Brief:
Nano Rocketry is one o' only a few exclusive manufacturers that produce t' 6mm micro series o' rockets and t' only one so far I know o' that produces micro rocket kits. T' Nano IQSY Tomahawk is an actual true miniature representation of t' full scale rocket, arrr, ya bilge rat, which has been modeled by many companies and tends to be one o' t' more popular scale rockets around. Begad! Begad!

Construction:
T' kit came in a colorful envelope, me bucko, me bucko, which described t' contents and displayed a picture o' t' final product. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This is actually a KIT rather than a RTF! The envelope contained a 6mm x 6 inch long body tube, a unfinished wood dowel for the nosecone, Keelhaul®©™ thread for shock cord, me bucko, a balsa fin sheet with a template, detailed instructions and a decal sheet. Ya scallywag! I be very impressed with t' quality of components, especially t' decals as they had each bolt positioned correctly and they were still visible for bein' so small. Aye aye! T' only thin' missin' was a launch lug, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, matey, as with me last two kits. They really need t' check their quality control here, matey, but I did have plenty o' lug material t' make me own. Aye aye!

Component Rating: 3 o' 5

Construction begins with t' shapin' o' the nosecone. Avast! T' Tomahawk nosecone is a very long, tapered cone, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 34mm in length not includin' t' base. Ya scallywag! Begad! You receive a wood dowel and I used t' cheaters method for creatin' me own cone. I simply locked t' dowel in me 3/8” Dewalt drill and started by usin' a 100 grit sandpaper block for initial shape; it went VERY fast with t' drill and I highly recommend this method t' all builders for this model. Begad! Aye aye! Once it be close and with t' dowel still in the drill, me hearties, arrr, I marked a line at 34mm and 44mm, then touched up t' nose cone with a “softer” padded sandin' block and 320 grit wet/dry paper. Ahoy! Finally, me bucko, I hit t' entire cone with two coats o' thin CyA glue, ya bilge rat, matey, then sanded once more lightly with 320 grit sandpaper and finished with 600 grit. T' nosecone came out great, me bucko, as if it were plastic coated with no grain showin' at all!

In t' next step, I cut t' nosecone t' length at t' 44mm mark. Then, the 34mm mark from t' tip was scored with a Zona saw by makin' a light, me hearties, me hearties, shallow cut around t' entire diameter on t' line. Well, blow me down! A heavy Exacto knife was used to chip away at t' aft o' this base, from t' cut line t' t' end, then t' base was shaped, sanded and fitted t' t' inside o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Arrr! Once this was completed, matey, ya bilge rat, a 1/16” hole was drilled ¼” deep into t' base for the shock cord. Finally, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, a piece o' Keelhaul®©™ ® thread was glued into t' drilled hole at t' base o' t' nosecone usin' medium CyA. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

Body tube construction be next and began by lightly sandin' with 320 grit sandpaper t' outside o' t' body tube t' remove t' glazin' on t' glassine layer. Ahoy! Blimey! A fin template is included in t' kit and t' manufacturer apologizes for nay havin' t' fins laser cut, shiver me timbers, arrr, but supplies plenty o' high quality balsa for t' fins. Before cuttin' out t' fins, matey, ya bilge rat, I soaked t' balsa sheet on both sides with thin CyA and lightly sanded t' smooth them out. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Makin' t' fins, even with as small as they were, was an easy task and smartly completed. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I did stack all four fins and sanded them so each one be t' exact same size as the next.

There is actually a template printed in t' manual for markin' t' location on t' body tube for each fin, however, I found little use for t' template, as “linin' up by eye” seemed t' work better. Apply a bead o' medium CyA to t' root edge o' each fin and check orientation before gluin' t' fins to the body tube. Hold t' fin t' t' body tube until t' glue sets. A small bead of CyA should also be added t' t' sides o' each fin for a fillet. Arrr!

