Brief:
This is a skill level 3 kit. Aye aye! It's a faithful recreation o' t' old Estes kit that I had as a child. Begad! T' instructions are clear and in good order. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' only thin' I would like t' have seen is a couple o' pictures o' t' finished bird with all decals applied. There are a lot o' water slide decals with this kit and I had t' do some searchin' online t' get some pictures that I could use as a guide for me t' correctly apply t' decals. Well, blow me down!

Construction:
There is a lot o' kit here. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' material quality is excellent and include:

• A plastic nosecone
• Three body tubes
• Alps water slide decals
• 12" chute
• Instructions
• Pattern Sheets
• Guides
• Balsa Sheet for various fins (not pre-cut)
• Detail panels and discs (pre-cut)
• 

  T' quality o' t' instructions is very good. Ahoy!

  This is nay a 3 or 4 fin rocket. Begad! Blimey! It requires patience and attention t' detail which for me makes it all t' more fun t' build. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

  There aren't any real "gotchas" that I found while buildin' this kit, however, t' builder should pay special attention t' correctly markin' t' Drive Unit tubes as t' placement o' dowels and card stock cutouts need to be placed carefully. Ahoy! Blimey! I misaligned mine, but I liked t' look so I didn't bother t' correct t' error. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

  Finishing:
  This rocket took me a long time t' finish, mainly because o' t' amount o' primin' and sandin' that needed t' be done, ya bilge rat, coupled with t' numerous nooks and crannies that this rocket has. Avast!

  One thin' that I did was t' prime and paint t' rocket and main deck separately. Blimey! Arrr! I then glued t' main deck to the rocket and did one last finish coat over t' entire rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This way I be able t' get t' paint where it was needed without havin' t' risk havin' t' paint run by tryin' t' squeeze it into areas where it couldn't easily get to.

  Puttin' t' decals onto this rocket is a chore. Begad! There are many t' apply so slow and steady gets it done. Begad! Ahoy! I would have liked t' have a couple o' pictures o' t' rocket showin' all decal placement. Begad! As it was, I went online and found a number o' pictures and used them as reference for settin' decals that I had questions about.

  Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

  

  Flight and Recovery:
  I used a B6-4 for t' first flight and went t' a C6-5 for t' next three. Begad! On t' B6-4 t' rocket flew surprisingly well. Avast! It followed an archin' trajectory that be straight enough t' give it respectable altitude. Begad! Ejection be just after apogee and recovery was perfect. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! On t' C6-5 again t' rocket flew very well. Arrr! It had that same arching trajectory, me bucko, nay straight up, ya bilge rat, but nay too horizontal either. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Each ejection was after apogee and recovery was great.

  I be surprised at how well this rocket flew considerin' all o' t' extra pieces it has hangin' off o' it!

  Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

  Summary:
  I really like this kit. Ahoy! Arrr! I be impressed by t' quality o' t' materials used. Aye aye! This is a builders kit. Ahoy! It's nay just three or four fins and a tube and I really like that. T' only thin' about this rocket that I would change if I were to rebuild it is that I would add about an inch t' t' dowel that rests on t' one fin. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! It is nay as long as t' drive tubes which means t' rocket won't stand up for display on it's own. Begad! This isn't a complaint. Begad! Arrr! PDR replicated the original kit perfectly. Arrr! Blimey! What I did be t' craft a stand with a hollowed out dowel that allows t' model t' stand upright for display.

  Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5