T' Estes AIM-9 Sidewinder is a popular scale model kit o' a air-to-air missile that has served US and NATO air forces for about 40 years and still runnin' strong.  

This rocket is a challengin' build, arrr, arrr, nay for t' first-timer. It is also a challenger t' fly, as it tends t' live up t' its  name and give some "sidewinding" flights. Avast!  

INSTRUCTIONS:
T' instructions are t' usual good Estes ones, illustrated, numbered and easy t' follow. No special tools were needed.

EASE OF BUILD:
For a challengin' kit with a lot o' wood, shiver me timbers, this went rather well. Tricky parts are t' fuselage bands and t' aft fins, matey, ya bilge rat, which must be glued together from several pieces. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Through-the-wall construction makes this a sturdy kit t' fly, even with t' large amount o' wood that it carries aloft. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! All parts were provided in me kit, and t' fit and alignment were very good. Arrr! Begad! Blimey!

QUALITY:
This kit is very sturdy and has survived several hard landings. Well, blow me down! I even had a main chute failure (plastic chutes seem t' do that t' me) and t' main section came out undamaged despite bein' caught by a tree after a fast descent. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!  

T' self-stick decals are very good, although t' edges tend t' curl after time. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Use plenty o' clear spray after applyin' t' decals t' help keep them on. Ahoy!

This is an excellent lookin' scale model, arrr, me bucko, even after I've built it. Aye aye! I am no scale competitor, ya bilge rat, I'm happy if I get t' right color paint and all o' t' decals stick. Begad! Ahoy! But if you're a scale model perfectionist, this kit could be a lot o' fun (although you would want t' change t' front fins t' make them a bit more authentic) 

FLYING:
T' first good thin' I did t' this rocket is t' take t' 18mm motor mount and chuck it into me parts box. Begad! I replaced it with a 24mm motor mount. Arrr! Arrr! This rocket does nay fly very well on a C6-3, but it flies great with a D12-5. Arrr! Blimey!

Unfortunately, I followed up that triumph with a minor mistake. Well, blow me down! Avast! I thought that two chutes were a bit much, me bucko, matey, so I tried t' launch it with t' nose cone tied t' t' body tube with shock cord and only one 18" chute. Aye aye! Big mistake. Use two chutes. Ahoy! Arrr! If you use only one, t' nose cone bangs into t' body tube and t' forward fins get shredded or snapped off. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down!

I use a tiny 8" chute for t' nose cone, and it works great.

Flyin' this bird can be tricky, due t' t' large amount o' wood. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! In any amount o' wind, it is a bit like Laurel and Hardy with a big sheet o' plywood. It will go just about everywhere but straight up. Blimey! Even in a calm wind, me bucko, this rocket spins more than me Corkscrew. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey!

Make sure t' put in plenty o' nose weight if you fly this with a "D" or it may be unstable. Begad!

RATING:
I would rate this rocket with 3 ½ points. Begad! Arrr! It has some definite stability problems which Estes should engineer out, and it also is underpowered with t' standard 18mm motor mount. Aye aye! But it is a good scale model and interestin' t' fly. Begad!

UPDATE 5/99:

Thank you for t' feedback, matey, arrr, it was useful and some was entertaining. Avast! Blimey! Flyin' this rocket on an A8-3, havin' it go sideways into a crowd, and havin' a tree catch it after bein' launched with a C6-5 were all :^)

I flew this ugly balsa bird for almost two years, then it sailed away in a high wind and buzzards picked it clean. Aye aye!

I am now lookin' at a Python kit for a larger Sidewinder kit bash and will get back t' you all if I ever get it built. Avast, me proud beauty!