Picture Courtesy o' Blackhawk

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

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

T' instructions seemed t' be for a generic high power rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This be the third high power rocket I've built--the other two were from PML and BSD. Blimey! As a result, I didn't have any problem. Well, blow me down! Blimey! However, a beginner t' high power could have trouble, shiver me timbers, as some steps weren't clear, arrr, and t' third centerin' rin' wasn't even mentioned. Avast!

T' rings fit a bit loosely, ya bilge rat, so you have t' be careful t' keep them level. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! 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! Arrr! T' secondary fins were added later, matey, and aligned by clampin' wooden stakes betwixt t' main and secondary fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! I also added T-nuts t' retain rail buttons. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I did this by nay securin' t' aft centerin' rin' until after the motor tube was 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. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey!

There are 7 feet o' fillets along t' fins! 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. Blimey! Aye aye!

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

There is very little space t' place t' chute and shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! You need to pack it carefully t' fit. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

There be a light wind.

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

Recovery:
On impact, me hearties, arrr, one fin ripped off. Begad! T' payload bay had a slight crinkle. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' damage should be easily repairable, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I'll also be able t' get more room for t' chute by shortenin' t' coupler.

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

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5