Brief:
T' Challenger 1 was an Estes almost ready t' fly kits that first appeared in the 1977 catalog. Ya scallywag! T' kit was a fairly generic lookin' rocket with a plastic nose cone and fin can. Begad! T' fin can would become one o' t' more durable in Estes history, arrr, ya bilge rat, me hearties, poppin' up on starter kits and stand alone kits several times over t' years. Accordin' t' Barclone's Craig McGraw, ya bilge rat, some, if nay possibly all the kits t' use this fin can were:

• #1235 Sky Writer #2
• #1260 Sky Writer #2 (same kit, different package)
• #1328 Kadet
• #1333 Scorpion (used 2 fin units)
• #1418 Star Trek (starter set)
• #1420 Star Wars Proton Torpedo (starter set)
• #1438 Dune Guild Heighliner (starter set)
• #1993 Lancer
• #2026 Athena
• #2042 America

Because t' 1977 catalog was me first, me hearties, I've always had a soft spot for the Challenger 1. Begad! Ya scallywag! When t' opportunity arose t' get one on eBay, ya bilge rat, I grabbed it.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• Original nose cone
• Original fin unit
• Original 12" parachute
• Original 18mm engine hook
• Replacement section o' BT-50
• 18" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 24" sewin' elastic shock cord
• 18mm engine mount
• launch lug
• decals

This wasn't so much a construction project as it was a restoration. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I won a Challenger 1 starter set in an eBay auction and be shocked at t' poor condition o' t' rocket when it arrived. Ahoy! (Turns out that be me fault. I hadn't looked closely enough at t' auction. Begad! Avast! T' seller had described it well, but I hadn't bothered t' read before bidding.) T' first thin' that struck me be how thin t' body tube material was. Begad! Arrr! It seemed t' be somewhere betwixt typin' paper and a regular body tube, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but it was badly smashed in several spots, me hearties, had yellowed t' t' point o' bein' brown, arrr, shiver me timbers, and be obviously past saving. I was bummed because I had hoped t' at least fly it a couple o' times as another of my eBay rescues, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, arrr, but me spirits perked up when I made a discovery. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' original builder had constructed everythin' with white glue, me bucko, and t' original body tube and engine mount simply slid out o' t' fin can when given a gentle tug. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! This left me with t' original fin can and nose cone, matey, so I decided t' update the internals and give it a chance t' fly. Avast! Avast! This was a simple matter o' cuttin' out a like-sized section o' BT-50 and constructin' an updated 18mm engine mount (with an 18" piece o' Keelhaul®©™® glued into t' forward centerin' ring), shiver me timbers, then matin' t' parts together with somethin' more substantial than white glue--I used LocTite Gel CA. Begad! Blimey! T' good news is that t' Challenger is now assembled in a fairly sturdy fashion. Avast! Blimey! The bad news is that t' next person that attempts t' "restore" it is goin' t' have a heck o' a time gettin' it all apart. Begad! Blimey!

Finishing:
Finishin' was a pretty simple process although nay as simple as t' original build. Begad! T' original Challenger 1 body tube was colored white and t' plastic nose and tail were orange, so it was a simple matter o' puttin' them together and slappin' on t' decals. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' years had nay been all that kind t' t' plastic parts, me hearties, so both were stuck into a scrap piece o' BT-50 and sprayed with Valspar Harvest Orange gloss. After eliminatin' t' spirals with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and some sanding, matey, arrr, I primed t' body tube and then sprayed it with Valspar gloss white. Arrr! Begad! Once t' parts were together, me hearties, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I used a cleaned up decal scan t' print a new decal on Bel paper. Well, blow me down! As a result, shiver me timbers, when it's on t' pad, you'd be hard pressed t' tell that anythin' has been done t' it. Begad! Avast! It just looks like an extremely clean example o' a seldom seen old rocket.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I've only managed one flight with t' Challenger 1 t' date, but it performed well enough t' earn a spot on me small field list. Since I had very little to compare it to, me hearties, I chose t' go conservative with t' first flight and picked a B6-4. Ya scallywag! Despite t' somewhat weighty feel o' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, it performed well on the B engine, me bucko, shiver me timbers, toppin' out fairly high but nay out o' sight. Aye aye! There be some weathercockin' in t' light breeze but that helped with t' recovery walk.

Recovery:
Ejection occurred at apogee and t' rocket drifted back toward t' pad at what looked t' be a rapid clip. Well, blow me down! It recovered just past t' pad and impacted hard on its stock 12" chute, which spoke volumes o' t' damage I'd noted t' the original body tube. Blimey! Begad! As thin as it had been, ya bilge rat, it wouldn't have stood up t' many landings like that one. Begad! Future flights might warrant a larger parachute, not quite 18" but bigger than t' 12".

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Always nice t' have t' opportunity t' fly somethin' vintage, no matter how simple.

CONs: Simplistic design and graphics. Aye aye! Aye aye! Suspect quality o' original materials.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5