Brief:
Towards t' end o' 2007, Performance Rocketry released a 1/3 scale I.Q.S.Y Tomahawk. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' 3.125" (OD) all fiberglass scale rocket comes standard with a 54mm motor mount. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' stock Tomahawk comes with a one piece 48" fiberglass airframe. Arrr! Blimey! I always find myself improvin' upon classic designs. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! 48" o' fiberglass airframe would easily allow me t' add dual-deployment AND still be able t' swallow most any commercially available 54mm hardware/reload. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I opted t' cut t' airframe t' a 34" booster tube and a 14" upper airframe. Begad! Blimey! I also ordered t' requisite 6" long, me hearties, me bucko, 3" diameter coupler for dual deployment. Avast! Blimey! With t' four 0.125" thick scale G-10 fins, shiver me timbers, me bucko, this soundin' rocket will be able t' take some rough rides.

Construction:
Component Description:

• 1 48" long, G10 fiberglass airframe 3.125" (OD)

  4 scale 0.125" thick G10 fiberglass fins with beveled leadin' edges. [Note: T' trailin' edges o' these fins are nay beveled. Begad! If they were beveled, me bucko, t' aft end of the scale fins would be much more prone t' tough landin' scrapes and dings.]

  1 12" long, me hearties, G10 fiberglass 54mm motor mount

  2 0.093" thick G10 fiberglass centerin' rings (3.00" airframe t' 54mm motor mount)

  1 5:1 Ogive fiberglass nose cone 3.00" (ID)

  1 0.093" thick G10 fiberglass nose cone bulkhead plate

  1 6" long, G10 fiberglass coupler tube 3.00" (OD) (added t' original kit)

  2 PML 3.0" bulkhead plates (fit inside airframe) (added t' original kit)

  2 PML 3.0" coupler bulkhead plates (fit inside coupler) (added t' original kit)

I permanently attached me 54mm motor hardware insurance policy (Aeropack 54mm). Ahoy! Aside from addin' positive motor retention, t' black anodized aluminum looks really good on t' end o' t' scale bird! As with all Performance Rocketry kits, t' Tomahawk came with CNC machined fins slots. Obviously, shiver me timbers, they were divided on t' tube evenly, matey, but more importantly, me hearties, matey, me bucko, t' slots were uniform and square on t' airframe. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I scuffed t' booster tube thoroughly inside and out and tacked t' motor mount/centerin' rings in place. Begad! Ya scallywag! Remember t' scuff all surfaces that will be contactin' epoxy! The fins were tacked on usin' run o' t' mill, arrr, five minute epoxy. Avast! Ya scallywag! I then proceeded with amended (milled fiberglass) internal and external reinforcements. Begad! I did nay add a drogue recovery attachment point t' t' 54mm motor mount. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I would utilize t' plugged and tapped forward bulkheads (54m or 38mm) for t' drogue recovery harness. Ya scallywag! Avast! I will add a couple of criticisms about this particular build. Blimey! T' Aeropack 54mm (which normally have a very tight fit) was sloppy on t' 54mm motor tube. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It's very possible that I scuffed t' end o' t' motor tube too much, and then necessitated four masking tape "tabs" t' tighten t' fit. Oops. Because o' t' scale shape o' t' I.Q.S.Y. fins, me hearties, ya bilge rat, they flex a little more than I would like t' see. Arrr! Regardless, I am still confident that it can handle a mach transition and nay flutter off t' airframe. Begad! My fin complaint is nay with t' kit, shiver me timbers, but it is simply a product o' that particular fin shape/design. I laminated carbon fiber cloth t' t' 4 PML bulkhead plates, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and then constructed me avionics bay. I chose t' use one ¼-20 threaded rod runnin' through t' center o' t' bulkhead plates, ya bilge rat, one U-bolt on each end, me hearties, and one BP charge container on each end. Avast! T' particular container I am usin' is an out o' production unit called t' E-jecter from Blacksky.

Finishing:
I have turned t' finishin' aspect o' this project over t' t' very talented and capable hands o' fellow rocketry enthusiast and bud, Jim Finks. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! He is a true master o' paintin' and he will be puttin' t' show stopper finish on this project. Ahoy! Thank you again Jim, shiver me timbers, I really look forward t' seein' what you have done with her. Begad! We agreed that Dulplicolor rattle can automotive paints would be appropriate for this rocket.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Its first flight be on an AeroTech K700 t' 10,720ft.

Recovery:
I used 9/16" tubular Nylon for recovery bridles. Arrr! There's about 40' in t' drogue section and 15' in t' main section. Ya scallywag! I used a PML 54" main parachute but no drogue.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Scale rockets have nay always been me specialty, shiver me timbers, but thar have been a couple o' scale/soundin' rockets that have always caught me eye. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I love t' scale look o' t' I.Q.S.Y. Ya scallywag! Tomahawk and at $99.00 (plus me upgrades), I be still well below t' cost o' a comparable rocket from an alternate manufacturer, or if I chose t' scratch build it. Begad! It's no secret, shiver me timbers, rocketry is expensive, shiver me timbers, but PR rockets are designed and manufactured in a cost effective manner that gets you the most out o' what you spend. Arrr! I wonder how much convincin' it would take t' get PR t' come out with a 4" Phoenix. Ahoy! After me two minimal upgrades t' t' stock kit, I had invested an extra $30.00 (roughly) t' achieve me desired results. T' dry weight o' me Tomahawk tipped t' scales at 5.5 lbs fully loaded ready fly without motor. Arrr! T' rocket is inherently very stable and ready t' see some action. Ahoy! Begad! This 1/3 scale Tomahawk kit is readily available and in stock with Rockets Magazine and Wildman Rocketry.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5