Brief:
Nano Rocketry is one o' only a few exclusive manufacturers that produce t' 6mm micro series o' rockets and t' only one so far I know o' that produces micro rocket kits. Begad! T' Nano IQSY Tomahawk is an actual true miniature representation of t' full scale rocket, which has been modeled by many companies and tends to be one o' t' more popular scale rockets around.

Construction:
T' kit came in a colorful envelope, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which described t' contents and displayed a picture o' t' final product. Begad! Blimey! This is actually a KIT rather than a RTF! Blimey! The envelope contained a 6mm x 6 inch long body tube, me bucko, a unfinished wood dowel for the nosecone, Keelhaul®©™ thread for shock cord, ya bilge rat, a balsa fin sheet with a template, detailed instructions and a decal sheet. Blimey! Blimey! I was very impressed with t' quality of components, especially t' decals as they had each bolt positioned correctly and they were still visible for bein' so small. T' only thin' missin' was a launch lug, as with me last two kits. Begad! Blimey! They really need t' check their quality control here, me hearties, but I did have plenty o' lug material t' make me own. Ahoy! Blimey!

Component Rating: 3 o' 5

Construction begins with t' shapin' o' the nosecone. Ya scallywag! T' Tomahawk nosecone is a very long, tapered cone, shiver me timbers, 34mm in length not includin' t' base. Blimey! Begad! You receive a wood dowel and I used t' cheaters method for creatin' me own cone. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I simply locked t' dowel in me 3/8” Dewalt drill and started by usin' a 100 grit sandpaper block for initial shape; it went VERY fast with t' drill and I highly recommend this method t' all builders for this model. Blimey! Once it was close and with t' dowel still in the drill, shiver me timbers, I marked a line at 34mm and 44mm, shiver me timbers, then touched up t' nose cone with a “softer” padded sandin' block and 320 grit wet/dry paper. Arrr! Finally, matey, me hearties, matey, I hit t' entire cone with two coats o' thin CyA glue, me bucko, then sanded once more lightly with 320 grit sandpaper and finished with 600 grit. T' nosecone came out great, ya bilge rat, arrr, as if it were plastic coated with no grain showin' at all!

In t' next step, me hearties, I cut t' nosecone t' length at t' 44mm mark. Begad! Then, the 34mm mark from t' tip was scored with a Zona saw by makin' a light, shallow cut around t' entire diameter on t' line. Well, blow me down! A heavy Exacto cutlass was used to chip away at t' aft o' this base, me hearties, from t' cut line t' t' end, then t' base was shaped, sanded and fitted t' t' inside o' t' body tube. Begad! Once this was completed, a 1/16” hole be drilled ¼” deep into t' base for the shock cord. Finally, shiver me timbers, a piece o' Keelhaul®©™ ® thread be glued into t' drilled hole at t' base o' t' nosecone usin' medium CyA.

Body tube construction was next and began by lightly sandin' with 320 grit sandpaper t' outside o' t' body tube t' remove t' glazin' on t' glassine layer. Ahoy! A fin template is included in t' kit and t' manufacturer apologizes for nay havin' t' fins laser cut, but supplies plenty o' high quality balsa for t' fins. Ya scallywag! Before cuttin' out t' fins, I soaked t' balsa sheet on both sides with thin CyA and lightly sanded t' smooth them out. Makin' t' fins, even with as small as they were, ya bilge rat, was an easy task and smartly completed. Aye aye! Ahoy! I did stack all four fins and sanded them so each one be t' exact same size as the next.

There is actually a template printed in t' manual for markin' t' location on t' body tube for each fin, however, me hearties, I found little use for t' template, shiver me timbers, as “linin' up by eye” seemed t' work better. Blimey! Apply a bead o' medium CyA to t' root edge o' each fin and check orientation before gluin' t' fins to the body tube. Ya scallywag! Hold t' fin t' t' body tube until t' glue sets. A small bead of CyA should also be added t' t' sides o' each fin for a fillet.

