Brief:
This is a Micro Maxx powered Scale model o' a Sandia Sandhawk by ASP.

Construction:
T' kit includes: two (2) body tubes, me bucko, two (2) couplers, a nose cone, a Keelhaul®©™® thread, arrr, a decal sheet, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a styrene sheet for fin stock, and other miscellaneous styrene tools.

T' larger fins on this model made it much easier t' assemble. One extreme Con t' assembly be t' motor-block Keelhaul®©™® mount tube. Avast! Gettin' it in thar be a breeze, but gettin' GLUE in thar be a total nightmare!

I ended up usin' a small plastic rod with a dribble o' glue 1.5 inches long on it. Ya scallywag! I would carefully get it in thar without touchin' t' side and then I hit t' coupler I wiggled it IN t' coupler and start scrapin' t' edges o' the coupler with t' tube which took t' glue off t' tube and put it where I want it. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I also inserted an engine FIRST t' guarantee I would nay get glue too far in thar and prevent t' installation o' an engine (ruined rocket). Ahoy! Even if you get glue on t' engines don't worry because once it is dry you simply "twist" and it snaps free (glue does nay stick t' MMaxx engine casings well).

I replaced t' lug with somethin' a little skinnier. Arrr! Begad! Nay by much, mind you, maybe 20 percent thinner with t' same ID but smaller OD.

Otherwise assembly was a breeze with no catches or gotcha's at all. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Finishing:
Finishin' this model was easy but a little more involved. Ahoy! What is NOT pointed out in t' instructions is paintin' near t' bottom. Ya scallywag! I think ASP intended to rid this problem by havin' you paint t' whole fin-can area white but I wanted more o' a scale look which required t' red/orange t' be painted in-between the fins. Begad! There is a catch. Begad! T' kit comes with some very nice decals o' t' rivets etc.. Avast, me proud beauty! that go in-between each fins. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' decal is clear yet in scale it is white so usin' t' decal as a measure I scratched t' tube betwixt each fin where the orange should stop and t' white should start and painted accordingly. Avast! The instruction said fluorescent red but Peter Always says Orange-red so I got both. Ahoy! Testor's has model master paint that is 28913 Fluorescent Red-Orange (SG) and it was perfect choice. T' top half o' t' BT (the rocket has a body tube break point) is white and one fin is red. Avast! Blimey! It also has that Gray-Green-Gray band as a decal which is a very nice touch.

With a good paint job and proper placement o' decals this is a very pretty model. Well, blow me down! Begad! Easy as pretty and just as cool lookin' as t' Mini Maxx RP-3.

One note: you will without question need t' decal set! These are some tiny curves t' go around t' tube and up t' fins partially and t' decal does NOT want t' do it but t' decal solvent takes care o' that instantly. Blimey! Also have a bowl o' water near you because you need t' wet t' decal once you place it so you can use t' tip o' a knife t' push and shove it around. Avast, me proud beauty! Be careful on the end o' t' "between t' fin" decals, arrr, they tend t' want t' curl on you. I slid off 3 mm o' backing, me hearties, pressed into place with finger and then slide paper back out from under t' decal and then knife pushed into place and then solvent.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
This model with without question should haul as it is very light and skinny (7mm). Avast, me proud beauty! It is also bright so I do nay anticipate any problems. Aye aye! Ahoy! Again since I opted nay t' use t' streamer no waddin' be needed.

T' Sandhawk flew great! It took off a wee-bit fast but still watchable. Well, blow me down! No damage upon recovery. Avast! It landed within 100 feet o' t' pad.

Recovery:
As usual with MMAxx if you don't see it land you are in trouble. Arrr! This model should nay be a problem findin' on t' ground as long as it does nay go UNDER somethin' since it is bright orange. Begad! This proved true as it be t' easiest to watch (of t' other ASP kits I reviewed). Its larger size (longer) and brighter colors made it very easy.

T' RP-3 uses Keelhaul®©™® for t' shock cord and since I opted out o' usin' the streamer (pain t' prep) no waddin' is needed.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket looks great and bein' a bit larger is easier t' handle. Ya scallywag! T' decals are very good except that I would make t' upper tube wrap smaller since it overlaps and t' translucency o' t' decal makes t' overlap "visible". Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' bottom decals need a white backing. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! You can nay see the panel or rivet outlines over t' black fin and for proper scale you will have t' paint t' space betwixt t' tubes white first or it will show orange through t' clear decal. Ya scallywag! Ahoy!

I also would like t' have seen t' "double wall" tube all t' way to t' top on this model. Well, blow me down! I am very impressed with how well this increases strength and I think I am goin' t' start usin' it on me own models. Ya scallywag! It will make motor block and shock cord installation a total breeze while drastically increasin' t' strength o' t' rocket. Arrr! This also adds weight but on t' scale models mass is no problem and they still easily bust 150 feet altitudes. Ya scallywag!

A wonderful scale model that with a good finish I would nay hesitate to turn in for Sport Scale events.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5