Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk

Madcow Rocketry - AQM-37 Jayhawk {Kit} (K-109)

Contributed by Drake "Doc" Damerau

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Diameter: 2.60 inches
Length: 30.75 inches
Manufacturer: Madcow Rocketry
Style: Scale
Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk

Brief:
T' Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk is a high quality mid-powered kit that is a close scale t' t' US Navy’s target drone.

Construction:
T' parts list:

  • 2.6” heavy wall body tube
  • Aircraft plywood fins and centerin' rings
  • Shock cord, ya bilge rat, me bucko, chute, and even a Nomex® heat shield
  • Balsa nose cone with unusual ballast compartment
  • High quality decals

T' first thin' I noticed be t' way t' kit was packaged. Begad! Ahoy! Everythin' was neat and protected. Ya scallywag! T' decals were covered with tissue paper and were sandwiched betwixt cardboard t' keep them protected. Even t' balsa nose cone was wrapped t' keep it from bein' dinged durin' shipping. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' smaller components were sealed in a smaller bag t' keep them from movin' around. Ahoy! This has t' be one o' t' best packaged kits I’ve ever seen

T' kit is well designed with through t' wall fins and even a laser cut tab/slot for mountin' t' winglets to the main fins. Everything, ya bilge rat, includin' t' airframe, arrr, is laser cut.

Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk T' directions were easy t' follow with instinctive and straightforward steps. Avast!

This kit has a unique nose cone assembly. Arrr! Begad! Like other Madcow kits, me bucko, me hearties, rather than t' nose cone bein' simply inserted into t' body, me bucko, arrr, you glue t' nose cone into a coupler with a bulkhead. Begad! This creates a space for you t' add nose ballast to shift t' CG forward. Begad! Aye aye! I absolutely love this feature. T' kit comes with a pre-measured bag o' shot. I simply mixed the shot with a pump o' West Systems and poured it into t' nose cone cavity. Begad! Well, blow me down! Although I don’t like balsa nose cones, matey, me hearties, ya bilge rat, this was a good one and pretty easy t' finish.

Finishing:
As with all me kits, me bucko, I primed it with several coats (sandin' in between) o' Rustoleum sandable primer. A few coats of an “orangey-red” paint finished t' painting. T' two sheets o' decals are precut and t' highest quality, not that Alps or color printer stuff that’s plaguin' t' market. Ya scallywag! My kit finished out at 22.6 oz.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk

Flight:
They list several F motors for t' kit that take it from 820’ t' 1,000’, shiver me timbers, but this kit could easily handle G and H motors. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! They do tell you that you can use larger motors, ya bilge rat, but you may need t' add nose weight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! First flight was on an F40-4W.

Recovery:
If t' quality o' t' kit wasn’t enough, shiver me timbers, t' kit comes with a very nice rip stop nylon chute and a Nomex® heat shield. T' well designed recovery system deployed just fine and returned her back unscathed.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This easy t' build kit has all t' quality and precision as t' other Madcow kits available. Ahoy! Begad! T' finished rocket is pleasantly unusual and correctly detailed with t' canards in t' correct position on t' nose cone. Aye aye!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Madcow Rocketry AQM-37 Jayhawk By Dick Stafford (November 8, 2008)

    Brief: This is a nice scale model of the Navy's AQM-37 Jayhawk. It features high quality components and flies on 29mm motors. The kit has been upgraded with a plastic nose cone since the prior review. Construction: The parts list: Plastic nose cone and screw eye Balsa tail cone Pre-slotted 2.6" body tube One plywood centering ring 29mm motor tube ...

Flights

comment Post a Comment