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

Construction:
T' first construction step is t' cut out t' wings and all t' accompanyin' fins. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' parts are traced onto stock balsa usin' fin templates provided in t' kit. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' templates were printed on thin copy paper, making accurate tracin' very difficult for such intricate shapes havin' so many curves. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' balsa be also very rough, matey, and required several coats o' diluted wood filler t' reach acceptable smoothness.

T' large curved fins are fit together from several smaller pieces. Avast! 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. If you don't get t' two pieces angled perfectly, then t' other end o' t' foot will nay be perfectly aligned with t' other flat pieces, causin' a poor or impossible fit against t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Perfection is difficult here because you could easily trace, cut, arrr, or sand slightly t' wrong angle. Needless t' say, I did this, despite alignin' all t' root edges against a ruler. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' problem is that t' thin arm portion can be angled against t' rest o' t' large fin piece with many subtle errors. T' result was ill-fittin' wings that weren't symmetric. Begad! Arrr! I fixed them as best I could with lots o' trial-and-error sanding. Well, blow me down! Arrr! 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. Arrr! Ahoy! At the end, t' main wings are supposed t' be installed so that t' tips are slightly lower than t' root, but no measurements are given, shiver me timbers, leavin' it t' your interpretation o' t' figure t' decide on what "slightly" means.

T' rest o' t' assembly involves standard Estes-style construction. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' dowels look fragile, arrr, but were strong enough t' survive t' first flight.

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

T' parachute is 12" o' red mylar; perhaps a bit meager for this rocket. Ahoy!

PROS: Retro style

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

Finishing:
I got a pretty good result for finishing. Aye aye! 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. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I chose watermelon pink. Arrr! Begad!

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

T' waterslide decals are numerous and detailed. Blimey! They are extremely thin, however, so care is warranted. Well, blow me down! There is a very large black decal that should be positioned at t' body color transition. Arrr! Blimey! This decal is slightly tricky t' cut out. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! My copy was too long, meanin' that when wrapped all t' way around t' body tube, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, thar was some overlap. (Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, this occurs on t' top surface o' t' rocket, arrr, matey, 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. Ahoy! T' rest o' t' decals are straightforward. Arrr! Avast! Blimey!

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

CONS: Thin decals. Well, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 1 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
I loaded up a C6-5 for t' maiden flight. Aye aye! A bilge-suckin' spiral was evident durin' t' boost. This was probably due t' all the complications with fin construction and alignment. Ya scallywag! Ejection be fine, and it seemed t' me that t' descent was normal. Begad! Despite a reasonably gentle landing, me bucko, me hearties, however, t' top 3/8 inch o' t' nose was broken off. Aye aye! Begad! This confirmed either me worry about t' thin nose cone or t' small chute.

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

PROS: I guess it is nice if you like spirals. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down!

CONS: Lots o' potential breakin' points

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5