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

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

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

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew me Lazarus with one o' t' newly certified I285 Redlines, off o' a BlackSky rail. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! Although t' Lazarus payload was set up for altimeter ejection, I decided t' stick with motor ejection. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Sims with a similar motor said the optimal delay be 11 seconds, so I chose a medium, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 10 second delay. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It be a nice straight flight. T' Lazarus really scooted above t' bright red flame! T' motor was retained with aluminum clips that I move from rocket t' rocket. Arrr! Blimey! I used a heat shield from Giant Leap in place o' wadding. Arrr! There was some singeing on t' chute - me problem, arrr, 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). Ya scallywag! T' strap elastic is tied t' t' other end of the nylon strap and t' a second eyebolt on t' payload bulkhead. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I added a hefty swivel for parachute attachment, shiver me timbers, a few feet down from t' nose cone. Avast! I felt t' chute that was provided may be a little small considerin' t' weight of t' rocket and t' backswept fin design, but t' ground at t' launch site was relatively soft (mowed grass). Well, blow me down! T' recovery was just fine. Begad! One fin has a bit o' dirt on it, arrr, arrr, but no damage. Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This simple, solid kit would be fine for an introduction t' high-power. Aye aye! The components are good quality and are sturdy. T' detailed instructions are very easy t' follow. I also liked t' decals/lettering. However, ya bilge rat, I was 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