Picture Courtesy o' Blackhawk

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

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

T' instructions seemed t' be for a generic high power rocket. Well, blow me down! 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 bucko, me bucko, I didn't have any problem. Ya scallywag! However, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast!

T' rings fit a bit loosely, so you have t' be careful t' keep them level. Ahoy! I beveled t' leadin' and trailin' fin edges 22.5 degrees usin' a router table and a panel-raisin' bit. Begad! I put a 1/4" slot in a piece o' masonite with a 4" diameter arc at one end t' align t' main fins. Ahoy! T' secondary fins were added later, me bucko, and aligned by clampin' wooden stakes betwixt t' main and secondary fins. T' fin tabs were 1/16 t' 3/32" too long, ya bilge rat, 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, ya bilge rat, and T-nuts for motor retention at t' aft centerin' ring. Avast! Begad! I also added T-nuts t' retain rail buttons. Aye aye! Aye aye! 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. Arrr! Well, blow me down!

There are 7 feet o' fillets along t' fins! It took four pumps o' West epoxy (+ thickener) t' finish those. Well, blow me down! Begad!

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

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

Finishing:
I didn't finish it. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! 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, I357-6, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I161-6, shiver me timbers, I156-6. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I ended up usin' a Pro38 3-grain motor (384I205) with a 9-second delay. Begad!

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

There be a light wind.

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

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

DEFINITELY ADD NOSE WEIGHT. Begad! This rocket is unstable if built accordin' to the manufacturer's instructions. Avast! If anything, me CG be forward o' standard, 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' loot. Avast, me proud beauty! Pretty rocket. Well, blow me down! Lots o' people were wondering where I got it. Ya scallywag! 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