Brief:
T' Madcow Army Hawk is a mid-powered 1:5.4 scale version o' t' actual surface-to-air guided missile. T' Hawk features a balsa boat tail, shiver me timbers, me hearties, Nomex chute protector, vinyl decal, Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, and 30" nylon parachute recovery. Skill level wasn't mentioned, ya bilge rat, but I'd place this at a skill level 2 for its size and t' need for epoxy in construction.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• Balsa nose cone
• Balsa tail cone
• Pre-slotted body tube
• 2 Centerin' rings
• 29mm motor tube
• 4 Laser cut fins
• Eyebolt, nut and washer
• Nose cone shoulder coupler
• Nose cone shoulder bulkhead
• Nose weight
• Keelhaul®©™shock cord
• Nomexchute protector
• 30" nylon chute
• 1/4" launch lugs (2)
• Vinyl decal

I dry-fit all o' t' parts before I started t' build, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and was pleased t' see that everythin' seemed t' line up just as it would when it was time for t' actual construction. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It was t' actual construction part that had me nervous, ya bilge rat, since I rarely venture into t' realm o' mid-power. My occasions t' use epoxy are scarce, matey, and when I do use it, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I wind up with a mess on me hands, feet, shiver me timbers, goatee, matey, etc. Ya scallywag! (I don't even like t' think about t' etc. part.)

That said, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, almost everythin' about this build went smoothly. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I didn't wind up with too much o' an epoxy mess, shiver me timbers, except for one occasion when a fillet refused t' cure, ya bilge rat, arrr, causin' me t' have t' go back and start over. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' instructions were well explained and adequately illustrated if one has previous buildin' experience and I found myself finished with t' basic construction almost too quickly. Begad! Well, blow me down! With t' exception o' paint and nose weight, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, everythin' looked like t' illustration and all o' t' parts fit together seamlessly.

Finishing:
Finishin' be as easy as t' rest o' t' project. Aye aye! T' body tube had only t' slightest spiral, matey, shiver me timbers, and thar was very little grain showin' in t' plywood fins. Blimey! These were eliminated with t' last o' me thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Avast! T' balsa nose and tail cones were treated t' several coats o' FnF and came out lookin' great after several sandings. Ahoy! Once t' rocket was smooth enough, I primed it with Valspar white primer, me bucko, then sprayed t' fins with Valspar Gloss Black. Arrr! Avast! I ran into a little trouble maskin' off t' fins because o' t' monster fin fillets that I had created, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but it isn't easily noticed unless you're holdin' t' rocket. Avast! After two coats o' gloss black, t' fins looked great and I masked them off before paintin' t' rest o' t' rocket with several coats o' Valspar Gloss White. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! When this dried I installed t' vinyl decal as shown on t' instruction sheet. Blimey! This be t' first vinyl decal I'd ever tried and I be impressed with how well it held its place once it was applied. Arrr! T' finished product looks great: squat, bulky and sturdy. My kind o' rocket.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Like many people, I found myself choosin' me motor based on t' what was available when I visited our on-field vendor, me bucko, Merlin Missiles. Nay ownin' an RMS system and nay willin' t' chance borrowin' someone else's, matey, I went with t' Aerotech G38FJ-7--a choice that I was assured would be great for this rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Once I got it home, I installed it in t' motor tube and figured out how much nose weight t' install t' brin' t' CG up t' t' proscribed 20.75" from t' tip o' t' nose. Avast! In t' end, that wound up bein' almost all o' it.

With Christmas season fast approachin' and a personal health crisis on t' horizon, arrr, I managed only one flight with this bird before t' end o' me flyin' season. Begad! Ya scallywag! However, matey, that flight definitely won't be t' last. Begad! Launch day was gray and overcast with a constant breeze. Since this be goin' t' be only me third flight usin' an Aerotech motor and me first since 2002, I was a little nervous about t' impendin' flight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Luckily t' VOA field be crowded with people t' whom a flight like this is almost as natural as drawin' a breath. Blimey! Fellow QUARKer Mark "Loopy" VanLuvender helped out immensely and kept me from a full blown panic attack. Avast! Avast! I had an idea o' how t' proceed but havin' someone t' confirm that what I was doin' was correct made all t' difference in t' world. Arrr! Once t' motor be secured and t' ignitor in place, things got rollin' quickly, ya bilge rat, and after loadin' t' rocket on t' pad and gettin' t' obligatory pictures, t' launch followed quickly. I managed t' catch t' whole process with t' burst mode on me camera, matey, me bucko, even though I've never had t' slightest bit o' luck timin' Copperhead ignitions. Begad! T' Hawk rose fairly smartly and followed an almost arrow straight flight path up t' t' point o' motor burnout. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! It weathercocked some durin' t' coast phase due t' t' large surface area o' t' fins, arrr, but for t' most part, shiver me timbers, me bucko, everythin' occurred just over t' flight line.

Recovery:
At ejection, me hearties, arrr, t' rocket had taken a nose-down attitude, me bucko, matey, but even with a fairly violent jerk, thar was no damage. Begad! T' 30" nylon parachute brought t' rocket down softly about 100 yards into t' uncut overgrowth. Aye aye! It spread itself out nicely over t' vegetation, arrr, makin' for an easy recovery walk. T' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord looked as fresh as when I installed it and t' marks on t' Nomex sheet told me that it had done its job.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: High quality parts--especially t' balsa nose and tail cones in a kit o' this size. Aye aye! Ease o' construction (aside from a personal difficulty with epoxy that I have no one but myself t' blame). Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Madcow now makes a Jayhawk kit. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! (Can you say Father's Day present?)

CONs: T' price seems hefty, but when you consider what you get with a kit o' this size, me bucko, it seems about right.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5