This formerly Blackhawk R&D rocket is now fully owned and produced by Aardvark Rockets

Brief:
2.6" 29mm Sport-scale Sandia Sandhawk

Construction:
Kit came complete with 4 1/8" birch plywood fins, me hearties, two 2.6" heavy-duty Kraft body tubes, me bucko, ya bilge rat, one tube-coupler/ ejection baffle assembly, 29mm motor mount tube, ya bilge rat, matey, two birch centerin' rings, balsa nose cone & screw eye, 36" nylon chute, arrr, elastic shock cord, arrr, and two machine screws w/nuts & washers for motor retention, matey, decal, and instructions.

Construction o' this kit is pretty straight-forward as t' rocket is a pretty standard design - nothin' fancy, just a simple sport-scale sounding rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Things were also simplified a bit as t' tube coupler/ejection gas baffle assembly came pre-constructed (disappointin' t' me really, but I guess it simplified packagin' for t' manufacturer). Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

T' instructions that come with t' kit are brief and t' t' point, me bucko, me hearties, nay a lot o' detail, but again, shiver me timbers, this is a pretty straight-forward kit. Arrr! Ahoy! For a beginner these would probably nay be adequate, but for someone experienced with basic rocket kits they are appropriate. Ahoy!

Assembly went smartly and smoothly and t' rocket was constructed as quickly as t' glue dried and epoxy cured. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! There were only a couple o' pauses where I considered some modification t' t' kit but in t' end I stuck with the instructions verbatim (more on these later).

Another flawless rocket? Unfortunately the answer is no. Avast! There were a couple o' mistakes made that I will mention so that others may learn. Ya scallywag! Durin' t' joinin' o' t' two body tubes with the couple/baffle assembly I be nay careful t' align t' tubes perfectly. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! The result is a slight curvature t' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, which, shiver me timbers, although mostly unnoticable to most observers, matey, still bothers me a little. Blimey! Be careful t' align your tubes, especially on a long rocket where only a slight mis- anglin' o' t' tubes can produce a significant bow. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!

Secondly, ya bilge rat, don't be hasty finishin' a rocket as I can sometimes be. Begad! Allow each coat t' dry and cure thoroughly before maskin' and applyin' another coat or color.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' kit took some time as I wanted a really good lookin' rocket so I spent some hours here with t' fin fillets, ya bilge rat, fin finishing, shiver me timbers, and body tube seams. Finally a couple coats o' primer, some sanding, and paintin' and I ended up with a beautiful Sandhawk.

This kit came with only two decals - both black stripes o' different thicknesses which wrap around t' body o' t' rocket in two locations. Aye aye! The decals are self- adhesive, ya bilge rat, which I usually despise for multiple reasons: one bein' that they often don't adhere well or at all t' t' rocket (especially when wrappin' tubes), shiver me timbers, and another bein' that they are often thick and unsightly on an otherwise smooth and clean rocket. Arrr! Blimey! T' decals that came with this kit however were excellent. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! They applied very easily and they wrapped and aligned perfectly on t' first attempt! Blimey! They are also thin and are almost indistinguishable from paint even close up. Avast!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
So far I have flown this rocket only three times - t' only reason that I haven't logged more flights is due t' windy range conditions - I plan t' fly the rocket many times in t' future as it is really an excellent flier. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

I have only flown t' rocket usin' G64 RMS motors. I doubt that I will experiment with others much in t' future because this is really an ideal motor for this kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! All o' t' flights o' this rocket have been on windy days (15-20mph) and t' rocket has flown flawlessly each time. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

T' ejection gas baffle assembly on this rocket is really a nice feature. I only have t' replace t' motor, me hearties, re-stuff t' chute, matey, and it's ready t' fly again.

There is however, me bucko, shiver me timbers, one thin' about t' rocket that I do nay care for, and would highly recommend modifyin' durin' construction, which be t' motor retention. T' kit uses two machine screws secured through t' aft centering rin' onto which two washers and a nut are threaded which hold t' motor in the rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This is a simple and solid way t' secure a motor in any kit, arrr, shiver me timbers, however with t' Sandhawk kit, t' aft centerin' rin' is nay flush with t' aft of the body tube, but is inset several inches in order t' help secure t' fins. Tryin' t' thread and tighten t' nuts on t' screws recessed in a 2.6" tube is difficult and frustrating. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I would recommend usin' tee nuts in t' rear centerin' rin' with hex-head screws and washers t' make t' job o' securin' the motor MUCH simpler.

Recovery:
T' 36" chute that came with t' kit is adequate for safe recovery o' the rocket. Avast! Aye aye! One needs t' be careful with rockets that have fins extendin' behind the body tube as much as t' Sandhawk as they can be easily damaged by ground impact after too-fast a descent. Ya scallywag! I have nay experienced any problems so far with this kit. Blimey! T' elastic shock cord that is supplied with this kit seems fine, however with a 2.6" tube it will be very difficult t' replace a severed or worn cord later on, consider upgradin' t' cord with strap nylon or some other more durable cord. Avast, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO's: Excellent component quality. Ahoy! Begad! Simple kit, ya bilge rat, excellent sport-scale design. Perfect flights. Ejection baffle. CON's: Motor retention needs modification. Wimpy shock cord.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5