Background

T' Sizzler (#2127) offered by Estes, is a rocket with sharp looks and special features. T' Sizzler is advertised by Estes has bein' 70 centimeters long, 4 centimeters in diameter, and 110 grams when finished. Recommended motors are the B4-2. B6-2, arrr, me hearties, C5-3, C6-3 and C6-5. Arrr! This bird is on t' larger side for B and C power, matey, so I be plannin' t' investigate usin' 18 millimeter AeroTech D reloads or possibly t' 18 millimeters D motors offered by Apogee. Aye aye! More on this later. 

T' real reason I built this rocket was t' investigate t' unique rear deployed parachute system that it uses. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' nose cone is permanently glued to the body tube and t' motor is mounted in a long motor mount tube that is blown out t' aft o' t' rocket when t' ejection charge goes off. Ya scallywag! A 46 centimeter parachute is attached t' this motor mount and t' mount itself is attached to the rest o' t' rocket with a standard elastic shock cord. Well, blow me down! Avast! O' course, the rocket descends nose first instead o' tail first, but that should be easier on the balsa fins when meetin' t' ground after a flight. 

Construction

T' basic design is what I call "a rocket in a rocket". Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! A smaller body tube carries t' motor mount tube inside the outer body tube. Aye aye! Blimey! It is located by large but standard lookin' adapter rings. This inside body tube extends nearly t' t' nose cone and is capped at that end. T' outer body tube is slotted for "through t' wall" fin attachment, a nice feature. T' fins go through these slots and butt against the inner body tube, matey, ya bilge rat, arrr, which makes them very strong. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Estes is usin' "through the wall" fin mountin' on several o' their rockets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! This feature makes accurate alignment o' t' fins quick and easy. 

Constructions is along pretty normal lines usin' typical glues and finishing materials. Avast, me proud beauty! I used Titebond aliphatic resin glue for all construction and Krylon white finishin' primer and enamels for painting. Arrr! Begad! T' kit parts were o' high quality, typical o' an Estes product. Well, blow me down! T' die cuttin' on t' fins was clean and accurate. Ya scallywag! Tubes and rings had no flaws. T' nose cone was a little rough with moldin' flash but cleaned right up with an Xacto knife and sandpaper. Arrr! T' only flaw was that t' slots in t' outer body tube were t' narrow for t' 1.5 millimeter balsa fins. Well, blow me down! I solved this problem by usin' a sandin' block to carefully sand down t' thickness on t' fin tabs that extended through the tube until t' fit be "just right". Begad! I simply rounded t' fin edges instead o' streamlinin' them. Blimey! t' balsa grain was filled with Pactra Prep, shiver me timbers, a surface filler that I like. Aye aye! Arrr! It dries quickly, shiver me timbers, sands easily and two coats are all I typically need for good results. 

I just followed t' instructions and t' rocket assembly be a breeze. Ahoy! The only modification that I made was t' file a small notch in t' aft motor mount rin' so that t' shock cord was nay pinched when t' motor mount was in place. I spent some time makin' sure that t' fit o' t' motor mount rings and the inner tube was just right. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! A little light sandin' on t' rings with 400 grit sandpaper made t' mount slide smoothin' and easily, but still stay in place with a motor loaded. 

A coat o' Krylon white finishin' primer was sprayed on and sanded smooth with 400 grit sandpaper after it dried. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! White Krylon be next, me hearties, then maskin' and yellow Krylon on t' front 1/3 o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I applied t' kit decals and then used Krylon crystal clear as a top coat. Looks pretty good! 

Flight

T' first flight be on May 3, shiver me timbers, 1998 at a C.R.A.S.H. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! launch in Denver. Aye aye! Warm, sunny, shiver me timbers, light breeze - a perfect flyin' day. T' rocket be prepped per the instructions that Estes provided in t' instruction sheet. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This flight be on a C5-3. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! Boost be straight and surprisingly high for a rocket o' this size and weight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Recovery deployment appeared normal and t' Sizzler descended normally on its 46 centimeter parachute. Upon recovery I discovered that t' parachute's shroud lines had tangled with t' shock cord on deployment, but I still got a fully opened parachute, shiver me timbers, lucky! Blimey! Post flight inspection showed everythin' t' be OK except that t' elastic shock cord be scorched where it attaches t' the back o' t' rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! I am goin' t' change t' shock cord attachment by drilling a small hole at t' base o' one fin and attachin' a length o 100# rated Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and then tyin' t' present elastic shock cord t' that so that I is all inside t' rocket when packed. Arrr! This will keep t' elastic from being exposed t' t' hot exhaust gases. Begad! Begad! As it is, me bucko, t' shock cord attachment would probably fail in a few flights, nay good. Ya scallywag! Begad! If I build another Sizzler, ya bilge rat, I will do it this way from t' start. 

T' preppin' instructions by Estes did nay give me a clean recovery. Begad! Ya scallywag! I am goin' t' experiment with other packin' arrangements. Avast! I think t' problem is that t' shock cord is wound over t' top o' t' parachute. Ya scallywag! I believe it would be much better t' pack t' parachute on top o' t' shock cord. Begad! Well, this is the reason that I built this rocket in t' first place, t' learn about the problems with aft ejection. 

As I mentioned earlier, this rocket can easily handle more power. Begad! It would be a very stable platform for AeroTech or Apogee 18 millimeter composite motors of D power. Ahoy! Its construction is very strong and its flight manners are sweet. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I will certainly be tryin' these in t' near future. 

Grades

Design: B 
Construction: A 
Flight: A 

This is a really cool lookin' rocket with a very stable and satisfying performance that is flawed only by a few details in its recovery system design and instructions. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! While nay for t' beginner, I would recommend this rocket to any rocketeer lookin' t' find out about aft recovery ejection.