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. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Mega Hawkeye is a single stage rocket usin' 24mm motors. Aye aye! It uses an 18" mylar parachute for recovery and a 3/16" launch lug. Avast! 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. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' 1/8" balsa fin stock was nice quality with tight grain. T' nose cone is plastic. Well, blow me down! Also, thar are two 1.6" diameter x 1.5" tubes. T' body tube was nice and smooth--just about no grooves at all. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! The motor mount uses a metal hook. Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings are laser cut black fiber and were much nicer than t' standard Estes heavy cardboard. Aye aye!

You start construction by assemblin' t' motor mount. Avast! Ahoy! 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. T' markin' guide be t' type that has you place t' body tube over it and make t' marks. Aye aye! Blimey! It is on a heavy cardstock material. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! You get a fin template on heavy cardstock in t' kit that you cut out and then trace t' fins onto t' balsa stock. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! They include in t' instructions how t' lay out t' templates on t' balsa so you trace t' fins correctly. No guessin' how t' do it. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I liked this attention t' detail. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, me hearties, large, shiver me timbers, and numbered. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I used heavy CA for most o' t' construction although I did use Elmer's wood glue for t' fillets. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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! Blimey! T' nose cone weight is clay, ya bilge rat, arrr, was soft, me bucko, and easy to push into t' nose cone. Ahoy! Blimey! I used a hard wood dowel for this. T' clay is a bit messy but it holds. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! No "gotchas" here.

Finishing:
I went t' a local hobby shop t' get some Aero Gloss sandin' sealer t' seal the balsa parts. Blimey! It took 3 coats on t' balsa t' get a nice smooth finish. Well, blow me down! The instructions tell you t' clean t' nose cone with 70% rubbin' alcohol t' clean any oils off t' plastic nose cone. You are instructed t' first paint t' nose cone with gloss white paint. Avast! T' rest o' t' rocket is with gray paint. Blimey! I used gloss gray Rustoleum spray paint for t' kit that I got at Home Depot. T' kit includes colorful water slide decals that worked fine. T' decals were similar to t' original but for that big "MEGA HAWKEYE" logo that looks rather cool I think. Arrr! 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 was D motors so I used a D12-5 for t' first flight. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! They said you could use this motor if no C11 be on hand. 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. Ahoy! Blimey! T' motor is held in with a metal motor hook. Aye aye! Blimey! There be just about no wind in t' early afternoon when we got out t' t' field. Begad! Blimey! I have t' test it on windy days! Blimey! T' first launch was great and t' Mega Hawkeye went up dead straight. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! I don't know how high but is was high up. Blimey! Blimey! T' parachute came out with t' rocket just after it started to point down. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket came down real close t' t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! That was great. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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! Blimey! On a bright blue sky, we just saw t' ejection puff and it took some time to come back down. Ahoy! Blimey! There be a little wind up thar and I had a walk t' get the rocket. It was a good thin' that t' field is real big! Blimey! It was on t' other side. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! This is a great flyer and if you have a large field, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' D12-3 can be used. 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. Blimey! Blimey! It was nay as high as t' D12 but not bad. Aye aye! Blimey! That motor would be great for smaller fields! Blimey! 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. T' parachute had a snap swivel t' connect it t' t' cone. T' materials were high quality.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5