(by Paul Gray) 

Background

There have been many rockets named "Tomahawk" used over t' past few decades. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! This Tomahawk be built and flown durin' t' International Quiet Sun Year (1967) t' research t' Earth's atmosphere. Therefore, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, this Tomahawk soundin' rocket is known as t' IQSY Tomahawk, markin' t' time when it was built and flown. Blimey! T' real IQSY Tomahawk was produced four times with all four rockets flown. Ya scallywag! Two o' t' flights were successful, and t' other two were not. No attempt was made t' recover t' rocket. Begad! But now, over thirty years after the last IQSY Tomahawk was flown, me hearties, me bucko, AeroTech makes a high quality scale model o' this soundin' rocket. This one, when built and flown properly by t' owner, is guaranteed t' have successful flights and recoveries every time. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction

T' kit, me bucko, like all other AeroTech kits, me bucko, is made up o' very high quality parts includin' a strong body tube, ya bilge rat, plastic nose cone, sturdy aerofiber centering rings, ya bilge rat, fin lockin' rings, strong through-the-tube plastic fins, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and an ejection gas baffle that also works as a good shock cord mount. If you follow the instructions carefully as you build, you can't go wrong. Begad! Blimey! T' only thin' that I would do differently from what t' instructions say would be t' use epoxy. A cheap 5 minute epoxy is nay recommended. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I recommend usin' a 30 minute Bob Smith type epoxy or 45 minute Hobby Poxy, which is what I used t' build me IQSY Tomahawk. Avast, me proud beauty! Perhaps t' thin' that I disliked most about buildin' this rocket was gluin' on t' fins. You will have t' do some test fittin' t' make sure that they all fit. Avast, me proud beauty! T' reason that this is a problem is that you have t' snap the fins into place, then you have t' remove them in order t' apply epoxy. Ahoy! Removal of t' fins is nay easy because t' fin lockin' rings grab so hard. All I can advise though is, me bucko, live with it. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' firm grip o' t' fin lockin' rings adds an incredible amount o' strength, and they are well worth t' hassle o' working with. Avast, me proud beauty! Be aware that epoxy can act as a lubricant and cause t' fins pop out while it is drying. Ya scallywag! Well, arrr, blow me down! Keep on eye on t' fins t' make sure that they're down until t' epoxy is set. Avast, me proud beauty! Have a long, thin, shiver me timbers, wood epoxy stick handy. Ya scallywag! You'll need it t' apply internal fillets t' t' fin tabs where t' meet t' inside wall of the body tube and t' outside wall o' t' motor tube. Begad! Ahoy! This will make it so that you won't need t' apply any typical external fin fillets. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! In fact, external fillets are nay recommended because t' fins are already shaped with a molded plastic external fillet on both sides. Arrr! Well, blow me down! What I recommend, shiver me timbers, however, is t' put a very thin bead o' thick CA along where t' molded plastic fillets meet t' body tube. This will add more strength t' t' fins, and t' CA will cover up any gaps formed betwixt t' molded fillet and t' fin slot.

As with all other model rockets, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' appearance o' this rocket depends entirely on how much time you spend finishin' it. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' instructions just say, shiver me timbers, "paint this, me hearties, paint that" but I put a lot o' work into me finish because I used this rocket to compete in t' Sport Scale event at NARAM-40. Begad! Well, blow me down! I used Elmers Carpenters Wood Filler t' fill in t' spiral grooves on t' body tube. Along with several coats of Krylon White Primer, it made t' grooves almost invisible. Ahoy! When painting, me hearties, it is best t' paint t' nose cone separately from t' rest o' t' rocket. Aye aye! When paintin' a fin black, use Scotch tape and trash bags t' mask t' rest o' the rocket off. Remember, even t' smallest black particle will be visible on white paint. Begad!

Once t' paint is dry, me bucko, you can apply t' decals t' make t' rocket look like the actual prototype. T' most tricky part o' this is determinin' where to place t' decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You'll want t' study t' notes o' t' instructions and the included blueprint very carefully. Avast! Begad! Blimey! In addition, you may have t' try several times t' apply t' fin decals that have t' bolts runnin' in rows betwixt them. It takes patience as well as many tries t' get them in t' right position. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey!

Flight

Even though AeroTech might recommend an E motor for this rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, I do not. An E will nay take it high enough every time t' t' point where it is guaranteed to deploy t' parachute before hittin' t' ground. Arrr! Perhaps t' best motor for this rocket is an F22-5. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! This motor creates a slow, arrr, arrr, realistic flight that is easy to follow. It takes t' rocket t' a visible, recoverable altitude, and t' five second delay allows parachute deployment at apogee. Avast! AeroTech recommends a seven second delay with t' F22 for this rocket, me bucko, but that is way too long. Blimey! Other good motors t' fly this rocket on include t' F20, F25, and t' F40. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! You might want to use t' higher thrust motors such as t' F25 and t' F40 on days when there is wind. Ahoy! You could put a G motor in it, ya bilge rat, but fair winds gettin' it back is all I can say. Ya scallywag! As with every AeroTech rocket, insert t' motor into t' rocket and then reinforce t' motor hook with a tie wrap t' prevent t' motor from being ejected. Ahoy!

T' way this rocket flies, shiver me timbers, overall, is excellent. Aye aye! It flies as straight as an arrow every time. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 56 cm (22") parachute be t' perfect size for it. Avast! Arrr! T' rocket descends smartly with minimal drift, but it does not come down so fast that it gets damaged on landing. Avast!

Grades

Design: A+
Construction: B
Flight: A+

I won third place in B Division Sport Scale at NARAM-40 with this rocket. This rocket is too cool. Begad! Arrr!