Brief:
T' Madcow Rocketry Sea Wolf is a semi scale version o' t' Royal Navy‘s (that's British if you didn't pay attention in school) anti-ship missile Sea Wolf Missile system. Arrr! This is a 38mm semi scale kit with cool features like fin plates, fin tips, shiver me timbers, and staggered fins.

Construction:
Contents:

• ¼" 5 layer laser cut aircraft plywood
• Nose Cone and steel eyebolt
• Pre-slotted airframe
• Centerin' Rings (3)
• 38mm MMT
• 8 laser cut fins
• Laser cut fin tips and fin plates
• Recovery eyebolt
• Nylon shock cord
• Nomex chute protector
• 48" chute
• Rail Buttons

T' instructions are very easy t' follow, and like Madcow's other kits, shiver me timbers, they are a breeze t' build. Avast! T' instructions fit on one folded page, matey, and when you factor in t' fact that a quarter o' that is a picture o' t' rocket and t' kit contents, ya bilge rat, matey, you can see thar's nay much readin' here. Some well illustrated and thought out pictures and a few paragraphs o' info is all it takes t' build this kit.

All t' parts fit perfectly together. Arrr! T' centerin' rings were just slightly oversize so that a quick "wipe" with some sandpaper cleaned them up and gave them a nice snug fit. Aye aye! T' solid through-the-wall fins make this a sturdy kit. Arrr! I used epoxy on all t' fins, centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, arrr, and motor mount tube. Aye aye! I used wood glue for t' couplers. Ya scallywag! Begad! I don't know why, but thar are two couplers and three tubes for t' airframe. Begad! Perhaps it's for ease o' shipping, ya bilge rat, but it didn't really affect t' build.

I thought I add a section here all by itself on t' CG. This is important on this kit. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' long and large fins on this rocket make it necessary t' pay attention t' t' CG. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! T' kit calls for t' CG t' be 24.5" from t' tip o' t' nose cone. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Because o' t' fins and t' nose weight needed, I decided t' do a RockSim on this one. Begad! Blimey! Keep in mind that t' CG changes with different motors so you need t' know what t' largest motor you will fly will be. (Yes, none o' this is new info, but this is one o' those kits you need t' put all this t' use.) My weight after finishin' (but before addin' weight) be 63.5 oz. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! After addin' nose weight, mine ended up at 81.7 oz with everythin' but a motor. This put t' CG at 24".

I used steel weight and put it in t' nose cone through a hole I drilled alongside t' eye bolt hole. Begad! I then added 2oz o' epoxy and placed a piece o' maskin' tape over t' hole. Placin' t' nose cone in an upright position made t' weight and t' epoxy settle t' t' shoulder area. This was important because epoxy will nay stick t' t' plastic. Ahoy! Instead, t' epoxy covers t' machine screw end o' t' eye bolt and, when hardens, arrr, becomes a mass around t' screw. Well, blow me down! This effectively secures t' weight t' t' base o' t' cone and secures t' eye bolt t' t' nose cone.

T' most time consumin' part o' t' build be t' fillets. With over 280 inches o' fillets, you have a chore ahead o' you. T' "fin plates" have an added difficulty by bein' a flat section o' 1/8" plywood glued t' a curved surface. Blimey! T' builder has about a 3/16" inch gap t' fill at their widest point. Avast! A suggestion would be t' make them out o' basswood. Avast! Aye aye! This would allow them t' be easily curved t' t' airframe, arrr, cost less, and save weight at t' end o' t' rocket that needs t' be lighter. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! It would even cut t' build time.

Finishing:
I painted it with two coats o' Rustoleum gray primer, me hearties, shiver me timbers, followed by two coats o' white, shiver me timbers, and a few coats o' black on t' nose cone. Aye aye! I then painted t' fin plates in red after a long mornin' o' masking. I guess I forgot t' look at t' picture because I did it wrong. I did look at t' picture t' finish with t' trim. Begad! For that I used 3/16" Pactra black trim tape.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Don't let t' ease o' build addlepate you into thinkin' this is a wimpy rocket. Aye aye! T' design and quality o' t' components will allow this rocket t' rip off t' pad on large 38mm motors. Blimey! But, at only 5 lbs, me bucko, me bucko, it can also be lofted with a 29mm motor if you have an adapter on hand. Blimey! My first flight was on a Pro 38 H153 t' about 1,000 feet. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I set t' delay t' about 8 seconds and this proved t' be a little late.

Recovery:
This thin' comes with a parachute, ya bilge rat, and I be happy about that. So many companies don't give you a cute these days on 4" and larger kits because, "it allows you t' pick your own chute size". Avast! Begad! (I never did buy that excuse.) Well, shiver me timbers, I for one was happy t' have them pick one for me.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is nay t' first Madcow kit I've built, but it be t' largest. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' ease and simplicity o' t' build, me bucko, t' quality o' t' components, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' coolness o' this kit will make it a durable favorite. Blimey! If it appears I had fun writin' this review, me bucko, I had just as much buildin' and flyin' it. Please, ya bilge rat, pay attention t' your CG/CP relationship.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5