Brief:
T' Dr. Booty Space Shuttle is a small but realistic model o' t' present day NASA workhorse. Avast! T' Shuttle stack is launched and t' orbiter separates at ejection t' glide back t' earth while t' external tank (ET) and solid rocket boosters (SRBs) come back via t' parachute. Avast! T' lack o' a multi-million flight computer means that augmentation fins must be added before flight for stability.

Construction:
It was t' same as t' previous review...However, me hearties, I will touch on me experience with t' build rather than a step by step build synopsis.

T' instructions are easy t' follow if you've had experience buildin' rockets. Blimey! Ahoy! Nay t' say they're hard but Dr. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Z does require that you have a basic understandin' o' what and why. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' illustrations are quite adequate and t' fact that t' designer is a cartoonist (among other things!) obviously helps. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' parts fit is fine and any adjustments can be made with a bit o' sandpaper.

T' hardest part o' t' whole build t' me, me hearties, was t' SRBs. Avast! There are 15 individual rings made out o' tiny strips o' paper. Avast! You must cut and then accurately and neatly attach them t' t' SRB tubes. Ahoy! There are two boosters o' course so this process is very time consuming. Ahoy! Patience here will pay off in those close up pictures you'll want t' take later!

T' external tank is built next and t' parts you really want t' take your time with will be obvious. Arrr! T' orbiter attach points are small but extremely important. Take your time t' make them straight and sturdy. Arrr! Be sure t' keep t' lower dowels, which t' orbiter will attach to, matey, me hearties, short so as nay t' cause undue drag at separation. Aye aye! Make sure o' t' alignment o' t' ET nose cone. It is weighted off center t' aid t' flight characteristics. I followed t' directions as written.

T' orbiter has some unique buildin' techniques compared t' what I know o' airplane buildin' (in a past life) but t' sequence is easy enough t' follow. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! T' design makes for a very light finished product. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There is no need for layin' on layers o' glue. Ahoy! Blimey! This will only make your glider heavy and take away any chance o' flyin' well. Begad! Avast! Blimey! T' make t' nose button look better I carefully sanded it t' match t' contours o' t' shuttle. Blimey! Blimey! I added t' orbiter engine bells but you are warned that attachin' t' elastic is a bit o' a process. Arrr! If you have t' hands o' a brain surgeon then by all means add them. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! T' fun part be glide testin' t' orbiter off t' back porch. Ya scallywag! T' method for adjustin' t' elevator trim be simple and reliable. Begad! Avast! Blimey! This is another step nay t' overlook as you shuttle will make you look silly if it isn't trimmed properly.

T' stack as a whole is a bit on t' fragile side. Nay a flight issue but one o' handling, particularly t' augmentation fins. This is an expected and necessary evil when you're tryin' t' mimic such a complex system at this scale. Blimey! I would recommend addin' some sort o' engine block above t' motor hook. Arrr! I noticed t' motor hook had developed some slop after a number o' launches. I simply cut a section off a spent motor casin' and pushed it down into t' motor tube. Aye aye! Begad! A drizzlin' o' CA and all be well.

Finishing:
T' finishin' was quite easy. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' printed heavy paper that makes up a good portion o' t' orbiter meant I really only had t' paint t' wings and t' motor bells. Don't forget t' nose button too. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' SRB's repay you here for t' time they took t' build as you only have t' paint them white! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' external tank is really a blank canvas so you have some liberty here. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' real one is covered in t' now notorious sprayed on foam. T' foam changes color due t' UV light so almost any shade o' rusty orange will do t' trick. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I used a Testor's car paint called Colors by Boyd Sunburst #52908. A top coat o' flat clear gets rid o' t' gloss finish. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' SRBs are gloss white! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Don't forget t' paint them separately. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I finally painted t' separate fins t' make them look en fuego. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! There are no decals but I hope Dr. Ahoy! Z comes up with a few.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I've flown me shuttle stack on a number o' motors. T' best all around performance has been t' B6-4. Aye aye! I've only had t' chance for a C6 motor once so this may be an unfair comparison. Arrr! As mentioned t' augmentation fins are a must. Flyin' without them will not be safe. Aye aye! Blimey! They do have t' added benefit o' providin' a built in stand off on t' pad! Pack t' chute per standard rocket preparation but make sure you have enough wadding. Aye aye! T' ET tube is fairly big compared t' it's length and t' motor isn't that far away. Begad! Begad! Make sure you've set t' orbiter's elevator elastic.

My flights have been near perfect I must say. Begad! Blimey! Stay with t' shorter delay motors t' get separation before t' assembly turns nose down. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Keep t' orbiter attach points no longer than necessary and paint free. Begad! Blimey! You'll be rewarded with clean shuttle separation and a clean glide profile.

Recovery:
Flight recovery is by means o' t' ol' parachute for t' ET and SRB assembly. Well, blow me down! T' supplied chute, me bucko, shiver me timbers, while nay as glamorous as t' nice printed variety, me hearties, does its job. It is sized correctly in me estimation and provides a safe descent while nay driftin' too much. Avast! Ahoy! T' shock cord is 1/4" wide elastic and is attached in t' traditional manner. Blimey! I have nay experienced any burnin' or meltin' with me Dr. Z chutes.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I had built t' Estes shuttle stack years ago. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Contrary t' t' norm, me kit flew quite well. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Upon me return t' model rockets, me hearties, I looked for it again but it's gone t' way o' t' dodo. I was excited t' see this version released. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! This was me first Dr. Avast! Zooch kit so I be a bit deflated by its small size. (Aren't we all?) All fears were laid t' rest as I smartly realized that t' designer knows what he's about with model rockets. Well, blow me down! T' build requires skill and patience, ya bilge rat, thar's no doubt. Rush this kit and you will nay enjoy it. Well, blow me down! Begad! Take t' time t' do it right and you will be rewarded with a good looking, great flyin' Space Shuttle! A perfect score is hard t' come by but I would give a 4.75 t' this kit.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
I enjoyed t' sarcasm and pokin' fun woven throughout t' instructions. Begad! Begad! T' fact sheet at t' end o' t' build is quite informative and enjoyable. This tells me that t' author has done his homework and makes t' humor all t' more palatable.