Brief:
Tango Papa's 1.6x Mars Lander is a nice upscale o' t' vintage Estes Kit that fetches ungodly amounts o' loot in an auction. If you have t' same fond memories o' t' Estes kit from your childhood that I do, matey, then you need t' look at this kit. Begad! T' kit comes standard with a 29mm motor mount, me hearties, me hearties, me bucko, and parachutes are optional. Aye aye! I believe t' standard parachutes come from Top Flight, matey, me bucko, but I'm nay certain. Blimey! Shock cord is a length o' standard elastic.

A complete set o' decals, ya bilge rat, upscaled from t' original Estes decals, me bucko, comes on a sheet with t' kit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! As one can expect from Tango Papa, matey, t' decal appearance is impressive.

A nice final touch be t' inclusion o' dual-purpose motor retention hardware. Avast! Nay only do t' bolts hold t' motor in place, matey, but they also hold t' aft o' t' rocket on, which means it can easily be removed.

Construction:
T' kit includes a lot more parts than t' standard high-power kits, me hearties, arrr, matey, which is understandable, considerin' t' complexity o' t' end result. Begad! T' parachute tube is a heavy, rough cardboard tube; normally, I wouldn't like this, but since this tube is completely covered by t' shrouds, structurable integrity be t' only thin' that matters. Ya scallywag! T' descent stage tube, shiver me timbers, which is where t' legs come through, arrr, is a good quality phenolic. Begad! Begad! T' motor tube is good quality cardboard tube.

Also included are a plywood centerin' rings for t' large tube, ya bilge rat, as well as three wooden rings t' mount t' motor tube into t' parachute tube, and t' also provide a mountin' point for t' leg supports. Blimey! Blimey! All are high-quality parts.

Many o' t' smaller pieces are laser-cut from appropriate materials, includin' basswood and balsa. T' main leg braces are made from aluminum rod, arrr, which is appropriate since this is what takes t' primary force.

T' legs are attached t' t' body with heavy vinyl tubin' for t' hinges, just like t' Estes kit. T' kit also includes rubber bands for use as springs, me hearties, me hearties, arrr, once again like Estes. Well, blow me down! T' bands supplied could nay support t' assembled weight o' me lander, arrr, so I replaced them with small springs from t' local hardware store.

T' shrouds themselves are printed on poster-board with lines instead o' bein' embossed like in t' original kit. Avast! Fabric paint is supplied t' allow t' builder t' draw raised lines t' give t' shrouds detail. Ahoy! More on this later.

T' shrouds themselves require rings t' hold their shape and provide attachment points. Arrr! Avast! These rings are foam-core board, ya bilge rat, which is plenty sufficient for this purpose.

To complete t' kit, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, you will have t' provide appropriate weight, arrr, which t' kit provides placement instructions for. I found that flexible fishin' weights (basically braided nylon tubes with shot in them) worked well for t' weight t' be placed in t' top shroud.

This kit is nay for t' impatient. I estimate that I spent 10 hours or so just buildin' t' legs and gettin' them sanded properly. Blimey! Avast! Durin' this time, t' kit progress really seemed t' creep along. Once t' legs were done, things picked up a bit, although I still estimate I spent about 30 hours in construction time.

T' instructions are fairly detailed and quite lengthy, although a bit confusin' in some cases. Blimey! It is critical that you read and understand t' steps before performin' them, me bucko, or it may come back t' bite you later on. Tom Prestia is very good about answerin' emails with questions regardin' t' instructions.

There are also some photographs included t' help with certain aspects. Blimey! Ahoy! These definitely are valuable.

As started earlier, arrr, matey, t' shrouds are made from poster-board with lines printed on them where t' Estes shrouds were embossed. Begad! T' fabric paint supplied works nicely for creatin' raised details, although it takes a steady handy for best results. Avast, me proud beauty! Because I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, me details aren't as nice as what others are able t' do, although I am happy with t' result.

In formin' t' shrouds, shiver me timbers, I suggest usin' rubber cement t' glue t' ends o' t' shroud together. Ahoy! I used white glue, matey, and have a minor point where mine are joined. Avast, me proud beauty! With rubber cement, t' joint stays flexible while t' support rings are installed, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so t' end result is better. Well, blow me down! Since t' rings themselves are what actually hold t' shrouds in place, usin' rubber cement will nay present a structural issue down t' road.

