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

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

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

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew me Lazarus with one o' t' newly certified I285 Redlines, off o' a BlackSky rail. Aye aye! Begad! Although t' Lazarus payload be set up for altimeter ejection, I decided t' stick with motor ejection. Ya scallywag! Sims with a similar motor said the optimal delay be 11 seconds, arrr, so I chose a medium, matey, 10 second delay. Ahoy! Begad! It was a nice straight flight. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' Lazarus really scooted above t' bright red flame! T' motor was retained with aluminum clips that I move from rocket t' rocket. I used a heat shield from Giant Leap in place o' wadding. Avast! Ya scallywag! 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). Well, blow me down! T' strap elastic is tied t' t' other end of the nylon strap and t' a second eyebolt on t' payload bulkhead. Arrr! I added a hefty swivel for parachute attachment, me bucko, a few feet down from t' nose cone. Blimey! I felt t' chute that was provided may be a little small considerin' t' weight of t' rocket and t' backswept fin design, me hearties, but t' ground at t' launch site was relatively soft (mowed grass). Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' recovery was just fine. Avast, me proud beauty! One fin has a bit o' dirt on it, 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. Well, blow me down! Avast! The components are good quality and are sturdy. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' detailed instructions are very easy t' follow. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I also liked t' decals/lettering. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! However, ya bilge rat, arrr, I was 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