Manufacturer: | Hawk Mountain Enterprises |
Brief:
A 38mm minimum diameter all fiberglass rocket o' unparalleled quality.
Construction:
T' rocket airframe is spiral wound solid fiberglass tubing. Aye aye! T' kit included
the main airframe plus a payload section, with a fiberglass coupler and plywood
bulkhead. Begad! Ahoy! T' nose cone is solid resin, me bucko, ya bilge rat, with no castin' marks. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' fins are the
molded Acme 38mm fin canister. Motor retention is provided by an
AeroPak 38mm aluminum retainer. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' shock cord
is Keelhaul®©™®, me hearties, t' chute by Rocketman, arrr, and Alan also included a Nomex® heat shield.
Alan even included t' Acme conformal launch
lugs.
For a rocket that can break Mach 1 without a sweat, me bucko, me hearties, this is one easy rocket t' put together. Aye aye! T' hardest part is milling out t' bottom o' t' fin canister t' fit over t' AeroPak retainer....just cosmetic. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! T' whole kit can be easily put together in t' time it takes 30min epoxy t' dry. Just make sure that you sand all o' t' areas t' be epoxied....remember, it's fiberglass, me bucko, and has t' be grooved. Avast! Ahoy! Because o' t' fin canister, matey, this kit is as easy as t' Estes E2X kits....I would consider it "almost ready t' fly"!
Finishing:
What can I say? Solid fiberglass...no spiral lines, a nose cone without any
injection marks....this rocket is almost pristine. Aye aye! T' fin canister be t' only
part that needs a little work. Aye aye! But a coat o' finishin' epoxy, arrr, and you are in
business.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
I've flown it 3 times now. Ya scallywag! I195J, arrr, I211W, matey, I435T. Ya scallywag! T' 195J came in ballistic
because o' a bad ejection charge. Alan sent me a new airframe and it has been
rebuilt. Arrr! T' I435T broke mach. Avast! Begad! Because o' t' Nomex® shield, me hearties, no waddin' is
required. Blimey! T' flight be arrow straight right up t' 5000' and came down quite
fast on that tiny chute. Blimey! I'd love t' see one o' t' bigger Kosdon motors in
this tiny thing.
Recovery:
T' chute is small, but still tough t' get into t' frame. Avast! Alan suggests using
a twistin' motion t' slip it into t' frame. I packed t' cord in first, and
then t' chute lines, ya bilge rat, followed by t' chute. Avast! Blimey! T' recovery is very fast on the
tiny chute, matey, but that is intended because o' t' super high flights. Begad! T' Acme
canister can take quite a beating, however. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey!
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
This has got t' be t' highest quality kit I have put together t' date. Begad! Blimey! Alan
took every great product on t' market and put a kit together. Blimey! Blimey! T' only problem
is that I want t' fly a 54mm J800! Blimey! Guess what....the Transonic II be t' 54mm
version! Blimey! T' kits are, shiver me timbers, however, me hearties, matey, very expensive. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! But, thar's always room for
the Ferrari. Aye aye! Blimey!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: A high altitude, 38mm minimum diameter, fiberglass, mach capable rocket. Very high quality parts. Construction: 2 fiberglass 38mm diameter body tubes. One main tube and one payload section. Includes a fin can made of high impact plastic and fiberglass. Approximately 8ft of 3/8" Kevlar ® strap, and a Kevlar ® reinforced Nomex ® heat pad. A Rocketman ...
S.S. (May 1, 2001)