Brief:

A 4 inch diameter all fiberglass rocket o' unparalleled quality with a silly name. Arrr! An expensive, but perfect choice for a Level 2 certfication rocket.

Construction:

T' rocket airframe is spiral wound solid fiberglass tubing. Ya scallywag!

T' kit comes wit:h:-

• a 60" airframe
• a 17" fibreglass nosecone with a built-in payload bay
• three large fibreglass fins that weigh about 9 ounces a piece
• a 28" fibreglass 54mm motor mount tube
• a fibreglass coupler tube used for a recovery piston system, and (2) 0.5" plywood centerin' rings. Aye aye! Blimey!
• Motor retention is provided by t' highly recommended, optional AeroPack 54 to 38mm aluminium tailcone retainer. Avast!
• Both t' shock cords and piston cords are Keelhaul®©™®
• the chute a Rocketman R9C

Alan Gorecki, Hawk Mountain's owner, matey, shiver me timbers, also included launch rail buttons. Arrr!

T' instructions are adequate, but nothin' t' write home about.

T' kit arrived promptly and be packaged well in a sturdy cardboard box. Ahoy! Ahoy! If there is one area o' improvement I could find, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it concerns t' instructions - they're sparse and, me bucko, in a few places, me bucko, a little confusing. Arrr! Begad! Also, me bucko, thar are no pictures t' help guide you, arrr, arrr, either. Make certain t' use t' 600 degree J.B. Weld epoxy t' attach t' retainer t' your motor mount. Then prepare t' motor mount tube for installation in t' airframe.

Although this is a very large rocket that requires a lot o' work space for construction, this is one easy rocket t' build. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Firstly, matey, though, ya bilge rat, I'll make several suggestions at t' start. If you don't have a Dremel tool, shiver me timbers, me bucko, get one and purchase t' 60 grit sandin' drums. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! You must rough up t' fibreglass surfaces that will be epoxied and t' Dremel tool will make your life so much easier. You'll also need t' have J.B. Weld epoxy on hand along with t' regular epoxy you may have if you decide t' use t' AeroPack tailcone motor retainer.

T' hardest part o' t' construction was usin' West Epoxy for fillets; the fin slots were nay tight around t' fins, me bucko, so t' epoxy used on t' inside wall of t' airframe leaked out o' t' slot. Knowin' what I know now, matey, make your exterior fillets first, me hearties, me hearties, then follow up by doin' your internal wall fillets (if you don't follow this advice and happen t' spill epoxy on your carpeting, like I did, send me t' address o' your hospital room so I can send you flowers after your spouse tries t' kill you as did mine). T' whole kit went together in about three days and that was after a leisurely build. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! Just make sure that you sand all o' t' areas t' be epoxied; remember, arrr, it's fibreglass, and has to be grooved before you can glue it.

Finishing:

Before you prime t' rocket, you should wet sand it with 320 grit wet/dry sandin' paper. Aye aye! Ahoy! Wipe any sandin' residue off t' airframe and nose cone after sanding, then prime. Avast! I used Duplicolor gray sandable primer on this rocket. Arrr! I sanded t' first two coats with 320 grit and wet sanded t' final coat with 400 grit wet/dry paper.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:

T' recommended motors are high thrust I, ya bilge rat, J, and K motors. No waddin' is required because o' t' piston recovery system. T' Aero Pack tail cone retainer be used and works wonderfully.
I never intended for this rocket t' become me Level 2 rocket. Begad! I actually had started on a scratch-built fat, me bucko, me hearties, 7.5 inch, all fibreglass rocket that relied on a custom dealer t' furnish me with a fin-can ordered in January. Begad! Begad! After waiting nearly three months and after several broken promises from this dealer (who shall remain nameless), I decided t' go for it with t' Jumanji.

On April 24, ya bilge rat, 2004, ya bilge rat, I drove from southeastern Virginia t' Wnitakers, shiver me timbers, North Carolina t' attempt me Level 2 Certification flight. T' winds were blowin' at around 15-20 mph durin' t' mid-mornin' hours that day. I loaded t' Jumanji with a Cesaroni Pro 38 J400 Smokey Sam motor along with t' Aero Pack 54/38mm motor mount adaptor, carried t' 10.5 pound rocket t' t' RSO, had it approved, then lugged it t' t' launch pad. Blimey! Blimey! Once it was loaded, t' Launch Officer fired it into t' sky. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' flight be arrow straight, remindin' me o' a U.S. Begad! Blimey! Army Hawk missile, shiver me timbers, right up t' 2500 feet. Then, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it came down majestically on t' 72 inch chute.

Recovery:

T' rocket drifted lazily over t' only grove o' trees and landed in a nearby plowed field. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Upon examination, shiver me timbers, t' only damage was a small tear on the edge o' one fibereglass fin, me bucko, ya bilge rat, possibly caused by t' nose cone shoulder banging into it. Begad! So a longer shock cord may be needed t' avoid such damage in the future. Blimey! However, she could immediately fly again without any repair, arrr, thus I earned me Level 2 certification. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Later that day, I flew her again on a Pro 38 J300 motor for another nice flight. T' next day, t' tear be repaired by sandwichin' two small slices o' 5 ounce fibreglass cloth over t' area and coatin' it with West Epoxy. After t' repair and a professional paint job by an auto repair shop, shiver me timbers, t' rocket is once more a thin' o' beauty.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:

Alan does a great job o' takin' every great product on t' market t' create a kit. I just wish he had given it a cooler or more macho name, matey, like 'The Terminator=' or 'Star Hawk' rather than name it after one o' t' few, me hearties, lame Robin Williams' films; however, beggars can't be choosers. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5