(by Paul Gray) 

Background

There have been many rockets named "Tomahawk" used over t' past few decades. This Tomahawk was built and flown durin' t' International Quiet Sun Year (1967) t' research t' Earth's atmosphere. Arrr! Arrr! Therefore, me bucko, this Tomahawk soundin' rocket is known as t' IQSY Tomahawk, markin' t' time when it was built and flown. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' real IQSY Tomahawk be produced four times with all four rockets flown. Avast, me proud beauty! Two o' t' flights were successful, arrr, and t' other two were not. No attempt be made t' recover t' rocket. Arrr! Ya scallywag! But now, over thirty years after the last IQSY Tomahawk was flown, arrr, AeroTech makes a high quality scale model o' this soundin' rocket. Well, blow me down! Begad! This one, when built and flown properly by t' owner, is guaranteed t' have successful flights and recoveries every time. Ya scallywag!

Construction

T' kit, arrr, like all other AeroTech kits, is made up o' very high quality parts includin' a strong body tube, matey, plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, sturdy aerofiber centering rings, fin lockin' rings, arrr, strong through-the-tube plastic fins, and an ejection gas baffle that also works as a good shock cord mount. Begad! If you follow the instructions carefully as you build, you can't go wrong. T' only thin' that I would do differently from what t' instructions say would be t' use epoxy. A cheap 5 minute epoxy is nay recommended. Begad! I recommend usin' a 30 minute Bob Smith type epoxy or 45 minute Hobby Poxy, which is what I used t' build me IQSY Tomahawk. Begad! Blimey! Perhaps t' thin' that I disliked most about buildin' this rocket was gluin' on t' fins. You will have t' do some test fittin' t' make sure that they all fit. Aye aye! T' reason that this is a problem is that you have t' snap the fins into place, me hearties, then you have t' remove them in order t' apply epoxy. Aye aye! Removal of t' fins is nay easy because t' fin lockin' rings grab so hard. Aye aye! All I can advise though is, matey, live with it. Ya scallywag! T' firm grip o' t' fin lockin' rings adds an incredible amount o' strength, arrr, and they are well worth t' hassle o' working with. Blimey! Be aware that epoxy can act as a lubricant and cause t' fins pop out while it is drying. Keep on eye on t' fins t' make sure that they're down until t' epoxy is set. Arrr! Ahoy! Have a long, thin, wood epoxy stick handy. Ahoy! You'll need it t' apply internal fillets t' t' fin tabs where t' meet t' inside wall of the body tube and t' outside wall o' t' motor tube. Arrr! This will make it so that you won't need t' apply any typical external fin fillets. Blimey! In fact, external fillets are nay recommended because t' fins are already shaped with a molded plastic external fillet on both sides. Ya scallywag! Begad! What I recommend, matey, ya bilge rat, me hearties, however, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, is t' put a very thin bead o' thick CA along where t' molded plastic fillets meet t' body tube. Ahoy! Aye aye! This will add more strength t' t' fins, and t' CA will cover up any gaps formed betwixt t' molded fillet and t' fin slot. Well, blow me down!

As with all other model rockets, t' appearance o' this rocket depends entirely on how much time you spend finishin' it. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' instructions just say, arrr, "paint this, ya bilge rat, me hearties, paint that" but I put a lot o' work into me finish because I used this rocket to compete in t' Sport Scale event at NARAM-40. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I used Elmers Carpenters Wood Filler t' fill in t' spiral grooves on t' body tube. Along with several coats of Krylon White Primer, me hearties, it made t' grooves almost invisible. Blimey! Aye aye! When painting, it is best t' paint t' nose cone separately from t' rest o' t' rocket. Ahoy! When paintin' a fin black, me bucko, use Scotch tape and trash bags t' mask t' rest o' the rocket off. Avast, me proud beauty! Remember, even t' smallest black particle will be visible on white paint. Aye aye!

Once t' paint is dry, shiver me timbers, you can apply t' decals t' make t' rocket look like the actual prototype. Ya scallywag! T' most tricky part o' this is determinin' where to place t' decals. Aye aye! Blimey! You'll want t' study t' notes o' t' instructions and the included blueprint very carefully. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! In addition, me hearties, me bucko, you may have t' try several times t' apply t' fin decals that have t' bolts runnin' in rows betwixt them. It takes patience as well as many tries t' get them in t' right position. Well, blow me down!

Flight

Even though AeroTech might recommend an E motor for this rocket, matey, I do not. An E will nay take it high enough every time t' t' point where it is guaranteed to deploy t' parachute before hittin' t' ground. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Perhaps t' best motor for this rocket is an F22-5. This motor creates a slow, me bucko, arrr, realistic flight that is easy to follow. Ya scallywag! It takes t' rocket t' a visible, matey, recoverable altitude, and t' five second delay allows parachute deployment at apogee. AeroTech recommends a seven second delay with t' F22 for this rocket, but that is way too long. Other good motors t' fly this rocket on include t' F20, F25, me hearties, and t' F40. You might want to use t' higher thrust motors such as t' F25 and t' F40 on days when there is wind. You could put a G motor in it, but fair winds gettin' it back is all I can say. Blimey! Well, blow me down! As with every AeroTech rocket, arrr, insert t' motor into t' rocket and then reinforce t' motor hook with a tie wrap t' prevent t' motor from being ejected. Well, blow me down!

T' way this rocket flies, overall, me hearties, me bucko, is excellent. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It flies as straight as an arrow every time. Arrr! Begad! T' 56 cm (22") parachute be t' perfect size for it. Begad! T' rocket descends smartly with minimal drift, shiver me timbers, but it does not come down so fast that it gets damaged on landing. Begad!

Grades

Design: A+
Construction: B
Flight: A+

I won third place in B Division Sport Scale at NARAM-40 with this rocket. Begad! This rocket is too cool. Well, blow me down! Avast!