Well, this is a surprise for me. T' first build entry for t' old Estes Stealth rocket. Ahoy! As mentioned in t' title, arrr, this is Kit #1929, made durin' t' Damon era o' Estes ownership. Arrr! For those o' you who have never seen this rare bird, enjoy me entry. This one is actually me second build for this kit. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first one happened in 1984, ya bilge rat, when t' kit was new. Ahoy! Buildin' this kit almost made me feel 13 again.

First, arrr, I want t' thank Geoff Kerbel in Arizona for helpin' make this build possible. Begad! He willingly sold me an extra plastic body tube he had nay been using.

Basic construction started by assemblin' t' missin' pieces, like t' fins and tubes. This is where http://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/index.htm was very helpful, as he has t' PDF file o' t' original instructions available. A simple download and print, shiver me timbers, followed by a little cuttin' with an X-acto knife gave me new fins and a parachute tube. All t' other standard odds and ends were from me parts stash.

As per steps #1&2 o' t' original instructions, I started with t' motor mount assembly first. I did, however, do 2 modifications t' it. First, matey, notice t' length o' Keelhaul®©™ thread comin' off t' top o' t' mount, matey, me replacement shock cord from kit standard. Begad! I doubt that with this plastic body I will have a zipperin' issue with it. And I know me photo is a little blury, but t' end view o' t' mount is ment t' show t' forward thrust rin' inside t' mount tube. Avast! This was t' give t' kevlar somethin' stronger t' hook to. T' exact arangement o' t' kevlar is around t' upper outer centerin' ring, thru t' engine hook slot, then around t' upper thrust ring, then knotted at t' top.

Next, I skipped t' step 6 and inserted t' motor mount into t' parachute bay.

Backtrackin' t' steps 3,4,and 5 was fin assembly.

Dryin' time left me with me hands empty, ya bilge rat, so I moved on t' plastic body prep. Avast, me proud beauty! Estes aparently blow molded these pieces, so some extra was left that needed trimed off.

Before doin' step 9, arrr, I skipped t' step 16 and glued t' launch lugs on t' t' outside o' t' body. I didn't have any that were 2 3/4" long, so I subbed some that were 1 1/4" and 1 1/2".

And at this point, me bucko, step 9 could no longer be delayed, me hearties, so into t' plastic went t' parachute tube assembly, shiver me timbers, followed by t' aft thrust ring.

Next came another minor modification, me bucko, purely for looks. I added a "jet exhaust constrictor" t' t' outside o' t' aft thrust ring. Avast! This was a real pain t' fold all 25 little tabs down and around each other t' simulate that look, me hearties, especially since I had t' trim 3 o' them down for t' engine hook t' fit thru t' part.

Ok by now you all are as likely as confused as me son was about what sequence number we are at. Aye aye! Because o' t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, step's 13 and 14 are omitted, so step 15 for parachute assembly. Ya scallywag! I didn't have any Estes 12-inch parachutes available, but I do have a lot o' shiny mylar gift wrappin' left over from t' last Christmas after sale. So after a basic snowflake fold and a cut with a straight edge, I have a custom 16-inch parachute for this bird. As many o' us know, this stuff tears easily, so a line o' clear tape at each corner allowed me t' use a hole punch t' put t' shroud lines thru. This was followed by tyin' t' main body, parachute, and nose together.

For those payin' attention, arrr, you will notice that steps 10,11,12,17,18,and 19 are all that is left. Aye aye! Well, t' next mod is me replacement for steps 10 and 17. Ya scallywag! I decided t' strengthen t' fins by laminatin' them in paper with epoxy. This also nicely filled in t' balsa grain.

Step 12, mountin' t' fins. Construction is essentially done at this point, as steps 18&19 deal with paintin' and decals.

More will follow when I get this painted and decaled.

Well, me bucko, I kinda got ahead o' myself by nay showin' t' paint prep, so I am sorry t' all you who want t' see it. Truth be told, I still kinda suck at paintin' from rattle cans. Lets see, a coat o' Tayamia primer went on first, ya bilge rat, followed by a week o' drying. Next came a little scuffing, followed by some Rustoleum red primer. 2 days o' dryin' later, a little scuffin' again followed by me , again Rustoleum, gloss medium grey. Ahoy! Re-drew all t' decals in Microsoft Paint, shiver me timbers, and printed t' decal paper, followin' with a sealin' up o' some gloss clear. Apply decals t' rocket, and seal rocket with gloss clear. Look at pictures if you must, me bucko, but please be kind with t' comments. Begad! Like I said, arrr, nay very good with a rattle can yet.