Buildin' up t' booster is fun, shiver me timbers, as it's a far cry from basic 3FNC design. Aye aye! Blimey! There are a lot o' lines t' mark (usin' wrap-around markin' guide). Blimey! Arrr! T' fin assemblies go on first, and thar's even a cardstock alignment guide (though mine was off a small bit). Next come fairings attached t' t' main fins. I'm nay sure I get why this isn't done offline rather than once t' main fins are already on, and I'd suggest bondin' them all at once.

I followed up by attachin' a pair o' forward strakes, followed by (4) trim pieces at t' aft end, arrr, 2 o' which serve as support braces for t' shuttle later.

Flippin' it over, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, thar are more trim details on t' underside, arrr, and positionin' is made much easier by usin' a cardstock template.

T' glider construction features as simple a technique as I've ever seen for buildin' a dihedral on t' wing--just drape each half over t' BT-20 body tube and glue in place. Blimey! Seal off t' aft end with a cardboard disk, then trim it with a rolled shroud (nacelle). Rear elevons are attached and alignment again is assured by usin' a cardstock template. Begad! Last but nay least, matey, me hearties, t' rudder goes on, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, along with t' launch lug/dowel that acts as a pin holdin' t' shuttle t' t' carrier rocket.

Finishing:
Finishin' is quite easy on this, and t' finished rocket is very good looking. Blimey! Since this is a glider, shiver me timbers, it's important t' go easy on t' weight, arrr, so I hit mine with a very light primer and single coat o' gloss white Krylon for t' shuttle. T' carrier rocket got two coats o' gloss white. Begad! I avoided usin' any filler at all.

T' decals really make this look sharp. Avast! Blimey! I'd rate them right up thar near t' classic Interceptor in terms o' impact on appearance. Avast, me proud beauty! In this case, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, Semroc stayed pretty close t' t' original Estes decals, me bucko, though inserted their own name in a few spots.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, I ventured out on a cold winter day with winds puffin' a steady 5-6, maybe peakin' at 10. Aye aye! I had ham-fistedly broken one fin prepping, so had t' CA it back on and wait for it t' cure.

I went with a C6-5, t' highest recommended motor, in part wantin' t' make sure I had plenty o' thrust t' overcome any wind. Begad! Blimey! It left t' rod fine, me hearties, but on t' way up did a gentle swoopin' barrel roll, then leveled out into a nearly horizontal flight path, peakin' at about 300 feet. Begad! Blimey! T' glider held on t' whole way, me hearties, impressive given t' pilot's aerobatics.

Recovery:
T' 12" plastic chute strikes me as a bit small for this, shiver me timbers, and I came down a bit hard but landed in snow, so no damage. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! As for t' glider, it fared reasonably well against t' winds, me hearties, me bucko, tryin' its best t' circle around t' t' left, t' gettin' knocked around a bit, then levellin' back out for another attempt at a turn. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I'd say I lasted about 40 seconds, which be actually pretty good given t' poor boost altitude.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I'm a big fan o' t' classic Orbital Transport, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, and really like this retro-repro, bringin' it back at an affordable price, especially with t' improvement o' laser-cut fins. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Havin' just built t' SST Shuttle competitor t' this, though, ya bilge rat, I'd have t' say I tend t' like t' cool ramjets o' that one just a bit better. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Still, arrr, shiver me timbers, you can't go wrong with either one in your fleet.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5