Brief:
T' PDR Alien Invader is a reproduction o' an old Estes kit that went out o' production in 1981. It has an 18mm motor mount in a 24mm body with exotic futuristic wings.

Construction:
T' first construction step is t' cut out t' wings and all t' accompanyin' fins. Arrr! Ahoy! T' parts are traced onto stock balsa usin' fin templates provided in t' kit. Blimey! Unfortunately, me hearties, t' templates were printed on thin copy paper, making accurate tracin' very difficult for such intricate shapes havin' so many curves. T' balsa was also very rough, me hearties, and required several coats o' diluted wood filler t' reach acceptable smoothness.

T' large curved fins are fit together from several smaller pieces. This is difficult because one o' t' pieces is a long curved arm with a small foot that must be glued t' a flat edge. Ahoy! Avast! If you don't get t' two pieces angled perfectly, me bucko, then t' other end o' t' foot will nay be perfectly aligned with t' other flat pieces, me bucko, causin' a poor or impossible fit against t' body tube. Aye aye! Perfection is difficult here because you could easily trace, arrr, cut, or sand slightly t' wrong angle. Ya scallywag! Avast! Needless t' say, I did this, me bucko, despite alignin' all t' root edges against a ruler. Begad! T' problem is that t' thin arm portion can be angled against t' rest o' t' large fin piece with many subtle errors. Avast! T' result was ill-fittin' wings that weren't symmetric. Ya scallywag! I fixed them as best I could with lots o' trial-and-error sanding. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It would be far better if t' larger fin piece had a notch t' fit t' curved arm at t' right angle.

T' rest o' t' win' assembly is easier although instructions for placin' t' ribs lack sufficient detail. At the end, t' main wings are supposed t' be installed so that t' tips are slightly lower than t' root, shiver me timbers, arrr, but no measurements are given, leavin' it t' your interpretation o' t' figure t' decide on what "slightly" means.

T' rest o' t' assembly involves standard Estes-style construction. Avast! T' dowels look fragile, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, but were strong enough t' survive t' first flight.

T' nose cone is a special bug-eyed shape that feels too thin and light. I be concerned that thar would nay be sufficient nose weight for stable flight, me bucko, but it turned out t' be okay.

T' parachute is 12" o' red mylar; perhaps a bit meager for this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

PROS: Retro style

CONS: poor, complex templates; difficult fin assembly; some instruction ambiguities

Finishing:
I got a pretty good result for finishing. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' body is simply masked a bit above t' most forward fins t' get a split bi-color result with t' aft portion black and t' forward portion any light color. Blimey! I chose watermelon pink. Begad!

It takes a lot o' anglin' t' spray paint can t' cover all t' nooks and crannies. Begad! Avoid t' temptation t' spray too much in any single layer or drips are likely. Avast!

T' waterslide decals are numerous and detailed. Begad! They are extremely thin, however, so care is warranted. There is a very large black decal that should be positioned at t' body color transition. Begad! Aye aye! This decal is slightly tricky t' cut out. My copy be too long, me bucko, meanin' that when wrapped all t' way around t' body tube, thar was some overlap. (Unfortunately, me hearties, this occurs on t' top surface o' t' rocket, if I interpreted t' picture correctly.) As I tried to align t' overlap perfectly, t' thin decal tore. I fixed it as best I could and touched it up with a black markin' pen later. Avast! T' rest o' t' decals are straightforward. Avast!

PROS: Opportunity for a very good finish with intricate decals.

CONS: Thin decals. Begad!

Construction Rating: 1 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
I loaded up a C6-5 for t' maiden flight. Blimey! A nasty spiral was evident durin' t' boost. This was probably due t' all the complications with fin construction and alignment. Ejection was fine, shiver me timbers, and it seemed t' me that t' descent was normal. Well, blow me down! Despite a reasonably gentle landing, me bucko, arrr, ya bilge rat, however, t' top 3/8 inch o' t' nose was broken off. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This confirmed either me worry about t' thin nose cone or t' small chute. Well, blow me down!

No more flights are possible until t' nose is repaired.

PROS: I guess it is nice if you like spirals. Begad!

CONS: Lots o' potential breakin' points

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5