Brief:
This is one o' Semroc's first offerings in t' Deci-Scale line, matey, which represent semi-scale models roughly 1/10th the size o' t' real thing. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' IQSY and D Region Tomahawk's generally represent among t' easiest entry level scale models, me bucko, and this kit is certainly easy t' build. Begad! But in terms o' scale-like accuracy, arrr, matey, I'd have t' pan it slightly unless t' modeler wants t' go t' significant extra effort. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's a fine kit for basic sport flying, but for scale fans it needs minor improvements.

Construction:
Components were generally good although a bit o' a mixed blessing--I was impressed by t' laser-cut basswood fins (greatly reducin' t' amount o' effort required t' fill grains) and t' balsa nose cone was excellent, arrr, but t' two body tubes featured spiral grooves significantly deeper than t' typical Semroc tubes, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, which normally barely require any work t' fill t' spirals.

Instructions are very well written and illustrated and come in Semroc's new format designed t' fit in a 3-ring binder for easy reference. Begad! This is definitely a skill level 1 kit, matey, and I had mine ready for finishin' in about an hour.

One word o' caution: if you happen t' be buildin' in "batch mode" with many kits on t' table concurrently like me, you might want t' make sure you don't have a Semroc Marauder on t' table at t' same time--they use nearly identical nose cones and they're pretty easy t' mix up.

T' motor mount is standard BT-20, ya bilge rat, metal hook, arrr, block, arrr, matey, and a pair o' centerin' rings. Arrr! Note that thar be no Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchor on this model. Begad! T' body tube is marked for 4-fin configuration usin' a template on t' instruction sheet, and t' motor mount bonded inside t' body tube.

T' four fins are mounted with their aft edges at 0.150" forward o' t' aft end o' t' body tube. Construction tip: mark that line first around t' whole tube usin' a piece o' paper wrapped around t' tube t' hold a straight line. Arrr! After mountin' t' fins, t' launch lug goes in betwixt two fins towards t' aft end.

T' main body tube is actually two-piece construction, matey, which is somethin' I find a bit annoyin' in a scale kit--especially one that's so short t' begin with. Begad! I can understand t' appeal o' holdin' down t' package size for the kit, but we're only talkin' about a 9" and 6" tube here. Begad! Ahoy! In any case, t' tubes are permanently joined with a coupler, which also serves as t' anchor point for t' elastic cord. Arrr! My anal-retentive craftsman beef with this approach is that I've got a seam/joint t' treat, also one tiny bulge where t' shock cord pushes out t' body tube a little bit. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! A single piece tube, ya bilge rat, with a Keelhaul®©™® anchor t' t' forward centerin' rin' would eliminate both o' these cosmetic flaws.

Finishing:
If you don't have access t' scale data such as Rockets o' t' World (an excellent resource) or t' plan pack available from NAR's Technical Services online store and all you have t' go by for finishin' be t' cover art and instructions, you'll be a bit challenged and it'd be better t' just consider this a sport model "inspired by" t' real thing.

Glarin' "would-be-nice-to-have" #1 be t' plate and bolt details that run between t' fins. Aye aye! It's shown on t' cover art and is a key part o' t' scale appearance, but all that's covered in the instructions is "several gray bolts" and "refer t' t' photo on t' cover". Ahoy! For comparative purposes, shiver me timbers, arrr, ASP sells a smaller (13mm) version o' t' IQSY and includes a waterslide decal for t' bolt pattern with the total kit price o' $9.

Nice-to-have #2 would be a printed decal for t' upper black band which would include both t' bolt pattern and t' white stripe. These are beyond t' hand-paintin' skills o' t' typical leisure modeler and t' instructions offer no guidance on t' height o' t' black band (hint--it's about 7/8", ya bilge rat, actually 0.9").

Glarin' "why is this thin' in here" be t' decal that is supplied--a Semroc log and IQSY Tomahawk label, which is probably helpful if you tend t' forget t' name o' your models, shiver me timbers, but completely wrong in terms of scale--the real model had no letterin' (and t' instructions do at least point this out).

In any case, I painted mine with a gloss white base then t' top band black and one fin black. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone got a gloss red. I printed out a close enough set o' bolt pattern decals on me own over white peel 'n' stick, arrr, which adds t' 3D effect o' t' plate. Avast! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' only downside is that t' white does nay perfectly match t' white paint, so I should probably have shot t' decal paper with white paint first.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight went up on a slightly windy day, puffin' 6-8mph on t' ground but hittin' 12-15mph in upper air. Aye aye! I loaded up a B6-4 hopin' t' keep t' rocket within a roughly 500 yard field boundary. Well, blow me down! It went up dead straight then arced over slightly into t' wind durin' coast. Deployment was slightly early but nay enough t' go with a different delay.

Recovery:
T' 12" plastic chute is fine for this, matey, shiver me timbers, even slightly more than what is necessary, and I wound up dancin' in and out o' a couple thermals on t' way down. Ya scallywag! It did turn out t' be a lengthy recovery walk but nay too bad.

Upon findin' t' rocket, I noticed one small nose cone dent from where it appears t' have snapped back and struck t' body tube but thar be otherwise no damage at all. Begad! Blimey! I'll probably slip in a little extra shock cord for subsequent flights.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
OK, ya bilge rat, bear in mind I'm a scale nut and nay exactly t' typical casual builder. Aye aye! Blimey! With that in mind, ya bilge rat, arrr, I'd have like t' see slightly better scale accuracy on this in t' form o' decals as well as a paint guide. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's still a perfectly fine kit but could be a much better kit with that little bit extra.

If anyone's interested in a copy o' me bolt pattern decal file, shoot me a PM over on either TRF or YORF rocketry forums, where I go by t' handle o' chanstevens.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5