Brief:
T' Challenger 1 was an Estes almost ready t' fly kits that first appeared in the 1977 catalog. Begad! T' kit was a fairly generic lookin' rocket with a plastic nose cone and fin can. Arrr! T' fin can would become one o' t' more durable in Estes history, ya bilge rat, me hearties, poppin' up on starter kits and stand alone kits several times over t' years. Arrr! Begad! Accordin' t' Barclone's Craig McGraw, some, arrr, if nay possibly all the kits t' use this fin can were:

• #1235 Sky Writer #2
• #1260 Sky Writer #2 (same kit, me hearties, shiver me timbers, different package)
• #1328 Kadet
• #1333 Scorpion (used 2 fin units)
• #1418 Star Trek (starter set)
• #1420 Star Wars Proton Torpedo (starter set)
• #1438 Dune Guild Heighliner (starter set)
• #1993 Lancer
• #2026 Athena
• #2042 America

Because t' 1977 catalog be me first, I've always had a soft spot for the Challenger 1. When t' opportunity arose t' get one on eBay, shiver me timbers, I grabbed it.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• Original nose cone
• Original fin unit
• Original 12" parachute
• Original 18mm engine hook
• Replacement section o' BT-50
• 18" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 24" sewin' elastic shock cord
• 18mm engine mount
• launch lug
• decals

This wasn't so much a construction project as it was a restoration. I won a Challenger 1 starter set in an eBay auction and was shocked at t' poor condition o' t' rocket when it arrived. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! (Turns out that was me fault. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I hadn't looked closely enough at t' auction. T' seller had described it well, arrr, but I hadn't bothered t' read before bidding.) T' first thin' that struck me was how thin t' body tube material was. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It seemed t' be somewhere betwixt typin' paper and a regular body tube, but it be badly smashed in several spots, me bucko, shiver me timbers, had yellowed t' t' point o' bein' brown, and was obviously past saving. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I was bummed because I had hoped t' at least fly it a couple o' times as another of my eBay rescues, but me spirits perked up when I made a discovery. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' original builder had constructed everythin' with white glue, and t' original body tube and engine mount simply slid out o' t' fin can when given a gentle tug. This left me with t' original fin can and nose cone, ya bilge rat, matey, so I decided t' update the internals and give it a chance t' fly. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This was a simple matter o' cuttin' out a like-sized section o' BT-50 and constructin' an updated 18mm engine mount (with an 18" piece o' Keelhaul®©™® glued into t' forward centerin' ring), then matin' t' parts together with somethin' more substantial than white glue--I used LocTite Gel CA. Avast! Arrr! T' good news is that t' Challenger is now assembled in a fairly sturdy fashion. Begad! Well, blow me down! The bad news is that t' next person that attempts t' "restore" it is goin' t' have a heck o' a time gettin' it all apart. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

Finishing:
Finishin' was a pretty simple process although nay as simple as t' original build. T' original Challenger 1 body tube was colored white and t' plastic nose and tail were orange, so it was a simple matter o' puttin' them together and slappin' on t' decals. Begad! T' years had nay been all that kind t' t' plastic parts, arrr, so both were stuck into a scrap piece o' BT-50 and sprayed with Valspar Harvest Orange gloss. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! After eliminatin' t' spirals with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and some sanding, I primed t' body tube and then sprayed it with Valspar gloss white. Well, blow me down! Once t' parts were together, me bucko, I used a cleaned up decal scan t' print a new decal on Bel paper. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! As a result, arrr, when it's on t' pad, you'd be hard pressed t' tell that anythin' has been done t' it. Aye aye! It just looks like an extremely clean example o' a seldom seen old rocket.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I've only managed one flight with t' Challenger 1 t' date, arrr, but it performed well enough t' earn a spot on me small field list. Ya scallywag! Since I had very little to compare it to, ya bilge rat, I chose t' go conservative with t' first flight and picked a B6-4. Blimey! Despite t' somewhat weighty feel o' t' rocket, me hearties, matey, it performed well on the B engine, toppin' out fairly high but nay out o' sight. Begad! There be some weathercockin' in t' light breeze but that helped with t' recovery walk.

Recovery:
Ejection occurred at apogee and t' rocket drifted back toward t' pad at what looked t' be a rapid clip. Aye aye! It recovered just past t' pad and impacted hard on its stock 12" chute, arrr, ya bilge rat, which spoke volumes o' t' damage I'd noted t' the original body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! As thin as it had been, it wouldn't have stood up t' many landings like that one. Arrr! Future flights might warrant a larger parachute, not quite 18" but bigger than t' 12".

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Always nice t' have t' opportunity t' fly somethin' vintage, me bucko, no matter how simple.

CONs: Simplistic design and graphics. Suspect quality o' original materials.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5