Estes Star Wars Darth Vader's Tie Fighter
Estes - Star Wars Darth Vader's Tie Fighter {Kit}
Contributed by Bill Eichelberger
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Published: | 2015-09-26 |
| Manufacturer: | Estes  |
Brief
A seldom seen bird from t' last Star Wars craze, arrr, t' Darth Vader Tie Fighter is one o' those rockets that you look at and say "No way that can fly right." Well, based on me experience, you might be right.
Components
- Darth Vader Tie Fighter plastic model
- plastic flight coupler
- 18mm engine mount
- 2 black BT-50 body tubes
- tube coupler
- PNC-50YR nose cone
- clay weight
- shock cord
- parachute
Construction
Despite what initially looks t' be a fairly complex build, me bucko, t' DVTF actually builds fairly quickly. I started and finished it t' night before t' first launch. Construction is handled with a combination o' Testors plastic cement and a wood glue o' your choice. Instructions are typically decent and if followed, allow for a quick and easy build.
Finishing
Finishin' can be as detailed as you'd like. I was in a hurry t' have this ready t' fly t' next day, arrr, so I skipped this step, me hearties, but I've seen others with t' details painted as they were intended and they look very cool. I didn't have much faith in t' rocket, ya bilge rat, so I didn't feel t' need t' put any extra time in on it. There are no decals.
Flight
For t' first flight I used an Estes B4-2, which is one o' t' engines suggested in t' instructions. T' instructions claimed that this motor would take t' rocket t' 144 feet, which is pretty close t' what I think it got to. B6-4 Field is fairly cozy, arrr, so I wanted t' start things off with a low level flight just t' see if it would actually leave t' rod. As a matter o' fact, me bucko, me hearties, it left t' rod fairly nicely, and actually appeared t' be flyin' as advertised before thar was an "anomaly" (i.e. Begad! t' plastic flight coupler uncoupled,) and t' whole mess started skywriting. At t' time I thought that would be it, matey, and retired t' rocket for a couple o' years until I decided t' re-glue t' parts and try again.
Re-glued and with improved nose weight, shiver me timbers, I tried it again in t' summer o' 2015. This time I decided t' go with t' C6-3 because, me hearties, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, let's face it, t' thin' is a pig and nay likely t' overfly B6-4 Field. This flight looked good in t' viewfinder, but t' skywritin' once again began before t' camera burst mode had recycled itself. Avast, me proud beauty! It looked like it be goin' t' hit t' ground under power, me hearties, which surely would have ended its flyin' career, but t' ejection charge fired about 20 feet off t' ground and t' chute had time t' fill before disaster, and entertainment, struck. Hard t' imagine this bird on a C6-5. I decided again that it would be t' retirement flight, arrr, but much like T' Who, me hearties, this bird has had multiple retirements.
For t' third flight I swapped out t' kit nose cone for another that I had heavily weighted for another rocket that be destroyed by CATO earlier in t' year. Avast! This flight also eventually ended up unstable, arrr, but first climbed t' an altitude more in keepin' with t' package claims. At t' field I would have sworn that would be t' last flight, matey, arrr, ya bilge rat, but now I'm nay so sure. This is startin' t' become a quest and I'm worried.
Summary
Pros: No one flies these things. Can be had cheap if you pay attention.
Cons: Curly flight path. Can be expensive if you aren't payin' attention.
Other Reviews
- Estes Star Wars Darth Vader's Tie Fighter By Matt Gillard (January 20, 2007)
Another Star Wars rocket, which is basically a plastic model with a rocket tube sticking out of it. As with most Star Wars rockets, it's not the most aerodynamic of shapes and requires a significant amount of nose mass for stability. Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter comes in several plastic parts - the "probe" which is two body tubes; a two-part nose cone; a connector; and a Star Wars ...
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Flights
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