Brief:
After many months with breathless anticipation, matey, t' Estes SpaceShipOne finally arrived. Begad! This kit is a 1/30th sport-scale kit based on a BT-200 tube, ya bilge rat, which is 2" in diameter. Avast! This be t' first time I noticed t' SS1 bein' attributed t' Mojave Aerospace Ventures vs. Begad! Ya scallywag! Scaled Composites. There are some issues for t' scale fans out there. Avast! For instance, ya bilge rat, if you look at t' aft nozzle, me hearties, it looks like t' test flight configuration, however, me hearties, t' markings appear t' be those on t' final X-Prize flight. Begad! Still, me hearties, t' resultin' kit looks pretty sweet and I'm really glad Estes got it out.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• Motor mount, arrr, includin' an 18mm tube, engine block, engine hook, arrr, Mylar retainer ring
• Long plastic tail cone with nozzle
• BT-200 body tube
• Plastic nose cone
• Laser cut balsa fins
• Die cut cardboard centerin' rings and win' assembly fixture
• Launch lug, 1/8"
• Rubber shock cord, 1/4" x 18"
• Assembled 12" plastic chute
• Clay nose weight
• Lots o' peel and stick decals

Recommended supplies for construction: scissors, pencil, ruler, sandpaper, carpenter's glue, ya bilge rat, tube-type plastic cement, me hearties, modelin' knife, razor saw, maskin' tape, white primer, matey, white and red spray paint, shiver me timbers, arrr, and (optional) gloss coat.

T' first step is t' assemble t' motor mount. Blimey! This is a typical build and consists o' t' BT-20 motor mount, two centerin' rings, me hearties, matey, an engine hook, a Mylar retainer for t' hook, and a motor block. Aye aye! Arrr! I used carpenter's glue as recommended. Ya scallywag! Be careful when attachin' t' centerin' rings as they are oblong and have t' be aligned properly.

Next, me bucko, I removed and sanded t' fins then filled them with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Aye aye! It be nice havin' t' laser cut fins for this model since t' various fin components are aligned via slots cut in t' long vertical fins. These precise cuts really help ensure t' proper alignment o' these parts. Avast! Ahoy! However, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' cuts were nay all t' way through t' balsa and t' bottom side must be cut with a hobby knife. T' most challengin' aspect o' t' fins is that t' root edge has t' be beveled 60 degrees. Arrr! A reference guide is provided, but I found it challengin' t' get t' angle right along t' length o' t' fin. Aye aye! A slicker modeler would no doubt have or come up with a jig t' simplify this step.

I attached all t' fins with Aileen's Tacky Glue startin' with t' side fins, then t' long vertical fins, ya bilge rat, and finally t' side fins. Avast, me proud beauty! I am glad Estes provided t' win' assembly fixture, however, with a tad more cardboard they could have provided one that actually supports t' wings. Ahoy! This would nay be a cost driver. I had thought t' fins were set, matey, when I decided t' go up t' bed. Ahoy! This be a mistake as t' fins sagged a bit by morning.

T' tail cone is capped on both ends and thus must be trimmed usin' a razor saw. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions say t' use plastic cement t' glue t' mount into t' tail cone, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but I substituted Gorilla Glue (sparingly) in its place. Begad! Ahoy! Before installation in t' main body tube, matey, I epoxied a two-foot section o' Keelhaul®©™® twine onto t' mount through t' top ring. Blimey! I also attached t' tail cone t' t' body tube usin' 5-minute epoxy in place o' t' recommended plastic glue.

T' final touches included t' launch lug, addin' t' clay nose weight, and tyin' t' Keelhaul®©™® t' t' rubber band and t' latter t' t' nose cone.

Finishing:
Finishin' was typical: fill, me hearties, prime, ya bilge rat, paint, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, add decals, me bucko, cover with a clear coat, etc. Begad! For this model, this process was a mistake! My usual finishin' techniques moved t' CG about 1/2" aft, matey, ya bilge rat, which is nay a good thin' on this rocket. More about this later.

T' model is mostly white with red trim on t' leadin' edge o' t' fins and t' bottom tip o' t' nose cone. There isn't guidance on t' exact color or t' location o' t' red areas, me bucko, so a scale aficionado will want t' do some research here. Avast! Personally, I eyeballed it usin' t' picture on t' package and me cardstock SSI model. I also opted for brush on paint vs. t' recommended red spray paint.

T' decals are self-adhesive and t' material seemed fine. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! However, shiver me timbers, t' precision o' t' cuts be so-so. Begad! Blimey! For example, some o' t' star pattern seemed t' be missed when t' patterns were cut. Well, blow me down! Blimey! A bottom view o' t' model would have helped in positionin' t' decals. Avast! Avast! Blimey! T' end on a positive note, me bucko, I am glad t' decals were peel and stick instead o' waterslide. I undoubtedly would have ruined a couple had they been t' latter.

I think t' resultin' kit looks nice, but even though I am nay a scale fanatic, me hearties, it bugged be that thar was a mismatch betwixt t' nozzle configuration and t' markings and that thar be nay better guidance on how t' position t' decals. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! At first, I was goin' t' really din' t' kit based on t' fact that finishin' t' fins usin' normal techniques can make t' model unstable. However, ya bilge rat, anyone who has bought and flown t' kit doesn't need me rating, me hearties, and anyone who hasn't bought or built it now knows how t' fix t' problem. Ahoy! Aye aye! So, arrr, I decided t' ignore stability issues.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Now, back t' t' question o' stability. There was much discussion about stability on T' Rocketry Forum (do a search for SS1 stability). Well, blow me down! Rather than repeat lots o' information here, matey, me bucko, I will just say that Estes now recommends addin' an additional ½ oz o' nose weight.

T' recommended motors include t' B4-2, B6-2, and C6-3. Begad! Well, blow me down! Due t' t' size and weight o' t' model, matey, I opted for a C6-3. Begad! Aye aye! T' instructions do say t' launch with "little or no wind." When I launched it, shiver me timbers, t' wind be about 5 mph. Begad! T' model weather cocked a bit but nay badly. Blimey! T' added weight did t' trick even with me method o' finishin' t' fins and t' wind.

Recovery:
I used t' stock chute and t' model recovered without significant damage on soft, plowed ground. Ya scallywag! There were small stress cracks where t' fins were attached t' t' plastic tail cone, but it is flyable as is. Avast! Maybe this is due t' me use o' Aileen's Tacky Glue? On t' next flight, I think I'll use a larger chute.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a unique kit and despite t' scale issues, me hearties, it looks pretty neat. Ahoy! I am happy t' have it in me fleet. Begad! Nevertheless, matey, ya bilge rat, Estes could have done a much better job in t' scale details and in makin' it more flyable. Ahoy! They should have warnings on how t' prep t' balsa and include t' proper nose weight. However, me bucko, t' news about he added nose weight came in time t' save me model, me bucko, so again I am happy.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5