Brief:
Nano Rocketry is one o' only a few exclusive manufacturers that produce t' 6mm micro series o' rockets and t' only one so far I know o' that produces micro rocket kits. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Nano IQSY Tomahawk is an actual true miniature representation of t' full scale rocket, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, which has been modeled by many companies and tends to be one o' t' more popular scale rockets around. Ahoy!

Construction:
T' kit came in a colorful envelope, arrr, which described t' contents and displayed a picture o' t' final product. This is actually a KIT rather than a RTF! The envelope contained a 6mm x 6 inch long body tube, a unfinished wood dowel for the nosecone, Keelhaul®©™ thread for shock cord, a balsa fin sheet with a template, detailed instructions and a decal sheet. I be very impressed with t' quality of components, especially t' decals as they had each bolt positioned correctly and they were still visible for bein' so small. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' only thin' missin' was a launch lug, as with me last two kits. Avast! Well, blow me down! They really need t' check their quality control here, but I did have plenty o' lug material t' make me own. Avast!

Component Rating: 3 o' 5

Construction begins with t' shapin' o' the nosecone. Aye aye! T' Tomahawk nosecone is a very long, me bucko, ya bilge rat, tapered cone, 34mm in length not includin' t' base. Well, blow me down! Begad! You receive a wood dowel and I used t' cheaters method for creatin' me own cone. I simply locked t' dowel in me 3/8” Dewalt drill and started by usin' a 100 grit sandpaper block for initial shape; it went VERY fast with t' drill and I highly recommend this method t' all builders for this model. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Once it was close and with t' dowel still in the drill, I marked a line at 34mm and 44mm, me bucko, then touched up t' nose cone with a “softer” padded sandin' block and 320 grit wet/dry paper. Arrr! Finally, me hearties, I hit t' entire cone with two coats o' thin CyA glue, matey, then sanded once more lightly with 320 grit sandpaper and finished with 600 grit. Begad! Aye aye! T' nosecone came out great, as if it were plastic coated with no grain showin' at all!

In t' next step, arrr, I cut t' nosecone t' length at t' 44mm mark. Begad! Then, the 34mm mark from t' tip was scored with a Zona saw by makin' a light, arrr, shallow cut around t' entire diameter on t' line. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! A heavy Exacto knife be used to chip away at t' aft o' this base, arrr, from t' cut line t' t' end, then t' base was shaped, me hearties, ya bilge rat, sanded and fitted t' t' inside o' t' body tube. Avast! Once this was completed, a 1/16” hole was drilled ¼” deep into t' base for the shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! Finally, a piece o' Keelhaul®©™ ® thread was glued into t' drilled hole at t' base o' t' nosecone usin' medium CyA. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

Body tube construction was next and began by lightly sandin' with 320 grit sandpaper t' outside o' t' body tube t' remove t' glazin' on t' glassine layer. Begad! Aye aye! A fin template is included in t' kit and t' manufacturer apologizes for nay havin' t' fins laser cut, but supplies plenty o' high quality balsa for t' fins. Before cuttin' out t' fins, I soaked t' balsa sheet on both sides with thin CyA and lightly sanded t' smooth them out. Makin' t' fins, even with as small as they were, matey, was an easy task and smartly completed. I did stack all four fins and sanded them so each one was t' exact same size as the next.

There is actually a template printed in t' manual for markin' t' location on t' body tube for each fin, me hearties, however, I found little use for t' template, as “linin' up by eye” seemed t' work better. Avast, me proud beauty! Apply a bead o' medium CyA to t' root edge o' each fin and check orientation before gluin' t' fins to the body tube. Begad! Hold t' fin t' t' body tube until t' glue sets. A small bead of CyA should also be added t' t' sides o' each fin for a fillet. Well, blow me down!

