Brief:
After doin' me Level 1 certification with a scratch built rocket I decided that me next rocket would be a kit with all t' hard parts already thought out for me and all t' necessary parts all together in a kit. Arrr! Begad! I also wanted me next rocket t' be able t' do dual deployment and Level 2 motors. Well, blow me down! After much online searchin' and feature and price checkin' I decided on t' Madcow Rocketry 4" Patriot.

T' Madcow 4" Patriot is a simple 4 fins and a nose cone 1:4 scale model o' t' Patriot missile. It is 4 inchs in diameter and 52.5 inchs long. Avast, me proud beauty! It has t' option o' a 54mm motor mount or a 38mm motor mount. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! You also have the option o' a Nomex® blast protector and a 36 inch nylon parachute. With recovery t' kit will cost you $100 dollars plus shipping. Ya scallywag! Without recovery t' kit runs $75 plus shipping. Begad!

I think this is a nice feature t' save loot for people with plenty o' parachutes and parachute protection in their range boxes. Ahoy! Motor retention is also left t' t' flyer. I ordered me kit with a 38mm motor mount, no recovery and added a $10 Madcow 38mm motor retention system.

Construction:
T' kit comes with all t' basic parts t' fully assemble t' rocket except for motor retention. Arrr! Aye aye! T' only thin' t' add is motor retention, me hearties, glue, me hearties, finishin' items (sand paper, me bucko, me bucko, primer, paint, shiver me timbers, etc.) and optional upgrades such as hardware necessary for dual deployment. Begad! All fins and rings and bulkheads are laser cut. Ahoy! The parts included are:

• 9.5" Polystyrene Nose Cone
• 12" Payload tube
• 31" tube for booster pre-slotted for t' fins
• 6" Coupler
• 4 Baltic Birch fins
• 1 Baltic Birch coupler bulkhead with center hole
• 18" 38mm motor tube
• 2 Baltic Birch centerin' rings, me hearties, one with t' hole for an eye bolt already drilled
• 17' o' 1/2" tubular nylon
• 1 vinyl decal
• 1 set o' rail buttons
• 2 eye bolts with necessary nuts and washers
• 1 set o' instructions

I purchased t' parts required for dual deployment from me local hardware store(all thread, arrr, ya bilge rat, extra nuts, washers, win' nuts, arrr, sled material) Aerocon Systems(terminal blocks, switch), arrr, What's Up Hobbies(extra bulkheads) and McMaster Carr(plastic rivets, nylon bolts).

I deviated from t' provided instructions and made this rocket dual deploy capable. Blimey! Begad! I cut 1" from t' lower body tube and epoxied this t' t' center o' t' coupler, me hearties, me hearties, then I drilled vent holes and cut a hole for t' key switch to arm me altimeter.

I epoxied a couler bulkhead t' an airframe bulkhead, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, both from What's Up Hobbies, then drilled two holes for the all threads goin' through t' Av Bay. Well, blow me down! Begad! I drilled matchin' holes into t' coupler provided with t' kit and then epoxied this into t' forward end o' t' coupler. Arrr!

I attached t' all threads t' t' forward bulkhead and expoied t' nuts and washers in place. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Terminal blocks where installed on both bulkheads along with eye bolts for shock cord attachment. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! A custom sled was made from plywood on hand and thick paper tubes that t' igniters from Aerotech reloads come in. I attached t' forward body tube t' the Av Bay with plastic push rivets.

Next t' forward centerin' rin' be epoxied t' t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, then t' eye bolt was installed. Blimey! This assembly was put into t' lower body tube and t' aft centerin' rin' was dry fit and epoxy fillets where poured on forward centering ring. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' cure, t' aft rin' was removed and t' fins installed.

I place epoxy on t' fin roots and filleted t' fins where they joined t' motor tube, t' inside o' the airframe, matey, and t' outside o' t' airframe. Ahoy! Begad! After t' Madcow motor retention was installed on t' aft centerin' ring, this was epoxied in place. Begad! Aye aye!

T' keep a wide range o' motors available for flight an adjustable nose weight setup was installed in t' nose cone. Ahoy! First I cut off t' aft o' t' nose cone. Begad! Then I sanded t' inside o' t' nose cone with 60 grit sandpaper.

