Brief:
T' Madcow Rocketry Sea Wolf is a semi scale version o' t' Royal Navy‘s (that's British if you didn't pay attention in school) anti-ship missile Sea Wolf Missile system. Begad! This is a 38mm semi scale kit with cool features like fin plates, fin tips, me bucko, and staggered fins.

Construction:
Contents:

• ¼" 5 layer laser cut aircraft plywood
• Nose Cone and steel eyebolt
• Pre-slotted airframe
• Centerin' Rings (3)
• 38mm MMT
• 8 laser cut fins
• Laser cut fin tips and fin plates
• Recovery eyebolt
• Nylon shock cord
• Nomex chute protector
• 48" chute
• Rail Buttons

T' instructions are very easy t' follow, matey, arrr, and like Madcow's other kits, they are a breeze t' build. T' instructions fit on one folded page, and when you factor in t' fact that a quarter o' that is a picture o' t' rocket and t' kit contents, shiver me timbers, you can see thar's nay much readin' here. Ahoy! Some well illustrated and thought out pictures and a few paragraphs o' info is all it takes t' build this kit.

All t' parts fit perfectly together. T' centerin' rings were just slightly oversize so that a quick "wipe" with some sandpaper cleaned them up and gave them a nice snug fit. Blimey! T' solid through-the-wall fins make this a sturdy kit. Well, blow me down! I used epoxy on all t' fins, matey, centerin' rings, and motor mount tube. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I used wood glue for t' couplers. Arrr! Arrr! I don't know why, but thar are two couplers and three tubes for t' airframe. Perhaps it's for ease o' shipping, matey, but it didn't really affect t' build.

I thought I add a section here all by itself on t' CG. This is important on this kit. Blimey! T' long and large fins on this rocket make it necessary t' pay attention t' t' CG. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' kit calls for t' CG t' be 24.5" from t' tip o' t' nose cone. Begad! Begad! Because o' t' fins and t' nose weight needed, me hearties, me bucko, I decided t' do a RockSim on this one. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Keep in mind that t' CG changes with different motors so you need t' know what t' largest motor you will fly will be. Blimey! (Yes, me bucko, none o' this is new info, me bucko, matey, but this is one o' those kits you need t' put all this t' use.) My weight after finishin' (but before addin' weight) be 63.5 oz. Well, matey, blow me down! After addin' nose weight, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, mine ended up at 81.7 oz with everythin' but a motor. Avast! This put t' CG at 24".

I used steel weight and put it in t' nose cone through a hole I drilled alongside t' eye bolt hole. Aye aye! I then added 2oz o' epoxy and placed a piece o' maskin' tape over t' hole. Begad! Placin' t' nose cone in an upright position made t' weight and t' epoxy settle t' t' shoulder area. This was important because epoxy will nay stick t' t' plastic. Arrr! Instead, me bucko, t' epoxy covers t' machine screw end o' t' eye bolt and, me bucko, when hardens, becomes a mass around t' screw. Begad! This effectively secures t' weight t' t' base o' t' cone and secures t' eye bolt t' t' nose cone.

T' most time consumin' part o' t' build be t' fillets. Begad! With over 280 inches o' fillets, me bucko, you have a chore ahead o' you. T' "fin plates" have an added difficulty by bein' a flat section o' 1/8" plywood glued t' a curved surface. Blimey! T' builder has about a 3/16" inch gap t' fill at their widest point. Begad! A suggestion would be t' make them out o' basswood. This would allow them t' be easily curved t' t' airframe, cost less, and save weight at t' end o' t' rocket that needs t' be lighter. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It would even cut t' build time.

Finishing:
I painted it with two coats o' Rustoleum gray primer, me bucko, followed by two coats o' white, me bucko, and a few coats o' black on t' nose cone. I then painted t' fin plates in red after a long mornin' o' masking. Ahoy! Avast! I guess I forgot t' look at t' picture because I did it wrong. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I did look at t' picture t' finish with t' trim. Arrr! For that I used 3/16" Pactra black trim tape.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Don't let t' ease o' build addlepate you into thinkin' this is a wimpy rocket. Avast! Aye aye! T' design and quality o' t' components will allow this rocket t' rip off t' pad on large 38mm motors. Begad! But, me bucko, at only 5 lbs, it can also be lofted with a 29mm motor if you have an adapter on hand. Aye aye! Ahoy! My first flight was on a Pro 38 H153 t' about 1,000 feet. Well, blow me down! I set t' delay t' about 8 seconds and this proved t' be a little late.

Recovery:
This thin' comes with a parachute, me bucko, me hearties, and I be happy about that. Aye aye! So many companies don't give you a cute these days on 4" and larger kits because, me bucko, "it allows you t' pick your own chute size". Aye aye! (I never did buy that excuse.) Well, ya bilge rat, I for one was happy t' have them pick one for me.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is nay t' first Madcow kit I've built, matey, but it be t' largest. T' ease and simplicity o' t' build, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' quality o' t' components, and t' coolness o' this kit will make it a durable favorite. Ahoy! If it appears I had fun writin' this review, I had just as much buildin' and flyin' it. Please, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, pay attention t' your CG/CP relationship.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5