Brief:
1.85 Upscale O' T' Estes Classic

Construction:
Contains 1 body tube, a full balsa nose cone, an ejection baffle, plywood fins, matey, arrr, matey, 24mm motor mount (60mm/E-engine size), 24" octagonal nylon parachute.

As I write this review, ya bilge rat, arrr, it would appear that Hawks Hobby is OOP. Ahoy! I really hope they come back if for nay other reason than t' superb quality o' their kits. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Super Goblin be t' perfect homage t' t' original. Ya scallywag! It doesn't jump on t' 29mm bandwagon. Well, blow me down! Begad! It is simply a modern interpretation o' t' original. Blimey! A kit originally designed in t' age o' D Engines (only), this kit is made for D's, me bucko, E's, me bucko, and (trust me) AT F reloads.

For t' accomplished Estes builder this is mostly a straightforward build. Begad! This be t' first kit I've ever purchased that included an ejection baffle. HH's version is essentially two motor tubes and two retainer rings offset from each other. Ahoy! T' biggest "surprise" be t' TTW/Engine Mount setup. I could best describe it as a combination "Through T' Wall" and "Switchable" motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Basically t' motor mount is inserted in t' back and turned 45º t' lock into t' fins. Theoretically you could swap this with a different motor mount as you are nay required t' glue this setup permanently. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! However, me bucko, thar be no mention o' an optional motor mount in t' instructions and when t' website was active, I don't remember any swappable motor mount options available so I'm nay sure why they chose t' go this route.

What I can attest t' is it works with any motor you can throw at it. Arrr! Blimey! I contemplated epoxyin' t' MMT in place but ended up puttin' me faith in t' designer and leavin' it. Ahoy! Blimey! I've flown this rocket twice on F35's with no problems.

PRO's:

Everything. Aye aye! High quality kit that respects t' original without goin' overboard.

Con's:

Motor mount is different. Nay bad, arrr, ya bilge rat, just different.

Finishing:
T' only think I did in addition t' normal finishin' techniques is add epoxy fillets t' t' fins. Blimey! This is because I bought t' new AeroTech 24/60 hardware with this rocket in mind and wanted t' make sure it could handle t' punch o' t' F35.

4.5/5 just because t' MMT selection is unusual with no obvious reason. Begad! Begad! It is reliable, just different.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are D12-5 and E9-6. I haven't flown it on a D12-5, arrr, but t' E9-6 is nay only t' perfect motor for this rocket, shiver me timbers, but would brin' tears t' t' deadlights o' any rocketeer who remembers t' original. Begad! I am too young t' remember t' original, ya bilge rat, but when I flew it on that E, I experienced t' head rush o' launchin' t' perfect rocket (and engine combo). Avast! I imagine this is what caused t' original t' rise t' cult status.

Recovery:

As mentioned earlier, I had me deadlights set on flyin' this with an AeroTech F35 usin' t' 24/60 hardware. Avast, me proud beauty! This is new hardware from AT and t' F35 be t' only offering. Begad! Arrr! This configuration will smartly take t' Goblin t' 1600'. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Keep in mind this is a 1.85 upscale with 4x t' power. Begad! T' result is an out o' sight flight with a distant recovery. Well, blow me down! T' second time I flew this on t' F35 I spent over an hour searchin' for it and was nowhere near t' location this touched down. Ya scallywag! Thankfully someone drivin' a vehicle for L3 recovery spotted it on t' way out. Avast! It's am excitin' flight but I think I'm goin' t' stick t' E9's with easy recovery. I don't want t' lose this beauty.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Right now Hawks Hobby is on hiatus and will hopefully return. Arrr! T' quote Ferris Bueller, "If you have t' means I highly recommend it." I be lucky enough t' snag a Super Solar Sailer before everythin' was gone but with such great attention t' detail and high quality parts, ya bilge rat, one can't blame me for desperately hopin' for t' return o' Hawks Hobby.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5