Brief:
Another Star Wars rocket, which is basically a plastic model with a rocket tube sticking out of it. As with most Star Wars rockets, it's not the most aerodynamic of shapes and requires a significant amount of nose mass for stability.

Construction:
Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter comes in several plastic parts - the "probe" which is two body tubes; a two-part nose cone; a connector; and a Star Wars parachute. (There was another version of this kit, which was a starter kit that had a pre-built Tie fighter.)

To build the kit I used white PVA glue and plastic cement. The instructions are the usual Estes step-by-step affair. The Tie Fighter fits together easily and there are no gotchas. The probe is pretty standard as far as Star Wars goes. The nose cone needs all of the clay provided to raise the CG above CP. The parachute provided is a Star Wars parachute and is attached to the tube with the standard tri-fold paper method. Lastly, I lengthened the shock cord and added a snap swivel to ease parachute exchange.

Finishing:
None needed. The Tie fighter itself is a decent model. There is a good degree of detail. The probe is black and pre-finished.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motors are B4-2, B6-2 (first flight), and C6-5. The rocket was prepped with a motor and 4 pieces of wadding. B motors are not the wisest of choice for this rocket as it is heavy and does not get very high. A C6-5 would be an incredibly poor choice of motor as the delay is far too long. I reckon that a C6-5 would be close to ground by the time the ejection charge went off.

All flights so far have been interesting. The rocket gives a marginally stable flight with a waggle or rear spiral towards the end of the boost phase. The delay at 3 seconds is too long--on a straight boost its one second to late and on a arched boost the rocket almost glides and the ejection is 2 seconds late.

Recovery:
With the longer elastic shock cord there haven't been any problems and there is plenty of room for the parachute in the probe.

On every landing the probe and popped out of one side of its clip. This has not damaged the rocket yet although it may do so after several landings

Flight Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:
This is a great rocket for a Star Wars fan. However, because of the interesting flight patterns, I would not fly this with many people watching as it's too unpredictable for a crowd launch.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5