Brief:
T' DG&A Lazarus is a straight-forward high power rocket kit with a 38mm motor mount. Ahoy! It would make a good Level-1 cert rocket and has a small payload bay suitable for your electronics.

Construction:
T' Lazarus came in its own shippin' box. Arrr! Arrr! T' components inside were packaged carefully, me hearties, me bucko, thar was no shippin' damage, arrr, shiver me timbers, and all t' parts were accounted for. T' airframe (4" x 34") and payload section (4" x 11") are made o' sturdy, brown, glassine covered paper tubing. Aye aye! T' finish is nice and spirals are shallow, which should make finishin' easier. Begad! You have t' cut your own fin slots, matey, but t' fin and launch lug lines were pre-marked and color-coded. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone is 16 ½" long and is very sturdy. "R.W.W. Blimey! DIST." appears on t' shoulder. Ahoy! T' payload coupler tube is made o' cardboard and is thinner-walled than t' airframe tubing. Aye aye! Blimey! T' 38mm motor tube is 11" long and is made o' thick walled cardboard. T' three through-the-wall fins, me hearties, two centerin' rings and payload bulkhead are all made of 1/4" plywood. Begad! Ahoy! These have a thick inner layer with a thin outer ply on each side. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! There be splinterin' on t' edges o' two o' t' fins. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' recovery system includes two eyebolts, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, one quick link, me hearties, a 45" section o' strap nylon with metal eyelets, ya bilge rat, about 12 ft. Ahoy! Blimey! o' 1" elastic, shiver me timbers, and a 36" parachute made from light rip-stop nylon. Avast! T' provided 1/2" launch lug consists of 4" o' thick walled cardboard tubing. Arrr! Two 6/32 T-nuts are provided for motor retention, ya bilge rat, but thar are no bolts or clips provided. Begad! Finally, t' kit comes with vinyl decals with t' rocket's name, shiver me timbers, me hearties, in simple black lettering.

This kit comes with very detailed instructions, shiver me timbers, which include illustrations and B&W photos. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' overall quality o' t' instructions be excellent, however, matey, I have a few concerns. Well, me hearties, blow me down! 1) They suggest you may fiberglass t' airframe after t' kit is assembled (generally, it is easier t' do so before installing fins, t' launch lug, etc.). Arrr! Ya scallywag! 2) They recommend you smooth t' epoxy fillets with your rubbin' alcohol covered finger (with no warnings about possible reactions t' t' contact with epoxy). Well, blow me down! 3) There is no reference t' internal fillets for t' fins. Blimey! In me opinion, these are omissions and may throw a curve to an inexperienced builder. Well, blow me down! Begad! I believe that instructions should be directed at less experienced builders, arrr, as t' experienced ones will figure it out on their own anyway. Arrr!

Construction be straight-forward and proceeded per t' instructions, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, with a few exceptions. I used 15-minute epoxy throughout, ya bilge rat, and did no fiberglassing. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I started by bevelin' t' fin edges. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This was a slow process with me orbital sander, me bucko, so I installed a sandin' attachment on me RotoZip. Begad! I had nice sharp edges in no time, me bucko, and t' imperfections on t' edges o' t' fins were all but wiped out. Begad! Avast! Blimey! I strengthened t' edges with thin CA.

T' centerin' rings fit nicely and required no sanding. However, me hearties, me bucko, t' coupler tube used for t' payload section did nay fit in t' airframe tubing. Avast! Ya scallywag! I contacted t' manufacturer who merely said t' sand t' coupler. Avast! Although some sandin' may have done t' trick, matey, I wasn't up for doin' so. Aye aye! Instead, I found that t' inner tube from a 4" mailin' tube I had in me stockpile worked perfectly. Avast! Ahoy! So, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I opted t' chop off a 6" section and use that. I had t' do some minor sandin' on t' bulkhead as me tube be just a tad thicker than the one provided. Well, me hearties, blow me down!

I made t' following enhancements durin' construction. Ahoy! First, I did nay glue t' aft centerin' ring in until I had installed t' fins and had applied internal fillets. Next, shiver me timbers, I added a heavy swivel for parachute attachment. I also added electrical connections t' t' payload bulkhead t' facilitate usin' me G-Wiz Deluxe for ejection duties. Finally, I added a pair o' Matt's Rail Buttons in addition to the 1/2" lug that be provided.

Finishing:
I didn't try t' make t' epoxy fillets pretty, me bucko, so I built them up with SuperFil from Shadow Composites. Avast! After some light sanding, matey, I laid on several coats of Krylon white primer. Arrr! One side o' t' fins filled easily, but t' other was coarser and required a couple o' extra coats. T' spirals filled nicely, shiver me timbers, but after priming, I noticed that t' tube also had a subtle ridge in betwixt the grooves. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I did nay try t' sand this down. Begad! Begad! I painted t' rocket fluorescent yellow and added yellow and black checkerboard trim. Aye aye! Blimey! After a problem with paint compatibility (details omitted!), I painted t' nose cone solid black. Blimey! The final touch was t' vinyl letterin' that came with t' kit. Aye aye! This stuff was great. Blimey! T' letters were individually placed on an adhesive background. Ya scallywag! So, arrr, matey, you lay down t' decal strip, ya bilge rat, and then removed t' backing, leavin' just the lettering. Aye aye! You have t' be gentle as t' letters initially try t' come off with the backing, matey, but this wasn't a problem. T' result is perfectly spaced lettering, without t' clear surroundin' background.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew me Lazarus with one o' t' newly certified I285 Redlines, matey, arrr, me hearties, off o' a BlackSky rail. Begad! Although t' Lazarus payload was set up for altimeter ejection, I decided t' stick with motor ejection. Ya scallywag! Avast! Sims with a similar motor said the optimal delay be 11 seconds, so I chose a medium, 10 second delay. Blimey! It was a nice straight flight. Begad! T' Lazarus really scooted above t' bright red flame! T' motor was retained with aluminum clips that I move from rocket t' rocket. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I used a heat shield from Giant Leap in place o' wadding. There be some singeing on t' chute - me problem, nay t' rocket's.

Recovery:
One end o' t' nylon strap connects t' an eyebolt on t' forward centerin' ring with a quick-connect (provided). Blimey! Begad! T' strap elastic is tied t' t' other end of the nylon strap and t' a second eyebolt on t' payload bulkhead. Arrr! I added a hefty swivel for parachute attachment, a few feet down from t' nose cone. Avast! Ahoy! I felt t' chute that was provided may be a little small considerin' t' weight of t' rocket and t' backswept fin design, me hearties, but t' ground at t' launch site was relatively soft (mowed grass). Aye aye! Ahoy! T' recovery was just fine. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! One fin has a bit o' dirt on it, me bucko, but no damage. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This simple, me hearties, solid kit would be fine for an introduction t' high-power. Aye aye! Blimey! The components are good quality and are sturdy. Aye aye! Blimey! T' detailed instructions are very easy t' follow. Begad! Blimey! I also liked t' decals/lettering. Begad! Blimey! However, I was a disappointed with t' fit o' t' tube coupler and feel that t' issues with the instructions may make this kit more appropriate for someone with good mid-power experience and/or who has done some research on construction techniques.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5