Feedback wanted on Estes Sizzler #2127 (Rear Ejection version)

Just curious... Has anyone built this variant of the Estes Sizzler?




Was the rear ejection worth the extra parts, or if you had to do it again, would you have built it as a standard parachute ejection rocket?

Thanks!
Jim

There is only one Sizzler in my heart, and that's 1906.

The rear ejection on the Talon (which was then renamed the Sizzler) is worth the effort since without it, it's just a big 3FC that doesn't have much differentiation. It's something different and works well enough.

kj

I built two versions of this kit one with the 18 mm. motor and rear ejedtion and another with 24 mm. power and standard ejection. Both of them flew well.

Rocketron

kjohnson said:

There is only one Sizzler in my heart, and that's 1906.

The rear ejection on the Talon (which was then renamed the Sizzler) is worth the effort since without it, it's just a big 3FC that doesn't have much differentiation. It's something different and works well enough.

kj

Click to expand...

Talon... Hmmm I hadn't heard of that one before. Thanks for filling that gap in my knowledge base.

[EDIT]Can you help me out... I've only found one other reference to it as a Talon. I'd like to get more info on that model.

The Sizzler has a special place in my heart too. IIRC, It was my 4th rocket and I really enjoyed its classic lines and color scheme (plus, it came with the Big Foot Launch Pad/Controller). I've got an unfinished 1906 (Ebay score), (and a BT-60 upscale) awaiting paint.

BTW, mine was the one-piece blowmolded NC, and not the later two-piece injection molded version. I wish that someone would put out a true BT-60 upscale of both NCs. I had just figured out how to make more accurate NC shapes, and use Semroc's custom NC designer, when I found out that Semroc was going out of business, and not making custom NC's anymore.

Pointy Side Up!
Jim

rocketron1948 said:

I built two versions of this kit one with the 18 mm. motor and rear ejedtion and another with 24 mm. power and standard ejection. Both of them flew well.

Rocketron

Click to expand...

Ya know... I was thinking about this as a possible 24mm powered mod project.

Do you have either of yours still?

All The Best!
Jim

Estes changed the name. It originally shipped as the Talon, but was renamed to the Sizzler. 1996 catalog only has the Sizzler name, but the kit was released with the old name for a brief while.

kj

The Sizzler was a pretty cool rocket in my book! I built it around the time I finally got bored with traditional 3FNC rockets. On one of my last flights with the Sizzler the shock cord burned through on the motor mount. I tied the severed end to a Kevlar cord, and tied the free end of the Kevlar around the aft centering ring on the motor mount. Don't recall if I ever flew it again to test how well the new shock cord worked.

This is my favorite version. Built right, it makes an extremely versatile platform for payloads of all sorts. I am building one for testing, validating, and comparing altimeters and trackers before using them in bigger/higher altitude flights. Mine will include a clear section because... why not?

This is actually a replacement. I made the mistake of flying my first one in only gray primer at dusk... only to immediately lose it in the murky sky at only 1000ft.

My favorite Sizzler... the rear eject part happens later...

I built one several years ago and launched it in January of 2020




I built it stock except for using kevlar to attach the motor mount to the rocket body.
It flew nicely, and recovered without a problem. I did use a larger parachute to slow it down a bit more.

Goose

I have one, I like it and it flies well.