Brief:
After I entered some old flight logs on t' Estes Sizzler, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I decided t' look at t' EMRR review. Well, blow me down! T' me surprise, this was nay t' same kit! T' newer Sizzler was nay merely a re-issue with materials differences, it was larger (BT-60 vs. BT-50), had a different fin design, and used aft ejection vs. Arrr! standard NC ejection.

Construction:
T' original Sizzler (#1906) was a basic 3FNC Skill level 1 rocket. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I bought mine in 1987 as part o' a starter set - me first act as a BAR. Arrr! T' attached pics provide a good description o' t' rocket (click picture on left t' enlarge). I really loved t' looks o' t' original. Blimey! Originally, mine looked like t' ads - now it is fairly flight worn.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew this rocket many many times times on A's, arrr, B's, me bucko, me bucko, C's, ya bilge rat, and one D It has landed on people's roofs and a ledge o' a nearby office building. We were lucky they had scheduled a window cleanin' that weekend (before it rained!). It survived these flights well, ya bilge rat, with a 12" plastic chute and t' rubber band shock cord. Blimey! On its last flight, arrr, I used an Aerotech D21-7 for a really fast take-off. Aye aye! T' ejection charge burned t' body tube and blistered t' paint. Ahoy! T' tube almost feels like it melted. T' Sizzler is now enjoyin' a happy retirement in me Rocket Ranch. Avast! Aye aye! Maybe someday, matey, matey, she will see an offsprin' (upscale).

Recovery:
PROs - Flies great on any class o' 18mm engine CONs - Uses a short rubber band shock cord. However, this was typical for all Estes kits back then.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS - It's a good performing, basic starter rocket. Aye aye! CONS - None noted

I think t' new version is a more interestin' rocket (with aft ejection, etc.), but I liked t' overall look o' t' original better. I think Estes should have issued their rocket under another name, IMHO.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5