Brief:
Estes has used t' name "Sizzler" on several rockets down through t' years. Well, blow me down! T' latest t' carry t' name (Kit #2171) is a minimum-diameter screamer with swept fins like one o' t' earlier Sizzler's, shiver me timbers, but a new smaller size that gives it hot performance t' match it's fast styling. Well, blow me down! Construction o' this kit is simple and straightforward, but some careful attention t' fin strength and finish will give you t' best result. Ahoy! A "C" motor will push this bird well out-of-sight at top speeds over 350 mph, so you'll want t' use your best technique t' build this kit strong and sleek but light.

Construction:
This is a simple kit with few parts. Well, blow me down! As a minimum-diameter rocket t' BT-20 body tube doubles as t' engine tube, so thar be no need t' build a separate engine mount. Arrr! Well, matey, blow me down! T' kit does include a motor retention hook, which is mounted t' t' outside o' t' body tube and held in place with a paper sleeve. Blimey! If you find this objectionable, either from an aerodynamic or an aesthetic concern, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I imagine you could leave out t' hook and friction fit t' motor, shiver me timbers, as similar Estes rockets like t' "Wizard" have always done. Begad! I used t' hook.

T' three fins are die-cut balsa from very thin stock; a bit soft and very light weight. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! A standard plastic nose cone, paper thrust ring, 12 in plastic parachute, and typically too-short elastic shock-cord complete t' kit. Well, blow me down! There is a single peel-off decal with t' rocket name. Begad! All parts and t' instructions are very typical o' Estes kits.

Construction o' t' Sizzler is also very typical o' Estes kits o' this type. Aye aye! T' body tube is marked usin' a paper guide cut from t' instructions. Well, blow me down! T' tube is slotted t' hold t' engine hook and t' hook sleeve is glued over it t' hold t' hook in place. Ahoy! Begad! T' thrust rin' goes in t' tube. Begad! I used yellow 'wood glue' through-out.

T' fins must be removed from t' balsa sheet with some care, arrr, me bucko, as they are thin and delicate. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' Sizzler gets it's good looks (in me eyes) from t' raked fins, but t' long 'toe' on these fins can be easily broken if you handle them roughly. Aye aye! T' fins also have a small inset into t' root edge t' clear t' paper sleeve that supports t' engine hook. Use your hobby knife t' clear these out. Avast, me proud beauty! I recommend that you sand t' fins for shape and smoothness before they are glued t' t' tube. Ahoy! I have built this kit twice (more on that later). Begad! Begad! T' first time I sanded a nice airfoil into each fin, which takes some care as they are delicate. Avast! Avast! T' second time I opted t' just round/taper t' leadin' edge only. Blimey! These fins need strength more than an inconsequential improvement in drag. Aye aye! I also 'painted' t' fins with thin CA for stiffness on t' second kit. Avast, me proud beauty! If you have never tried this technique this is a good kit t' learn on. Ahoy! Just place each fin on a flat surface (protected) and apply a small amount o' thin CA t' t' surface. Aye aye! Then smartly spread t' glue with a bit o' balsa scrap or a Popsicle stick. Avast! I actually use wooden coffee stirrers, arrr, me hearties, which are perfect for this or many other jobs around t' shop. Avast, me proud beauty! Just be careful with t' thin CA as it can run and cause mayhem. Arrr! T' glue will set smartly and can be sanded smooth.

You will have trouble gettin' these fins on t' tube straight and strong if you rush things, shiver me timbers, so take your time and get it right. Arrr! Use whatever technique works for you t' get a good tacky glue for settin' t' fin, and t' support t' fin as t' glue dries. Begad! I put them on one at a time and use a thin strip o' tape t' brace t' fin in place while it dries. Well, blow me down! T' fin is light and t' tube has a small diameter, me bucko, so everythin' has t' be done with a light touch. Yellow glue should give you plenty o' time t' make adjustments and get it positioned just right, so this shouldn't be too hard. Avast! Begad! Also make sure you sand t' body tube where t' fins will attach t' slightly roughen t' surface. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I was also careful t' keep root edge and about 1/8'' up from t' root clear when I stiffened t' fin with CA and filled it with sealer. You want t' have a good surface for t' glue fillet t' bind to.

Installation o' t' recovery system is pretty simple. Ahoy! You start by settin' aside t' shock-cord and 12in. chute that came with t' kit. T' cord is too short, as is typical with many kits, me bucko, but more importantly, a 12 in. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! chute is really big for a rocket this light. Ahoy! I think someone in t' Estes marketin' dept. has determined that customers believe "real rockets use parachutes." Perhaps they're right, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but we all know better. Begad! A streamer is a better choice for this rocket. I went all out on me second Sizzler and attached some lightweight Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' body tube usin' t' standard Estes three-fold mount, and then tied that strin' t' t' elastic cord provided by Estes. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' whole thin' is about three times as long as t' elastic cord alone, and will last much longer. Begad! I tied a streamer t' t' elastic and put a small Pratt Hobbies heat shield on t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' complete construction.

