Brief:
Another Star Wars rocket, which is basically a plastic model with a rocket tube stickin' out o' it. Ahoy! Blimey! As with most Star Wars rockets, me bucko, me bucko, it's nay t' most aerodynamic o' shapes and requires a significant amount o' nose mass for stability.

Construction:
Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter comes in several plastic parts - t' "probe" which is two body tubes; a two-part nose cone; a connector; and a Star Wars parachute. Blimey! Aye aye! (There was another version o' this kit, matey, ya bilge rat, which was a starter kit that had a pre-built Tie fighter.)

To build t' kit I used white PVA glue and plastic cement. T' instructions are t' usual Estes step-by-step affair. Well, blow me down! T' Tie Fighter fits together easily and thar are no gotchas. T' probe is pretty standard as far as Star Wars goes. Ahoy! T' nose cone needs all o' t' clay provided t' raise t' CG above CP. T' parachute provided is a Star Wars parachute and is attached t' t' tube with t' standard tri-fold paper method. Avast, me proud beauty! Lastly, I lengthened t' shock cord and added a snap swivel t' ease parachute exchange.

Finishing:
None needed. Well, blow me down! T' Tie fighter itself is a decent model. There is a good degree o' detail. Begad! T' probe is black and pre-finished.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are B4-2, B6-2 (first flight), and C6-5. Begad! T' rocket was prepped with a motor and 4 pieces o' wadding. Begad! Ya scallywag! B motors are nay t' wisest o' choice for this rocket as it is heavy and does nay get very high. Begad! Avast! A C6-5 would be an incredibly poor choice o' motor as t' delay is far too long. Begad! I reckon that a C6-5 would be close t' ground by t' time t' ejection charge went off.

All flights so far have been interesting. T' rocket gives a marginally stable flight with a waggle or aft spiral towards t' end o' t' boost phase. Ahoy! Blimey! T' delay at 3 seconds is too long--on a straight boost its one second t' late and on a arched boost t' rocket almost glides and t' ejection is 2 seconds late.

Recovery:
With t' longer elastic shock cord thar haven't been any problems and thar be plenty o' room for t' parachute in t' probe.

On every landin' t' probe and popped out o' one side o' its clip. Ahoy! Blimey! This has nay damaged t' rocket yet although it may do so after several landings

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great rocket for a Star Wars fan. Avast, me proud beauty! However, because o' t' interestin' flight patterns, arrr, I would nay fly this with many people watchin' as it's too unpredictable for a crowd launch.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5