Brief:
The Armageddon is a large, unique looking, high power kit produced by DG&A Rocketry.

Construction:
The components include: three 3.9 inch body tubes, 2 couplers, 1 54mm motor mount tube, 4 large fins, 4 canard fins, 1 nose cone, 4 centering rings, 1 bulkhead, 1 60 inch parachute, one 9/16 inch thick nylon webbing shock cord with pre-sewn loops, 8 nozzle fins, 8 fin reinforcement strips, 2 launch lugs, 2 quick links, 2 eye-bolt assemblies, assorted hardware, vinyl decals, and a 7 page instruction booklet. All of the parts arrived in a large cardboard box with a nice label showing the rocket and the important dimensions. The parts were all individually wrapped in paper or plastic. The nose cone, tubes, and couplers were all standard LOC style components. I was very impressed by the wooden components. All 16 fins, centering rings, and bulkheads were made of flawless 1/4 inch thick plywood. The parachute is similar in quality to LOC parachutes.

The kit comes with seven pages of illustrated instructions and a fin alignment guide. After I read through the directions once, I did not refer to them again except to look up various relevant measurements. I started the construction of the rocket by cutting the numerous fin slots. While tedious, this is not overly difficult as long as you take your time. This is the one area in which the rocket should be improved. I then drilled holes in the centering rings and bulkheads for T-nuts and U-bolts. (I chose to replace the supplied eye-bolts with U-bolts.) DG&A supplies 2 T-nuts for motor retention. I decided to use a Slimline motor retainer instead but installed the T-nuts anyway in case they were ever needed. I would highly recommend using a Slimline on this rocket because the unique tail design would force you to use extremely long screws to secure the motor. As a bonus, the Slimline also significantly reduces the chance of damage upon landing since on this rocket it always will be the part which encounters the ground first. After installing the U-bolts and T-nuts, I epoxied the four centering rings onto the motor tube. I then epoxied the motor mount assembly into the body tube. While waiting for the assembly to dry, I glued the coupler and bulkhead into the payload tube. After using a belt sander to airfoil the fins, I epoxied them in place. DG&A includes 8 "fin supports", which are wood strips glued to the sides of the main fins. Despite the name, I suspect that these are more for looks than strength. I epoxied these in place and then moved on to the nozzle assembly. To allow my Slimline to fit, I used a belt sander to remove part of the nozzle fins so that they would fit over the Slimline. After test fitting the Slimline, I removed it and epoxied the nozzle fins in place. I then poured liberal amounts of epoxy in the areas between the nozzle fins, until the epoxy was level with the end of the body tube. While heavy, this method looks great and is practically indestructible. The second body tube can either be epoxied to the first or it can be temporarily attached with the provided screws. I decided to use the screws because they allow for easy repairs if the tube zippers or is damaged on landing. I opted to use ACME conformal rail guides instead of the provided launch lugs. For the record, I would not recommend using the ACME rail guides as they make the rocket difficult to load onto the pad. If you do choose to use these, do not use the provided tape to attach them. I did and while loading the rocket onto the pad for it's second flight, I ripped one off the tube. I was able to epoxy it back on and fly it the same day, but it was a pain. I did not attach the Slimline until after I had painted the rocket.

Finishing:
The rocket finished like any other high power rocket. I spent a rather long time filling, priming, and sanding this rocket. After I spent several weeks prepping the rocket, I painted it orange and black with Krylon paint. I did not use the included vinyl decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
This rocket preps like any other high power rocket. I use a 54-38mm Slimline adapter on this rocket. I have flown this rocket twice, once on a J420R and once on a J570W. Both flights were absolutely perfect.

Recovery:
I used a Nomex heat shield and shock cord protector on this rocket. Both flights had a successful recovery although the rocket did come down rather fast. After the second flight, I noticed that the two main body tubes seemed to be coming loose. When I removed the screws holding the two sections together, I discovered that the coupler was slightly crumpled. This was easily fixed by internally fiberglassing the coupler. I do not think that this would have been an issue had I epoxied the two sections together.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This is a fantastic rocket with high quality components. The design is interesting and eye catching. I would highly recommend this rocket to any modeler who has previously built at least one high power rocket.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5