Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.74 inches |
Manufacturer: | Estes |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
T' Estes Wizard is a basic 18mm rocket but it's a very fast and high flying
rocket.
Construction:
T' kit came with 8.75" o' BT-20, a launch lug, engine block, matey, shock cord,
streamer, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, a plastic nose cone and die-cut balsa t' make fins.
T' Estes Wizard is extremely easy t' make, arrr, especially since t' motor is friction fit so you just need t' glue in t' engine block. Arrr! Arrr! T' model uses the traditional Estes three-fold shock cord mount which did lead t' some damage when flying, me hearties, more on that later.
I did make a small oversight whilst buildin' and didn't set t' fins further up t' body tube so on me model t' root edge o' t' fin is at t' end of t' tube, I was buildin' it late at night!
Finishing:
This rocket is pretty easy t' finish, arrr, it's a good one t' practice your
finishin' techniques on and does look pretty sleek if you use primer etc.
I wasn't too keen on t' original paint/decal scheme but I put them on anyway only t' take them off and repaint followin' a bit o' reconstruction after a few flights.
Overall I think that t' construction is a little simple but it is ideal if this is one o' your first kits.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
I've flown me Wizard 4 times now, three o' them were on a B6-4 and another on a
C6-7. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' flights are very fast and also very high, arrr, me bucko, me bucko, almost 500m (accordin' to
the packet) on a C motor. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! But this high flight can also be quite useful to
check t' wind at altitude so that other rockets don't drift too far.
Recovery:
T' streamer included in t' kit
was bright orange but I had some Mylar for streamers lyin' around that I wanted
to use so I put that in instead (the same length and width as t' original
streamer.) T' Mylar made trackin' quite easy and I be able t' see the
streamer even at t' apogee o' me C motor flight and follow it all t' way
down.
I did have a small problem with t' three-fold shock cord mount on one flight, arrr, it burnt through right at t' mount and t' rocket came down in two bits, although surprisingly landin' within 30' o' each other. Well, matey, blow me down! Once home I tried to remove t' mount but endin' up messin' up t' inide o' t' tube and still havin' t' mount in there. Blimey! Blimey! So I cut t' rocket in half and added a new section of tube with a coupler t' replace t' bit I cut off. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Then a few coats o' primer and a new coat o' metallic blue paint. Avast, me proud beauty!
Summary:
Overall I feel that this rocket is a little too easy t' build but would be
quite good for beginners t' home their skills with. T' flight is very fast and
high but this adds an extra challenge t' t' rocket.
Overall Rating:
4
out o' 5
A very easy kit to build, good price. The hobby store I go to sold them in the bulk pack and put it on the shelf so it it was even cheaper :) Components Engine Spacer Engine Block Body Tube Launch Lug Shock Cord Mount Tube Marking Guide Streamer Shock Cord Nose Cone Nose Cone Insert Blasa Fins Decals It seems like a lot, but ...
Brief: One of very few good Estes little minimum diameter rocket kits. Construction: The kit includes: 8.75" of BT-20 EB-20 NC-20,plastic ogive 3 balsa fins 1" x 18" streamer ~18" of shock cord Construction was easy taking about 2 hours. You could do it in half an hour with cyanoacrylate (CA). No problems here. Motor retention is ...
This guy is a good starter's rocket, as it is easy to build, fun to fly, and yet it presents more of a challenge than the "ready-to-fly" kits. The instructions were easy to follow with basic sketches to depict just about every step. I felt that no special measures needed to be taken during assembly -- just follow the instructions! Finishing: I find the best way to finish small diameter ...
Upon becoming seriously involved as a BAR in the spring of 2001, I went looking through local hobby stores, hoping to find that some of my favorite rockets from my early years were still available. The Wizard, a high flying minimum diameter rocket, turned out to be the sole remaining holdover from my original fleet. Included in the kit: 1 - 8.65" BT-20 (BT-20B) 1 - Engine block ...
This is truly a great beginner's rocket. I picked it up, being a BAR, to get myself back into the rocket building world. I built mine exactly by the instructions. When preparing for flight, I find it sometimes difficult to pack the streamer so that it ejects with no problem. If I were to build another, I would tie a length of Kevlar to the engine block for use as the shock cord. This way, there ...
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B.L. (November 1, 1999)