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

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

Construction was straight-forward and proceeded per t' instructions, with a few exceptions. I used 15-minute epoxy throughout, me bucko, and did no fiberglassing. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I started by bevelin' t' fin edges. This was a slow process with me orbital sander, so I installed a sandin' attachment on me RotoZip. 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I strengthened t' edges with thin CA. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' centerin' rings fit nicely and required no sanding. However, ya bilge rat, t' coupler tube used for t' payload section did nay fit in t' airframe tubing. Avast, me proud beauty! I contacted t' manufacturer who merely said t' sand t' coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Although some sandin' may have done t' trick, arrr, I wasn't up for doin' so. Ahoy! Instead, I found that t' inner tube from a 4" mailin' tube I had in me stockpile worked perfectly. Ahoy! So, 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. Begad!

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew me Lazarus with one o' t' newly certified I285 Redlines, matey, off o' a BlackSky rail. Begad! Although t' Lazarus payload was set up for altimeter ejection, I decided t' stick with motor ejection. Ya scallywag! Begad! Sims with a similar motor said the optimal delay be 11 seconds, arrr, so I chose a medium, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 10 second delay. Aye aye! It was a nice straight flight. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' Lazarus really scooted above t' bright red flame! T' motor be retained with aluminum clips that I move from rocket t' rocket. Blimey! I used a heat shield from Giant Leap in place o' wadding. There was some singeing on t' chute - me problem, 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. Well, blow me down! I added a hefty swivel for parachute attachment, a few feet down from t' nose cone. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! 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, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but t' ground at t' launch site was relatively soft (mowed grass). Blimey! T' recovery was just fine. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! One fin has a bit o' dirt on it, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but no damage. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This simple, arrr, solid kit would be fine for an introduction t' high-power. The components are good quality and are sturdy. Begad! T' detailed instructions are very easy t' follow. I also liked t' decals/lettering. Ya scallywag! However, ya bilge rat, 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