Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Hawk Mountain Enterprises ![]() |
Brief:
T' Hawk Mountain Raptor is a near minimum diameter high-performance rocket kit with all fiberglass components,
Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, shiver me timbers, pre-cut and pre-beveled fins, pre-slotted airframe, arrr, shiver me timbers, and thru-the-wall fin mounting. Begad! Arrr! This sky-puncher
can fly on E-I power!
Construction:
When I ordered this kit, it came on time and packaged in a 4’ x 4” x 4” box with packagin' paper to
protect t' fiberglass components. T' parts that come in t' big box are:
Construction started on a nice evenin' with rough, me hearties, medium, and fine sandpaper as well as me trusty hobby knife. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! T' fiberglass nose cone had some flashin' on it from t' mold but be easily removed t' make it smooth. Aye aye! Blimey! I also sanded t' fin slots, matey, MMT, and all surfaces t' be glued. Ya scallywag! I first used JB Weld t' glue on t' Slimline retainer, then glued t' nose cone bulkhead. Begad! Next came t' shock cord attachment which was done by epoxyin' 3.5” o' the shock cord t' t' MMT, however, t' MMTs outside diameter be slightly smaller than t' airframe's internal diameter. Well, blow me down! I was slightly confused by this since t' instructions say t' wrap a few revolutions o' maskin' tape t' center t' MMT. While I glued t' shock cord, arrr, me hearties, I also glued t' piston assembly onto t' shock cord which rests on a knot 10’ from the end without t' Qwik-links. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Next, I attached t' payload coupler and bulkhead. All o' this so far be done with one batch o' epoxy!
T' continue, me bucko, I glued in t' MMT into t' airframe and made sure t' shock cord mount wasn’t in t' way of the fin slots. Then I glued t' fins in one at a time followed by t' ACME conformal rail guides, which I made sure they were aligned by usin' an Estes 1/8” launch rod. Aye aye! I was able t' finish t' fin fillets t' night before the December 3rd snow ranch launch. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I finished assembly by simply attachin' t' nose cone t' t' quick link and the parachute t' t' swivel. Ya scallywag! Arrr! A completed all fiberglass, ya bilge rat, near minimum diameter HPR screamer (minus t' paint)!
Finishing:
I chose t' leave t' Raptor unpainted.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
On launch day thar was a bit o' fuss-and-bother about t' motor until I selected t' AT E30-4, which is on the
recommended motors list, me bucko, matey, and installed it with t' included Copperhead igniter and a home made 29/24mm adapter. Begad! Avast! I
checked it in with t' RSO, put it on t' pad, arrr, me bucko, and waited for t' MPR rack t' go. Well, arrr, blow me down! Finally t' LCO be announcin' it--5,
4, shiver me timbers, matey, 3, me bucko, 2, 1, arrr, and t' Copperhead lit t' E30 up instantly. It slowly came off t' pad (slowly considerin' this is a
capable machbuster) with a rather odd flame t' t' motor. Arrr! It was a short blue flame and t' Raptor came t' a sudden
halt about 50 feet up when it started t' fall before t' air was filled with a deafenin' crack as it pranged on the
ranch dirt. Begad! Upon further inspection, arrr, 2 fins popped off and t' worst damage be t' adapter had moved into t' MMT
about 7 inches and burnt t' epoxy off t' MMT right t' t' first layer o' fiberglass. Begad! Recently I be able t' remove
the motor and adapter and reattach 1 fin.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
This is a good fiberglass kit for mid power through high power motors.
PROs: Good quality components, Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, and ease o' construction.
CONs: Bad instructions on one 8.5” x 11” paper, arrr, arrr, and t' flashin' on t' nose cone.
I would recommend this kit t' anyone who wants a fun, small, fiberglass high power screamer. Avast! I would recommend t' Slimline retainer and t' optional payload bay for electronics or a good science experiment--it is easily removed and shaves about 3-4 ounces o' its overall weight. Begad! Well, blow me down! Also this is a pretty cheap fiberglass kit with great quality components.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Brief: At the foot of the northern slope of Hawk Mountain sits the quiet hamlet of New Ringgold, Pennsylvania, an unlikely aerie for the fabulous fiberglass rockets of Hawk Mountain Enterprises. The fledgling of this flock of birds is the Raptor, an all fiberglass 29mm high power rocket capable of supersonic flights with large H and 29mm I motors. Construction: The Raptor is the ...
![]() |
![]() |
Date | Flyer | Rocket | Altitude |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
![]() |
Sponsored Ads
![]() |
![]() |
D.G.L. (November 10, 2003)