Brief:
T' DG&A Lazarus is a straight-forward high power rocket kit with a 38mm motor mount. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! It would make a good Level-1 cert rocket and has a small payload bay suitable for your electronics.

Construction:
T' Lazarus came in its own shippin' box. T' components inside were packaged carefully, shiver me timbers, thar was no shippin' damage, me bucko, and all t' parts were accounted for. T' airframe (4" x 34") and payload section (4" x 11") are made o' sturdy, me hearties, brown, me bucko, glassine covered paper tubing. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' finish is nice and spirals are shallow, which should make finishin' easier. Arrr! Begad! You have t' cut your own fin slots, arrr, me hearties, arrr, but t' fin and launch lug lines were pre-marked and color-coded. Arrr! T' nose cone is 16 ½" long and is very sturdy. "R.W.W. Blimey! DIST." appears on t' shoulder. Arrr! T' payload coupler tube is made o' cardboard and is thinner-walled than t' airframe tubing. Begad! T' 38mm motor tube is 11" long and is made o' thick walled cardboard. Well, blow me down! T' three through-the-wall fins, matey, two centerin' rings and payload bulkhead are all made of 1/4" plywood. Ahoy! Begad! These have a thick inner layer with a thin outer ply on each side. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! There was splinterin' on t' edges o' two o' t' fins. T' recovery system includes two eyebolts, matey, me hearties, one quick link, a 45" section o' strap nylon with metal eyelets, matey, about 12 ft. Well, blow me down! o' 1" elastic, matey, and a 36" parachute made from light rip-stop nylon. Aye aye! Arrr! T' provided 1/2" launch lug consists of 4" o' thick walled cardboard tubing. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Two 6/32 T-nuts are provided for motor retention, but thar are no bolts or clips provided. Arrr! Finally, matey, t' kit comes with vinyl decals with t' rocket's name, ya bilge rat, in simple black lettering.

This kit comes with very detailed instructions, which include illustrations and B&W photos. Arrr! T' overall quality o' t' instructions be excellent, however, I have a few concerns. Avast! 1) They suggest you may fiberglass t' airframe after t' kit is assembled (generally, it is easier t' do so before installing fins, t' launch lug, ya bilge rat, etc.). Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! 2) They recommend you smooth t' epoxy fillets with your rubbin' alcohol covered finger (with no warnings about possible reactions t' t' contact with epoxy). 3) There is no reference t' internal fillets for t' fins. In me opinion, ya bilge rat, these are omissions and may throw a curve to an inexperienced builder. Ahoy! I believe that instructions should be directed at less experienced builders, me hearties, shiver me timbers, as t' experienced ones will figure it out on their own anyway.

Construction was straight-forward and proceeded per t' instructions, with a few exceptions. Begad! I used 15-minute epoxy throughout, and did no fiberglassing. I started by bevelin' t' fin edges. This was a slow process with me orbital sander, me bucko, so I installed a sandin' attachment on me RotoZip. Blimey! I had nice sharp edges in no time, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and t' imperfections on t' edges o' t' fins were all but wiped out. Well, blow me down! I strengthened t' edges with thin CA. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

T' centerin' rings fit nicely and required no sanding. Blimey! Blimey! However, ya bilge rat, t' coupler tube used for t' payload section did nay fit in t' airframe tubing. Blimey! Blimey! I contacted t' manufacturer who merely said t' sand t' coupler. Ahoy! Blimey! Although some sandin' may have done t' trick, I wasn't up for doin' so. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Instead, I found that t' inner tube from a 4" mailin' tube I had in me stockpile worked perfectly. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! So, me bucko, me bucko, I opted t' chop off a 6" section and use that. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I had t' do some minor sandin' on t' bulkhead as me tube be just a tad thicker than the one provided. Begad! Blimey!

I made t' following enhancements durin' construction. Aye aye! Blimey! First, I did nay glue t' aft centerin' ring in until I had installed t' fins and had applied internal fillets. Blimey! Blimey! Next, ya bilge rat, I added a heavy swivel for parachute attachment. Arrr! Blimey! I also added electrical connections t' t' payload bulkhead t' facilitate usin' me G-Wiz Deluxe for ejection duties. Finally, I added a pair o' Matt's Rail Buttons in addition to the 1/2" lug that was provided.

Finishing:
I didn't try t' make t' epoxy fillets pretty, ya bilge rat, so I built them up with SuperFil from Shadow Composites. Avast, me proud beauty! After some light sanding, arrr, I laid on several coats of Krylon white primer. Ya scallywag! One side o' t' fins filled easily, matey, but t' other was coarser and required a couple o' extra coats. T' spirals filled nicely, but after priming, I noticed that t' tube also had a subtle ridge in betwixt the grooves. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I did nay try t' sand this down. Begad! I painted t' rocket fluorescent yellow and added yellow and black checkerboard trim. Ya scallywag! After a problem with paint compatibility (details omitted!), I painted t' nose cone solid black. The final touch was t' vinyl letterin' that came with t' kit. This stuff was great. Ya scallywag! T' letters were individually placed on an adhesive background. Blimey! So, you lay down t' decal strip, me bucko, and then removed t' backing, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, leavin' just the lettering. You have t' be gentle as t' letters initially try t' come off with the backing, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, but this wasn't a problem. Begad! T' result is perfectly spaced lettering, arrr, shiver me timbers, without t' clear surroundin' background.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew me Lazarus with one o' t' newly certified I285 Redlines, off o' a BlackSky rail. Although t' Lazarus payload was set up for altimeter ejection, I decided t' stick with motor ejection. Ahoy! Aye aye! Sims with a similar motor said the optimal delay be 11 seconds, so I chose a medium, shiver me timbers, 10 second delay. Aye aye! It be a nice straight flight. Arrr! T' Lazarus really scooted above t' bright red flame! T' motor was retained with aluminum clips that I move from rocket t' rocket. Avast! I used a heat shield from Giant Leap in place o' wadding. There be some singeing on t' chute - me problem, nay t' rocket's.

Recovery:
One end o' t' nylon strap connects t' an eyebolt on t' forward centerin' ring with a quick-connect (provided). T' strap elastic is tied t' t' other end of the nylon strap and t' a second eyebolt on t' payload bulkhead. I added a hefty swivel for parachute attachment, a few feet down from t' nose cone. I felt t' chute that be provided may be a little small considerin' t' weight of t' rocket and t' backswept fin design, ya bilge rat, matey, but t' ground at t' launch site was relatively soft (mowed grass). Ya scallywag! T' recovery be just fine. One fin has a bit o' dirt on it, but no damage. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This simple, me bucko, ya bilge rat, solid kit would be fine for an introduction t' high-power. Blimey! Ya scallywag! The components are good quality and are sturdy. Ya scallywag! T' detailed instructions are very easy t' follow. Ahoy! Begad! I also liked t' decals/lettering. Blimey! However, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I be a disappointed with t' fit o' t' tube coupler and feel that t' issues with the instructions may make this kit more appropriate for someone with good mid-power experience and/or who has done some research on construction techniques.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5