Brief:
T' Thor Agena B by PD Rocketry is another kit by t' company that specializes in out-of-production Estes kits from the '60s and '70s. Blimey! Blimey! There is apparently a resurgence o' interest in these early kits from t' hobby and I have t' admit to bein' one o' these old rocketeers who has been bitten by t' bug. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I purchased this kit along with a Gemini-Titan and a Goblin a couple o' years ago and am finally gettin' around t' buildin' it. PD Rocketry kits are almost exact duplicates o' t' original Estes kits and even appear t' use t' same instructions. Aye aye! Blimey! I built one o' these Estes Thor kits in about 10th grade and was very interested in buildin' it again after I learned that PD had one available. One of the great things about these kits is they test your buildin' skills since all t' details have t' be hand crafted from launch lugs, shiver me timbers, me bucko, paper, and balsa. T' rocket itself is a scale model o' a NASA workhorse launch vehicle based on t' Thor missile which ultimately became t' Delta series o' rockets. Blimey! T' Thor with t' Agena B upper stage launched many of NASA's scientific Discovery satellites. Aye aye! Aye aye! I am also a very big fan o' accurate scale models.

Construction:
T' rocket be ordered from PD themselves. It is packaged in a large hangin' bag with a cardboard label across the top. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Upon openin' t' bag I found that many parts and t' decals and smaller parts are bagged separately inside, matey, a nice touch t' keep t' parts from bein' lost. Ahoy! Blimey! T' parts consisted of:

• First and second stage body tubes
• Balsa nose cone and balsa interstage adapter
• Assorted engine mount assembly parts
• Numerous laser cut fiber board adapters
• Balsa for makin' t' external conduits
• Clear plastic sheetin' for t' tube wrap and fins
• Launch lugs for t' turbine exhaust and rocket
• Decal sheet
• Wire for t' structural standoff on t' turbine exhaust
• Heavy paper template sheet with nozzle and other parts
• Shock cord and plastic parachute

Construction is typical for an Estes kit from t' '60s. This means you can expect t' cut, ya bilge rat, matey, carve, and sand the detail parts from balsa and other materials.

I began by buildin' t' engine mount. For this kit, me bucko, me bucko, it is a little different as t' engine tube will extend a couple o' inches from t' centerin' adapter so t' simulated nozzle can be installed. Begad! This is fairly simply done by first cuttin' out t' nozzle from t' template and installin' it on t' engine tube usin' a centerin' ring. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Once the mount is built up from t' centerin' rings and stage coupler, matey, t' adapter is glued onto t' engine tube above the nozzle. I did run into one problem at this time. I had already noted that t' engine mount was rather tight inside the body tube durin' a fit check. I also found that t' surface o' t' PD Rocketry stage couplers is rather rough. Blimey! Arrr! I sanded down t' coupler and centerin' rings but was still gettin' a rather tight fit when slidin' t' engine mount into the tube. Begad! Begad! I ran a rin' o' Titebond glue around t' inside o' t' body tube and started t' slide t' engine mount in. About 2/3rds o' t' way in it stuck hard. Aye aye! I immediately pushed a ruler in t' other end and attempted t' push t' engine mount out. However, ya bilge rat, t' engine mount went t' pieces under t' load and I ended up peelin' t' stage coupler out. Well, matey, blow me down! I ended up with a destroyed engine mount. Blimey! Fortunately I had parts in me bin t' build another usin' an Estes stage coupler. Blimey! Aye aye! I also had t' cut and form a new nozzle but t' replacement engine mount slipped easily into t' tube.

T' next step be t' build t' detailed parts for t' engine system. I followed t' instructions and built t' two small vernier rocket assemblies from balsa and paper. Arrr! I built t' turbine exhaust from a launch lug and heavy paper per t' instructions as well. After "sealing" t' vernier balsa pieces with hot stuff glue, I glued them along with t' turbine exhaust t' t' engine mount located per t' instructions. Begad! Finally I bent me own piece of music wire t' simulate t' turbine exhaust structural standoff instead o' usin' t' kit wire since t' kit wire seemed a bit large in diameter. Aye aye! Begad! I used hot stuff t' glue t' wire in place.

Next up was t' process o' gluin' t' balsa interstage adapter t' t' second stage engine tube. Begad! I then glued the nose cone into t' top o' t' second stage. Here two other problems were noted. Begad! T' balsa parts (I believe from Balsa Machinin' Service) were nay o' t' best quality and fit. Blimey! T' interstage outer mold line was a bit small around the upper stage joint and I had t' fill it with wood putty. Begad! T' nose cone also fit very loosely in t' tube and I glued it into place with epoxy so that I could center it while t' epoxy was hardenin' and fill t' gap around t' shoulder. Wood glue would nay have done this very well if I had used it here.

