This formerly Blackhawk R&D rocket is now fully owned and produced by Aardvark Rockets

Brief:
This is a single-stage scale rocket of the Black Brant IV. This would be a good kit to start in mid-power rocketry, or a great kit for someone who has been doing mid and high power rocketry for a while.

Construction:
All components are high quality. The nose cone and transition are good quality balsa. There are three (3) body tubes in all, two (2) 2.6" tubes and one (1) smaller tube for the upper-stage. There are three (3) 1/8" plywood fins, two (2) plywood centering rings and a 29mm tube. The kit comes with a baffle that fits inside the coupler for the 2.6" tubes. There is a 10-foot long, 1/2" elastic shock cord, that is mounted on the transition and baffle with eye-screws.

The construction was all easy and straight-forward. The instructions are very easy to follow, with a few diagrams.

The fins are through the wall, and to the motor mount. The tubing comes pre-slotted.

Everything fit well, except the baffle rings. They were a bit sloppy. But I got them to stay just fine by taping them in when I glued them to the coupler.

Just make sure to use 5 or 30 minute epoxy on the whole rocket. I also recommend to put finishing resin on the nose cone and transition. This will stiffen them up some and will give it a better finish. It also prevents dings from happening on landing or in transportation since balsa tends to do that easily.

Finishing:
Finishing was very simple. You can fill the spirals on the tubes if you want, but I did not as they are very, very shallow and are not all that noticeable. I just gave it 2 coats of primer, then painted the entire model gloss white. Let it dry then I tapped it off and put the red on it. I then let it dry for a few days and applied the decals as per the instructions. It turned out very nice!

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
For the first flight of the rocket, I choose a Kosdon G65-8 Dirty Harry. It had a very straight and fast boost. The motor put it way up there. Ejection was right on time and the 24" nylon chute brought it down nice and slow about 100 feet from the pad. You do not need any wadding for this model, as there is a baffle that eliminates the need for it. You do need to add your own motor retention. I used blind nuts and clips on mine. You could friction fit the motors, but that is not a recommended thing to do.

Recovery:
Recovery was great, the 24" chute that came with it was just right. and brought it down at a good speed. I was a bit concerned that the nose cone would break due to it being the shape it is. But it did not. Upon recovery, there was only a bit of dirt on the fins from landing, nothing more, no scratches or anything. The baffle worked great, no burns on the chute, so it did its job!

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
The rocket overall is great. The only real problem I saw with mine was the plywood was a 3 ply, but I know that now he (Blackhawk R&D) is using 5 ply for all his kits. This greatly reduces the chances of the fins breaking on landing. I love the way the rocket flies. Look back on this review for more updates on future flights!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5