Brief:
Upon becomin' seriously involved as a BAR in t' sprin' o' 2001, I went lookin' through local hobby stores, hopin' t' find that some o' me favorite rockets from me early years were still available. Blimey! T' Wizard, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, a high flyin' minimum diameter rocket, me bucko, turned out t' be t' sole remainin' holdover from me original fleet.

Construction:
Included in t' kit:

• 1 - 8.65" BT-20 (BT-20B)
• 1 - Engine block (AR-520)
• 1 - Launch lug (LL-2A)
• 18" sewin' elastic for shock cord
• 1- PNC-20N
• 15" streamer

Despite t' hard creative times that Estes had obviously fallen upon durin' me absence from t' hobby, one thin' remained constant; t' continued excellence o' t' Estes instructions. Well, blow me down! (Not that I used them or anything. Begad! I just looked through them before I started.) T' continued availability o' this and several other Beta series rockets makes one wonder why anyone would bother t' buy t' RTF garbage that Estes seems so intent on foistin' upon us these days. (I know. Begad! Instant gratification.) With t' Wizard you are rewarded with a sharp looking, high flyin' rocket that can be flown without worryin' that t' thin walled RTF body tube will fold up as t' rocket leaves t' pad or if it will withstand a vigorous ejection charge. Aye aye! Buildin' t' Wizard is almost obscenely easy. Glue in t' engine block and attach t' fins and recovery system and you're literally ready t' paint.

Finishing:
This be one area where I felt that I could make improvements. Aside from it's stunnin' performance, t' thin' I liked best about t' original Wizard was it's clean, me bucko, shiver me timbers, uncluttered appearance. Unfortunately, matey, somewhere along t' way someone at Estes decided that t' rocket needed a more cluttered look, so they re-designed t' paint and decal scheme t' accomplish just that. Begad! Blimey! Gone was t' classic simplicity o' t' purple/white/black scheme o' t' original, matey, ditched in favor o' a blue/red/yellow scheme that looks as slick and nauseatin' as a polyester suit and a spinnin' disco ball. Ahoy! Blimey! That said, arrr, I immediately gave t' "sticker" decal t' me kids t' play with and set about paintin' t' rocket t' look just like t' one I lost on it's first flight 22 years earlier. At t' time I wasn't acquainted with t' myriad o' options available for recreatin' vintage decals. As such, I be goin' t' let t' rocket go without t' distinctive decal that graced t' original, but then I remembered that Rocketry Online had a free classified ad service. Begad! Blimey! I placed an ad lookin' t' buy an old Wizard decal from someone, shiver me timbers, and t' me great shock and surprise, I received several e-mails offerin' one t' me for free. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' first offer came from Stan Hyuge and while I'd like t' say thanks t' Stan, me hearties, I'd like t' also thank t' others who also offered me t' decal. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I be happily surprised at discoverin' that, with a few obvious exceptions, arrr, me bucko, this was a very friendly hobby. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This was t' first rocket on which I used sandin' sealer made from thinned Elmer's Fill N Finish, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, and t' difference be noticeable in t' finished product.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I've flown t' Wizard on engines throughout t' recommended range and have had great results on all o' them. Arrr! An A8-3 is a decent choice for small field flying, t' rocket never quite goin' completely out o' sight, arrr, arrr, while C6-5's and C6-7's should be used only when you have plenty o' clear space t' work with, me hearties, ya bilge rat, because it flies high and drifts forever. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Preparation is simple. Ya scallywag! Put in a bit o' recovery wadding, matey, matey, pack t' streamer, shiver me timbers, friction fit t' engine with maskin' tape and it's ready t' go. Arrr! Straight, ya bilge rat, arrr, very high flights. Begad! Well, blow me down! This rocket would seem t' be a good choice for t' streamer and parachute duration requirements for t' NARTREK Program.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Pro's: Good looks (classic version) and great performance. Arrr! Begad! Easy t' build. Blimey! Bright orange streamer looks great against t' purple and white paint.
Con's: Ugly new paint and decal scheme. (Current version.) Sticker decal. Too short shock cord.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5