(by Paul Gray) 

Background

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

Construction

T' kit, like all other AeroTech kits, is made up o' very high quality parts includin' a strong body tube, plastic nose cone, sturdy aerofiber centering rings, shiver me timbers, fin lockin' rings, strong through-the-tube plastic fins, ya bilge rat, and an ejection gas baffle that also works as a good shock cord mount. Ahoy! Blimey! If you follow the instructions carefully as you build, ya bilge rat, you can't go wrong. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! 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. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! Perhaps t' thin' that I disliked most about buildin' this rocket was gluin' on t' fins. Aye aye! You will have t' do some test fittin' t' make sure that they all fit. T' reason that this is a problem is that you have t' snap the fins into place, then you have t' remove them in order t' apply epoxy. Removal of t' fins is nay easy because t' fin lockin' rings grab so hard. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! All I can advise though is, live with it. 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. Avast! Be aware that epoxy can act as a lubricant and cause t' fins pop out while it is drying. Avast! Keep on eye on t' fins t' make sure that they're down until t' epoxy is set. Have a long, thin, wood epoxy stick handy. Aye aye! 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! Avast! Blimey! This will make it so that you won't need t' apply any typical external fin fillets. Aye aye! In fact, external fillets are nay recommended because t' fins are already shaped with a molded plastic external fillet on both sides. Blimey! Blimey! What I recommend, me hearties, me hearties, me hearties, however, me bucko, is t' put a very thin bead o' thick CA along where t' molded plastic fillets meet t' body tube. Ya scallywag! This will add more strength t' t' fins, ya bilge rat, and t' CA will cover up any gaps formed betwixt t' molded fillet and t' fin slot. Begad! Blimey!

As with all other model rockets, ya bilge rat, t' appearance o' this rocket depends entirely on how much time you spend finishin' it. Avast! T' instructions just say, "paint this, me bucko, 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. Ahoy! I used Elmers Carpenters Wood Filler t' fill in t' spiral grooves on t' body tube. Arrr! Along with several coats of Krylon White Primer, me bucko, it made t' grooves almost invisible. Ya scallywag! When painting, me hearties, it is best t' paint t' nose cone separately from t' rest o' t' rocket. When paintin' a fin black, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, use Scotch tape and trash bags t' mask t' rest o' the rocket off. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Remember, even t' smallest black particle will be visible on white paint. Aye aye! Aye aye!

Once t' paint is dry, you can apply t' decals t' make t' rocket look like the actual prototype. T' most tricky part o' this is determinin' where to place t' decals. Well, arrr, blow me down! You'll want t' study t' notes o' t' instructions and the included blueprint very carefully. Begad! In addition, arrr, 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.

Flight

Even though AeroTech might recommend an E motor for this rocket, matey, I do not. Begad! 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. Perhaps t' best motor for this rocket is an F22-5. This motor creates a slow, arrr, realistic flight that is easy to follow. It takes t' rocket t' a visible, recoverable altitude, and t' five second delay allows parachute deployment at apogee. Avast! AeroTech recommends a seven second delay with t' F22 for this rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, but that is way too long. Other good motors t' fly this rocket on include t' F20, arrr, shiver me timbers, F25, and t' F40. Avast! You might want to use t' higher thrust motors such as t' F25 and t' F40 on days when there is wind. Aye aye! You could put a G motor in it, but fair winds gettin' it back is all I can say. Ahoy! As with every AeroTech rocket, insert t' motor into t' rocket and then reinforce t' motor hook with a tie wrap t' prevent t' motor from being ejected.

T' way this rocket flies, matey, overall, me hearties, is excellent. Well, blow me down! It flies as straight as an arrow every time. Begad! T' 56 cm (22") parachute be t' perfect size for it. Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! T' rocket descends smartly with minimal drift, but it does not come down so fast that it gets damaged on landing. Ahoy! Well, blow me down!

Grades

Design: A+
Construction: B
Flight: A+

I won third place in B Division Sport Scale at NARAM-40 with this rocket. Blimey! Ahoy! This rocket is too cool. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!