Brief:

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

Construction:

T' rocket airframe is spiral wound solid fiberglass tubing.

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, me hearties, and (2) 0.5" plywood centerin' rings.
• Motor retention is provided by t' highly recommended, optional AeroPack 54 to 38mm aluminium tailcone retainer. Begad!
• Both t' shock cords and piston cords are Keelhaul®©™®
• the chute a Rocketman R9C

Alan Gorecki, Hawk Mountain's owner, also included launch rail buttons. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

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

T' kit arrived promptly and was packaged well in a sturdy cardboard box. If there is one area o' improvement I could find, matey, it concerns t' instructions - they're sparse and, in a few places, a little confusing. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Also, thar are no pictures t' help guide you, shiver me timbers, me bucko, either. Make certain t' use t' 600 degree J.B. Weld epoxy t' attach t' retainer t' your motor mount. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! 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. Firstly, me bucko, though, arrr, I'll make several suggestions at t' start. Avast! If you don't have a Dremel tool, matey, matey, get one and purchase t' 60 grit sandin' drums. Begad! Ahoy! 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. Begad! 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, so t' epoxy used on t' inside wall of t' airframe leaked out o' t' slot. Blimey! Aye aye! Knowin' what I know now, arrr, make your exterior fillets first, 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, ya bilge rat, 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 be after a leisurely build. Just make sure that you sand all o' t' areas t' be epoxied; remember, shiver me timbers, it's fibreglass, and has to be grooved before you can glue it.

Finishing:

Before you prime t' rocket, matey, you should wet sand it with 320 grit wet/dry sandin' paper. Begad! Wipe any sandin' residue off t' airframe and nose cone after sanding, me bucko, then prime. I used Duplicolor gray sandable primer on this rocket. Aye aye! Avast! 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, matey, J, and K motors. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! No waddin' is required because o' t' piston recovery system. Blimey! T' Aero Pack tail cone retainer was used and works wonderfully.
I never intended for this rocket t' become me Level 2 rocket. I actually had started on a scratch-built fat, 7.5 inch, arrr, all fibreglass rocket that relied on a custom dealer t' furnish me with a fin-can ordered in January. Arrr! After waiting nearly three months and after several broken promises from this dealer (who shall remain nameless), ya bilge rat, I decided t' go for it with t' Jumanji.

On April 24, shiver me timbers, 2004, shiver me timbers, I drove from southeastern Virginia t' Wnitakers, me bucko, 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. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I loaded t' Jumanji with a Cesaroni Pro 38 J400 Smokey Sam motor along with t' Aero Pack 54/38mm motor mount adaptor, matey, me bucko, carried t' 10.5 pound rocket t' t' RSO, had it approved, then lugged it t' t' launch pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Once it was loaded, t' Launch Officer fired it into t' sky. Aye aye! T' flight be arrow straight, remindin' me o' a U.S. Army Hawk missile, me bucko, right up t' 2500 feet. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Then, 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! Upon examination, ya bilge rat, t' only damage was a small tear on the edge o' one fibereglass fin, possibly caused by t' nose cone shoulder banging into it. So a longer shock cord may be needed t' avoid such damage in the future. Avast! However, she could immediately fly again without any repair, thus I earned me Level 2 certification. Blimey! Later that day, I flew her again on a Pro 38 J300 motor for another nice flight. T' next day, arrr, t' tear be repaired by sandwichin' two small slices o' 5 ounce fibreglass cloth over t' area and coatin' it with West Epoxy. Aye aye! Avast! After t' repair and a professional paint job by an auto repair shop, 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, arrr, like 'The Terminator=' or 'Star Hawk' rather than name it after one o' t' few, lame Robin Williams' films; however, beggars can't be choosers. Blimey!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5