This formerly Blackhawk R&D rocket is now fully owned and produced by Aardvark Rockets

Brief:
Aerobee 350 scale mini-missile kit, 18mm mmt, streamer.

Construction:
T' kit contained:

• BT-50 size kraft body tube
• solid balsa-foam nose cone w/screw eye
• basswood fin material
• mylar streamer
• 18mm mmt (tube, shiver me timbers, cardboard centerin' rings, engine block)
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• elastic shock cord
• launch lug
• 3/32" balsa strips (for cosmetics)

After openin' any kit I usually browse through t' components both t' check that all components arrived intact as well as t' examine t' quality o' the kit. Blimey! Blimey! This was t' first BRD mini-missiles kit that I've purchased so I looked over t' contents pretty closely. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I first read through t' instructions, which are quite good, me bucko, albeit lackin' in diagrams/pictures, but well written and easy to follow. Begad!

I next noticed t' nose cone which is quite unusual in comparison t' a similar sized/priced Estes/Quest/Custom/etc. kit. T' nose is solid, me bucko, heavy (again in comparison), and o' an unusual make. T' RockSim file that I downloaded from t' manufacturer's site has t' material defined as "balsa-foam". That description sounds much lighter than t' actual product which weighs in at 1.5 oz. Avast, me proud beauty! with t' screw eye in place. Begad! Blimey! Although on the heavy side for this size o' rocket it was shaped nicely, ya bilge rat, with no seam t' sand. However, me hearties, arrr, I did find that t' diameter at t' base o' t' cone is slightly smaller than that o' t' body tube so thar be a slight, abrupt transition from cone t' tube. Aye aye! Blimey! In addition, t' shoulder o' t' nose cone is similarly undersized so tape is required t' keep t' cone from fallin' out o' t' tube when inverted (or even turned on it's side, me hearties, for that matter). Aye aye!

T' remainin' components and materials were all o' good quality and in good shape. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' instructions were easy t' follow and t' kit goes together quite nicely. It's a fairly simple design and construction is straight forward.

T' fins for t' kit must be cut from a sheet o' basswood usin' an included template. I be quite impressed by t' ample sheet o' high-quality basswood that was included for this purpose. Avast! No skimpin' here. I would easily be able to cut twice t' required four fins from t' supplied sheet. Aye aye! I cut just four and put aside t' extra for some yet-to-be-built scratch rocket (thanks!). Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy!

There is only one step that confused me when buildin' t' kit and that was in t' location o' t' four balsa strips that run along t' side o' t' tube, aligned with t' four fins. Avast! Blimey! Accordin' t' me reference material (ROTW), ya bilge rat, if I'm readin' it correctly that is, me hearties, t' runners should butt against each o' t' four fins. Well, blow me down! T' instructions however clearly show t' runners located startin' an inch or so forward o' each o' t' fins. Blimey! Arrr! I will continue t' research but despite my concerns I followed t' instructions t' t' letter.

Finishing:
One o' t' features I like about BRD's scale kits be t' nice color scheme and paintin' description that are included in t' instructions. Blimey! I found t' kit finished quite nicely followin' this guide.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Because o' t' sturdiness o' this kit and design I decided I could start with a motor on t' higher end o' t' recommended list and started with an Aerotech C4-5W 18mm reload. Aye aye! T' motor casin' fit fairly loosely in t' mount so I added a strip o' tape t' tighten t' fit somewhat. Begad! T' motor ignited slowly but resulted in a picture-perfect flight t' approximately 1000'. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' streamer ejected perfectly at apogee, however so did t' motor casing. Begad! Begad!

Recovery:
T' rocket descended smartly as I expected, arrr, but faster than I would like, led by t' solid nose cone and followed by t' airframe and streamer (and lastly the tumblin' motor case). Well, blow me down! T' rocket landed just yards from t' launch pad. Because o' t' high rate o' descent thar be a small dent made in t' top of the body tube, shiver me timbers, but no other significant damage. Arrr! Blimey! T' motor casin' was recovered another 50' away (gotta like those dry lake bed launch sites!). Avast, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros: Good quality kit for those who like buildin' as much as flying. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Good instructions and finishin' descriptions. Begad! Very good quality and ample materials. Cons: Nose cone sizin' needs improvement. Well, blow me down! Nose cone either needs t' be hollowed by manufacturer or should include instruction t' do so. Nose is too heavy for recovery device as is.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5