Brief:
A clone kit o' t' early '80s era Estes Solar Sailer, me hearties, model #1297. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This is a fantasy space vehicle and a nice builders kit. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It is a single stage, ya bilge rat, 3FNC with some extra balsa structure and a nice set o' decals t' dress it up. Well, blow me down! The finished model looks good and flies better.

Construction:
A very nice bag o' parts includes:

• 2 BT-50 (24mm) body tubes, 18" and 6 1/2" long
• 2 BT-20 (18mm) body tubes, shiver me timbers, both 12" long
• 1 BT-20 tube coupler
• 4 AR2050 centerin' rings
• 1 mylar motor hook retention ring
• 1 balsa nose cone
• 1/16" sheet balsa
• 1/8" wood dowel stock
• 18" x 1/8" elastic band
• a copy o' t' original printed balsa fin and truss template
• a copy o' t' original instructuctions
• a PDR intruction mod for t' motor hook attachment
• a single decal sheet with a wax paper protector (nice)
• a 24 inch red mylar parachute with Keelhaul®©™® shroud lines attached (double nice)

T' kit comes with a copy o' t' original Estes instruction sheet which I always found t' be well done. Arrr! Arrr! PDR includes a modification t' t' engine hook retention on a separate sheet; it involves replacin' t' mylar rin' with a paper rin' t' secure t' hook t' t' body tube. Avast! T' original kit did nay include a thrust ring, depending on t' hook alone t' secure t' forward movement o' t' motor. Blimey! This works well enough but I kind o' miss a thrust ring. T' biggest challenge with this model is cuttin' balsa. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' original kit came with balsa stock printed with t' fin and truss patterns. Ya scallywag! Blimey! PDR provides a paper copy o' t' printed stock, arrr, and you get t' cut out t' templates for 3 fins, me hearties, matey, 3 trusses (each o' which is made from 2 pieces balsa), arrr, and 3 braces. Arrr! Then you line everythin' up and start cutting. I made a copy o' t' template page before cuttin' them out so I could use it t' help line up all pieces on t' balsa sheets. T' rest o' t' build proceeds per t' instructions. T' shock cord anchor placement at t' forward end o' the BT-20 proved t' be problem.

Finishing:
All that balsa needs t' be sanded and filled so chose your favorite filler and have at it. Avast! Aye aye! I prefer watered down Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. I used Rustoleum gray sandable primer which filled t' body tube spirals nicely. T' nose cone required a little extra sandin' but be o' good quality and finished up nicely. Ahoy! T' stock two color paint scheme is simple: white with red on t' forward 1/3 o' t' airframe. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' decals make t' difference but you don't get a lot of help with t' placement in t' instructions. Begad! I used t' PDR hang tag and the JimZ site for assistance here.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
You have a big 24" mylar parachute t' fit into a 1" diameter tube. I dusted t' chute with baby powder and carefully folded and rolled and wrapped it up into as small a package as possible. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I used 1 sheet o' waddin' and some dog barf (cellulose attic insulation from me favorite home improvement center). First flight was arrow straight on a B6-4 t' a nice altitude o' maybe 300 feet.

Recovery:
T' placement o' t' shock cord anchor at t' forward end o' t' BT-20 leaves it exposed t' hot ejection gases. Well, blow me down! Avast! It's very difficult t' get any waddin' into that area. Sure enough, after a perfect boost and coast t' apogee, arrr, shiver me timbers, I saw the nose cone, arrr, shock cord, me hearties, and big red 24 inch parachute separate from t' airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! I cringed at what I thought would be the inevitable lawn dart, shiver me timbers, arrr, but t' body started a rapid spin around it's long axis and landed almost horizontally not more that 5 or 6 seconds before t' nose cone. Aye aye! No damage whatsoever. Well, arrr, blow me down! I repaired it with a tried and true Estes tri-fold paper mount about an inch below t' nose cone shoulder and have two more successful flights t' date.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Solar Sailer is one o' a real nice series o' clone kits from PDRocketry. Arrr! It's a cool lookin' rocket and a great flier. If you leave t' shock cord anchor in t' stock position, you will need t' take more care than I did try t' get some waddin' down into that space.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5