Picture Courtesy o' Blackhawk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

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

There was a light wind.

Immediately after leavin' t' rail, arrr, t' rocket went into skywriter mode, did about 4 full loops, and landsharked under full power. Ejection occurred after t' landshark.

Recovery:
On impact, me bucko, one fin ripped off. Aye aye! Begad! T' payload bay had a slight crinkle. T' damage should be easily repairable, 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. Ya scallywag! I'll also be able t' get more room for t' chute by shortenin' t' coupler.

DEFINITELY ADD NOSE WEIGHT. Well, blow me down! This rocket is unstable if built accordin' to the manufacturer's instructions. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! If anything, me CG was forward o' standard, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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. Pretty rocket. Lots o' people were wondering where I got it. Ya scallywag! If only t' vendor would talk about nose weight in the instructions, t' flight ratin' would have been higher (e.g., about a 4, me bucko, I bet).

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5