Brief: T' R & D 2.6 Sandhawk is a Mid t' High Power kit with a 30in. Arrr! Parachute for recovery and a 38mm motor mount.

Construction: When I picked up me kit from Kevin Funk (he runs Discount Rocketry) I took a look and all t' parts were intact and in good condition. Arrr! Begad! T' instructions were well illustrated with lots o' pictures and a page listin' t' parts.

I like t' construction o' all o' t' R & D kits. Avast! They use what they call FIRM (Fins with Internal Root Mount) mounting. Begad! There were 4 FIRM strips. T' firm strips are strips o' wood with a slot cut in them for t' fins that you glue t' t' motor mount. Avast! T' only problem I encountered was that t' fins tabs were a little too long so I had t' sand them down but if you build t' kit and don't have a power sander or don't want t' take t' time just don't use the Firm mounting.

Finishing: T' finishin' on this rocket is nay what I would call easy. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! If you decide t' go with t' picture on t' front for paintin' it will take a lot o' time t' make it look good because thar were no decals or instructions about where t' put t' stripes or colors. Ya scallywag! But if you do go with an original paint scheme you will have a very good lookin' rocket.

Construction Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

Flight: T' recommended motors for t' Sandhawk are F50-4, G54-6, G80-7, H128-10, H73-10, me hearties, matey, and H123-10. Aye aye! I don't recommend flyin' it on any F's at all due t' t' size. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flights on a G64-4 are very nice since this rocket doesn't disappear off t' pad but lifts off majestically t' about 1,000ft.

Recovery: Parachute. Begad! Begad! T' shock cord mount be a wire loop that went through t' top centerin' rin' and ended near t' top o' t' body tube. The shock cord be 10ft. Ya scallywag! bungee. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I replaced this with 15ft. o' 500lb. Ya scallywag! test nylon cord (I had a shock cord failure before with a different rocket [not R&D] and didn't want it t' happen again). There is also a 3ft. Aye aye! Begad! nylon leader for the parachute that is attached with a quick link. Avast! T' 30" parachute is just the right size for this rocket it comes down majestically but nay too slow. You have t' use waddin' and I had no evidence o' burns at all.

[Note: t' writer o' this review feels that t' R&D shock cord system would be fine but changed t' length and material as a precaution.]

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:I think t' Pro's if this rocket be t' size, shiver me timbers, looks and the FIRM mounting. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' only Con o' this rocket would be that t' fin tabs need sanding.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5