Picture Courtesy o' Blackhawk

Brief:
Sport scale high power version o' t' SAAB

Construction:
T' kit came with two glassine-covered body tubes, coupler, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 8 nicely cut 1/4" plywood fins, ya bilge rat, 3 1/4" plywood centerin' rings, bulkhead plate, U-bolts, me bucko, 10' tubular nylon, arrr, parachute, launch lug, me bucko, and nose cone. Begad! Aye aye! All around high quality material. Well, blow me down! However, me hearties, thar was no provision t' attach t' nose cone to t' payload bay. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! You have t' supply your own hardware for that. You also have t' supply motor retention hardware. Blimey! On t' other hand, shiver me timbers, t' U-bolts came securely attached t' t' appropriate rings.

T' instructions seemed t' be for a generic high power rocket. Ya scallywag! This was the third high power rocket I've built--the other two were from PML and BSD. Avast, me proud beauty! As a result, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I didn't have any problem. However, a beginner t' high power could have trouble, as some steps weren't clear, ya bilge rat, and t' third centerin' rin' wasn't even mentioned.

T' rings fit a bit loosely, so you have t' be careful t' keep them level. I beveled t' leadin' and trailin' fin edges 22.5 degrees usin' a router table and a panel-raisin' bit. Ahoy! I put a 1/4" slot in a piece o' masonite with a 4" diameter arc at one end t' align t' main fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' secondary fins were added later, ya bilge rat, and aligned by clampin' wooden stakes betwixt t' main and secondary fins. Avast! T' fin tabs were 1/16 t' 3/32" too long, and so t' fin roots were "elevated" off t' body tube, requirin' a fillet under them.

I added a PML modular baffle at t' top o' t' motor mount, and T-nuts for motor retention at t' aft centerin' ring. I also added T-nuts t' retain rail buttons. Ya scallywag! I did this by nay securin' t' aft centerin' rin' until after the motor tube be glued in. Ya scallywag! This allowed me t' get into t' area betwixt the middle and aft rin' and glue (with thickened epoxy) t' T-nuts. Blimey!

There are 7 feet o' fillets along t' fins! Blimey! It took four pumps o' West epoxy (+ thickener) t' finish those.

I got some removable white plastic rivets from Rocketmotion t' secure the nose cone. Ya scallywag!

My rocket came in about 4 ounces lighter than t' Blackhawk specs.

Finishing:
I didn't finish it. Avast! Considerin' what happened t' first flight (see below), that was a good idea.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Blackhawk R&D recommends t' I300-10, I2110-10, arrr, I357-6, ya bilge rat, I161-6, I156-6. I ended up usin' a Pro38 3-grain motor (384I205) with a 9-second delay. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

There is very little space t' place t' chute and shock cord. Aye aye! Blimey! You need to pack it carefully t' fit. Aye aye! Blimey!

There be a light wind.

Immediately after leavin' t' rail, me hearties, t' rocket went into skywriter mode, did about 4 full loops, and landsharked under full power. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Ejection occurred after t' landshark.

Recovery:
On impact, me hearties, arrr, one fin ripped off. Well, blow me down! T' payload bay had a slight crinkle. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' damage should be easily repairable, shiver me timbers, though I might just swap out t' payload bay for a PML replacement--it's less work than tryin' t' patch t' crinkle and surprisingly cheap. I'll also be able t' get more room for t' chute by shortenin' t' coupler.

DEFINITELY ADD NOSE WEIGHT. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! This rocket is unstable if built accordin' to the manufacturer's instructions. Avast! If anything, shiver me timbers, me CG be forward o' standard, as I assume t' only place I could have saved weight over t' manufacturer's quoted weight be t' use a little less epoxy on t' fins.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
Actually good value for t' loot. Pretty rocket. Begad! Lots o' people were wondering where I got it. Well, blow me down! Arrr! If only t' vendor would talk about nose weight in the instructions, t' flight ratin' would have been higher (e.g., about a 4, I bet).

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5