Bill, I had no issues with the plastic nose cone, other than it is too loose. The Estes decals over the last several years are pretty bad. I have discovered you have to let them soak to the point where the decal is falling off the backing paper. If you try to apply the decal in the normal fashion it will either break or stretch. I also brush a lot of water where I want the decal to go so I can adjust as needs, then squeeze out the water.