Brief:
I put me order into Semroc durin' their end o' t' year Christmas discount. Aye aye! My order was already over $40.00 and the Hawk was a free kit! I added an extra Hawk t' me order. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! One t' build, shiver me timbers, one t' hoard.

I had an AMROCS catalog in t' early 1970s. I remember thinkin' it be a near twin t' t' Estes Falcon. With laser cut fins, this kit went together much easier than me original Falcons did.

Construction:
There aren't many pieces in t' kit inventory. Begad! Aye aye! 2 sheets o' laser cut balsa make up t' bulk o' t' model. Blimey! That and a BT-20 Body Tube, matey, nose cone and 1/8" launch lug round out t' kit.

• 1 Balsa Nose Cone, ya bilge rat, BNC-20H
• 1 Body Tube, BT-20J
• 1 Set Laser Cut Fins, me hearties, FV-65
• 1 Launch Lug, me hearties, LL-2A
• 1 Small Hawk decal

I read through t' instructions and noticed somethin' important. Avast! Ya scallywag! At Step 16 you are instructed t' fillet all joints, then round all edges and airfoil t' wing. Avast! I decided t' round most everythin' and airfoil t' wings before gluin' things together, me bucko, except for t' pylon halves. Begad! I glued them together, then rounded t' leadin' and trailing edges.

All pieces released well from t' laser cut balsa sheets. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This balsa is 3/32" thick. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! T' old Estes Falcon was made from 1/16" balsa. Aye aye! If memory serves me right, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, Semroc decided t' go with t' Hawk design over t' Falcon because t' Hawk's balsa be a little thicker and structurally stronger.

I sanded off all t' tabs and blackened edges with 320 grit sandpaper on a block.

It's amazin' how strong t' model is when glued together. Avast! Considerin' it's just balsa, me hearties, t' "T" shape of the fuselage makes for a very sound main body.

At Step 13, I sanded an slight angle in t' win' root edge t' give a better flush fit against t' fuselage.

I decided t' fill and paint t' motor tube separately from t' glider. I temporarily taped t' engine mount to the pylon t' glue t' wings in place. Ya scallywag! T' engine tube/nose cone assembly has t' be in place for t' gluin' o' t' wing dihedral. While t' model sits on it's back, ya bilge rat, matey, You glue t' wings roots t' t' fuselage under t' "T" o' the fuselage. Begad! Arrr! T' dihedral is formed by lettin' t' win' tips hang and touch t' work table.

While t' instructions say nay t' glue in t' nose cone until after balancin' t' model, I wanted t' finish it with t' body tube so thar would be a smooth transition with no nose cone/body tube seam. Begad! Blimey! If it needed nose weight, I would add clay too t' bottom o' t' engine mount tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' small triangular stabilizer tips have a laser cut alignment line burnt into them. Avast! T' laser line was slightly out o' parallel with t' top o' t' piece. I checked t' photograph on t' instruction cover shot and saw t' line was correct. Avast, me proud beauty! T' line be cut a little longer than t' stab edge which helped t' alignment.

Finishing:
It's nay recommended t' fill and paint t' Hawk. I decided for a compromise. Ahoy! I filled and painted t' nose cone, engine tube and launch lug. T' underside o' t' glider got a coat o' black felt pen. T' dried felt tip ink shouldn't add any real weight t' t' glider.

I glued t' nose cone into t' body tube and used thinned Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler t' fill t' nose cone joint and body seams. I also filled t' seams on t' launch lug. T' assembly be glued onto t' pylon.

I then glued t' lug t' t' motor tube an filleted t' lug.

I primed then spray painted t' engine mount/nose cone assembly yellow. Well, blow me down! It looks alright, ya bilge rat, but I wish I'd gone with a slightly darker yellow. I wanted a good contrast with t' black logo decal.

T' small, matey, black Hawk logo was applied t' t' motor mount assembly. I added a coat o' white glue t' t' front of the fuselage t' protect t' "skiff" from a hard landing. Begad! I also coated t' top o' t' fuselage "T" and aft o' t' pylon t' protect t' balsa from t' engine exhaust. Well, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
After a few backyard throws I found t' glider needed some clay near t' rudder.

First flight be on February 7, 2009. Avast! Begad! I traded Brian Cole a 3-pack o' C6-5s for some 1/2A6-2s.

T' launch was straight up t' maybe 100 feet. Begad! T' engine ejected with a very loud "pop". Blimey! I had a long, flat glide into t' scrubs and trees. Andrew timed it until it went out o' sight. T' duration be 18.5 seconds.

I didn't add any trim weight nay thinkin' t' model would glide that far away. Avast! Ahoy! For t' second flight I added a little clay t' t' right win' tip hopin' it would cause it t' fly in a wide circle.

T' second 1/2A6-2 boost was t' same. Ya scallywag! But, at ejection, matey, t' Estes "shotgun" ejection charge broke t' fuselage in two above t' stabilizer. T' two body parts spiraled in slowly. Non-glide duration be 9.5 seconds.

Recovery:
PROs: It boosted straight and t' glide was great on t' first flight.

CONs: Mine didn't survive t' Estes "shotgun" ejection charge. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This isn't t' fault o' Semroc. They brought back and delivered a great kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I read that Carl (Semroc) decided t' brin' back t' AMROCS Hawk instead o' t' Estes Falcon. T' body o' t' Hawk was stronger than t' Falcon. Begad! Ya scallywag! I hope t' (one day) fix it and fly it again.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5