Finishing:
I put a bit o' effort into a smooth finish for this model, shiver me timbers, matey, matey, and I imagine you will too. T' real reasons t' build this kit, arrr, instead o' some other inexpensive Estes kit, are its sleek looks or its fast, high flights (or both!). In either case, a good, arrr, ya bilge rat, smooth finish in important. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I applied a single coat o' sandin' sealer t' t' fins (after t' CA) t' fill t' last o' t' balsa grain. T' other 'issue' one has t' deal with be t' engine hook, t' sleeve that restrains it, and t' notch in t' root edge o' t' fins over t' sleeve. Begad! You could probably leave them entirely alone and nay notice t' difference, but I wanted a good look, me hearties, me hearties, so I mixed up a batch o' thinned Elmers wood filler and created a smooth 'fairing' in front and behind t' sleeve, shiver me timbers, arrr, and I filled t' notches in t' fins. There is nay much you can do about t' engine hook.

Once all that was sanded smooth I applied a couple o' light coats o' grey primer, with a little bit o' sandin' with #400 grit, and a couple o' coats o' gloss black. Arrr! Then comes t' fun. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' cool lookin' design you saw on t' kit card is nay a decal, its drawn free-hand with paint-pens or small brushes. Ahoy! I be a bit nervous about this on t' first Sizzler I built, me bucko, me bucko, but I do have some o' t' paint pens and gave it a try. Blimey! It's nay as easy t' get t' paint t' flow onto a smooth, gloss finish as I had hoped, but it can be done. Ya scallywag! Some colors work better than others. Once you relax a bit and just paint on your design it turns out t' be kind'a fun, and I'm quite happy with t' look. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' rocket gets a lot o' "ooh, look at that one!" comments, so I guess others agree.

I'll rate it a 4. Blimey! It's just fine, but you will need t' deal with t' external hook mount and t' short cord-big chute situation.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Its time t' explain why I have built two. Aye aye! I was real pleased with t' first one and eager t' fly it. Aye aye! T' wind was blowin' at t' next club launch, and I was "downgrading" most o' t' family rockets from "C" motors t' "B" impulse motors, ya bilge rat, t' keep them on t' field. Ahoy! I got into t' habit o' grabbin' a B6 and thinkin' o' it as me "windy-day" load. Begad! T' end o' t' launch approached and I really wanted t' see t' Sizzler fly, so I grabbed another B6, I remembered t' use a long, 6 second delay, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, but I forgot t' pull off t' chute and replace it with a streamer. Nay until t' LCO was countin' down t' launch did I remember that I had intended t' use an A engine on this rocket, but it was too late. Avast, me proud beauty! On launch t' Sizzler ripped off t' pad and laid down a thin line o' smoke that angled slightly into t' wind. necks snapped up and thar was an audible "oooh" from t' crowd. Aye aye! There be a funny lookin' twist in t' smoke trail and a sound from t' rocket that made me think! , "fin flutter", shiver me timbers, but everythin' held together and t' ejection occurred *way* up thar where t' 12 inch chute be a small dot. Ahoy! T' LCO turned around and said, arrr, "start running", me hearties, me hearties, and I did. Avast, me proud beauty! An our later we gave up on t' search; a little rocket on a big chute in a stiff wind, I oughta know better.

On t' second one I stiffened t' fins with CA as described above, me hearties, ya bilge rat, in case what we saw really was fin flutter, and used a streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! I have only flown t' rocket on A8-5's but it gives great flights on that motor and t' recovery is close by. T' last flight was a drag race with me son's Estes Wizard and it be a great, arrr, neck-and-neck race. Lot's o' fun and t' two rockets came down on streamers within 30 feet o' each other.

RockSim predicts 1400 feet and 360mph on a C6-7, arrr, arrr, but I'm nay ready t' try it. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I like t' way this bird flies and recovers on t' A8-5 and streamer combination, me hearties, and I recommend it.

Recovery:
I'll rate t' flight and recovery at a 4 1/2. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' kit may have some trouble at C impulse, fin flutter is a real risk with these thin fins; it certainly will be difficult t' find if you send it that high. Aye aye! If you change t' a streamer and stick t' A and B motors I think this would rate a 5.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I like this rocket and expect I'll always t' have one in me fleet. I'm sure that a beginner could get this kit together and get a decent flight out o' it, arrr, but thar are really better kits for that purpose. Ahoy! Blimey! If you have built a few rockets and want t' try somethin' small, shiver me timbers, but fast, shiver me timbers, look into t' new Sizzler. If you want some good fun on launch day, me hearties, build a fleet o' minimum diameter TFNC rockets like t' Sizzler, Wizard, Star-Dart and Yankee, and drag race 'em on identical engines. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! We have already purchased two more Sizzlers that we will bash into a two-stage "Super Sizzler".

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5