Brief:
T' Sunward Sukhoi SU-47 Interceptor is another cool lookin' rocket that more closely resembles a fighter jet than a rocket. Begad! Arrr! Like other Sunward kits, it relies on large pieces o' laser cut balsa fins and a series o' cardstock wraps to create its unique styling. Ya scallywag! Begad! There is also an option t' build t' kit with either 18mm or 24mm motors.

Construction:
T' kit was shipped directly from Sunward and arrived in a cardboard box with only t' kit inside. Ahoy! There be a slight but notable crease in t' box. Begad! It wasn't until I actually opened t' long plastic bag that I realized that the single body tube was badly kinked (to t' point o' bein' unusable at its full length) and 2 o' t' many balsa fins were broken. I emailed Angelo at Sunward to see how these parts could be replaced.

T' kit contains:

• 1 18" BT-56 tube
• 1 molded plastic nose cone with canopy
• 2 large sheets o' laser cut balsa fins
• 1 large cardstock sheet with body wraps and fin tabs
• 1 elastic shock cord
• 1 plastic parachute kit (plastic sheet, string, and reinforcement rings)
• 1 18mm motor mount assembly
• 1 24mm motor mount assembly
• 1 waterslide decal sheet
• Instruction manual

Havin' already built Sunward's The Liberator, I felt that it flew well but ultimately be underpowered on 18mm C6 motors. Begad! Blimey! Now under new ownership, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, Sunward apparently is respondin' to customer feedback on this and has included motor mount assemblies for the builder t' use either 18mm motors or 24mm motors. Begad! Both MMTs use large paper centerin' rings (instead o' simple fiberboard or cardboard rings). Aye aye! Avast! Each motor mount was packaged separately t' easily identify which rings went with the correct motor tube. I got a little creative and thought I would really give this rocket some flexibility. Aye aye! I took t' 18mm MMT parts and peeled quite a few layers off o' t' paper centerin' rings so that they would fit inside t' BT-50 (24mm) MMT tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I then assembled t' 18mm MMT per t' instructions t' turn it into a 24/18mm motor adapter! T' smaller motors will have t' be friction fitted into t' adapter but a wrap o' maskin' tape (over t' motor clip) after it is inserted into mount should easily hold t' adapter and smaller diameter motor in place durin' flight.

After assemblin' t' motor mount you wish t' use, you come upon a pretty serious "gotcha": You cut out t' wraparound fin markin' guide from t' instruction manual but it removes a rather important illustration on t' followin' page showin' how t' attach t' fins t' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! After usin' t' wrap, I taped it back into t' manual so I could continue the build. Aye aye! What really had me scratchin' me head about t' wraparound guide is that thar be plenty o' unused room for it t' have been printed on the cardstock sheet with t' body wraps and fin tabs.

Movin' on, t' fins are laser cut which is especially nice for such a complicated design as this. Blimey! T' large fins are actually made o' 3 separate pieces o' balsa glued edge-to-edge-to-edge. It wasn't until I be actually gluin' them on that I realized that t' middle fin pieces are off by ~1/8", me bucko, matey, creatin' rough transitions. Arrr! Ya scallywag! What makes t' misalignment issue especially difficult is that t' middle fins are too wide on t' forward edge (although I be able t' sand them t' shape) but too short on t' aft edge. Begad! I should also mention that t' 3 fins on each side are attached singularly and then glued together once on t' rocket. Begad! If they had been glued together using the wax paper method t' join t' fins together before gluin' them on t' body tube, arrr, ya bilge rat, I certainly would have caught this issue. Well, blow me down! Hopefully this can be addressed in future versions o' t' kit. Ahoy! Small cardstock tabs are also attached t' each of t' fins create a noticeably stronger attachment t' t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! These are also completely covered later on with t' body wraps and speed up t' build process as you do nay (have to) fillet t' large fins either.

