Brief:
Single 18mm engined F-15 Eagle jet fighter design, with a 12 inch parachute

Construction:
This kit contained t' following:

• 1 - BT50 white body tube 10.75 inches (mine was crunched, matey, matey, so I replaced it)
• 1 - BJ-20 Engine tube, w/hook, block and centerin' rings.
• 1 - PNC-50E Plastic Nosecone w/cockpit bubble
• 2 - 1/8" by 9" wooden dowels
• 1 - Plastic parts set (nose and tail for missiles)
• 1 - Rubber shock cord
• 1 - Launch lug
• 1 - Assembled 12 inch chute
• 1 - Waterslide decal sheet
• 4 - shees o' laser cut balsa wings, matey, jet engine pods, ya bilge rat, and tail fins.
• 4 - pats o' clay weight

I went into me local hobby shop (Fine Scale Hobbies in Stratford, shiver me timbers, CT. Ahoy! Really nice guys!) for some sandin' sealer, me bucko, and this kit caught me eye, so I bought it)

Directions were up t' t' usual Estes standard. Avast, me proud beauty! O' course, me hearties, this means when attachin' plastic t' wood or paper, shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, they say t' use model glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I always use 3 min. epoxy.

I changed t' shock cord mount, goin' with a Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' MMT setup instead o' t' paper t' t' BT wall mount they use.

T' win' assemblies were very simple t' assemble. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Just glue t' three wing pieces together, ya bilge rat, and set aside. Aye aye! Blimey! After they dry, me bucko, arrr, me hearties, sand a 45 degree angle on the root edge, ya bilge rat, and you're done.

T' jet engine pods are t' challenge. Ahoy! At t' bottom end, me bucko, as shown in t' picture, matey, you actually have t' bend t' bottom balsa piece up t' meet t' edge o' t' pod. Estes says t' white glue it and tape it in place overnight. Arrr! Well, that obviously won't hold. so I used some Zap-A-Gap CA glue t' hold it in place, then filled with wood glue. A challenge, matey, ya bilge rat, but still do-able.

T' missiles were simple t' assemble. Blimey! Just attach t' nose and tail fins, and paint.

Finishing:
T' winds definately need fillin' in with wood filler, ya bilge rat, with all t' holes and joints in them. Once that was done, paintin' was easy. Begad! I went with one color gray and t' orange stripe, ya bilge rat, me bucko, arrr, rather than t' three color gray.

T' decals were horrible. Begad! Yes, arrr, shiver me timbers, they are waterslide, but t' are VERY fragile. And t' colors make it look almost neon. Ya scallywag! Very tacky. I suggest no one else use this color/decal set and instead do a little research and get decals for an F-15 from their local hobby shop.

Estes did do 1 good thin' though. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! They said paint t' missiles separately, then attach them when t' main model is finished.

T' construction is worth 4 1/2 points, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but -1 point for t' horrendous color/decal set.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was a B6-4. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! This delay is too long for a B motor. Blimey! T' rocket did one roll, and then flew upright, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, until it curled over at apogee, matey, t' came down very quickly, until t' ejection charge went off at about 50 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! Recovered with no damage. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Altitude was about 350 or so feet. Blimey! Blimey!

Second flight be with a B6-2. Avast! This is a much better delay. Ahoy! Ejection charge went off just after apogee. Aye aye! No damage.

Third flight was C6-3. Avast! Great flight, ya bilge rat, with ejection charge goin' off about 250-300 feet off o' t' ground. No damage. Ahoy! Altitude be around 500 feet.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a GOOD kit and fun t' build. But Estes needs t' learn what colors actually work together. Avast! Begad! use different paint and decals, shiver me timbers, and it becomes a GREAT kit.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

Other:
Use CA or expoxy when cementin' t' bottom o' t' engine pods t' t' sides.