Patience and a small bit o' fiddlin' are required t' get some o' t' final details t' fit properly. Avast! This task isn't overly difficult, but is also somethin' that you cannot rush, me bucko, me bucko, or it will show in t' end result.

Finishing:
Finishin' is quite easy, me bucko, since t' legs are removable. Ya scallywag! Begad! On t' original Estes kit, shiver me timbers, it is necessary t' paint t' legs prior t' assembly, me bucko, then mask them off when t' main portion o' t' rocket is assembled. Begad! Begad! T' Tango Papa kit has removable legs, me hearties, so paintin' is a lot easier.

Since t' kit includes a lot o' decals, shiver me timbers, and all t' decals come on a single sheet, matey, it takes time t' cut and place everythin' appropriately. Also, t' decal film is a bit thin, so if you are nay careful, arrr, they will curl under themselves. Begad! Patience, me bucko, once again, shiver me timbers, is necessary for t' best final result.

I covered me completed rocket with Future floor finish t' provide some protection for t' decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
While Tom Prestia recommends G motors for this lander, arrr, I wasn't comfortable with such a small motor in a rocket this heavy. Instead, I used an H128-S for all me flights.

My lander has flown four times, with three beautiful launches. Avast! Begad! Up was quite impressive on those three, me hearties, with t' fourth havin' problems which I can only blame on myself.

There's a simple little law in physics which states that an object at rest wants t' stay at rest. Ya scallywag! This applies well t' our rockets, and in provides itself on t' second flight o' me lander. T' first time I flew t' lander, ya bilge rat, I used a standoff which kept t' base fairly high off t' pad. On t' second flight, for some reason, me hearties, I didn't use a standoff. Begad! This meant that t' aft o' t' rocket be pretty much right on t' blast deflector plate. Avast! Blimey! That be fine, except for t' legs. Begad! Because t' legs are hinged, ya bilge rat, when t' motor first fires, t' legs try t' stay in place when t' rocket body begins moving. Aye aye! This results in t' feet "tuckin' under" t' rocket a bit. Begad! Due t' t' size o' our club's blast deflectors, once foot was able t' catch on t' deflector when this happened. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! That put a pull on one side o' t' rocket, causin' t' rod t' flex in that direction. Avast, me proud beauty! Eventually, t' leg pulled free form t' lander body, matey, shiver me timbers, freein' t' rocket. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Now, physics comes into play twice -- first be t' asymmetrical drag on t' rocket. Blimey! Begad! Second be t' launch rod now snappin' back t' t' other side, causin' t' rocket t' be flung off t' rod on an arc. Well, blow me down! T' rocket spun in t' air, arrr, then slammed into t' ground when t' motor cut out.

Moral o' this story? ALWAYS use a stand-off with t' Mars Lander, arrr, unless t' deflector can in no way hook t' feet when t' legs tuck under on launch.

On me fourth and latest launch, me hearties, me hearties, I ran into a different issue, ya bilge rat, me bucko, which is also nay t' manufacturer's fault. Begad! T' parachute tangled on deployment, keepin' t' canopy from fully inflating. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This caused t' rocket t' come in a bit fast, arrr, and sustain some (repairable) damage on landing.

Recovery:
There are two decent quality parachutes included with t' kit. Ahoy! On me first two launches, I used t' included parachutes for t' main body o' t' rocket, and recovered t' nose cone on a separate 15" parachute, at t' recommendation o' t' manufacturer.

Due t' space limitations, me bucko, packin' that much parachute into t' rocket is tricky, so I have since switched t' a single larger parachute I had custom-built for this rocket.

Includin' one larger parachute with t' kit would be an improvement, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I believe.

I have also replaced t' elastic with a long piece o' light-weight tubular Keelhaul®©™ -- I'm just nay comfortable with elastic in rockets, matey, and especially nay in high-power.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, matey, I be very pleased with this kit. Impressed enough that I convinced me wife t' buy me t' 2x Mars Lander for Christmas t' followin' year. Begad! T' 1.6x Lander was a Christmas gift, shiver me timbers, also.

T' biggest improvement that Tom made with this kit is makin' t' back end removable, so that t' legs can be serviced.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
You could, with minor edits, shiver me timbers, use t' 2x review for t' 1.6x kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' only difference would be t' motors and flight info.