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. Blimey! This is a 38mm semi scale kit with cool features like fin plates, fin tips, 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, me bucko, and like Madcow's other kits, they are a breeze t' build. Avast! T' instructions fit on one folded page, me bucko, and when you factor in t' fact that a quarter o' that is a picture o' t' rocket and t' kit contents, me bucko, you can see thar's nay much readin' here. Avast! 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. Begad! T' solid through-the-wall fins make this a sturdy kit. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I used epoxy on all t' fins, ya bilge rat, centerin' rings, and motor mount tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used wood glue for t' couplers. Ya scallywag! I don't know why, but thar are two couplers and three tubes for t' airframe. Blimey! Perhaps it's for ease o' shipping, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! T' kit calls for t' CG t' be 24.5" from t' tip o' t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Because o' t' fins and t' nose weight needed, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I decided t' do a RockSim on this one. Ahoy! Keep in mind that t' CG changes with different motors so you need t' know what t' largest motor you will fly will be. (Yes, none o' this is new info, 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, me bucko, blow me down! After addin' nose weight, ya bilge rat, mine ended up at 81.7 oz with everythin' but a motor. 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. Avast! I then added 2oz o' epoxy and placed a piece o' maskin' tape over t' hole. Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Instead, arrr, t' epoxy covers t' machine screw end o' t' eye bolt and, shiver me timbers, when hardens, becomes a mass around t' screw. Well, blow me down! Arrr! 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. Aye aye! With over 280 inches o' fillets, you have a chore ahead o' you. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' "fin plates" have an added difficulty by bein' a flat section o' 1/8" plywood glued t' a curved surface. T' builder has about a 3/16" inch gap t' fill at their widest point. A suggestion would be t' make them out o' basswood. This would allow them t' be easily curved t' t' airframe, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, cost less, me bucko, and save weight at t' end o' t' rocket that needs t' be lighter. Ahoy! It would even cut t' build time.

Finishing:
I painted it with two coats o' Rustoleum gray primer, followed by two coats o' white, me bucko, and a few coats o' black on t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! I then painted t' fin plates in red after a long mornin' o' masking. I guess I forgot t' look at t' picture because I did it wrong. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I did look at t' picture t' finish with t' trim. Begad! Well, blow me down! 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. Aye aye! T' design and quality o' t' components will allow this rocket t' rip off t' pad on large 38mm motors. But, at only 5 lbs, shiver me timbers, it can also be lofted with a 29mm motor if you have an adapter on hand. Ahoy! My first flight was on a Pro 38 H153 t' about 1,000 feet. Ahoy! I set t' delay t' about 8 seconds and this proved t' be a little late.

Recovery:
This thin' comes with a parachute, and I was happy about that. Avast, me proud beauty! So many companies don't give you a cute these days on 4" and larger kits because, "it allows you t' pick your own chute size". Blimey! Arrr! (I never did buy that excuse.) Well, I for one be 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, shiver me timbers, but it be t' largest. Begad! T' ease and simplicity o' t' build, me hearties, t' quality o' t' components, arrr, and t' coolness o' this kit will make it a durable favorite. Well, blow me down! If it appears I had fun writin' this review, ya bilge rat, matey, I had just as much buildin' and flyin' it. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Please, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, pay attention t' your CG/CP relationship.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5