Brief:
I put me order into Semroc durin' their end o' t' year Christmas discount. Ahoy! My order was already over $40.00 and the Hawk was a free kit! I added an extra Hawk t' me order. Begad! Ya scallywag! One t' build, one t' hoard.

I had an AMROCS catalog in t' early 1970s. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I remember thinkin' it was a near twin t' t' Estes Falcon. Arrr! Blimey! With laser cut fins, this kit went together much easier than me original Falcons did.

Construction:
There aren't many pieces in t' kit inventory. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! 2 sheets o' laser cut balsa make up t' bulk o' t' model. Aye aye! That and a BT-20 Body Tube, me bucko, nose cone and 1/8" launch lug round out t' kit.

• 1 Balsa Nose Cone, me bucko, BNC-20H
• 1 Body Tube, BT-20J
• 1 Set Laser Cut Fins, me hearties, FV-65
• 1 Launch Lug, shiver me timbers, LL-2A
• 1 Small Hawk decal

I read through t' instructions and noticed somethin' important. Avast, me proud beauty! At Step 16 you are instructed t' fillet all joints, me bucko, ya bilge rat, then round all edges and airfoil t' wing. I decided t' round most everythin' and airfoil t' wings before gluin' things together, except for t' pylon halves. Well, blow me down! I glued them together, shiver me timbers, then rounded t' leadin' and trailing edges.

All pieces released well from t' laser cut balsa sheets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This balsa is 3/32" thick. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' old Estes Falcon was made from 1/16" balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If memory serves me right, shiver me timbers, Semroc decided t' go with t' Hawk design over t' Falcon because t' Hawk's balsa be a little thicker and structurally stronger.

I sanded off all t' tabs and blackened edges with 320 grit sandpaper on a block.

It's amazin' how strong t' model is when glued together. Begad! Blimey! Considerin' it's just balsa, t' "T" shape of the fuselage makes for a very sound main body.

At Step 13, ya bilge rat, I sanded an slight angle in t' win' root edge t' give a better flush fit against t' fuselage.

I decided t' fill and paint t' motor tube separately from t' glider. Avast! Blimey! I temporarily taped t' engine mount to the pylon t' glue t' wings in place. Aye aye! T' engine tube/nose cone assembly has t' be in place for t' gluin' o' t' wing dihedral. While t' model sits on it's back, You glue t' wings roots t' t' fuselage under t' "T" o' the fuselage. T' dihedral is formed by lettin' t' win' tips hang and touch t' work table.

While t' instructions say nay t' glue in t' nose cone until after balancin' t' model, I wanted t' finish it with t' body tube so thar would be a smooth transition with no nose cone/body tube seam. Aye aye! If it needed nose weight, I would add clay too t' bottom o' t' engine mount tube. Well, blow me down!

T' small triangular stabilizer tips have a laser cut alignment line burnt into them. Begad! Begad! T' laser line be slightly out o' parallel with t' top o' t' piece. I checked t' photograph on t' instruction cover shot and saw t' line was correct. Begad! Arrr! T' line was cut a little longer than t' stab edge which helped t' alignment. Ya scallywag!

Finishing:
It's nay recommended t' fill and paint t' Hawk. Aye aye! I decided for a compromise. Arrr! Arrr! I filled and painted t' nose cone, engine tube and launch lug. T' underside o' t' glider got a coat o' black felt pen. T' dried felt tip ink shouldn't add any real weight t' t' glider.

I glued t' nose cone into t' body tube and used thinned Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler t' fill t' nose cone joint and body seams. Well, blow me down! I also filled t' seams on t' launch lug. Well, blow me down! T' assembly was glued onto t' pylon.

I then glued t' lug t' t' motor tube an filleted t' lug.

I primed then spray painted t' engine mount/nose cone assembly yellow. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It looks alright, ya bilge rat, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but I wish I'd gone with a slightly darker yellow. Ahoy! Blimey! I wanted a good contrast with t' black logo decal.

T' small, black Hawk logo was applied t' t' motor mount assembly. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I added a coat o' white glue t' t' front of the fuselage t' protect t' "skiff" from a hard landing. Avast, me proud beauty! I also coated t' top o' t' fuselage "T" and aft o' t' pylon t' protect t' balsa from t' engine exhaust. Begad!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
After a few backyard throws I found t' glider needed some clay near t' rudder.

First flight be on February 7, me hearties, 2009. I traded Brian Cole a 3-pack o' C6-5s for some 1/2A6-2s.

T' launch be straight up t' maybe 100 feet. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' engine ejected with a very loud "pop". Arrr! I had a long, flat glide into t' scrubs and trees. Avast! Andrew timed it until it went out o' sight. T' duration was 18.5 seconds.

I didn't add any trim weight nay thinkin' t' model would glide that far away. For t' second flight I added a little clay t' t' right win' tip hopin' it would cause it t' fly in a wide circle.

T' second 1/2A6-2 boost was t' same. Ahoy! Blimey! But, at ejection, t' Estes "shotgun" ejection charge broke t' fuselage in two above t' stabilizer. Begad! Blimey! T' two body parts spiraled in slowly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Non-glide duration was 9.5 seconds.

Recovery:
PROs: It boosted straight and t' glide was great on t' first flight.

CONs: Mine didn't survive t' Estes "shotgun" ejection charge. Blimey! Aye aye! This isn't t' fault o' Semroc. Begad! They brought back and delivered a great kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I read that Carl (Semroc) decided t' brin' back t' AMROCS Hawk instead o' t' Estes Falcon. Blimey! T' body o' t' Hawk was stronger than t' Falcon. I hope t' (one day) fix it and fly it again.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5