Brief:
2x upscale o' classic Estes Mars Lander. Avast, me proud beauty! 38mm motor mount accommodates a range o' recommended motors in t' G-I range, some o' which require a 29mm adapter.

Construction:
Parts list:

• 1 7.5" x 7" long PML phenolic body tube
• 2 7.5" tube couplers
• 1 Nose cone
• 1 3" dia long parachute tube
• 1 38mm motor mount tube
• 1 set assorted plywood centerin' rings
• 4 pre-cut plywood lander legs
• 8 pre-cut balsa gear housings
• Lots o' assorted pre-printed shrouds, me bucko, gear supports, shiver me timbers, gear housin' covers, matey, wrap-ons, ya bilge rat, etc. Aye aye! Ahoy!
• 8 1/4" dia aluminum rods for use on lander leg bottoms and internal supports
• 11 dowels for construction o' landers lags
• Assorted hardware (screw eyes, screws, washers, nuts, shiver me timbers, bands, Keelhaul®©™® cord, etc.)
• 1 length o' plastic tube for internal hinges and leg strut cylinders

Included instructions are thorough and probably mirror t' techniques used in the 3.9" and 1.6x upscales offered by Tango Papa. Begad! Instructions basically follow t' logical sequence introduced by the Estes Kit 40-odd years ago. Arrr! Since this is complex mid-to-high power rocket, previous experience is a must. Well, me bucko, blow me down! No real "gotchas" discovered by me, just make sure you read through t' instructions several times t' become familiar with t' steps. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! If you take your time, follow t' instructions, ya bilge rat, and build t' fly, this model has t' potential t' be a great performer.

Be careful rollin' t' two major shrouds. Ya scallywag! Begad! They'll crease if you're nay careful. Begad! Other than that, me bucko, just have fun buildin' this beast.

Finishing:
Pros: T' fabric paint provides a nice touch t' t' external detailin' although in reverse compared t' t' classic Estes kit (fabric paint is raised, Estes wraps are embossed and therefore t' detail is recessed.)

It's nay that easy t' get continuous straight lines with this stuff, so practice, matey, practice, practice. Well, blow me down! Blimey! One good thin' is you can easily remove t' paint (wet or dry) t' make corrections. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Just let adjacent paint dry before you proceed so you don't mess up t' acceptable work.

One gotcha that eventually worked itself out for me was paintin' t' landin' strut cylinders. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Those clear plastic flexible tubes on t' upper dowel o' t' legs. Arrr! Standard silver paint just would nay dry once applied and stayed tacky for months. Begad! I decided t' just cut t' tubes off and start over. Begad! Ya scallywag! I cut new tubes from hardware store bought tubing. Arrr! I slit it lengthwise so I could apply it over t' dowel, secured with a bit o' medium or thick CA. Avast! Ya scallywag! Then I took plain white mailin' labels with sticky back and cut t' size t' completely cover t' rubber tube. Avast! This also provided an additional way t' secure them t' t' dowels since I had t' slit them t' get them t' fit over t' dowel. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Once those were complete I soaked t' mailin' labels with thin CA and let dry before sandin' smooth and paintin' them silver. Ahoy! This solution was perfect and t' paint dried perfectly. Aye aye!

I used Wal-Mart gloss white in a spray can t' finish t' body before applyin' t' provided decals. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I used similar red and silver paint as appropriate. Tom's decals are excellent quality and I had no problems applyin' them. Begad! Aye aye! I haven't applied a gloss coat yet, matey, maybe after t' next flight.

Tom provides no ballast for this beast. Tom calls for 13 ounces I hollowed out t' nose cone with a spade bit and used 5 ounces o' fishin' weights. I think I actually used a bit more than 5 ounces - maybe 6 or 6 1/2 ounces t' be on t' safe side and account for excess epoxy used durin' construction o' t' aft end o' t' rocket. For t' weight in t' ascent shroud, me hearties, I used 8 ounces o' sticky-back thin lead weights I bought at a Hobby Bench. I applied them around t' inside circumference o' t' ascent shroud, ensurin' I left enough space near t' top o' the shroud t' clear t' parachute tube. Blimey! I then secured each strip o' weights with a good slatherin' o' epoxy. Blimey! This method worked for me and should keep t' weights secured t' t' inside o' t' ascent shroud.

