Brief:
An OOP rocket o' t' space shuttle. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Estes have released a few other space shuttles that have been gliders. Well, blow me down! This older one is just t' shuttle itself and recovers by a parachute. Ahoy! Blimey! I got two o' these older rockets from a rocketeer that be givin' up t' hobby. Both kits had been opened and had bits missing, me bucko, however these were easily replaced. Blimey! Blimey! This review is for Estes kit number 1424, which seems t' be identical t' kit 1385. Arrr! Blimey! T' difference betwixt t' kits is what came with t' rocket.

Construction:
T' kit consists of:

• Body tube, BT 60 K - 7 inch
• 2 balsa fin sheets
• Plastic launch lug
• nose cone and pods
• engine Mount tube
• Engine hook
• Die cut rings
• Die cut Card
• Shock cord
• Clay Weight
• Decal sheet
• Pattern sheet
• Shroud lines
• Tape disks
• 18-inch parachute

To build t' kit I used:

• CA gel glue
• White wood glue
• Sand paper
• Primer
• White spray paint
• Black paint

T' first thin' I had t' do was cut out a section o' balsa win' that was missing. Ahoy! Havin' done this, I then checked t' make sure all o' t' parts were there. Avast, me proud beauty! Next was t' swap parts for newer or better parts. Begad! T' die cut rings were upgraded, shiver me timbers, t' parachute swapped for a handmade rip stop nylon one, shiver me timbers, t' shock cord changed for a length o' Keelhaul®©™ thread and a longer length o' elastic cord, t' clay weight had gone hard and brittle so that was swapped.

T' instructions are o' t' typical Estes style, matey, arrr, and t' build is relatively straightforward. Begad! Ahoy! T' win' is made up o' 8 pieces o' balsa that need t' be glued together. In me kit t' previous owner had already started this – badly. Begad! Begad! There be a lot o' fillin' and sandin' t' be done. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! One gotcha here is t' cut out t' flaps that are done in step 17 after step 4 – it makes t' job easier.

There are a few sheets o' card that are used in t' build which go on easily this is nay true o' t' plastic OMS pods that have t' be cut out and then glued into place. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Heavy fillets o' white glue were needed t' give a good finish.

T' flaps that are added are thar t' give a straight boost.

Finishing:
T' balsa in t' kit was a varyin' quality and required three coats o' sandin' sealer and several layers o' primer, with sandin' betwixt coats, t' body tube had deep spirals in it. T' rocket was coated with white spray paint and then had t' black paint applied by brush. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I'm nay good at paintin' and I took some liberties with t' design. Arrr! Despite t' decals bein' old and o' t' water slide variety, some went on okay, matey, ya bilge rat, but unfortunately some disintegrated when they came off t' backin' paper. Arrr! In hindsight I should have clear coated them before tryin' t' apply them.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are: A8-3, me bucko, matey, B4-4, me bucko, B6-4, ya bilge rat, B8-5, arrr, C6-5.

T' first, matey, and last flight was on a B6-4, ya bilge rat, after a climb o' about 10 foot it arched and flow horizontal until crashin' into t' ground under full thrust. Blimey! T' motor mount be badly damaged. I was able t' reset t' mount, but in doin' so damaged t' body tube.

T' motor had failed t' set off its ejection charge, and when I looked at t' launch photo, matey, t' thrust jet seems t' be angled a few degrees off. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' motor was probably t' cause o' t' arching.

After repairin' t' shuttle, she had a few more flights.

Stickin' with C6-3s she performed better, but each flight was far from perfect, she shimmers on t' boost, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and always arches slightly. A delay o' 5 seconds is too long given her arched flights, I would nay fly her on an A motor either.

Recovery:
With one bad flight I am tempted t' tank t' review points, shiver me timbers, but other rocketeers have flown this model without problems. Well, blow me down! My first flight was due t' a bad motor.

Recovery is fine on t' parachute size provided

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
She's a nice lookin' model, but nay a great flyer, I have another one in me build pile but I doubt if I'll put that one t' t' top o' t' build list.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5