Brief:
QModeling's Mega-Retro Series (MRS) Hawkeye is a kit for buildin' a 4.78x upscale o' t' classic Estes Hawkeye. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! Standin' over 43in tall, matey, arrr, this BT-80 monster is huge compared t' t' 1/2A original. Begad! Our finished kit weighed 16 ounces. Well, blow me down! Many o' QModeling's MRS kits would probably appeal t' 24mm enthusiasts who want t' fly big, lightweight rockets low and slow. Avast! This kit is also special because apparently only 75 kits (in t' BT-80 size) were planned for production.

My kids and I won t' Hawkeye in a EMRR contest. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Especially for a small company like QModeling, me bucko, me bucko, their prize donation is a significant outreach which I think reflects very highly on them, shiver me timbers, and I hope it attracts lots o' new customers. Begad! They deserve a lot o' credit for supportin' EMRR and t' rocketry community in general.

Construction:
T' kit was well packaged, matey, and no parts were missing. There are 25 pages of instructions, shiver me timbers, me bucko, includin' several color diagrams t' guide finishin' and decal placement, and dozens o' assembly diagrams. T' manual is organized by subassembly (motor assembly, body and fins, finishing, and recovery system) with estimated times for each. Begad! T' instructions particularly emphasize lightweight buildin' techniques, perhaps nay only t' promote craftsmanship but also because a 24mm motor in this bird doesn't have much power t' spare. As a skill level 4 rocket, it took us some time t' finish assembly but nothin' was difficult. Avast! I appreciated t' level o' detail in t' instructions and their positive tone which included encouragements, ideas for enhancements, and praise for steps completed.

T' first subassembly be t' motor mount and aft body tube. Begad! Ahoy! Here you assemble an unusual balsa frame around t' motor tube like a 3-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Then this assembly is glued inside t' slotted aft body tube. Begad! Each balsa piece is flimsy but thar are so many interlockin' joints, matey, I suspect t' final result will be adequately strong.

Next we assembled t' fins then beveled and sealed them. Begad! Avast! For simplicity, we beveled only t' leadin' edges, leavin' outside and trailin' edges flat. We also did nay taper t' thickness as suggested in an optional step in t' guide.

T' third portion o' t' instructions addresses attachin' t' fins t' the body. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! After gluin' t' aft and central body tubes together, t' fins get glued on. T' four main fins fit nicely into t' slotted body tube with interlocking notches from t' motor mount balsa frame providin' additional contact points. T' root tabs on t' fins pass through t' tube slots and notch into t' frame, but they do nay make contact with t' motor mount tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! For the "raceway", I reshaped t' end t' a parabolic point t' get a form more pleasin' t' me eye.

Positionin' t' fins revealed a glitch in t' instruction manual. Arrr! T' last page o' instructions includes a cutout wraparound fin guide t' mark alignment lines on t' tube, along with instructions for its use. I dutifully cut out this template but found it t' be way too small. Well, blow me down! I enlarged it t' 149% on my copier in order t' get a perfect fit. Ya scallywag! Later, shiver me timbers, I found that t' QModelin' website has a downloadable manual with t' correct sized template on t' back o' the page I cut. Begad! T' manual in me kit did nay include this.

T' engine pod tubes are easy t' attach next. One o' me pod tubes was 3/32" longer than t' other. It also had sharp grooves cut in t' tube surface near one end, spiralin' about 8-10 times around t' tube as if a tube cuttin' device had malfunctioned. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I trimmed this tube t' t' correct length and filled in all t' surface damage.

T' remainin' assembly steps are pretty familiar: nose cone, me hearties, launch lugs, etc. Begad! A spare centerin' rin' is inserted partway down t' body tube t' form a "parachute compartment". Blimey! Begad! There is a washer for nose weight and the usual recovery systems (30" nylon parachute) t' assemble. Aye aye!

Regardin' nose weight, shiver me timbers, I found a serious problem. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions stated that I should add clay t' t' nosecone t' ensure that t' center o' gravity (apparently with no motor) is 6-9 inches "from t' Primary Fins". There is a figure t' illustrate t' 6-9in range. T' problem is that t' figure and instructions are unclear and nay consistent. Aye aye! T' two sets o' primary fins ("stabs" and "wings" in their terminology) extend different distances up t' body. Ahoy! Does t' 6-9in measurement begin from t' top, me bucko, center, or bottom o' t' fins, arrr, matey, me hearties, and from which fins? From t' figure, one can infer that measurement must be relative t' a "stab" fin, and me readin' o' their language would be that "from" means "from t' forward edge". However, t' figure shows t' measurement beginnin' at some vague point about 20% down t' root length o' t' fin. T' figure also shows the intended CG about 0.75in above a body tube seam. Blimey! Blimey! (This distance is inferred because t' 0.75in measurement is given in an earlier step for placement o' the small fins). Aye aye! Blimey! However, this CG location is nay nearly 6-9in from t' front (or 20% down) o' a stab fin. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It is perhaps 9in from t' center o' t' primary stab fin root. Blimey! Thus, me bucko, shiver me timbers, measurin' 6-9in up in any attempt t' mimic t' figure would yield a CG point much further forward than suggested by t' figure. I decided to ignore t' "6-9in" number altogether and simply ensure that t' CG fell about where shown in t' figure.

Finishing:
Findin' t' gray/white stock paint scheme a little dull, t' kids opted for all silver. Ahoy! T' decals are large, sturdy, and highly adhesive. Unfortunately, one of t' main win' decals is printed backwards. In a thread on T' Rocketry Forum, matey, QModelin' suggests a way t' apply it upside down with white glue. Instead, me hearties, I cut t' offendin' sticker in such a way that it could be reassembled in t' correct orientation, me hearties, in two parts.

Pros: lightweight parts, some unusual design elements, thorough instructions, shiver me timbers, arrr, and opportunity for careful craftsmanship

Cons: one serious error in instructions, one missing/wrong-sized template, one decal misprint, ya bilge rat, me bucko, one part needed minor repairs.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
Only one engine is unconditionally recommended for t' MRS Hawkeye: t' F21-6W. I think F21 motors are OOP and I had great difficulty findin' a couple of F21-4W t' buy. Avast! Ahoy! Qmodelin' also writes that one could use a E9-4 but only if the launch conditions are dead calm, arrr, t' rocket is very lightly built, and a 6-foot launch rod is used. Thus, arrr, it is a real problem findin' a suitable 24mm motor to fly this rocket.

With our first F21-4W ignited, me bucko, Hawkeye rose up into t' sky amid a torrent of smoke and flame. Expectin' very low and slow, I be surprised as Hawkeye jumped off t' pad and accelerated into t' sky with a loud, me bucko, matey, straight boost to perhaps 800 feet. T' delay was a tad short with ejection just before apogee. T' chute filled nicely and set t' rocket down gently and undamaged. I like slow descents, and t' chute seems t' be one o' t' very best aspects o' this kit.

T' second flight on F21-4W was just like t' first: a thrillin' fiery shot up t' perfect deployment and gentle landing. Begad! These flights were t' highlights of a long day o' launching...this bird is meant t' fly! I'm goin' t' try to gobble up some more high-thrust mid-power motors and take Hawkeye out again soon. Avast! Arrr!

PROs: fantastic flights on F motors

CONs: currently difficult t' find any suitable motor t' fly

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a tricky rocket t' rate. Construction glitches and a scarcity o' usable motors are clearly drawbacks, matey, ya bilge rat, but these were all easily overcome in my experience and could nay detract from an absolutely fabulous flight experience.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5