Another item you'll need t' provide is an inch or so o' 38mm motor tube for t' landin' pads. Begad! Where Estes used an 18mm engine block betwixt t' two discs, Tom tells you t' cut some 38mm motor tube. You should have some left over from the engine mount construction. Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! Also, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' landin' pads (2 discs for each leg) are thick balsa. Ya scallywag! You might upgrade these by visitin' a craft store and look for some round wooden discs. Ahoy! For t' top discs, arrr, you'll need t' cut an oval for the smaller end o' t' landin' legs t' fit into, but carefully placed holes with a drill bit should accomplish that, followed by cleanin' up with a small rasp or file. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' small balsa side pieces on t' pads can also be upgraded with hardwood from t' hobby shop balsa display. Ya scallywag! Use plenty o' epoxy when gluin' everythin' together and they should hold together. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' token amount o' added weight over balsa should be negligible when usin' t' powerful motors while providin' additional strength t' t' landin' pads.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Tom provides a table o' recommended motors t' include expected altitude, velocity, arrr, me hearties, ejection delay, me bucko, ejection velocity, and which motors work best with engine ejection and electronic ejection. T' primary concern bein' shreddin' t' chutes if t' expected ejection velocity exceeds t' "speed o' nylon."

Despite startin' me lander in fall o' 2006, ya bilge rat, I completed all t' major subassemblies t' flight specs includin' the entire airframe within a couple months then I let it sit for a few months. Blimey! I decided t' finish me lander in time for the March 10, 2007 Superstition Spacemodellin' Society launch at Rainbow Valley Arizona. Ya scallywag!

Recovery:
T' kit provides for some Keelhaul®©™® thread that attaches t' t' forward motor mount centerin' ring. Begad! Ya scallywag! I secured that in two places, arrr, formin' an upside down "V". Avast! At t' apex o' t' "V" I attached t' supplied half-inch elastic shock cord, me hearties, which is quite a few feet long. I ordered t' kit with dual 36" nylon 'chutes. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Nose cone has three screw eyes, one for t' shock cord and each o' t' chutes. Avast, me proud beauty! For recovery I slipped a 24" long Nomex® shock cord protector on first then attached a Nomex® chute protector for a 4" tube above that. I folded t' shock cord into several individual packets, ya bilge rat, each secured by a wrap o' clear tape. After loadin' those into t' chute tube, I affixed a smaller Nomex® chute protector on t' shock cord and finally prepped and packed t' twin chutes accordin' t' t' kit instructions. Blimey! At the launch site, shiver me timbers, I prepped t' I211W in t' 38/480mm casing. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Because t' motor included a medium delay element, I removed delay about a 1/4", me bucko, matey, thinkin' I'd be removin' about 4 seconds o' t' delay. Launched from a far pad, the I211W ignited immediately and t' lander shot off t' pad with a roar. Blimey! Ascent was dead straight though ejection occurred a bit early.

In t' end I might have removed a bit too much because I had a fairly early ejection that may have caused the minor damage experienced. That damage was limited t' t' shock cord apparently tanglin' around a lander leg and literally removed it from t' internal mountin' lug. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Through me camera lens I noticed t' leg fallin' t' earth and it was recovered near touchdown location. Begad! Avast! T' chutes deployed perfectly and t' lander settled into a respectable descent, eventually landin' upright on t' three remainin' legs. Ya scallywag! Upon reachin' t' lander, I discovered nay only had t' leg been removed but t' associated landin' pad assembly at t' end o' t' leg had been violently removed. Fortunately, it was all repairable. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I also noticed thar was some minor nose cone damage from impactin' t' leg and a missin' antenna assembly, me bucko, which also be recovered thankfully. Rubber bands for t' leg shock absorption could be upgraded by builder to springs. I used some small springs from hardware store on 2 legs t' test versus t' bands. Ya scallywag! Both worked equally well, but t' leg that was torn loose had bands on it--maybe that helped minimize damage?

Overall, shiver me timbers, t' launch and landin' was a real crowd pleaser with many folks stoppin' by before and after t' inspect me modest collection o' various landers I was hopin' t' launch that day.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
Excellent selection o' components by Tom Prestia allows t' experienced builder t' create a 2x jumbo version o' the Mars Lander with minimal additional effort o' parts scrounging. This is a very cool kit! I am definitely considering addin' t' 1.6x and 3.9" versions t' me fleet.

Pros: Almost perfectly mimics Estes' version t' t' letter. Ahoy! Instructions fairly easy t' follow. Nice o' Tom to include a motor chart with expected engine performance.

Cons: Nay too many I can think of. Ahoy! Ahoy! I'm nay sure why I had trouble with t' paint dryin' on t' shock cylinders. Maybe it be me choice o' paint. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! A recommendation in t' instructions would be nice. Avast!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5