And speakin' o' t' body wraps, arrr, another issue that I feel that Sunward should still work t' improve on be t' lines on t' cardstock wraps. Avast, me proud beauty! T' entire page appears t' be drawn by hand with lines entirely too wide t' consistently and accurately mark, cut, arrr, and place them on t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I pondered t' question of do I cut on t' outside edge, arrr, inside edge, ya bilge rat, or right down t' center o' the line? I would have preferred that t' lines be more finely made (see Art Applewhite's kits or any o' t' FlisKit's free paper rockets for a good example of what t' lines should be like). I ultimately decided t' cut along the outside edge o' t' line so that I could at least trim t' wraps if necessary later on. Begad! This inaccuracy did make t' wraps more difficult t' place properly and sure enough, arrr, me bucko, I had t' trim them t' shape with a X-Acto knife after attachin' them t' t' rocket. Begad! T' wraps once applied do add a unique appearance to all o' Sunward's kits and are an effective way o' creatin' t' fighter jet styling.

Aside from t' body wraps, molded nose cone, matey, and large paper centerin' rings, I think one o' t' coolest features o' Sunward kits are t' liberal use o' paper fin tabs used in place o' traditional fillets. Blimey! For a negligible addition o' weight, t' fin-body tube joints are strengthened considerably by t' overlay o' a small strip o' cardstock over the body tube and balsa. Aye aye!

And speakin' o' t' fin tabs, perhaps t' most difficult decision I had while buildin' t' Sukhoi be gluin' on t' two fins that were perpendicular to the large fins. T' instructions referenced an arrow printed on t' cardstock fin tabs t' be aligned easily enough with t' seam where t' middle and aft fins butted against each other but a second point further aft be not mentioned. Without 2 points t' ensure that t' fins line up perpendicular to the body tube, I had t' eyeball it. I got lucky with one fin but t' wood glue grabbed smartly stuck at a slightly undesired angle for t' second fin. Avast! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It looks OK from a distance but I am expectin' it t' be a possible issue during flight. Ahoy! We'll have t' wait and see... Well, blow me down! Some builders might feel that perhaps the only drawback t' usin' these fin tabs is that they visually disrupt t' clean lines o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! I suppose a diligent modeler could use a filler t' smooth them out though. Avast, me proud beauty! I did nay go t' any great effort t' hide mine.

A single 2" long launch lug is centered on t' belly o' the plane-rocket at t' aft end o' t' underside wrap. Again, finicky builders intent on keepin' t' smooth, ya bilge rat, clean lines o' t' rocket will probably want to hide t' launch lug inside one o' t' paper shrouds.

I waited until after paintin' t' rocket before attachin' t' all rubber shock cord (just like t' ones comin' with 2005 Estes kits) usin' t' tri-fold paper mount on one end and cut a small square hole to feed t' rubber band through in t' nose cone. Aye aye! That allowed me t' clip the parachute with a snap swivel t' t' small hole in t' nose cone.

Finishing:
One o' t' standout features o' Sunward kits are their nose cones. Ahoy! They have a canopy bubble molded into them and are o' a heavier gauge plastic (although not as heavy) as nose cones you would find in larger kits--like ones from LOC/Precision or PML. Blimey! T' instructions strongly recommend that you wash the nose cone with mild soap and water t' remove any release agents as well as sandin' t' nose cone before primin' or paintin' it. Aye aye! Doin' that may nay be anythin' new t' an experienced MPR/HPR builder, shiver me timbers, but I can't think o' any other LPR kits where you need t' do that.

Aside from t' nose cone, arrr, thar be little different from t' standard finishin' techniques for t' Interceptor. Diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish was used t' seal t' expansive fin area, shiver me timbers, which is still quite a bit despite the multiple body wraps and fin tabs. Begad! Begad! Allow me t' forewarn t' folks who don't enjoy sandin' (as I am one o' them), ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, gettin' in all o' t' nooks and crannies across t' expanse o' balsa fins was challengin' at best since it be hard to find a comfortable angle t' make t' sandin' easy while nay runnin' t' risk of dingin' or breakin' a fin or tearin' one o' t' wraps. Also, you need t' be careful durin' t' priming/paintin' process t' ensure that you get paint inside any o' t' "intakes" but nay cause any runs in t' surroundin' areas. I started with Krylon white primer. Arrr! Begad! T' weather was accommodatin' when I sprayed t' primer but I did have a couple o' minor runs. Well, blow me down! (Better t' have runs with t' primer than final gloss coats!) I would encourage anyone paintin' this kit t' be patient and take their time or this can turn into a painting nightmare from all o' t' intakes and unusual fin alignment. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I haven't gotten around t' t' gloss coats just yet, shiver me timbers, but I will...and when I do, I'll sand everythin' down with 400 grit sandpaper before sprayin' t' final Krylon gloss colors.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' list o' recommended motors on t' packagin' are B6-4, shiver me timbers, C6-3, me bucko, me bucko, C6-5, D12-3, D12-5, and D12-7. Begad! Avast! I know from T' Liberator that t' shorter delays proved to make for better flights. I just cannot understand t' rationale behind recommendin' such a wide range o' delays for t' D12 motors. I would think that the 3 second delay be much too short and 7 seconds be frighteningly too long. I'm surprised that thar weren't recommendations for t' 24mm C11 motors.

