Brief:
This is an Up-Scale clone o' an old Estes kit that used t' small 13mm engines. I have an original Hawkeye kit that I got when I returned t' rocketry. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! The original one be 8.5" in length and this one is 24.75" in length to give you an idea how much larger this one is. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' Mega Hawkeye is a single stage rocket usin' 24mm motors. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It uses an 18" mylar parachute for recovery and a 3/16" launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This is me first Rocketpad kit and I wanted t' check t' brand out and I liked t' look o' this kit.

Construction:
T' kit comes with one main body tube (1.6"x17") and has 6 fins/wings. T' 1/8" balsa fin stock was nice quality with tight grain. T' nose cone is plastic. Blimey! Blimey! Also, me hearties, thar are two 1.6" diameter x 1.5" tubes. Avast! Blimey! T' body tube was nice and smooth--just about no grooves at all. Avast! Blimey! The motor mount uses a metal hook. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' centerin' rings are laser cut black fiber and were much nicer than t' standard Estes heavy cardboard. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

You start construction by assemblin' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Arrr! They use a unique system for connectin' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord mount t' t' motor mount. You mark t' body tube on t' marking guide while t' motor mount is drying. Begad! T' markin' guide be t' type that has you place t' body tube over it and make t' marks. Begad! Aye aye! It is on a heavy cardstock material. Ya scallywag! You get a fin template on heavy cardstock in t' kit that you cut out and then trace t' fins onto t' balsa stock. They include in t' instructions how t' lay out t' templates on t' balsa so you trace t' fins correctly. Begad! No guessin' how t' do it. Begad! Begad! I liked this attention t' detail. Well, blow me down! Most o' t' kit is standard rocketry assembly and any one who has built some kits should have no problem followin' t' instructions. By t' way, ya bilge rat, t' instructions call out for different pictures durin' assembly and t' pictures are clear, large, me hearties, and numbered. Ahoy! I used heavy CA for most o' t' construction although I did use Elmer's wood glue for t' fillets. T' launch lug on this model is 3/16". It was an enjoyable assembly and I like t' large amount o' pictures they give so every thin' is clear. Begad! T' nose cone weight is clay, was soft, me hearties, arrr, and easy to push into t' nose cone. I used a hard wood dowel for this. T' clay is a bit messy but it holds. Arrr! No "gotchas" here.

Finishing:
I went t' a local hobby shop t' get some Aero Gloss sandin' sealer t' seal the balsa parts. Arrr! Aye aye! It took 3 coats on t' balsa t' get a nice smooth finish. Well, blow me down! Arrr! The instructions tell you t' clean t' nose cone with 70% rubbin' alcohol t' clean any oils off t' plastic nose cone. Ahoy! You are instructed t' first paint t' nose cone with gloss white paint. T' rest o' t' rocket is with gray paint. Aye aye! I used gloss gray Rustoleum spray paint for t' kit that I got at Home Depot. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit includes colorful water slide decals that worked fine. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' decals were similar to t' original but for that big "MEGA HAWKEYE" logo that looks rather cool I think. Avast, me proud beauty! It's bold anyway! I think this is one cool lookin' rocket!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Rocketpad recommends a C11 type motor for t' first flight but when I went to launch, all I had be D motors so I used a D12-5 for t' first flight. Blimey! Begad! They said you could use this motor if no C11 be on hand. Arrr! I used good old Estes waddin' in t' tube t' protect t' parachute. T' parachute is a nice Mylar type that was a kit with its own instructions. T' motor is held in with a metal motor hook. Blimey! Arrr! There was just about no wind in t' early afternoon when we got out t' t' field. Ahoy! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I have t' test it on windy days! T' first launch was great and t' Mega Hawkeye went up dead straight. Blimey! I don't know how high but is was high up. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' parachute came out with t' rocket just after it started to point down. T' rocket came down real close t' t' pad. Well, blow me down! Begad! That was great. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I did not have t' D12-7 they said you can use but got brave and put a D12-3 in it. This was nay a recommended motor but I wanted t' see what it would do with a more powerful motor. I jumped off t' pad real fast and went straight up real high! On a bright blue sky, me hearties, we just saw t' ejection puff and it took some time to come back down. Blimey! There was a little wind up thar and I had a walk t' get the rocket. Ya scallywag! It was a good thin' that t' field is real big! It be on t' other side. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! This is a great flyer and if you have a large field, t' D12-3 can be used. Avast, me proud beauty! One o' me bucko showed up later and he had a C11-3 motor so we shot it off with that and it was a nice flight. It be nay as high as t' D12 but not bad. Begad! That motor would be great for smaller fields! I have launched this kit 4 times so far and it is in great shape but for some exhaust residue on t' rear of t' rocket.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is a Keelhaul®©™® cord mounted t' t' motor mount and t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' parachute had a snap swivel t' connect it t' t' cone. Arrr! Blimey! T' materials were high quality.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This was me first Rocketpad kit and I was impressed with it. Ya scallywag! I am orderin' up a few more. Begad! I really like t' look o' this kit. It is impressive t' look at and flies great. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' guy thought it was a great lookin' rocket and t' size is right for most fields. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I like this as a big companion t' me tiny original one!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5