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

This kit comes with very detailed instructions, shiver me timbers, me hearties, which include illustrations and B&W photos. Well, blow me down! 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, it is easier t' do so before installing fins, ya bilge rat, t' launch lug, me bucko, matey, etc.). Ahoy! 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). Well, blow me down! 3) There is no reference t' internal fillets for t' fins. Arrr! In me opinion, these are omissions and may throw a curve to an inexperienced builder. I believe that instructions should be directed at less experienced builders, as t' experienced ones will figure it out on their own anyway. Avast! Arrr!

Construction was straight-forward and proceeded per t' instructions, me hearties, with a few exceptions. I used 15-minute epoxy throughout, and did no fiberglassing. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! I had nice sharp edges in no time, matey, and t' imperfections on t' edges o' t' fins were all but wiped out. Begad! I strengthened t' edges with thin CA. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down!

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

I made t' following enhancements durin' construction. Ya scallywag! First, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! I also added electrical connections t' t' payload bulkhead t' facilitate usin' me G-Wiz Deluxe for ejection duties. Arrr! Finally, I added a pair o' Matt's Rail Buttons in addition to the 1/2" lug that was provided. Begad!

Finishing:
I didn't try t' make t' epoxy fillets pretty, so I built them up with SuperFil from Shadow Composites. Blimey! After some light sanding, I laid on several coats of Krylon white primer. One side o' t' fins filled easily, me hearties, me bucko, but t' other was coarser and required a couple o' extra coats. Avast! T' spirals filled nicely, but after priming, matey, I noticed that t' tube also had a subtle ridge in betwixt the grooves. I did nay try t' sand this down. Avast! Aye aye! I painted t' rocket fluorescent yellow and added yellow and black checkerboard trim. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! After a problem with paint compatibility (details omitted!), arrr, I painted t' nose cone solid black. Ya scallywag! The final touch was t' vinyl letterin' that came with t' kit. This stuff was great. T' letters were individually placed on an adhesive background. So, me bucko, shiver me timbers, you lay down t' decal strip, shiver me timbers, and then removed t' backing, me bucko, arrr, leavin' just the lettering. Ya scallywag! You have t' be gentle as t' letters initially try t' come off with the backing, shiver me timbers, but this wasn't a problem. Avast! T' result is perfectly spaced lettering, 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, arrr, off o' a BlackSky rail. Avast, me proud beauty! Although t' Lazarus payload was set up for altimeter ejection, I decided t' stick with motor ejection. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Sims with a similar motor said the optimal delay was 11 seconds, me bucko, so I chose a medium, 10 second delay. Well, blow me down! It was a nice straight flight. Ahoy! T' Lazarus really scooted above t' bright red flame! T' motor was retained with aluminum clips that I move from rocket t' rocket. Ahoy! I used a heat shield from Giant Leap in place o' wadding. Avast! Ya scallywag! 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). Blimey! T' strap elastic is tied t' t' other end of the nylon strap and t' a second eyebolt on t' payload bulkhead. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! I added a hefty swivel for parachute attachment, a few feet down from t' nose cone. Avast! I felt t' chute that be provided may be a little small considerin' t' weight of t' rocket and t' backswept fin design, shiver me timbers, but t' ground at t' launch site was relatively soft (mowed grass). Avast! Blimey! T' recovery be just fine. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! One fin has a bit o' dirt on it, but no damage. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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