Brief:
Tango Papa's 1.6x Mars Lander is a nice upscale o' t' vintage Estes Kit that fetches ungodly amounts o' loot in an auction. If you have t' same fond memories o' t' Estes kit from your childhood that I do, then you need t' look at this kit. Arrr! T' kit comes standard with a 29mm motor mount, me hearties, and parachutes are optional. Avast! I believe t' standard parachutes come from Top Flight, but I'm nay certain. Shock cord is a length o' standard elastic.

A complete set o' decals, upscaled from t' original Estes decals, shiver me timbers, comes on a sheet with t' kit. Begad! Well, blow me down! As one can expect from Tango Papa, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' decal appearance is impressive.

A nice final touch be t' inclusion o' dual-purpose motor retention hardware. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Nay only do t' bolts hold t' motor in place, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but they also hold t' aft o' t' rocket on, ya bilge rat, which means it can easily be removed.

Construction:
T' kit includes a lot more parts than t' standard high-power kits, matey, which is understandable, ya bilge rat, considerin' t' complexity o' t' end result. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' parachute tube is a heavy, ya bilge rat, rough cardboard tube; normally, matey, arrr, me hearties, I wouldn't like this, but since this tube is completely covered by t' shrouds, structurable integrity be t' only thin' that matters. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' descent stage tube, which is where t' legs come through, ya bilge rat, is a good quality phenolic. T' motor tube is good quality cardboard tube.

Also included are a plywood centerin' rings for t' large tube, as well as three wooden rings t' mount t' motor tube into t' parachute tube, ya bilge rat, and t' also provide a mountin' point for t' leg supports. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! All are high-quality parts.

Many o' t' smaller pieces are laser-cut from appropriate materials, arrr, includin' basswood and balsa. Blimey! Avast! T' main leg braces are made from aluminum rod, me hearties, which is appropriate since this is what takes t' primary force.

T' legs are attached t' t' body with heavy vinyl tubin' for t' hinges, just like t' Estes kit. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' kit also includes rubber bands for use as springs, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, once again like Estes. Arrr! T' bands supplied could nay support t' assembled weight o' me lander, so I replaced them with small springs from t' local hardware store.

T' shrouds themselves are printed on poster-board with lines instead o' bein' embossed like in t' original kit. Ya scallywag! Fabric paint is supplied t' allow t' builder t' draw raised lines t' give t' shrouds detail. More on this later.

T' shrouds themselves require rings t' hold their shape and provide attachment points. Blimey! These rings are foam-core board, me hearties, which is plenty sufficient for this purpose.

To complete t' kit, arrr, you will have t' provide appropriate weight, me hearties, ya bilge rat, which t' kit provides placement instructions for. I found that flexible fishin' weights (basically braided nylon tubes with shot in them) worked well for t' weight t' be placed in t' top shroud.

This kit is nay for t' impatient. Begad! Blimey! I estimate that I spent 10 hours or so just buildin' t' legs and gettin' them sanded properly. Arrr! Blimey! Durin' this time, t' kit progress really seemed t' creep along. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once t' legs were done, me bucko, things picked up a bit, although I still estimate I spent about 30 hours in construction time.

T' instructions are fairly detailed and quite lengthy, although a bit confusin' in some cases. It is critical that you read and understand t' steps before performin' them, arrr, ya bilge rat, or it may come back t' bite you later on. Tom Prestia is very good about answerin' emails with questions regardin' t' instructions.

There are also some photographs included t' help with certain aspects. These definitely are valuable.

As started earlier, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' shrouds are made from poster-board with lines printed on them where t' Estes shrouds were embossed. Aye aye! T' fabric paint supplied works nicely for creatin' raised details, although it takes a steady handy for best results. Because I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, me details aren't as nice as what others are able t' do, although I am happy with t' result.

In formin' t' shrouds, I suggest usin' rubber cement t' glue t' ends o' t' shroud together. Well, blow me down! I used white glue, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and have a minor point where mine are joined. With rubber cement, t' joint stays flexible while t' support rings are installed, matey, ya bilge rat, so t' end result is better. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! Since t' rings themselves are what actually hold t' shrouds in place, me bucko, ya bilge rat, usin' rubber cement will nay present a structural issue down t' road.