Next up was more o' t' detailing. Ya scallywag! I cut t' included balsa sheet into 1/8th wide strips per t' instructions. Avast! I then cut them t' length and rounded t' top edges and sides as instructed. Blimey! Well, blow me down! These were then glued t' t' upper stage, interstage, arrr, and lower stage per t' instructions t' simulate t' instrumentation tunnels on t' rocket. Avast! I glued them in place after sealin' t' interstage. I also coated then with hot stuff t' seal t' surface. Well, blow me down! After that I made two small antennas for t' lower stage from a sheet o' composite material I had. Begad! Begad! T' instructions were t' make t' antennas from balsa but this material worked much better. Blimey! Begad! They were glued in place on t' upper first stage per t' instructions.

T' final item was t' clear plastic fin unit. Arrr! Blimey! This requires buildin' also as me original kit did. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! I do remember that buildin' that was nay too pleasant an experience. It is difficult t' get t' thin plastic wrap built up around the body tube. Avast! Blimey! I ultimately followed t' instructions and after positionin' two wraps o' paper around t' bottom o' the tube and cuttin' t' plastic sheet t' fit with about 1/8" overlap as directed, arrr, I used t' suggested clear dope and tape t' glue t' overlap into place. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! After lettin' this dry a couple o' hours it appeared t' work and t' thin tube was formed. Avast! I then used t' template and attached t' fins I had cut from t' thicker plastic sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! I held them in place and put a small amount o' medium thick cyanoacrylate (CA) glue at t' joint. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! Before t' glue hardened, I dragged it along t' joint and then sprayed accelerator on t' joint. Avast, me proud beauty! This firmly attached t' fin t' t' tube with a fairly invisible joint. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! T' other fins were attached t' same way.

Finishing:
I filled t' balsa interstage and nose cone with Elmer's Carpenters Wood Filler diluted t' paint consistency in water. Begad! This be t' first time I had tried this and it seemed t' work quite well. Begad! After it had dried I sanded t' balsa parts smooth. Avast! I then sprayed t' entire rocket with Rustoleum gray auto primer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I sanded down t' rocket once it had dried and did this a couple o' times t' get a nice smooth finish on t' rocket. Well, blow me down! I followed this with semi-gloss white Krylon paint. Ahoy! T' upper two-thirds o' t' nose cone was masked and painted semi-flat Krylon black. Avast! I painted the vernier nozzles, engine nozzle, and turbine exhaust with aluminum acrylic paint.

Once t' paintin' be complete I applied t' decals. There are line decals on t' upper stage and interstage, matey, a checkerboard pattern decal on t' upper stage, ya bilge rat, and black block patterns on t' lower stage. Ahoy! Blimey! T' decals had t' be cut to their rough shape and it was somewhat tricky applyin' t' long line decals and linin' them up but I managed t' do a reasonably good job o' it. Arrr! Blimey! Here lies another complaint. T' instructions that show where t' apply t' decals are not too good. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is difficult t' determine where on t' vehicle t' line decals start and end so I guessed t' best I could from t' drawing. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' drawin' only shows one side view and t' lines wrap around t' panels. I also found a series of pictures on t' web o' t' vehicle on Wikimedia.com. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These helped a little in applyin' t' decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I had this rocket completed other than t' fins for almost two years before finally buildin' up t' clear plastic fin unit. Because o' this, I didn't fly it durin' that time frame. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' finish up me review I took t' rocket out t' a local sport facility today and with t' assistance o' me wife launched it on an A8-3. It flew perfectly straight but nay too high on t' A8-3. This be just as well though as thar was a bit more breeze than I liked and it could have landed in the parkin' lot and gotten dinged if it had flown higher. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It popped t' chute perfectly and landed in t' grass. One item I did note be that t' launch lug is attached t' t' fin unit and is very short. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Because o' this t' rocket tends to cock a bit on t' rod and you should be careful t' align it as vertically as possible t' prevent t' rocket from lockin' itself on t' pad at launch due t' bindin' o' t' launch lug.

Recovery:
T' included heavy, bright metallic red chute deployed perfectly and safely lowered t' Thor onto t' grass field I was flyin' from.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I was relatively impressed with this kit, me first from PD. It definitely captured t' buildin' days o' me youth and emphasized t' modelers buildin' skills. Aye aye! Too many kits today are pre-built or demand little o' t' modeler. Blimey! Avast! My only complaint would be about t' nose cone nay fittin' too well into t' second stage tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I personally enjoy buildin' as much as flyin' and like a kit that is challenging. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It also is a nice lookin' scale model o' t' early versions o' the workhorse Delta rocket series based on t' Thor missile. Aye aye! It looks good on display and in flight. Begad! Ahoy! My next build was another PD kit, me hearties, t' Gemini-Titan, arrr, ya bilge rat, which is in construction as I write this. Begad! It is great t' see these companies re-releasin' t' early kits for us "born again" racketeers as well as new hobbyists.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5