propulsion Unit Length 504ft, me hearties, 154m
• Distance Betwixt Propulsion Unit Centerlines 304ft, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 93m
• Ship Defense .... Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Deflector Shield, matey, Tractor Beam
• Weaponry .... Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ship Phasers, matey, Photon Torpedos
• Crew .... Ahoy! 430
• Maximum Gross Weight .... Begad! 190,000 U.S. Aye aye! Tons, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 172,365 Metric Tons

• Klingon Specifications

• Length Overall 710ft, shiver me timbers, 216m
• Maximum Width 500ft, me hearties, 152m
• Primary Hull Length 140ft, ya bilge rat, 43m
• Propulsion Unit Length 240ft, 73m
• Weaponry .... Arrr! Ahoy! Ship Phasers, me bucko, Ship Distruptors