Brief: Large but not chunky payloader. Aye aye! Begad! Lots o' room. Arrr!

Construction: Quality; have only seen this one boxed. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I prefer t' boxed ones - any damage on t' inside is likely t' be visible on the outside. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! All parts present. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! None broken. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Clear and cardboard tubes, ya bilge rat, lots o' plastic parts includin' transition, shiver me timbers, motor mount and fins. Avast! Blimey!

Instructions: Easy t' follow, arrr, usual decent illustrations in good order. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! No templates needed. Ya scallywag!

Ease o' build: Do make sure t' pay attention t' t' lug alignment when gluin' t' coupler. Just makin' a tip on t' shock cord does nay ensure easy insertion into t' coupler. Avast! After fightin' with mine, me hearties, I ended up usin' a floss threader which worked great. Alignment is good for fins and tubes. Begad! Fit is good and straight. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Transition is very loose and t' nose cone is extremely tight. Pretty sturdy but can see t' fins snappin' easily if it lands right.

No special tools needed. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!

Finishing: PROS: There is no finishing which is occasionally nice.

CONS: A constant gripe about Estes' decals, thar be only one for every other fin. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

Flight: Easy prep as with most D motors and large tubes. Waddin' needed and t' kit uses a twist-loc retention system. Blimey!

On a D12-5, t' flight was slow, low and okay. Avast, me proud beauty! Don't know if t' slight veerin' was due t' t' wind or t' payload. Aye aye!

One might want t' leave t' nose cone fairly tight, as me son's hot wheels popped it off on t' first flight.

Recovery: Parachute. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! As with most Estes models, me bucko, it needs a longer shock cord. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! No damage. Avast, me proud beauty! A little too much driftin' for my taste. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Cut a small hole in t' 24" parachute but don't go down t' an 18" 'chute. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary: PROS: Nice t' have another big one around and a payloader at that. Ahoy! Good flyer. Avast!

CONS: As some have said, t' Sidewinder is "under leveled", this on is way "over leveled". Ya scallywag! Avast! Why it's nay an E2X I have no idea. Begad! Overall assembly be no more difficult than t' Stingray or Skywinder. Blimey!

Overall Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5