Brief:
This is a review o' t' OOP Estes Master's Series Space Shuttle, shiver me timbers, EST# 1284. Aye aye! It is a 1/162 scale replica o' t' Space Shuttle and includes both Orbiter and booster sections. These sections are connected at launch, ya bilge rat, boost on a single C5-3 or C6-3 engine, and separate when t' 'main engine' ejects. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! T' Orbiter uses glide recovery while t' booster uses a parachute. Begad! Begad! For flight, thar are removable fin units that mount in t' SRBs. Aye aye! For display, plastic nozzles are provided.

Construction:
T' Space Shuttle came packaged like a typical Estes kit (plastic bags, etc). Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This is definitely a skill-level-4 kit with 16 pages o' detailed instructions containin' 53 steps. It claims t' require 4 types o' glue and 6 colors o' paint. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' parts list includes 27 line items includin' t' chute, decals, etc. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' balsa fins, cardboard body wraps/detailing, and vacuum-molded Orbiter components are all die cut. Ahoy! Blimey! T' die cut plastic components made t' Orbiter assembly a lot easier, matey, as I never seem t' get a good fit when I have t' cut them with a cutlass.

I built t' kit stock, down t' t' elastic shock cord. Begad! Well, blow me down! I figured it be good enough for several flights, me hearties, and I probably will nay fly it too often. Avast! I substituted Titebond for t' white glue, ya bilge rat, and since I didn't want t' go out and buy 3 types o' glue that I normally don't use (contact cement, plastic cement, and liquid plastic cement), me bucko, arrr, I used CA (medium and thick) instead. Blimey! I assembled t' entire booster (main tank/SRBs) this way and it worked fine. Ya scallywag! Later, when I got t' t' Orbiter, me bucko, which is almost all plastic, I broke down and got some liquid plastic cement. Arrr! I want t' point out a general rule in buildin' models - one that I don't seem t' follow. Ahoy! That is, read ALL t' instructions before you start. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I didn't pay attention and used t' elastic strin' required for t' adjustment o' t' Orbiter's elevons in another spot. Ahoy! DUH. Arrr! I did, shiver me timbers, me bucko, however, find a suitable replacement when buildin' t' Orbiter. Well, blow me down! My feeble mind was confused by t' fact that t' chute came pre-assembled, me hearties, and t' instructions called for a piece o' twine from t' chute. Well, blow me down! I followed t' instructions pretty much as is, but I did skip ahead at times t' keep busy while parts dried. Begad! I found one fin was broken out o' t' bag; however, shiver me timbers, this be easily fixed with some glue and tissue. Aye aye! I stopped at t' point that t' main tank, ya bilge rat, SRBs, ya bilge rat, and removable fin units were complete. Arrr! At this point, matey, matey, I decided that I would separately paint each section. Ahoy! After these sections are assembled, it would be very difficult t' paint them different colors. Begad! T' fit o' t' plastic Orbiter parts was nay perfect, arrr, but nay too bad. T' first step in trimmin' t' Orbiter glider is balancin' it and adjustin' t' nose weight. Avast! T' kit provides two weights. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used one weight and some clay instead o' cuttin' t' second one up. Next, me bucko, me hearties, you adjust t' elevons with a strin' that is run through t' center engine nozzle in t' rear. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This strin' pulls on a plastic arm on t' elevon assembly, while t' elastic strin' mentioned earlier maintains tension. Begad! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! After quite a bit o' adjustment, ya bilge rat, t' Orbiter still seems t' glide like a brick (kind o' like t' real thing?). Well, blow me down! Blimey! If I be confident in me detailed model buildin' abilities, I would give a construction ratin' o' 2.5, me bucko, but will give it t' benefit o' t' doubt and bump it up a point.

Finishing:
I decided t' use t' current Shuttle paint scheme, ya bilge rat, with a brown main tank and white boosters. Ahoy! As I mentioned above, these were painted prior t' their final assembly. Ahoy! I used white spray paint and t' rest be brush-on. Begad! I didn't want t' buy multiple spray paints, nor am I that skilled in maskin' small details. Arrr! I even mixed me own light gray-green for t' tip o' t' Orbiter's nose and t' leadin' edge o' t' wings. Begad! Aye aye! T' decals are t' water-slide variety. Arrr! They went on fine, but some o' t' smaller ones literally blew away when I sprayed t' final clear coat. Aye aye! T' end result, ya bilge rat, like many o' me finish jobs, matey, me hearties, looks good from a distance.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' kit flies on C5-3 and C6-3 engines only. I chose a C6-3 because that is what I had available. T' winds were blowin' betwixt 5-10 mph (my guess) when I launched. Arrr! T' boost be slow (read that realistic) and thar was some wobble and weathercocking.

Recovery:
T' recovery system is typical Estes with an elastic shock cord and a plastic chute. Ejection appeared t' occur just before apogee and t' Booster separated, shiver me timbers, me bucko, just as it was supposed to. Well, blow me down! Begad! It turned with t' wind and came down at a fairly steep angle, matey, again, me bucko, shiver me timbers, just like t' real thing. It landed nicely without damage. Begad! T' one problem be singein' on t' elastic shock cord, matey, arrr, which is no big surprise. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I will have t' replace it before t' next flight - should have done it at t' start! I rate t' flight/recovery at 5/5, arrr, and take off ½ point for t' elastic shock cord.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs 1. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Great lookin' scale model. Blimey! 2. Blimey! Relatively easy t' build, considerin' t' number o' components. 3. Begad! Realistic lookin' boost and Orbiter recovery. Ya scallywag! 4. Begad! Neat rocket!

CONs 1. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Fin stock was broken out o' t' package. Well, blow me down! 2. Some steps are hard t' understand and require lookin' at all t' finishin' diagrams t' understand what is intended 3. Begad! T' fit o' t' Orbiter parts is so-so 4. Aye aye! Junky recovery components - typical Estes.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5