Brief:
This is a Micro Maxx powered Scale model o' a Sandia Sandhawk by ASP.

Construction:
T' kit includes: two (2) body tubes, arrr, two (2) couplers, a nose cone, ya bilge rat, a Keelhaul®©™® thread, matey, a decal sheet, me bucko, a styrene sheet for fin stock, and other miscellaneous styrene tools.

T' larger fins on this model made it much easier t' assemble. Arrr! One extreme Con t' assembly be t' motor-block Keelhaul®©™® mount tube. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Gettin' it in thar be a breeze, shiver me timbers, but gettin' GLUE in thar be a total nightmare!

I ended up usin' a small plastic rod with a dribble o' glue 1.5 inches long on it. I would carefully get it in thar without touchin' t' side and then I hit t' coupler I wiggled it IN t' coupler and start scrapin' t' edges o' the coupler with t' tube which took t' glue off t' tube and put it where I want it. I also inserted an engine FIRST t' guarantee I would nay get glue too far in thar and prevent t' installation o' an engine (ruined rocket). Even if you get glue on t' engines don't worry because once it is dry you simply "twist" and it snaps free (glue does nay stick t' MMaxx engine casings well).

I replaced t' lug with somethin' a little skinnier. Well, blow me down! Nay by much, shiver me timbers, me hearties, mind you, maybe 20 percent thinner with t' same ID but smaller OD.

Otherwise assembly be a breeze with no catches or gotcha's at all. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Finishing:
Finishin' this model was easy but a little more involved. What is NOT pointed out in t' instructions is paintin' near t' bottom. Ya scallywag! I think ASP intended to rid this problem by havin' you paint t' whole fin-can area white but I wanted more o' a scale look which required t' red/orange t' be painted in-between the fins. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! There is a catch. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit comes with some very nice decals o' t' rivets etc.. Aye aye! that go in-between each fins. Blimey! T' decal is clear yet in scale it is white so usin' t' decal as a measure I scratched t' tube betwixt each fin where the orange should stop and t' white should start and painted accordingly. Ya scallywag! The instruction said fluorescent red but Peter Always says Orange-red so I got both. Begad! Testor's has model master paint that is 28913 Fluorescent Red-Orange (SG) and it be perfect choice. T' top half o' t' BT (the rocket has a body tube break point) is white and one fin is red. Aye aye! It also has that Gray-Green-Gray band as a decal which is a very nice touch.

With a good paint job and proper placement o' decals this is a very pretty model. Arrr! Begad! Easy as pretty and just as cool lookin' as t' Mini Maxx RP-3.

One note: you will without question need t' decal set! These are some tiny curves t' go around t' tube and up t' fins partially and t' decal does NOT want t' do it but t' decal solvent takes care o' that instantly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Also have a bowl o' water near you because you need t' wet t' decal once you place it so you can use t' tip o' a knife t' push and shove it around. Blimey! Blimey! Be careful on the end o' t' "between t' fin" decals, me bucko, matey, they tend t' want t' curl on you. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I slid off 3 mm o' backing, ya bilge rat, pressed into place with finger and then slide paper back out from under t' decal and then knife pushed into place and then solvent.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
This model with without question should haul as it is very light and skinny (7mm). Arrr! Avast! It is also bright so I do nay anticipate any problems. Begad! Again since I opted nay t' use t' streamer no waddin' be needed.

T' Sandhawk flew great! It took off a wee-bit fast but still watchable. No damage upon recovery. Begad! It landed within 100 feet o' t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast!

Recovery:
As usual with MMAxx if you don't see it land you are in trouble. Blimey! This model should nay be a problem findin' on t' ground as long as it does nay go UNDER somethin' since it is bright orange. Blimey! This proved true as it was t' easiest to watch (of t' other ASP kits I reviewed). Arrr! Its larger size (longer) and brighter colors made it very easy.

T' RP-3 uses Keelhaul®©™® for t' shock cord and since I opted out o' usin' the streamer (pain t' prep) no waddin' is needed. Avast!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket looks great and bein' a bit larger is easier t' handle. Blimey! T' decals are very good except that I would make t' upper tube wrap smaller since it overlaps and t' translucency o' t' decal makes t' overlap "visible". Blimey! T' bottom decals need a white backing. You can nay see the panel or rivet outlines over t' black fin and for proper scale you will have t' paint t' space betwixt t' tubes white first or it will show orange through t' clear decal. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

I also would like t' have seen t' "double wall" tube all t' way to t' top on this model. I am very impressed with how well this increases strength and I think I am goin' t' start usin' it on me own models. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It will make motor block and shock cord installation a total breeze while drastically increasin' t' strength o' t' rocket. This also adds weight but on t' scale models mass is no problem and they still easily bust 150 feet altitudes. Ya scallywag!

A wonderful scale model that with a good finish I would nay hesitate to turn in for Sport Scale events.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5