Once t' fins are attached, me bucko, you spray some CyA accelerator into t' body tube, then apply a bead o' CyA t' t' free end o' t' shock cord and place it about ½” deep inside t' top o' t' body tube. Begad! I had used this method on me last Nano kits, but have since modified it. I mixed up some five minute epoxy instead, and soaked t' free end tip o' t' Keelhaul®©™ ® thread with epoxy, arrr, then globbed a nice drop o' epoxy on t' end o' t' thread. I then inserted t' thread inside t' top o' t' body tube about ¾” down t' inside and let it dry. Finally, t' launch lug is mounted t' t' side of t' body tube, arrr, but me kit did nay have a lug. Well, blow me down! I fabricated me own from some spare plastic tubin' I had from spare material. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' lug was cut t' a length of ½” and sanded well for good contact; then was mounted just above the top o' t' fins. Avast! Aye aye!

Construction: 3 ½ o' 5

Finishing:
I used Krylon white primer on t' entire model for a basecoat, me bucko, me bucko, then the nosecone was painted with Red glossy Testors spray paint. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' body tube was painted with White Krylon and t' single Black fin was done with a brush and Testors Black Acrylic. Blimey! T' decal sheet in t' kit is very accurate, me hearties, me bucko, but quite thin. Ahoy! Before applying, me hearties, I coated t' decal sheet with a coat o' MicroScale Decal Film t' thicken them up a bit. Well, blow me down! They were cut out and applied easily t' t' body tube and really brought out t' looks o' t' rocket. Finally, me hearties, me hearties, t' entire rocket was clear-coated with Top Flite Dull Coat t' seal t' finish and protect the decals. Well, blow me down!

Finish: 5 o' 5

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Anyone familiar with t' Micro rockets knows thar be only one motor available from Quest; t' MicroMaxx motors produce more than enough thrust t' get even a heavy bird airborne. Begad! In this kit, several very handy tips were given for preppin' before a launch. They recommend you use a small piece o' maskin' tape across t' top o' t' motor with t' edges folded over t' top sides o' the motor casin' t' act as a “friction” fit. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! This method works great and I will now use it on all me kits! Also, me bucko, a template is shown in t' instructions for modifyin' a launch rod so t' igniters can be placed in their slot inside the launch pad; another great tip!

T' motor was fitted into t' base o' t' body tube and fit just right. Avast! Blimey! The body tube is o' a diameter that allows a perfect friction fit with t' masking tape. This model, shiver me timbers, as with all Nano kits uses nosecone separation and freefall for recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! I have since begun usin' me HPR launcher for these rockets, as it tends t' light t' igniters every time! Blimey!

I be expectin' some real performance at launch time and be not disappointed; when t' button be pushed, arrr, it literally disappeared from the pad!!! It be a very fast launch and reached an estimated altitude o' 200’ leavin' a noticeable smoke trail t' apogee; even t' old hardcore rocketeers at our club were impressed with t' performance. Begad!

Recovery:
A “pop” was both seen and heard at apogee, indicatin' nosecone separation. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' model free fell t' t' ground and landed safely, ya bilge rat, partially due to t' non-existent weight o' t' model. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Upon examination, arrr, t' motor be still secure inside t' body tube and t' rocket faired without a scratch. Arrr! Blimey! A small rod be used through t' top o' t' body tube t' push out t' used motor and the rocket was prepared again. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! On t' second launch, arrr, ya bilge rat, performance be just as good as t' first, me bucko, but t' nosecone wound up pullin' loose from t' thread and was lost. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Another nosecone is in t' build stage now, but this time I will epoxy t' cord into t' nosecone’s base hole as CyA glue doesn’t appear t' bond as well.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Nano IQSY Tomahawk is a very impressive and well detailed kit for t' micro rocketeer. Begad! Blimey! T' difference in performance is like night and day betwixt these models and t' Quest RTF models. Arrr! T' fact that it be a kit should nay stop you from buildin' one; assembly is very easy and a rocket can be ready t' paint in about an hour or so. I be disappointed in t' lack o' a launch lug again and the decals were a bit thin, but buildin' t' fins was easy and rewardin' and allowed me t' glaze them with CyA and sand them before cutting, which be a plus. Blimey! Performance is spectacular for such a small model and detail was compared with a fellow rocketeer’s Aerotech Tomahawk; he be truly impressed. Aye aye! I must say I have t' recommend t' Nano IQSY Tomahawk as it now has become my favorite micro model rocket t' date!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5