Brief:
T' DG&A Lazarus is a straight-forward high power rocket kit with a 38mm motor mount. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It would make a good Level-1 cert rocket and has a small payload bay suitable for your electronics.

Construction:
T' Lazarus came in its own shippin' box. T' components inside were packaged carefully, thar be no shippin' damage, shiver me timbers, and all t' parts were accounted for. T' airframe (4" x 34") and payload section (4" x 11") are made o' sturdy, brown, glassine covered paper tubing. Aye aye! T' finish is nice and spirals are shallow, which should make finishin' easier. Arrr! Aye aye! You have t' cut your own fin slots, but t' fin and launch lug lines were pre-marked and color-coded. Ahoy! T' nose cone is 16 ½" long and is very sturdy. "R.W.W. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! DIST." appears on t' shoulder. Begad! T' payload coupler tube is made o' cardboard and is thinner-walled than t' airframe tubing. Aye aye! Arrr! T' 38mm motor tube is 11" long and is made o' thick walled cardboard. Well, blow me down! T' three through-the-wall fins, matey, two centerin' rings and payload bulkhead are all made of 1/4" plywood. Ya scallywag! Arrr! These have a thick inner layer with a thin outer ply on each side. Ahoy! There was splinterin' on t' edges o' two o' t' fins. Blimey! Begad! T' recovery system includes two eyebolts, matey, one quick link, arrr, a 45" section o' strap nylon with metal eyelets, matey, shiver me timbers, about 12 ft. o' 1" elastic, matey, and a 36" parachute made from light rip-stop nylon. T' provided 1/2" launch lug consists of 4" o' thick walled cardboard tubing. Well, blow me down! Two 6/32 T-nuts are provided for motor retention, me bucko, me bucko, but thar are no bolts or clips provided. Arrr! Finally, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' kit comes with vinyl decals with t' rocket's name, in simple black lettering.

This kit comes with very detailed instructions, which include illustrations and B&W photos. T' overall quality o' t' instructions be excellent, however, shiver me timbers, I have a few concerns. Well, blow me down! 1) They suggest you may fiberglass t' airframe after t' kit is assembled (generally, me hearties, me hearties, it is easier t' do so before installing fins, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' launch lug, matey, me bucko, etc.). Well, blow me down! 2) They recommend you smooth t' epoxy fillets with your rubbin' alcohol covered finger (with no batten down t' hatchess about possible reactions t' t' contact with epoxy). Begad! 3) There is no reference t' internal fillets for t' fins. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! In me opinion, these are omissions and may throw a curve to an inexperienced builder. Aye aye! I believe that instructions should be directed at less experienced builders, as t' experienced ones will figure it out on their own anyway.

Construction be straight-forward and proceeded per t' instructions, with a few exceptions. Arrr! I used 15-minute epoxy throughout, and did no fiberglassing. I started by bevelin' t' fin edges. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This was a slow process with me orbital sander, so I installed a sandin' attachment on me RotoZip. Aye aye! Blimey! I had nice sharp edges in no time, and t' imperfections on t' edges o' t' fins were all but wiped out. Avast, me proud beauty! I strengthened t' edges with thin CA. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' centerin' rings fit nicely and required no sanding. Ahoy! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! However, t' coupler tube used for t' payload section did nay fit in t' airframe tubing. Ya scallywag! I contacted t' manufacturer who merely said t' sand t' coupler. Aye aye! Avast! Although some sandin' may have done t' trick, I wasn't up for doin' so. Avast! Ya scallywag! Instead, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I found that t' inner tube from a 4" mailin' tube I had in me stockpile worked perfectly. Avast, me proud beauty! So, shiver me timbers, I opted t' chop off a 6" section and use that. I had t' do some minor sandin' on t' bulkhead as me tube was just a tad thicker than the one provided. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

I made t' following enhancements durin' construction. Avast, me proud beauty! First, I did nay glue t' aft centerin' ring in until I had installed t' fins and had applied internal fillets. Next, me bucko, I added a heavy swivel for parachute attachment. Well, blow me down! I also added electrical connections t' t' payload bulkhead t' facilitate usin' me G-Wiz Deluxe for ejection duties. Finally, I added a pair o' Matt's Rail Buttons in addition to the 1/2" lug that was provided. Begad!

Finishing:
I didn't try t' make t' epoxy fillets pretty, shiver me timbers, so I built them up with SuperFil from Shadow Composites. Arrr! After some light sanding, ya bilge rat, I laid on several coats of Krylon white primer. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! One side o' t' fins filled easily, but t' other was coarser and required a couple o' extra coats. Ahoy! T' spirals filled nicely, me bucko, but after priming, I noticed that t' tube also had a subtle ridge in betwixt the grooves. I did nay try t' sand this down. Blimey! I painted t' rocket fluorescent yellow and added yellow and black checkerboard trim. Avast! After a problem with paint compatibility (details omitted!), me bucko, I painted t' nose cone solid black. The final touch was t' vinyl letterin' that came with t' kit. This stuff was great. Well, blow me down! T' letters were individually placed on an adhesive background. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! So, me hearties, you lay down t' decal strip, and then removed t' backing, shiver me timbers, matey, leavin' just the lettering. Avast, me proud beauty! You have t' be gentle as t' letters initially try t' come off with the backing, ya bilge rat, but this wasn't a problem. Ya scallywag! T' result is perfectly spaced lettering, me hearties, without t' clear surroundin' background. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew me Lazarus with one o' t' newly certified I285 Redlines, off o' a BlackSky rail. Although t' Lazarus payload be set up for altimeter ejection, I decided t' stick with motor ejection. Begad! Begad! Sims with a similar motor said the optimal delay was 11 seconds, matey, so I chose a medium, 10 second delay. It was a nice straight flight. Well, blow me down! T' Lazarus really scooted above t' bright red flame! T' motor was retained with aluminum clips that I move from rocket t' rocket. Avast! I used a heat shield from Giant Leap in place o' wadding. Avast! Well, blow me down! There was some singeing on t' chute - me problem, shiver me timbers, nay t' rocket's.

Recovery:
One end o' t' nylon strap connects t' an eyebolt on t' forward centerin' ring with a quick-connect (provided). Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' strap elastic is tied t' t' other end of the nylon strap and t' a second eyebolt on t' payload bulkhead. Avast! Blimey! I added a hefty swivel for parachute attachment, a few feet down from t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! I felt t' chute that be provided may be a little small considerin' t' weight of t' rocket and t' backswept fin design, ya bilge rat, but t' ground at t' launch site was relatively soft (mowed grass). Well, matey, blow me down! T' recovery was just fine. Avast! Begad! One fin has a bit o' dirt on it, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but no damage. Begad! Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This simple, solid kit would be fine for an introduction t' high-power. Aye aye! Avast! The components are good quality and are sturdy. T' detailed instructions are very easy t' follow. Ya scallywag! I also liked t' decals/lettering. Begad! Ahoy! However, I be a disappointed with t' fit o' t' tube coupler and feel that t' issues with the instructions may make this kit more appropriate for someone with good mid-power experience and/or who has done some research on construction techniques.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5