T' Aerospace Specialty Products (ASP) 18mm WAC-Corporal is a "fun scale" model o' t' United States first soundin' rocket. It is 15.75" long when complete, matey, me bucko, uses 18mm motors, me hearties, and is approximately 1/12th scale. Ahoy! The kit I built represents t' sustainer stage o' t' rocket. Begad! Begad! Since I purchased my kit ASP has introduced kits that include t' booster section as well. Well, blow me down! Avast!

Construction: 5 points

T' WAC-Corporal Kit comes in t' thoroughly familiar clear plastic bag. Ya scallywag! It arrived in a express postage box and thar be no damage t' any o' the components. There were no missin' components in t' kit. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' parts are the standard paper body tube and motor mount, but ASP uses balsa for t' fins, arrr, arrr, and nose cone. T' parachute is mylar with an included swivel snap, matey, a nice touch.

T' instructions are on three double sided 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper. Begad! Blimey! There are adequate illustrations for t' unique steps, shiver me timbers, but it is not profusely illustrated like Estes instructions. Begad! Blimey! Apparently t' people at ASP expect you t' be able t' read :). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Instructions are in a logical order with check boxes beside t' step numbers so you can keep track o' your progress.

T' parachute comes in its own clear plastic bag, and has it's own instructions. Blimey! You will be cuttin' your own fins and thar be a template for that purpose included that is made from heavy paper. Ahoy! Arrr! There are also templates in t' instructions for fin alignment and for shapin' t' balsa stick into the tunnel for t' side o' t' rocket.

T' kit is rated by ASP as beginner/intermediate. Arrr! I agree. Arrr! This is nay the first kit you would want t' build. Ya scallywag! It is nay difficult t' build, but t' produce a nice lookin' scale model, you must be past t' beginner-slap-them-together stage. Begad! Care must be taken with t' balsa nose cone as it is conical, ya bilge rat, and the point is easy t' sand into somethin' else. Avast! I departed from t' instructions and use epoxy t' secure t' washers t' t' nose cone and t' screw eye. Begad! I feel that this is a much more secure way o' installin' t' screw eye into balsa. Well, blow me down! The result is a solid rocket, but check t' flight section later for some tips. Ahoy!

There are no special requirements for finishing. Blimey! The instructions refer t' t' sandin' sealer's instructions for finishing, as you will want a very smooth finish for this model. Begad! There is a paintin' guide included that included dimensions t' make maskin' easier. Blimey! Arrr! Also included in the instructions is a reference t' Peter Alway's "Rockets o' t' world: A Modelers Guide" from Saturn press for more information on t' WAC- Corporal. Begad! There are no decals included in this kit as thar be no need for them

Flight/Recovery Rating: 4 points

T' shock cord is a combination o' Keelhaul®©™® thread and elastic that are tied together. Arrr! T' Keelhaul®©™® portion is tied t' t' motor mount and t' elastic is tied to t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! They are tied together usin' a knot that is illustrated in the instructions. T' recommended motors are: A8-3, B6-4, B8-5, C6-5, and C6-7. T' motor retention method is friction fit, me hearties, however you could add metal hook, but it would spoil t' looks o' t' rocket on display. Avast! Ahoy!

Flight preparation follows standard rocket procedure, shiver me timbers, make sure that the waddin' is below t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and that t' elastic is safely above your wadding. I have flown t' model on three motors. Begad! T' first flight was on an A8-3. Begad! Avast! T' rocket flew very straight and stable, me bucko, and t' parachute lowered the rocket safely with a minimum o' drift. Begad!

T' next flight was usin' a B6-4. Avast! Ahoy! T' rocket flew quite a bit higher than with t' A motor, but it be still recovered safely. Aye aye!

T' third flight be usin' a C6-5. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' rocket took off very fast and climbed out o' sight. Avast, me proud beauty! Fortunately I had several spotters, shiver me timbers, and we tracked t' parachute, which be t' largest object at that time. Avast! As t' parachute returned I found that t' body was nay attached. Begad! Ya scallywag! Subsequent searchin' o' t' field yielded the body. Begad! T' damage t' t' rocket be a zippered body tube (about 1"), shiver me timbers, cut elastic shock cord, me hearties, a shroud line ripped from t' parachute, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, and a section of parachute ripped from t' parachute and danglin' from t' a second shroud line. Since t' rocket was too high for anyone t' see what happened, t' evidence suggests that t' parachute was deployed while t' rocket be still ascending at a high rate o' speed. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This is backed by t' trackers that did nay see the rocket reach apogee and head back t' earth before t' deployment. Aye aye! As a result of this, arrr, me bucko, I do nay suggest t' C6-5 motor a all, t' longer delay o' t' C6-7 would be more appropriate for this model. I even suspect t' delay on t' B6-4 may be too short. Avast! Try this model with upper stage motors, arrr, shiver me timbers, they might work better. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Also t' loop that t' elastic is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord may need some more reinforcin' as it appeared that t' Keelhaul®©™® cut through the elastic. Begad! Aye aye! With t' proper motor this rocket could possibly be a scale altitude contender.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ points

Everythin' considered this is an excellent rocket for t' modeler that will take t' extra time t' turn this kit into a beauty. Begad! Begad! I particularly like t' use of balsa for t' fins and nose cone. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' model is durable and with t' right selection o' motors, it will provide you many spectacular flights, shiver me timbers, and be a great model for display as well. Avast!