Brief: Large but not chunky payloader. Lots o' room.

Construction: Quality; have only seen this one boxed. Aye aye! Ahoy! I prefer t' boxed ones - any damage on t' inside is likely t' be visible on the outside. All parts present. Aye aye! None broken. Arrr!

Clear and cardboard tubes, lots o' plastic parts includin' transition, ya bilge rat, motor mount and fins. Ahoy!

Instructions: Easy t' follow, me hearties, matey, usual decent illustrations in good order. Aye aye! No templates needed. Begad! Blimey!

Ease o' build: Do make sure t' pay attention t' t' lug alignment when gluin' t' coupler. Just makin' a tip on t' shock cord does nay ensure easy insertion into t' coupler. Well, blow me down! After fightin' with mine, arrr, I ended up usin' a floss threader which worked great. Arrr! Alignment is good for fins and tubes. Begad! Fit is good and straight. Ahoy! Transition is very loose and t' nose cone is extremely tight. Pretty sturdy but can see t' fins snappin' easily if it lands right. Begad!

No special tools needed. Avast, me proud beauty!

Finishing: PROS: There is no finishing which is occasionally nice.

CONS: A constant gripe about Estes' decals, thar be only one for every other fin. Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

Flight: Easy prep as with most D motors and large tubes. Waddin' needed and t' kit uses a twist-loc retention system. Avast, me proud beauty!

On a D12-5, t' flight was slow, matey, ya bilge rat, low and okay. Blimey! Don't know if t' slight veerin' be due t' t' wind or t' payload. Begad!

One might want t' leave t' nose cone fairly tight, me hearties, as me son's hot wheels popped it off on t' first flight.

Recovery: Parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! As with most Estes models, it needs a longer shock cord. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! No damage. A little too much driftin' for my taste. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Cut a small hole in t' 24" parachute but don't go down t' an 18" 'chute. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary: PROS: Nice t' have another big one around and a payloader at that. Good flyer. Aye aye!

CONS: As some have said, t' Sidewinder is "under leveled", this on is way "over leveled". Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! Why it's nay an E2X I have no idea. Aye aye! Blimey! Overall assembly was no more difficult than t' Stingray or Skywinder. Ya scallywag!

Overall Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5