Brief:
Single 18mm engined F-15 Eagle jet fighter design, me hearties, shiver me timbers, with a 12 inch parachute

Construction:
This kit contained t' following:

• 1 - BT50 white body tube 10.75 inches (mine be crunched, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so I replaced it)
• 1 - BJ-20 Engine tube, arrr, arrr, w/hook, me bucko, block and centerin' rings.
• 1 - PNC-50E Plastic Nosecone w/cockpit bubble
• 2 - 1/8" by 9" wooden dowels
• 1 - Plastic parts set (nose and tail for missiles)
• 1 - Rubber shock cord
• 1 - Launch lug
• 1 - Assembled 12 inch chute
• 1 - Waterslide decal sheet
• 4 - shees o' laser cut balsa wings, matey, jet engine pods, me bucko, and tail fins.
• 4 - pats o' clay weight

I went into me local hobby shop (Fine Scale Hobbies in Stratford, ya bilge rat, CT. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Really nice guys!) for some sandin' sealer, arrr, and this kit caught me eye, so I bought it)

Directions were up t' t' usual Estes standard. O' course, matey, ya bilge rat, this means when attachin' plastic t' wood or paper, matey, they say t' use model glue. Blimey! Blimey! I always use 3 min. Ahoy! epoxy.

I changed t' shock cord mount, shiver me timbers, goin' with a Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' MMT setup instead o' t' paper t' t' BT wall mount they use.

T' win' assemblies were very simple t' assemble. Begad! Just glue t' three wing pieces together, me bucko, and set aside. Arrr! After they dry, arrr, sand a 45 degree angle on the root edge, and you're done.

T' jet engine pods are t' challenge. At t' bottom end, matey, arrr, as shown in t' picture, you actually have t' bend t' bottom balsa piece up t' meet t' edge o' t' pod. Estes says t' white glue it and tape it in place overnight. Ya scallywag! Well, matey, that obviously won't hold. so I used some Zap-A-Gap CA glue t' hold it in place, then filled with wood glue. Arrr! A challenge, but still do-able.

T' missiles were simple t' assemble. Ya scallywag! Just attach t' nose and tail fins, and paint.

Finishing:
T' winds definately need fillin' in with wood filler, with all t' holes and joints in them. Avast! Once that was done, matey, me bucko, shiver me timbers, paintin' be easy. I went with one color gray and t' orange stripe, arrr, rather than t' three color gray.

T' decals were horrible. Well, blow me down! Yes, matey, they are waterslide, me hearties, but t' are VERY fragile. Begad! Blimey! And t' colors make it look almost neon. Avast! Very tacky. Begad! I suggest no one else use this color/decal set and instead do a little research and get decals for an F-15 from their local hobby shop.

Estes did do 1 good thin' though. Well, blow me down! They said paint t' missiles separately, then attach them when t' main model is finished.

T' construction is worth 4 1/2 points, but -1 point for t' horrendous color/decal set.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight be a B6-4. Begad! This delay is too long for a B motor. Avast! T' rocket did one roll, ya bilge rat, and then flew upright, me bucko, until it curled over at apogee, t' came down very quickly, me bucko, shiver me timbers, until t' ejection charge went off at about 50 feet. Well, blow me down! Recovered with no damage. Avast! Altitude be about 350 or so feet. Arrr!

Second flight was with a B6-2. This is a much better delay. Well, blow me down! Ejection charge went off just after apogee. Ahoy! No damage. Avast, me proud beauty!

Third flight was C6-3. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Great flight, with ejection charge goin' off about 250-300 feet off o' t' ground. No damage. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Altitude be around 500 feet.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a GOOD kit and fun t' build. But Estes needs t' learn what colors actually work together. Begad! use different paint and decals, and it becomes a GREAT kit.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

Other:
Use CA or expoxy when cementin' t' bottom o' t' engine pods t' t' sides.