Picture Courtesy o' Blackhawk

Brief:
Sport scale high power version o' t' SAAB

Construction:
T' kit came with two glassine-covered body tubes, coupler, 8 nicely cut 1/4" plywood fins, 3 1/4" plywood centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, bulkhead plate, U-bolts, 10' tubular nylon, me bucko, parachute, launch lug, me bucko, and nose cone. Blimey! All around high quality material. Blimey! Arrr! However, thar be no provision t' attach t' nose cone to t' payload bay. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! You have t' supply your own hardware for that. Avast, me proud beauty! You also have t' supply motor retention hardware. Ya scallywag! On t' other hand, t' U-bolts came securely attached t' t' appropriate rings.

T' instructions seemed t' be for a generic high power rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! This was the third high power rocket I've built--the other two were from PML and BSD. Ya scallywag! As a result, arrr, I didn't have any problem. Avast! Arrr! However, a beginner t' high power could have trouble, as some steps weren't clear, me hearties, and t' third centerin' rin' wasn't even mentioned. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!

T' rings fit a bit loosely, so you have t' be careful t' keep them level. Well, blow me down! I beveled t' leadin' and trailin' fin edges 22.5 degrees usin' a router table and a panel-raisin' bit. Arrr! I put a 1/4" slot in a piece o' masonite with a 4" diameter arc at one end t' align t' main fins. T' secondary fins were added later, arrr, me bucko, and aligned by clampin' wooden stakes betwixt t' main and secondary fins. Begad! Begad! T' fin tabs were 1/16 t' 3/32" too long, ya bilge rat, and so t' fin roots were "elevated" off t' body tube, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, requirin' a fillet under them.

I added a PML modular baffle at t' top o' t' motor mount, and T-nuts for motor retention at t' aft centerin' ring. Blimey! I also added T-nuts t' retain rail buttons. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I did this by nay securin' t' aft centerin' rin' until after the motor tube be glued in. Arrr! Arrr! This allowed me t' get into t' area betwixt the middle and aft rin' and glue (with thickened epoxy) t' T-nuts. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

There are 7 feet o' fillets along t' fins! It took four pumps o' West epoxy (+ thickener) t' finish those. Avast, me proud beauty!

I got some removable white plastic rivets from Rocketmotion t' secure the nose cone. Aye aye!

My rocket came in about 4 ounces lighter than t' Blackhawk specs.

Finishing:
I didn't finish it. Avast! Avast! Considerin' what happened t' first flight (see below), that be a good idea.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Blackhawk R&D recommends t' I300-10, I2110-10, I357-6, I161-6, matey, I156-6. Avast! Begad! I ended up usin' a Pro38 3-grain motor (384I205) with a 9-second delay.

There is very little space t' place t' chute and shock cord. Ya scallywag! You need to pack it carefully t' fit.

There be a light wind.

Immediately after leavin' t' rail, ya bilge rat, t' rocket went into skywriter mode, did about 4 full loops, me hearties, and landsharked under full power. Avast! Ejection occurred after t' landshark.

Recovery:
On impact, shiver me timbers, one fin ripped off. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' payload bay had a slight crinkle. Ya scallywag! T' damage should be easily repairable, shiver me timbers, arrr, though I might just swap out t' payload bay for a PML replacement--it's less work than tryin' t' patch t' crinkle and surprisingly cheap. I'll also be able t' get more room for t' chute by shortenin' t' coupler.

DEFINITELY ADD NOSE WEIGHT. Arrr! This rocket is unstable if built accordin' to the manufacturer's instructions. Avast! Ya scallywag! If anything, ya bilge rat, me CG be forward o' standard, as I assume t' only place I could have saved weight over t' manufacturer's quoted weight was t' use a little less epoxy on t' fins.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
Actually good value for t' money. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Pretty rocket. Avast! Ya scallywag! Lots o' people were wondering where I got it. Arrr! Well, blow me down! If only t' vendor would talk about nose weight in the instructions, t' flight ratin' would have been higher (e.g., about a 4, ya bilge rat, I bet).

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5