Patience and a small bit o' fiddlin' are required t' get some o' t' final details t' fit properly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This task isn't overly difficult, arrr, me hearties, arrr, but is also somethin' that you cannot rush, me hearties, or it will show in t' end result.

Finishing:
Finishin' is quite easy, since t' legs are removable. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! On t' original Estes kit, me hearties, it is necessary t' paint t' legs prior t' assembly, arrr, then mask them off when t' main portion o' t' rocket is assembled. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! T' Tango Papa kit has removable legs, so paintin' is a lot easier.

Since t' kit includes a lot o' decals, and all t' decals come on a single sheet, me hearties, it takes time t' cut and place everythin' appropriately. Arrr! Ahoy! Also, t' decal film is a bit thin, so if you are nay careful, they will curl under themselves. Avast! Patience, once again, arrr, me bucko, is necessary for t' best final result.

I covered me completed rocket with Future floor finish t' provide some protection for t' decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
While Tom Prestia recommends G motors for this lander, I wasn't comfortable with such a small motor in a rocket this heavy. Avast, me proud beauty! Instead, me hearties, I used an H128-S for all me flights.

My lander has flown four times, ya bilge rat, with three beautiful launches. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Up was quite impressive on those three, with t' fourth havin' problems which I can only blame on myself.

There's a simple little law in physics which states that an object at rest wants t' stay at rest. Begad! This applies well t' our rockets, and in provides itself on t' second flight o' me lander. Aye aye! T' first time I flew t' lander, ya bilge rat, I used a standoff which kept t' base fairly high off t' pad. On t' second flight, ya bilge rat, for some reason, shiver me timbers, I didn't use a standoff. Arrr! Arrr! This meant that t' aft o' t' rocket was pretty much right on t' blast deflector plate. That be fine, except for t' legs. Begad! Because t' legs are hinged, when t' motor first fires, arrr, arrr, t' legs try t' stay in place when t' rocket body begins moving. Blimey! This results in t' feet "tuckin' under" t' rocket a bit. Begad! Due t' t' size o' our club's blast deflectors, once foot was able t' catch on t' deflector when this happened. That put a pull on one side o' t' rocket, causin' t' rod t' flex in that direction. Begad! Eventually, matey, t' leg pulled free form t' lander body, me bucko, freein' t' rocket. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Now, physics comes into play twice -- first be t' asymmetrical drag on t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Begad! Second be t' launch rod now snappin' back t' t' other side, me hearties, me bucko, me hearties, causin' t' rocket t' be flung off t' rod on an arc. T' rocket spun in t' air, then slammed into t' ground when t' motor cut out.

Moral o' this story? ALWAYS use a stand-off with t' Mars Lander, shiver me timbers, unless t' deflector can in no way hook t' feet when t' legs tuck under on launch.

On me fourth and latest launch, ya bilge rat, I ran into a different issue, ya bilge rat, which is also nay t' manufacturer's fault. Aye aye! T' parachute tangled on deployment, shiver me timbers, me hearties, keepin' t' canopy from fully inflating. Avast! Arrr! This caused t' rocket t' come in a bit fast, and sustain some (repairable) damage on landing.

Recovery:
There are two decent quality parachutes included with t' kit. Begad! On me first two launches, I used t' included parachutes for t' main body o' t' rocket, and recovered t' nose cone on a separate 15" parachute, at t' recommendation o' t' manufacturer.

Due t' space limitations, packin' that much parachute into t' rocket is tricky, shiver me timbers, so I have since switched t' a single larger parachute I had custom-built for this rocket.

Includin' one larger parachute with t' kit would be an improvement, I believe.

I have also replaced t' elastic with a long piece o' light-weight tubular Keelhaul®©™ -- I'm just nay comfortable with elastic in rockets, shiver me timbers, and especially nay in high-power.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, I was very pleased with this kit. Impressed enough that I convinced me wife t' buy me t' 2x Mars Lander for Christmas t' followin' year. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' 1.6x Lander was a Christmas gift, me hearties, me bucko, also.

T' biggest improvement that Tom made with this kit is makin' t' back end removable, me bucko, so that t' legs can be serviced.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
You could, with minor edits, ya bilge rat, use t' 2x review for t' 1.6x kit. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' only difference would be t' motors and flight info.