This formerly Blackhawk R&D rocket is now fully owned and produced by Aardvark Rockets

Brief:
This is a single-stage scale rocket o' t' Black Brant IV. This would be a good kit t' start in mid-power rocketry, shiver me timbers, or a great kit for someone who has been doin' mid and high power rocketry for a while.

Construction:
All components are high quality. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' nose cone and transition are good quality balsa. Aye aye! There are three (3) body tubes in all, two (2) 2.6" tubes and one (1) smaller tube for t' upper-stage. Blimey! There are three (3) 1/8" plywood fins, arrr, me hearties, two (2) plywood centerin' rings and a 29mm tube. Avast! T' kit comes with a baffle that fits inside t' coupler for t' 2.6" tubes. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! There is a 10-foot long, 1/2" elastic shock cord, matey, that is mounted on t' transition and baffle with eye-screws.

T' construction was all easy and straight-forward. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' instructions are very easy t' follow, with a few diagrams.

T' fins are through t' wall, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, matey, and t' t' motor mount. Blimey! T' tubin' comes pre-slotted.

Everythin' fit well, except t' baffle rings. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! They were a bit sloppy. But I got them t' stay just fine by tapin' them in when I glued them t' t' coupler.

Just make sure t' use 5 or 30 minute epoxy on t' whole rocket. Ya scallywag! I also recommend t' put finishin' resin on t' nose cone and transition. Avast, me proud beauty! This will stiffen them up some and will give it a better finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It also prevents dings from happenin' on landin' or in transportation since balsa tends t' do that easily.

Finishing:
Finishin' be very simple. Ya scallywag! Begad! You can fill t' spirals on t' tubes if you want, me hearties, me bucko, but I did nay as they are very, very shallow and are nay all that noticeable. I just gave it 2 coats o' primer, ya bilge rat, then painted t' entire model gloss white. Let it dry then I tapped it off and put t' red on it. Ahoy! I then let it dry for a few days and applied t' decals as per t' instructions. Aye aye! It turned out very nice!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, I choose a Kosdon G65-8 Dirty Harry. Blimey! It had a very straight and fast boost. T' motor put it way up there. Ejection was right on time and t' 24" nylon chute brought it down nice and slow about 100 feet from t' pad. Begad! You do nay need any waddin' for this model, as thar be a baffle that eliminates t' need for it. Ahoy! Avast! You do need t' add your own motor retention. Arrr! I used blind nuts and clips on mine. Avast! Ahoy! You could friction fit t' motors, ya bilge rat, but that is nay a recommended thin' t' do.

Recovery:
Recovery was great, arrr, me hearties, me bucko, t' 24" chute that came with it was just right. Arrr! and brought it down at a good speed. Ya scallywag! I be a bit concerned that t' nose cone would break due t' it bein' t' shape it is. Avast, me proud beauty! But it did not. Begad! Upon recovery, thar was only a bit o' dirt on t' fins from landing, shiver me timbers, nothin' more, no scratches or anything. T' baffle worked great, no burns on t' chute, so it did its job!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' rocket overall is great. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' only real problem I saw with mine was t' plywood was a 3 ply, but I know that now he (Blackhawk R&D) is usin' 5 ply for all his kits. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! This greatly reduces t' chances o' t' fins breakin' on landing. I love t' way t' rocket flies. Aye aye! Look back on this review for more updates on future flights!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5