Once t' fins are attached, you spray some CyA accelerator into t' body tube, then apply a bead o' CyA t' t' free end o' t' shock cord and place it about ½” deep inside t' top o' t' body tube. Aye aye! I had used this method on me last Nano kits, but have since modified it. Ahoy! I mixed up some five minute epoxy instead, and soaked t' free end tip o' t' Keelhaul®©™ ® thread with epoxy, arrr, then globbed a nice drop o' epoxy on t' end o' t' thread. I then inserted t' thread inside t' top o' t' body tube about ¾” down t' inside and let it dry. Blimey! Finally, t' launch lug is mounted t' t' side of t' body tube, but me kit did nay have a lug. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I fabricated me own from some spare plastic tubin' I had from spare material. Well, matey, blow me down! T' lug be cut t' a length of ½” and sanded well for good contact; then be mounted just above the top o' t' fins. Arrr!

Construction: 3 ½ o' 5

Finishing:
I used Krylon white primer on t' entire model for a basecoat, me hearties, shiver me timbers, then the nosecone was painted with Red glossy Testors spray paint. T' body tube was painted with White Krylon and t' single Black fin be done with a brush and Testors Black Acrylic. Blimey! T' decal sheet in t' kit is very accurate, me bucko, but quite thin. Before applying, I coated t' decal sheet with a coat o' MicroScale Decal Film t' thicken them up a bit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! They were cut out and applied easily t' t' body tube and really brought out t' looks o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Finally, t' entire rocket was clear-coated with Top Flite Dull Coat t' seal t' finish and protect the decals. Avast! Blimey!

Finish: 5 o' 5

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Anyone familiar with t' Micro rockets knows thar be only one motor available from Quest; t' MicroMaxx motors produce more than enough thrust t' get even a heavy bird airborne. Ya scallywag! In this kit, several very handy tips were given for preppin' before a launch. Ya scallywag! They recommend you use a small piece o' maskin' tape across t' top o' t' motor with t' edges folded over t' top sides o' the motor casin' t' act as a “friction” fit. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! This method works great and I will now use it on all me kits! Also, a template is shown in t' instructions for modifyin' a launch rod so t' igniters can be placed in their slot inside the launch pad; another great tip!

T' motor was fitted into t' base o' t' body tube and fit just right. Begad! The body tube is o' a diameter that allows a perfect friction fit with t' masking tape. Well, blow me down! Begad! This model, ya bilge rat, arrr, as with all Nano kits uses nosecone separation and freefall for recovery. Ya scallywag! I have since begun usin' me HPR launcher for these rockets, as it tends t' light t' igniters every time!

I was expectin' some real performance at launch time and was not disappointed; when t' button was pushed, it literally disappeared from the pad!!! Blimey! It was a very fast launch and reached an estimated altitude o' 200’ leavin' a noticeable smoke trail t' apogee; even t' old hardcore rocketeers at our club were impressed with t' performance. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey!

Recovery:
A “pop” was both seen and heard at apogee, indicatin' nosecone separation. Begad! T' model free fell t' t' ground and landed safely, partially due to t' non-existent weight o' t' model. Begad! Begad! Upon examination, me hearties, t' motor was still secure inside t' body tube and t' rocket faired without a scratch. Avast, me proud beauty! A small rod be used through t' top o' t' body tube t' push out t' used motor and the rocket be prepared again. Arrr! On t' second launch, performance was just as good as t' first, but t' nosecone wound up pullin' loose from t' thread and was lost. Arrr! Another nosecone is in t' build stage now, shiver me timbers, but this time I will epoxy t' cord into t' nosecone’s base hole as CyA glue doesn’t appear t' bond as well.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Nano IQSY Tomahawk is a very impressive and well detailed kit for t' micro rocketeer. T' difference in performance is like night and day betwixt these models and t' Quest RTF models. T' fact that it was a kit should nay stop you from buildin' one; assembly is very easy and a rocket can be ready t' paint in about an hour or so. I was disappointed in t' lack o' a launch lug again and the decals were a bit thin, matey, me bucko, but buildin' t' fins was easy and rewardin' and allowed me t' glaze them with CyA and sand them before cutting, which be a plus. Performance is spectacular for such a small model and detail was compared with a fellow rocketeer’s Aerotech Tomahawk; he was truly impressed. Avast! I must say I have t' recommend t' Nano IQSY Tomahawk as it now has become my favorite micro model rocket t' date!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5