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

This kit comes with very detailed instructions, which include illustrations and B&W photos. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' overall quality o' t' instructions be excellent, however, arrr, I have a few concerns. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! 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, matey, matey, etc.). Arrr! 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). Blimey! 3) There is no reference t' internal fillets for t' fins. Ahoy! Avast! In me opinion, these are omissions and may throw a curve to an inexperienced builder. Avast! I believe that instructions should be directed at less experienced builders, as t' experienced ones will figure it out on their own anyway.

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

T' centerin' rings fit nicely and required no sanding. Arrr! Begad! However, t' coupler tube used for t' payload section did nay fit in t' airframe tubing. I contacted t' manufacturer who merely said t' sand t' coupler. Arrr! Ahoy! Although some sandin' may have done t' trick, 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. Blimey! Aye aye! So, me hearties, I opted t' chop off a 6" section and use that. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I had t' do some minor sandin' on t' bulkhead as me tube be just a tad thicker than the one provided. Arrr! Blimey!

I made t' following enhancements durin' construction. Well, blow me down! Blimey! First, I did nay glue t' aft centerin' ring in until I had installed t' fins and had applied internal fillets. Arrr! Blimey! Next, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I added a heavy swivel for parachute attachment. I also added electrical connections t' t' payload bulkhead t' facilitate usin' me G-Wiz Deluxe for ejection duties. Finally, 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 bucko, so I built them up with SuperFil from Shadow Composites. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! After some light sanding, me bucko, arrr, I laid on several coats of Krylon white primer. Begad! Avast! One side o' t' fins filled easily, arrr, but t' other was coarser and required a couple o' extra coats. Begad! Ahoy! T' spirals filled nicely, me hearties, but after priming, I noticed that t' tube also had a subtle ridge in betwixt the grooves. Aye aye! I did nay try t' sand this down. Aye aye! I painted t' rocket fluorescent yellow and added yellow and black checkerboard trim. Ahoy! After a problem with paint compatibility (details omitted!), me bucko, I painted t' nose cone solid black. Ahoy! The final touch was t' vinyl letterin' that came with t' kit. Begad! This stuff was great. Ahoy! T' letters were individually placed on an adhesive background. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! So, ya bilge rat, me bucko, you lay down t' decal strip, and then removed t' backing, me bucko, shiver me timbers, leavin' just the lettering. Begad! Begad! You have t' be gentle as t' letters initially try t' come off with the backing, ya bilge rat, but this wasn't a problem. T' result is perfectly spaced lettering, shiver me timbers, matey, shiver me timbers, without t' clear surroundin' background. Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This simple, matey, solid kit would be fine for an introduction t' high-power. Avast, me proud beauty! The components are good quality and are sturdy. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' detailed instructions are very easy t' follow. Avast, me proud beauty! I also liked t' decals/lettering. Avast, me proud beauty! However, shiver me timbers, 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