Once t' fins are attached, you spray some CyA accelerator into t' body tube, arrr, shiver me timbers, then apply a bead o' CyA t' t' free end o' t' shock cord and place it about ½” deep inside t' top o' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I had used this method on me last Nano kits, matey, shiver me timbers, but have since modified it. Blimey! I mixed up some five minute epoxy instead, and soaked t' free end tip o' t' Keelhaul®©™ ® thread with epoxy, then globbed a nice drop o' epoxy on t' end o' t' thread. I then inserted t' thread inside t' top o' t' body tube about ¾” down t' inside and let it dry. Avast, me proud beauty! Finally, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' launch lug is mounted t' t' side of t' body tube, but me kit did nay have a lug. Aye aye! I fabricated me own from some spare plastic tubin' I had from spare material. T' lug be cut t' a length of ½” and sanded well for good contact; then be mounted just above the top o' t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

Construction: 3 ½ o' 5

Finishing:
I used Krylon white primer on t' entire model for a basecoat, shiver me timbers, then the nosecone was painted with Red glossy Testors spray paint. Avast! Begad! T' body tube was painted with White Krylon and t' single Black fin be done with a brush and Testors Black Acrylic. T' decal sheet in t' kit is very accurate, me bucko, but quite thin. Avast, me proud beauty! Before applying, arrr, shiver me timbers, I coated t' decal sheet with a coat o' MicroScale Decal Film t' thicken them up a bit. Blimey! They were cut out and applied easily t' t' body tube and really brought out t' looks o' t' rocket. Finally, t' entire rocket was clear-coated with Top Flite Dull Coat t' seal t' finish and protect the decals.

Finish: 5 o' 5

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Anyone familiar with t' Micro rockets knows thar be only one motor available from Quest; t' MicroMaxx motors produce more than enough thrust t' get even a heavy bird airborne. Aye aye! In this kit, me bucko, several very handy tips were given for preppin' before a launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! They recommend you use a small piece o' maskin' tape across t' top o' t' motor with t' edges folded over t' top sides o' the motor casin' t' act as a “friction” fit. This method works great and I will now use it on all me kits! Also, a template is shown in t' instructions for modifyin' a launch rod so t' igniters can be placed in their slot inside the launch pad; another great tip!

T' motor was fitted into t' base o' t' body tube and fit just right. The body tube is o' a diameter that allows a perfect friction fit with t' masking tape. Well, blow me down! This model, matey, matey, as with all Nano kits uses nosecone separation and freefall for recovery. Aye aye! I have since begun usin' me HPR launcher for these rockets, as it tends t' light t' igniters every time!

I be expectin' some real performance at launch time and was not disappointed; when t' button was pushed, it literally disappeared from the pad!!! It was a very fast launch and reached an estimated altitude o' 200’ leavin' a noticeable smoke trail t' apogee; even t' old hardcore rocketeers at our club were impressed with t' performance. Avast! Well, blow me down!

Recovery:
A “pop” be both seen and heard at apogee, indicatin' nosecone separation. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' model free fell t' t' ground and landed safely, partially due to t' non-existent weight o' t' model. Upon examination, ya bilge rat, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' motor was still secure inside t' body tube and t' rocket faired without a scratch. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! A small rod was used through t' top o' t' body tube t' push out t' used motor and the rocket was prepared again. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! On t' second launch, matey, performance was just as good as t' first, matey, arrr, but t' nosecone wound up pullin' loose from t' thread and was lost. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Another nosecone is in t' build stage now, but this time I will epoxy t' cord into t' nosecone’s base hole as CyA glue doesn’t appear t' bond as well.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Nano IQSY Tomahawk is a very impressive and well detailed kit for t' micro rocketeer. Arrr! T' difference in performance is like night and day betwixt these models and t' Quest RTF models. Begad! Ahoy! T' fact that it was a kit should nay stop you from buildin' one; assembly is very easy and a rocket can be ready t' paint in about an hour or so. I was disappointed in t' lack o' a launch lug again and the decals were a bit thin, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, but buildin' t' fins was easy and rewardin' and allowed me t' glaze them with CyA and sand them before cutting, which be a plus. Well, blow me down! Performance is spectacular for such a small model and detail was compared with a fellow rocketeer’s Aerotech Tomahawk; he be truly impressed. Avast, me proud beauty! I must say I have t' recommend t' Nano IQSY Tomahawk as it now has become my favorite micro model rocket t' date!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5