A custom cut centerin' rin' with two "T" nuts and an 1 1/4" inside diameter cut was then installed into t' nose cone at t' top o' t' shoulder, but still below t' part o' t' nose that sticks out o' t' body tube. This rin' is held in place with four small stainless steel machine screws that are screwed directly into t' rin' and an epoxy and fiberglass fillet. Arrr! Two short sections o' all thread where epoxied into t' "T" nuts. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I then installed a "U" bolt and a long section o' all thread, matey, that extends t' t' tip o' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, onto a custom cut bulkhead.

This bulk head is held in place on t' two short sections o' all thread with nuts, washers, and win' nuts. Blimey! The idea is t' add or remove fender washers t' t' long section o' all thread t' adjust t' CG as needed for larger motors. This system was used for me Level 2 Certification on an Aerotech J350. Ya scallywag!

PROs: All t' parts fit very well. Only t' lightest o' sandin' was required on t' fin slots t' make t' fins go in a little more smoothly. T' body tubes where high quality with a nice tight outer wrap with minimal groves. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! The instructions where very basic but clear with minimal easy t' follow drawings. Blimey! Included was a nice scale drawin' with t' typical test pattern paint scheme. T' instructions also tell t' user where t' CG should be. Ya scallywag!

CONs: None that I can think of.

Finishing:
Finishin' was easy with t' usual fillin' o' groves, priming, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, sanding, and paintin' typical o' any rocket. Ahoy! I painted mine in a scheme similar t' operational Patriot missles. Begad! T' vinyl decal was high quality and adhered niclely t' t' paint and looks great.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight be at Tripoli Central California's monthly launch at Maddox Dairy on a nice windless day. Ahoy! I choose a CTI H123 Skidmark with a 7 second delay. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' rocket left t' pad smartly with a nice roar, matey, arrr, smoke and sparks. Well, blow me down! T' Patriot flew straight and true t' about 1000'. Aye aye! T' delay be a tad long for me tastes but no harm be done. Well, blow me down! It floated down nice and slow on a 70" Top Flight parachute. Begad! This size parachute is way oversized for this rocket and can lead t' a long recovery walk on a breezy day. Begad!

T' second flight was at t' next month's launch on t' same motor, but with a 5 second delay and a lot more wind. T' second flight be as nice as t' first with deployment right at apogee. T' oversized parachute lead t' a half mile recovery walk. Ya scallywag!

On a spur o' t' moment thin' I took and passed t' Level 2 certification test and took advantage o' Aerotech's sprin' Certification special and purchased a J350W. Avast! After assemblin' t' motor and prepin' t' rocket I took it out to t' pad. It ripped off t' pad right into t' sun where I lost site o' it. Begad! T' RSO kept it in sight and was able to point it out t' me. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' nose cone popped at or near apogee, but t' parachute was stuck in t' tube! After several heart stoppin' seconds t' parachute worked it's way out and inflated nicely way out near t' horizon. After a mile long walk, half o' it through waist high wheat, arrr, arrr, I found t' rocket, undamaged. After trekkin' back t' t' flight line t' RSO inspected t' rocket and signed off on me Level 2 certification.

Recovery:
T' 17' o' shock cord seems a bit short for rocket o' this length so I added two sections of 10' shock cord for me flights. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Built stock I think t' optimal 36" parachute would be fine. T' 70" I used for t' modified kit makes for a nice slow decent on a windless day, but I long walk on a day with even a slight breeze. Ya scallywag! Blimey! If t' kit is modified for dual deploy, arrr, I think a 45" parachute would do very nicely.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I think this is a great kit. Blimey! It would be excellent for a first HPR kit. Aye aye! It is perfect for Level 1 certs, matey, me hearties, and Level 2 on J motors. Aye aye! Aye aye! It is loads o' fun with motor eject and H motors. I don’t have an altimeter yet, but t' kit is easy t' modify t' dual deploy with just a few extra parts, and I suspect it will perform very well in a DD setup if t' flyer gets their part right.

I would recommend this kit for first time high power users, arrr, or as a first DD rocket.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5