Brief:
This kit is easy t' build but, shiver me timbers, due t' t' amount o' detail, takes a great deal o' time t' build. Begad! Ahoy! It is a "scale" model o' a Star Wars X-Win' fighter.

Construction:
T' body consists o' several plastic parts that must be fit and clued, me hearties, along with a center body tube. Avast! It also has elaborate win' assemblies with many parts that must be fit together and carefully aligned. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Fortunately t' pieces are well cut and fit together well with little or no trimmin' required.

T' instructions are well written and easy t' understand. Avast! However, don't expect t' throw it together and go flying. Begad! There are numerous steps and a lot o' glue-dryin' breaks. Arrr! Blimey! I spent a couple hours a weekend for over a month t' make sure it would do t' job. Avast! T' included alignment guides made construction very easy and trouble free. Begad! Avast! After t' first flight I reconstructed half t' model t' keep it together as it took only 1 hard landin' t' separate t' model from its numerous goodies/detail pieces. Aye aye! More on that in t' flight reviews. My recommendation is t' use CA for t' 'small' parts as white glue and plastic glue will nay hold this thin' together over t' long-haul. Begad! Naturally, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, as has been said here many times about Estes, me hearties, double t' length o' t' shock cord unless YOU want t' get a shock. Ahoy! In me case, t' shock was when t' shock cord ripped a pieces o' t' center body tube out at ejection!

Finishing:
Finishin' involved shootin' a coat o' flat-white on t' entire model and a little bit o' hand-paintin' on t' cockpit and t' engines- easy enough. T' decals are a different matter altogether. Begad! Arrr! They are water-based, arrr, but really appeared t' have little or no glue on them. Blimey! A clear coat is usually recommended, matey, here it is really required. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' decals are nay terribly hard t' position but they do nay stay well once set.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was on a C6-3 and be straight and surprisingly fast. Ahoy! T' model, for all o' its surface area and weight, flew higher than I expected. Ya scallywag! Ejection be far too early and t' speed was sufficient t' rip t' shock cord out, ya bilge rat, me bucko, complete with a piece o' t' center body tube. Aye aye! Avast! T' nose cone came down quite gently with t' 9" parachute attached. Arrr! T' body came down in several pieces. Well, blow me down! Fortunately t' surface area o' it made it float a bit. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! otherwise t' damage would have been substantial. Begad! Blimey! As it was, no pieces were actually broken. Begad! T' pieces that came off were those that I glued accordin' t' t' instructions (the weapons and t' thrusters). Ahoy! I repaired t' damage, matey, this time usin' CA and doublin' t' shock cord length, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, and launched again t' next day. Aye aye! This tine I used a C6-5 and lift-off was t' same, arrr, as was t' flight. Ejection was perfect, at apogee, and it floated down within 40' o' t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! No new damage. Ya scallywag! Read this flight account twice again and that will cover t' 3rd and 4th flights. What a crowd pleaser! If I had nay run out o' C6-5's I'm nay sure I would have been allowed t' fly anythin' else!

Recovery:
As noted, double t' shock cord length. Ya scallywag! O' all o' t' Estes models I have flown over t' years, this be t' first one that has needed this for me, ya bilge rat, arrr, and it really needs it! Recovery, me bucko, since t' noted changes, matey, arrr, has been excellent. Aye aye! Ahoy! Just be careful packin' t' 'chute as thar be just enough space for it.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
Involved but easy construction, good detail, arrr, me bucko, flies well. Once you get around t' decals and t' seemingly standard Estes gotcha, this is a nice one t' have around.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5