Brief:
After many months with breathless anticipation, t' Estes SpaceShipOne finally arrived. Avast, me proud beauty! This kit is a 1/30th sport-scale kit based on a BT-200 tube, which is 2" in diameter. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This be t' first time I noticed t' SS1 bein' attributed t' Mojave Aerospace Ventures vs. Avast, me proud beauty! Scaled Composites. Well, blow me down! There are some issues for t' scale fans out there. Avast! For instance, if you look at t' aft nozzle, ya bilge rat, it looks like t' test flight configuration, however, matey, t' markings appear t' be those on t' final X-Prize flight. Begad! Ya scallywag! Still, ya bilge rat, t' resultin' kit looks pretty sweet and I'm really glad Estes got it out.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• Motor mount, includin' an 18mm tube, engine block, engine hook, Mylar retainer ring
• Long plastic tail cone with nozzle
• BT-200 body tube
• Plastic nose cone
• Laser cut balsa fins
• Die cut cardboard centerin' rings and win' assembly fixture
• Launch lug, matey, 1/8"
• Rubber shock cord, me bucko, 1/4" x 18"
• Assembled 12" plastic chute
• Clay nose weight
• Lots o' peel and stick decals

Recommended supplies for construction: scissors, pencil, ruler, sandpaper, carpenter's glue, ya bilge rat, tube-type plastic cement, matey, modelin' knife, razor saw, arrr, maskin' tape, white primer, white and red spray paint, me bucko, and (optional) gloss coat.

T' first step is t' assemble t' motor mount. Aye aye! This is a typical build and consists o' t' BT-20 motor mount, two centerin' rings, matey, arrr, an engine hook, ya bilge rat, a Mylar retainer for t' hook, shiver me timbers, and a motor block. Ahoy! I used carpenter's glue as recommended. Ya scallywag! Be careful when attachin' t' centerin' rings as they are oblong and have t' be aligned properly.

Next, I removed and sanded t' fins then filled them with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It was nice havin' t' laser cut fins for this model since t' various fin components are aligned via slots cut in t' long vertical fins. These precise cuts really help ensure t' proper alignment o' these parts. Aye aye! Blimey! However, t' cuts were nay all t' way through t' balsa and t' bottom side must be cut with a hobby knife. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! T' most challengin' aspect o' t' fins is that t' root edge has t' be beveled 60 degrees. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! A reference guide is provided, but I found it challengin' t' get t' angle right along t' length o' t' fin. Ahoy! Blimey! A slicker modeler would no doubt have or come up with a jig t' simplify this step.

I attached all t' fins with Aileen's Tacky Glue startin' with t' side fins, then t' long vertical fins, and finally t' side fins. I am glad Estes provided t' win' assembly fixture, however, with a tad more cardboard they could have provided one that actually supports t' wings. Begad! Aye aye! This would nay be a cost driver. I had thought t' fins were set, shiver me timbers, when I decided t' go up t' bed. Begad! This was a mistake as t' fins sagged a bit by morning.

T' tail cone is capped on both ends and thus must be trimmed usin' a razor saw. T' instructions say t' use plastic cement t' glue t' mount into t' tail cone, but I substituted Gorilla Glue (sparingly) in its place. Before installation in t' main body tube, I epoxied a two-foot section o' Keelhaul®©™® twine onto t' mount through t' top ring. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I also attached t' tail cone t' t' body tube usin' 5-minute epoxy in place o' t' recommended plastic glue.

T' final touches included t' launch lug, arrr, addin' t' clay nose weight, and tyin' t' Keelhaul®©™® t' t' rubber band and t' latter t' t' nose cone.

Finishing:
Finishin' was typical: fill, prime, ya bilge rat, paint, me hearties, add decals, cover with a clear coat, shiver me timbers, etc. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! For this model, this process be a mistake! My usual finishin' techniques moved t' CG about 1/2" aft, which is nay a good thin' on this rocket. Avast! More about this later.

T' model is mostly white with red trim on t' leadin' edge o' t' fins and t' bottom tip o' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! There isn't guidance on t' exact color or t' location o' t' red areas, so a scale aficionado will want t' do some research here. Personally, ya bilge rat, arrr, I eyeballed it usin' t' picture on t' package and me cardstock SSI model. Aye aye! I also opted for brush on paint vs. Aye aye! t' recommended red spray paint.

T' decals are self-adhesive and t' material seemed fine. Ahoy! However, t' precision o' t' cuts be so-so. Well, blow me down! For example, some o' t' star pattern seemed t' be missed when t' patterns were cut. Begad! A bottom view o' t' model would have helped in positionin' t' decals. Ya scallywag! T' end on a positive note, ya bilge rat, I am glad t' decals were peel and stick instead o' waterslide. I undoubtedly would have ruined a couple had they been t' latter.

I think t' resultin' kit looks nice, shiver me timbers, matey, but even though I am nay a scale fanatic, it bugged be that thar be a mismatch betwixt t' nozzle configuration and t' markings and that thar was nay better guidance on how t' position t' decals. Well, me hearties, blow me down! At first, ya bilge rat, I was goin' t' really din' t' kit based on t' fact that finishin' t' fins usin' normal techniques can make t' model unstable. However, shiver me timbers, me bucko, anyone who has bought and flown t' kit doesn't need me rating, and anyone who hasn't bought or built it now knows how t' fix t' problem. Ahoy! Ahoy! So, arrr, I decided t' ignore stability issues.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Now, back t' t' question o' stability. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! There was much discussion about stability on T' Rocketry Forum (do a search for SS1 stability). Blimey! Rather than repeat lots o' information here, matey, shiver me timbers, I will just say that Estes now recommends addin' an additional ½ oz o' nose weight.

T' recommended motors include t' B4-2, matey, B6-2, and C6-3. Ya scallywag! Begad! Due t' t' size and weight o' t' model, I opted for a C6-3. T' instructions do say t' launch with "little or no wind." When I launched it, t' wind was about 5 mph. Aye aye! T' model weather cocked a bit but nay badly. Avast! T' added weight did t' trick even with me method o' finishin' t' fins and t' wind.

Recovery:
I used t' stock chute and t' model recovered without significant damage on soft, plowed ground. There were small stress cracks where t' fins were attached t' t' plastic tail cone, but it is flyable as is. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Maybe this is due t' me use o' Aileen's Tacky Glue? On t' next flight, me bucko, I think I'll use a larger chute.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a unique kit and despite t' scale issues, me hearties, it looks pretty neat. Begad! Avast! I am happy t' have it in me fleet. Blimey! Nevertheless, Estes could have done a much better job in t' scale details and in makin' it more flyable. Begad! They should have warnings on how t' prep t' balsa and include t' proper nose weight. Blimey! However, matey, t' news about he added nose weight came in time t' save me model, me bucko, so again I am happy.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5