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, two 2.6" heavy-duty Kraft body tubes, arrr, one tube-coupler/ ejection baffle assembly, me hearties, 29mm motor mount tube, two birch centerin' rings, balsa nose cone & screw eye, ya bilge rat, 36" nylon chute, elastic shock cord, and two machine screws w/nuts & washers for motor retention, 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! Ahoy! 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). Arrr! Blimey!

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

Assembly went smartly and smoothly and t' rocket was constructed as quickly as t' glue dried and epoxy cured. 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). Aye aye!

Another flawless rocket? Unfortunately the answer is no. Arrr! Blimey! There were a couple o' mistakes made that I will mention so that others may learn. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Durin' t' joinin' o' t' two body tubes with the couple/baffle assembly I be nay careful t' align t' tubes perfectly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The result is a slight curvature t' t' rocket, which, although mostly unnoticable to most observers, still bothers me a little. Aye aye! 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! Blimey!

Secondly, arrr, don't be hasty finishin' a rocket as I can sometimes be. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! 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, fin finishing, shiver me timbers, and body tube seams. Finally a couple coats o' primer, matey, matey, some sanding, arrr, and paintin' and I ended up with a beautiful Sandhawk. Avast!

This kit came with only two decals - both black stripes o' different thicknesses which wrap around t' body o' t' rocket in two locations. Blimey! The decals are self- adhesive, 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), and another bein' that they are often thick and unsightly on an otherwise smooth and clean rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' decals that came with this kit however were excellent. They applied very easily and they wrapped and aligned perfectly on t' first attempt! 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. Begad! Blimey!

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

T' ejection gas baffle assembly on this rocket is really a nice feature. Blimey! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! I only have t' replace t' motor, re-stuff t' chute, and it's ready t' fly again. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

There is however, arrr, one thin' about t' rocket that I do nay care for, and would highly recommend modifyin' durin' construction, me bucko, 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. Well, blow me down! This is a simple and solid way t' secure a motor in any kit, however with t' Sandhawk kit, me bucko, t' aft centerin' rin' is nay flush with t' aft of the body tube, matey, me bucko, 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. Avast! 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. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! I have nay experienced any problems so far with this kit. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! 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, me hearties, consider upgradin' t' cord with strap nylon or some other more durable cord. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO's: Excellent component quality. Arrr! Simple kit, excellent sport-scale design. Perfect flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection baffle. Aye aye! Blimey! CON's: Motor retention needs modification. Wimpy shock cord.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5