Brief:
This is a review o' t' OOP Estes Master's Series Space Shuttle, shiver me timbers, me hearties, EST# 1284. Avast, me proud beauty! It is a 1/162 scale replica o' t' Space Shuttle and includes both Orbiter and booster sections. Aye aye! Begad! These sections are connected at launch, ya bilge rat, boost on a single C5-3 or C6-3 engine, shiver me timbers, and separate when t' 'main engine' ejects. Aye aye! T' Orbiter uses glide recovery while t' booster uses a parachute. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! For flight, thar are removable fin units that mount in t' SRBs. Well, blow me down! For display, shiver me timbers, plastic nozzles are provided.

Construction:
T' Space Shuttle came packaged like a typical Estes kit (plastic bags, ya bilge rat, etc). This is definitely a skill-level-4 kit with 16 pages o' detailed instructions containin' 53 steps. It claims t' require 4 types o' glue and 6 colors o' paint. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! T' parts list includes 27 line items includin' t' chute, decals, etc. Begad! Blimey! T' balsa fins, me bucko, matey, cardboard body wraps/detailing, and vacuum-molded Orbiter components are all die cut. T' die cut plastic components made t' Orbiter assembly a lot easier, as I never seem t' get a good fit when I have t' cut them with a knife.

I built t' kit stock, down t' t' elastic shock cord. I figured it be good enough for several flights, and I probably will nay fly it too often. Begad! I substituted Titebond for t' white glue, and since I didn't want t' go out and buy 3 types o' glue that I normally don't use (contact cement, arrr, plastic cement, and liquid plastic cement), shiver me timbers, matey, I used CA (medium and thick) instead. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I assembled t' entire booster (main tank/SRBs) this way and it worked fine. Begad! Later, when I got t' t' Orbiter, which is almost all plastic, I broke down and got some liquid plastic cement. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I want t' point out a general rule in buildin' models - one that I don't seem t' follow. Avast! That is, me hearties, read ALL t' instructions before you start. I didn't pay attention and used t' elastic strin' required for t' adjustment o' t' Orbiter's elevons in another spot. Aye aye! Begad! DUH. Aye aye! I did, arrr, however, matey, shiver me timbers, find a suitable replacement when buildin' t' Orbiter. Begad! My feeble mind was confused by t' fact that t' chute came pre-assembled, and t' instructions called for a piece o' twine from t' chute. I followed t' instructions pretty much as is, arrr, but I did skip ahead at times t' keep busy while parts dried. Aye aye! Blimey! I found one fin be broken out o' t' bag; however, this be easily fixed with some glue and tissue. Ya scallywag! Begad! I stopped at t' point that t' main tank, SRBs, matey, and removable fin units were complete. Avast, me proud beauty! At this point, I decided that I would separately paint each section. After these sections are assembled, it would be very difficult t' paint them different colors. Ya scallywag! T' fit o' t' plastic Orbiter parts was nay perfect, ya bilge rat, but nay too bad. Begad! T' first step in trimmin' t' Orbiter glider is balancin' it and adjustin' t' nose weight. Avast! T' kit provides two weights. Arrr! Blimey! I used one weight and some clay instead o' cuttin' t' second one up. Next, ya bilge rat, you adjust t' elevons with a strin' that is run through t' center engine nozzle in t' rear. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This strin' pulls on a plastic arm on t' elevon assembly, while t' elastic strin' mentioned earlier maintains tension. After quite a bit o' adjustment, t' Orbiter still seems t' glide like a brick (kind o' like t' real thing?). Begad! Blimey! If I was confident in me detailed model buildin' abilities, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I would give a construction ratin' o' 2.5, matey, but will give it t' benefit o' t' doubt and bump it up a point.

Finishing:
I decided t' use t' current Shuttle paint scheme, arrr, me hearties, with a brown main tank and white boosters. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! As I mentioned above, ya bilge rat, these were painted prior t' their final assembly. I used white spray paint and t' rest was brush-on. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I didn't want t' buy multiple spray paints, nor am I that skilled in maskin' small details. Ahoy! I even mixed me own light gray-green for t' tip o' t' Orbiter's nose and t' leadin' edge o' t' wings. Begad! T' decals are t' water-slide variety. Blimey! They went on fine, but some o' t' smaller ones literally blew away when I sprayed t' final clear coat. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' end result, arrr, like many o' me finish jobs, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, looks good from a distance.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' kit flies on C5-3 and C6-3 engines only. Arrr! Blimey! I chose a C6-3 because that is what I had available. T' winds were blowin' betwixt 5-10 mph (my guess) when I launched. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' boost was slow (read that realistic) and thar be some wobble and weathercocking.

Recovery:
T' recovery system is typical Estes with an elastic shock cord and a plastic chute. Ya scallywag! Ejection appeared t' occur just before apogee and t' Booster separated, shiver me timbers, just as it be supposed to. It turned with t' wind and came down at a fairly steep angle, again, just like t' real thing. Aye aye! It landed nicely without damage. Ahoy! T' one problem was singein' on t' elastic shock cord, which is no big surprise. Avast! Ahoy! I will have t' replace it before t' next flight - should have done it at t' start! I rate t' flight/recovery at 5/5, me bucko, and take off ½ point for t' elastic shock cord.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs 1. Well, blow me down! Great lookin' scale model. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 2. Aye aye! Relatively easy t' build, considerin' t' number o' components. Ahoy! Blimey! 3. Begad! Blimey! Realistic lookin' boost and Orbiter recovery. 4. Avast! Begad! Blimey! Neat rocket!

CONs 1. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Fin stock was broken out o' t' package. 2. Ya scallywag! Begad! Some steps are hard t' understand and require lookin' at all t' finishin' diagrams t' understand what is intended 3. Begad! Arrr! T' fit o' t' Orbiter parts is so-so 4. Junky recovery components - typical Estes.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5