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

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

I built t' kit stock, me hearties, down t' t' elastic shock cord. Arrr! Blimey! I figured it be good enough for several flights, me bucko, and I probably will nay fly it too often. Ya scallywag! I substituted Titebond for t' white glue, and since I didn't want t' go out and buy 3 types o' glue that I normally don't use (contact cement, me hearties, plastic cement, and liquid plastic cement), matey, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I used CA (medium and thick) instead. Aye aye! I assembled t' entire booster (main tank/SRBs) this way and it worked fine. Arrr! Arrr! Later, when I got t' t' Orbiter, matey, which is almost all plastic, I broke down and got some liquid plastic cement. Blimey! Aye aye! I want t' point out a general rule in buildin' models - one that I don't seem t' follow. Aye aye! Begad! That is, ya bilge rat, read ALL t' instructions before you start. Aye aye! I didn't pay attention and used t' elastic strin' required for t' adjustment o' t' Orbiter's elevons in another spot. Begad! DUH. I did, however, find a suitable replacement when buildin' t' Orbiter. My feeble mind was confused by t' fact that t' chute came pre-assembled, and t' instructions called for a piece o' twine from t' chute. I followed t' instructions pretty much as is, but I did skip ahead at times t' keep busy while parts dried. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I found one fin was broken out o' t' bag; however, this was easily fixed with some glue and tissue. I stopped at t' point that t' main tank, SRBs, arrr, me hearties, and removable fin units were complete. At this point, matey, I decided that I would separately paint each section. Arrr! After these sections are assembled, it would be very difficult t' paint them different colors. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. T' kit provides two weights. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I used one weight and some clay instead o' cuttin' t' second one up. Arrr! Next, arrr, you adjust t' elevons with a strin' that is run through t' center engine nozzle in t' rear. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This strin' pulls on a plastic arm on t' elevon assembly, me bucko, while t' elastic strin' mentioned earlier maintains tension. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! After quite a bit o' adjustment, me hearties, t' Orbiter still seems t' glide like a brick (kind o' like t' real thing?). If I was confident in me detailed model buildin' abilities, I would give a construction ratin' o' 2.5, 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, arrr, with a brown main tank and white boosters. As I mentioned above, me hearties, these were painted prior t' their final assembly. I used white spray paint and t' rest was brush-on. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I didn't want t' buy multiple spray paints, nor am I that skilled in maskin' small details. Blimey! I even mixed me own light gray-green for t' tip o' t' Orbiter's nose and t' leadin' edge o' t' wings. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' decals are t' water-slide variety. They went on fine, but some o' t' smaller ones literally blew away when I sprayed t' final clear coat. Ahoy! T' end result, arrr, like many o' me finish jobs, me hearties, 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. Begad! I chose a C6-3 because that is what I had available. Arrr! T' winds were blowin' betwixt 5-10 mph (my guess) when I launched. Avast, me proud beauty! T' boost be slow (read that realistic) and thar be some wobble and weathercocking.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs 1. Ahoy! Great lookin' scale model. 2. Relatively easy t' build, considerin' t' number o' components. Begad! 3. Realistic lookin' boost and Orbiter recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! 4. Neat rocket!

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5