Brief:
T' Madcow Army Hawk is a mid-powered 1:5.4 scale version o' t' actual surface-to-air guided missile. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' Hawk features a balsa boat tail, Nomex chute protector, vinyl decal, Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, me hearties, and 30" nylon parachute recovery. Aye aye! Blimey! Skill level wasn't mentioned, but I'd place this at a skill level 2 for its size and t' need for epoxy in construction.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• Balsa nose cone
• Balsa tail cone
• Pre-slotted body tube
• 2 Centerin' rings
• 29mm motor tube
• 4 Laser cut fins
• Eyebolt, nut and washer
• Nose cone shoulder coupler
• Nose cone shoulder bulkhead
• Nose weight
• Keelhaul®©™shock cord
• Nomexchute protector
• 30" nylon chute
• 1/4" launch lugs (2)
• Vinyl decal

I dry-fit all o' t' parts before I started t' build, and be pleased t' see that everythin' seemed t' line up just as it would when it was time for t' actual construction. Well, blow me down! It was t' actual construction part that had me nervous, matey, since I rarely venture into t' realm o' mid-power. Ya scallywag! My occasions t' use epoxy are scarce, me hearties, matey, matey, and when I do use it, I wind up with a mess on me hands, me hearties, ya bilge rat, feet, matey, goatee, etc. Ya scallywag! (I don't even like t' think about t' etc. part.)

That said, almost everythin' about this build went smoothly. Blimey! Blimey! I didn't wind up with too much o' an epoxy mess, except for one occasion when a fillet refused t' cure, causin' me t' have t' go back and start over. T' instructions were well explained and adequately illustrated if one has previous buildin' experience and I found myself finished with t' basic construction almost too quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! With t' exception o' paint and nose weight, ya bilge rat, matey, everythin' looked like t' illustration and all o' t' parts fit together seamlessly.

Finishing:
Finishin' be as easy as t' rest o' t' project. T' body tube had only t' slightest spiral, and thar was very little grain showin' in t' plywood fins. Blimey! Blimey! These were eliminated with t' last o' me thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. T' balsa nose and tail cones were treated t' several coats o' FnF and came out lookin' great after several sandings. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once t' rocket be smooth enough, ya bilge rat, I primed it with Valspar white primer, arrr, then sprayed t' fins with Valspar Gloss Black. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I ran into a little trouble maskin' off t' fins because o' t' monster fin fillets that I had created, but it isn't easily noticed unless you're holdin' t' rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! After two coats o' gloss black, matey, t' fins looked great and I masked them off before paintin' t' rest o' t' rocket with several coats o' Valspar Gloss White. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! When this dried I installed t' vinyl decal as shown on t' instruction sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This be t' first vinyl decal I'd ever tried and I was impressed with how well it held its place once it be applied. T' finished product looks great: squat, bulky and sturdy. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! My kind o' rocket.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Like many people, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I found myself choosin' me motor based on t' what was available when I visited our on-field vendor, me hearties, Merlin Missiles. Nay ownin' an RMS system and nay willin' t' chance borrowin' someone else's, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I went with t' Aerotech G38FJ-7--a choice that I be assured would be great for this rocket. Ahoy! Once I got it home, I installed it in t' motor tube and figured out how much nose weight t' install t' brin' t' CG up t' t' proscribed 20.75" from t' tip o' t' nose. Avast, me proud beauty! In t' end, that wound up bein' almost all o' it.

With Christmas season fast approachin' and a personal health crisis on t' horizon, shiver me timbers, I managed only one flight with this bird before t' end o' me flyin' season. However, arrr, arrr, that flight definitely won't be t' last. Launch day be gray and overcast with a constant breeze. Avast! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Since this was goin' t' be only me third flight usin' an Aerotech motor and me first since 2002, matey, I was a little nervous about t' impendin' flight. Arrr! Blimey! Luckily t' VOA field be crowded with people t' whom a flight like this is almost as natural as drawin' a breath. Begad! Fellow QUARKer Mark "Loopy" VanLuvender helped out immensely and kept me from a full blown panic attack. Arrr! I had an idea o' how t' proceed but havin' someone t' confirm that what I be doin' was correct made all t' difference in t' world. Avast, me proud beauty! Once t' motor was secured and t' ignitor in place, matey, things got rollin' quickly, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and after loadin' t' rocket on t' pad and gettin' t' obligatory pictures, t' launch followed quickly. I managed t' catch t' whole process with t' burst mode on me camera, ya bilge rat, me bucko, even though I've never had t' slightest bit o' luck timin' Copperhead ignitions. Begad! Begad! T' Hawk rose fairly smartly and followed an almost arrow straight flight path up t' t' point o' motor burnout. Begad! Begad! It weathercocked some durin' t' coast phase due t' t' large surface area o' t' fins, but for t' most part, everythin' occurred just over t' flight line.

Recovery:
At ejection, arrr, t' rocket had taken a nose-down attitude, me hearties, but even with a fairly violent jerk, thar was no damage. T' 30" nylon parachute brought t' rocket down softly about 100 yards into t' uncut overgrowth. Begad! It spread itself out nicely over t' vegetation, makin' for an easy recovery walk. Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord looked as fresh as when I installed it and t' marks on t' Nomex sheet told me that it had done its job.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: High quality parts--especially t' balsa nose and tail cones in a kit o' this size. Blimey! Ease o' construction (aside from a personal difficulty with epoxy that I have no one but myself t' blame). Avast! Madcow now makes a Jayhawk kit. Begad! Arrr! (Can you say Father's Day present?)

CONs: T' price seems hefty, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but when you consider what you get with a kit o' this size, me bucko, it seems about right.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5