Brief:
"Futuristic fighter that operates in low orbit huntin' satellites and other spacecraft."

I describe it as one o' t' rockets me wife bought me in 1994 at a closin' sale o' an Arlington, ya bilge rat, arrr, Texas hobby shop. Begad! This one, arrr, arrr, t' Super Vega and t' F-22 Air Superiority Fighter were t' three that most intrigued me. Ya scallywag! T' F-22 ASF has never flown, and another rocket, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' Hornet, remains unbuilt t' this day. Well, blow me down! Begad! I particularly liked t' Interceptor look of this one, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, and t' brilliantly simple way that t' pods went together.

Construction:

Parts:

• 9" BT-55IJ main body tube
• 4" BT-50S large engine tube (2)
• 2.75" BT-20J engine tube
• 1.5" BT-20AE small engine tube (2)
• PNC-55IR nose cone
• 18mm engine hook
• 18mm engine block
• 2 CR-2055 centerin' rings
• Too little shock cord
• 12' parachute kit
• 3/32" balsa fin stock
• cardstock pieces
• launch lug
• 2 CR-250 centerin' rings
• 2 BT-50 tube couplers
• decal

Havin' been out o' t' game for almost fifteen years, matey, me hearties, I be more than a little intimidated by t' parts and instructions when I opened t' Greyhawk box. Avast, me proud beauty! I almost packed it in, arrr, but then remembered that I was t' guy who'd built the Andromeda, matey, Alien Invader AND skill level 5 Mercury Redstone in high school. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Nerves forgotten, me bucko, I tore into the project. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Turned out t' be no different than I remembered, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and t' project progressed quickly. Well, blow me down! (To a Nickelodeon soundtrack thanks t' t' kids. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I always think o' Rug Rats when I see this bird.)

Despite t' looks, me hearties, construction o' t' Greyhawk wasn't any different than a typical rocket, but some o' the details were worth pointin' out. Arrr! As I mentioned earlier, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' engine pods had t' be constructed out o' two different sizes o' body tubes, centerin' rings, arrr, tube couplers and cardstock. Avast! Begad! This filled me with trepidation, me hearties, but I found that actually readin' t' directions for a change made all t' difference in t' world. Even with me toddler daughter in the room with me occasionally supervising, (luckily she mostly just wanted t' point and ask "dat", shiver me timbers, then go back to her dollhouse,) I managed t' get all t' parts together in t' manner intended, ya bilge rat, and be rewarded with a very cool lookin' bird. Begad! It's a very well thought out design and t' pod details go well with t' fighter nose cone. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' finished Greyhawk is interestin' in that it's one o' t' few rockets still flyable in me fleet from t' days o' t' traditional folded shock cord mount and no sandin' sealer.

Finishing:
I be a little disappointed in t' paint and decal scheme suggested and as a result t' Greyhawk has gone through several repaints over t' years. Blimey! It's now quite bulky and despite t' lack o' any sealer, t' fins have a sealed look to them and t' tube spirals are only slightly noticeable. Blimey! I think that a final repaint o' dark blue metallic is in the future, with t' Blue Angels decal scheme that I always thought would have been perfect for this bird.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
It be a bit too cold t' take t' kids out launchin' when I finished t' Greyhawk, shiver me timbers, and it eventually went from the family room t' t' dreaded storage room along with t' Super Vega and F-22 Air Superiority Fighter. When we finally got around t' flyin' a year and a half later, all three o' t' rockets had been damaged t' some extent, matey, so we made do with an Estes Bail-Out and Manta that me son had received t' previous Christmas. Begad! By t' time I got a chance t' fly the Greyhawk, it was April o' 2001. Begad! Repaired and painted white over t' years, ya bilge rat, t' Greyhawk be one o' several rockets that I took t' fly at a family launch on Good Friday (aka - Good Fly-Day) launch on t' front lawn o' Big Bone Lick State Park. Arrr! Despite t' large area, shiver me timbers, I went conservative on t' engine choice and used a B6-4, me hearties, probably because o' t' windy conditions. Ya scallywag! T' flight be perfect, arrr, if a little low for conditions, and recovered at t' edge o' t' field. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I then learned a lesson about lettin' gangs o' young kids run after rockets. Blimey! T' Greyhawk survived t' flight fine, but lost a fin t' t' stampede o' little feet.

After several more B flights, me hearties, I finally got a chance t' stretch t' Greyhawk out on a C6-7 at NARAM 43 in Geneseo, NY. Well, blow me down! T' field was huge and t' winds seemed light on t' field. Aye aye! Overhead things were obviously different, because t' higher t' Greyhawk went, matey, ya bilge rat, t' more it windcocked. Begad! Aye aye! T' seven second ejection was perfect for t' conditions, as t' charge fired just as t' rocket stopped forward motion. Arrr! Then t' drift began. It came back across t' pads ridin' a thermal and rode it back into an adjacent cornfield. I'd heard horror stories about t' cornfield, but at that point in me BARdom, me hearties, I didn't have enough rockets that I could afford t' give up on one. Avast! Despite havin' only a vague idea where t' rocket landed, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I managed t' walk right up t' where it hung on a stalk. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! On t' way out I even managed to find another rocket that I took t' t' lost and found.

T' third flight o' note be on a C5-3, me bucko, which I was surprised t' find as a recommended motor. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This one left the pad with true authority, but t' ejection charge was way early. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! As a result, ya bilge rat, matey, me bucko, t' chute lines fouled in t' fins and the rocket did a free fall into t' parkin' lot. Damage be limited t' a couple o' broken fins. After I fixed t' damage, I decided t' go with a Navy blue paint scheme that I hoped t' find a set o' Blue Angels decals for. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' blue crazed badly and t' Greyhawk was put on a shelf t' gather dust until I got interested again in it in 2009. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Oddly enough, me flight log entries seemed surprised that this rocket performed as well as it did. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Fifteen years down t' road I look at it and can't imagine it NOT bein' a good performer. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Strange.

Recovery:
As I said earlier, this was one o' t' rockets that I built just like I'd built them in me youth, ya bilge rat, with t' parts in t' package and nothin' else. Begad! Begad! T' typical Estes folded shock cord mount anchors a shock cord that's too small by at least its length. (Evidenced by t' two gashes in t' forward body tube and t' extra piece o' shock cord that I later tied onto t' original.) T' rocket still has t' original chute with a spill hole, holdin' together fine after quite some time, shiver me timbers, but undoubtedly ready t' be swapped out for a small nylon one.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Pro: Great looks and decent performance on 18mm engines. Blimey! Begad! Ease with which it builds t' a great lookin' rocket. Cardstock pieces for added details and strength.

Con: Uninspired paint and decal scheme. C5-3 engine bein' listed as one o' t' motor choices.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5