After constructin' and flyin' a few Estes kits, and buildin' t' Aerotech Arreux, I thought I'd try me hand at buildin' a scale missile from T' Launch Pad.  Havin' never tried their kits, matey, matey, I be in for some surprises. Blimey! Upon receivin' t' HAWK kit, I opened t' find no decals, me hearties, thin body tubin' (like Estes), and a small Mylar chute with thread for shroud lines. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' deviate from t' design a bit t' insure what I thought would make t' HAWK more durable.

T' instructions are great, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, all parts included, matey, and a nice layout t' outline t' paintin' and detail work.

Construction:

T' nose cone is shaped t' a point by addin' a paper cone t' t' top.  T' instructions say t' "paint" t' paper cone with thin CA t' make it tough and aide against sandin' damage. Arrr! I upgradin' it by fillin' t' paper cone with epoxy just before attachin' t' t' nose cone and coated it entirely with finishin' epoxy. Aye aye! This would make t' cone easy t' sand and shape, as well as t' insure it would nay be damaged by hard landings. 

T' tail cone is made from paper like t' nose addition. After attachin' t' t' main airframe, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I coated with finishin' epoxy and feathered into t' airframe. I also epoxied a length o' stiff cardboard around t' inside o' t' extension t' "beef up" t' inner tube so no damage would occur from hard landings.

T' airframe is supplied in 2 parts with a coupler. I used tite bond wood glue t' bond and then coated t' seam with finishin' epoxy.  There is a chute compartment floor rin' (with 8 1/4" holes or a big 1" hole) that is installed later, 6" from t' top o' t' frame so upon launch t' chute will nay slide down and change t' CG.

T' fins are long but are easy t' make (even t' small detail on t' ends) with t' supplied tracin' sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Once attached t' t' airframe (I used 5 min epoxy) and filleted (with 15 min epoxy), ya bilge rat, arrr, I coated them with finishin' epoxy. They are fairly durable but because o' t' balsa core, a hard impact will make t' epoxy chip off. Begad! You could paint them with CA. Arrr! Next time I would fiberglass t' fins and t' airframe t' aide in durability.

Paintin' is easy as it is all flat white. Ahoy! T' letterin' and block detailin' was done with decals I made with Labco decal paper, printed from me computer and copier, ya bilge rat, and fine pinstripin' tape. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once applied t' entire rocket was coated with matt finish Krylon.

For recovery, I upgraded t' shock cord from t' 1/4" elastic t' 1/2" elastic and made it 6 feet long. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I attached it with tite bond t' t' inside o' t' airframe tube with t' paper anchor supplied but made t' anchor a bit bigger. I also attached a Nomex® chute protector from Pratt Hobbies. Arrr! Avast! I also use a few pieces o' Estes waddin' t' insure no damage t' t' chute. Aye aye! I use a 24" nylon chute.

1st flight was with a F24-4W reload. Begad! Ahoy! It Came off t' pad nice and straight and went about 1000'. Avast! Ejection be perfect at 4 secs. and it landed under t' 24" chute with no damage or scratches what so ever.

2nd flight (or should I say almost) T' tail slide down and wedged it on t' stand off makin' it stick t' t' pad. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! No damage but would use a used motor case on t' bottom o' t' rod next time t' prevent this from happening.

3rd flight. Aye aye! Disaster struck! Disaster struck! I accidentally loaded and E18 instead o' t' F39-4T. Nay enough initial thrust and be lazy off t' pad causin' it t' weather cock and end up as a ballistic into t' ground sideways. Ya scallywag! Nose cone damaged by tearin' out t' bottom and also destroyed t' top 9" o' t' airframe (right t' t' top o' where t' fins attach t' t' frame). Aye aye! All fins survived and where slighted chipped in small places.

I guess that teaches me t' mark and bag every reload kit and nay rush t' get that last launch in. 

It's been along 3 months since I started rebuildin' it, me bucko, but t' HAWK is all fixed and ready t' fly again. Begad! Blimey! It looks just as if nothin' had ever happened. 

CONSTRUCTION: (Ratin' 4) 

Upgrade t' fiberglass airframe, fins, arrr, and boat tail. (I would next time) Add epoxy t' fill paper nose attachment and use finish coatin' t' smooth. Avast, me proud beauty! (made is VERY durable and easy t' shape) Add stiffener t' inner tail cone tube. Blimey! Aye aye! (added protection)

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: (Ratin' 4) 

Upgrade t' 1/2" elastic shock cord, shiver me timbers, 6' long and make paper anchor bigger. Blimey! Blimey! Use Nomex® chute protector. Ahoy! Use 24" nylon chute instead o' 18" mylar supplied.

Motors--
SU motors
E15-4
E30-4
Reload
F24-4W (works best)
F39-4T

DO NOT USE Estes D OR E engines as they will make it crash even in very light wind!

OVERALL: (Ratin' 4)

For under $30 it's a good kit even with t' need for t' 24" chute, upgradin' t' shock cord, ya bilge rat, and havin' t' make your own decals. I plan on buyin' more o' them in t' future. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Currently I've almost finished t' Standard AGM-78 which I've upgraded t' a 29mm motor, fiberglassed entirely, me hearties, and used many HP techniques.