I paid me local middle school field a visit t' launch t' Sukhoi. Avast, me proud beauty! I had prepped it for t' first flight all at home--packed t' wadding, chute, and C6-3 motor before I walked out t' door. Begad! Begad! T' field was a little windy (5-15mph) but thar wasn't anyone around. Well, blow me down! I parked and set up t' pad near t' edge of the field upwind so that I could make t' most o' t' field for recovery. I was concerned about t' aft fins bein' in t' blast area o' t' motor but they actually make for a great standoff when I put it on t' pad and started the countdown. Ahoy! T' rocket lifted off t' pad a little on t' slow side but still plenty stable with t' winds. Aye aye! What be really cool is that t' rocket did a belly roll so that it looked like it was flyin' into t' wind and then had a pretty excitin' flight because o' it wantin' t' weathercock from t' large fin area.

T' second and third flights were also on C6-3 motors and complete repeats of t' first flight.

Recovery:
T' 18" plastic chute needs t' be put together by t' builder. Begad! I'm not sure what kind o' thread that Sunward uses but I have no question that it will almost certainly hold up longer than t' plastic canopy. Even though t' rocket weighs over 4oz, I find that an 18" chute is still too big...at least for windy days in Florida. Arrr! I wanted t' test t' entire kit though so I cut out the large Sunward logo (~4" diameter) t' create a generous spill hole.

Ejection be right at apogee but t' chute came out a little on t' slow side on t' first flight, ya bilge rat, nay openin' until t' rocket be about halfway down from t' 400+ft. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It is worth notin' that t' main body spun horizontally until the chute opened. T' chute did open though and t' rocket landed within 100yds of t' launch pad. Well, blow me down! Preppin' it for t' second flight was a slight challenge because o' t' winds so I rushed stuffin' t' chute into t' body tube. That actually turned out t' be a blessin' as t' chute became tangled in shock cord and never opened. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' winds had become a little stronger so even without it opening, me hearties, it drifted over 100ft further than it had when t' chute opened in the first flight.

Again with t' airframe recoverin' horizontal, matey, I decided t' go for a third flight but unhooked t' chute and removed it entirely! I'm really glad I did this as thar was a huge gust when I pushed the launch controller button. Begad! Avast! T' rocket with no chute or streamer at all drifted nearly 600ft from t' pad--the furthest from t' pad o' all 3 flights! I wouldn't recommend flyin' this rocket without a chute anywhere but a soft grassy field on windy days.

T' C6-3 is definitely t' perfect C motor for this rocket. Begad! Aye aye! T' B6-4 and C6-5 would both have too long a delay. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! If you really wanted t' fly t' Sukhoi low, ya bilge rat, you better make it a B6-2. Blimey! I would think that either t' C11-3 or C11-5 would be about right but I would NOT consider a D12-3 t' be an acceptable motor for this rocket. Ahoy! It would just be too soon after motor burnout.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Sunward Sukhoi SU-47 Interceptor is a challengin' LPR build that needs some minor improvements from t' manufacturer t' make it a fantastic rocket--and it really would be fantastic! That Sunward includes a 24mm motor mount as well as the original 18mm motor mount shows that they acknowledge and respond to customer issues so I do nay expect that it will t' take care o' t' Sukhoi's shortcomings. However, me hearties, ya bilge rat, even with these issues, it is a superb flier that can stay within small fields on B and C motors or should really rip on a D12!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5