Aerotech - Wart-Hog {Kit} (89018) [1992-]

Aerotech Wart-Hog

Aerotech - Wart-Hog {Kit} (89018) [1992-]

Contributed by Greg Deeter

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Manufacturer:	Aerotech
Style:	Sport

Brief:
This is a single stage 2.6" diameter by 37" tall rocket currently in production by Aerotech. Avast! Blimey! It is called an "Advanced Model Rocket". Blimey!

Construction:
I do nay consider this t' be an "Advanced Model Rocket" as it was quite simple t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first Aerotech kit that I built was a Cheetah. Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I enjoyed that one so much I purchased t' Arreaux, G-Force and t' Wart-Hog and built them all at t' same time. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! This Wart-Hog Kit was originally built by me in 2002 yet after a break in rocketry I finished it in August 2004 with a simple paint job and parachute. Ahoy! Avast!

T' instructions were very detailed, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, however, ya bilge rat, after buildin' an Aerotech Cheetah before, I did nay need nor use them. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down!

This rocket is extremely easy t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It only calls for "medium viscosity cyano acrylate cement" also known as "CA" or "Super Glue". Begad! Blimey! That is all I used. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It took about an hour t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! The hardest part o' t' build is gettin' t' Fin-Lok rings onto t' motor tube. I used a rubber mallet. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' second hardest part is gettin' t' fins into the Fin-Lok motor mount through t' airframe. Ahoy! Blimey! You really have t' apply some pressure t' get them t' snap all t' way in. Ahoy! Blimey!

AeroTech Wart-Hog T' recovery system mount is somethin' I do nay trust. Arrr! It is a 6 foot long piece o' elastic tied t' a screw eye at t' top o' t' baffle. I have seen this elastic dry out, become brittle and tear over time. Avast! If that be t' only method o' securin' the recovery system, then it burns through or breaks thar be no way t' get back to the screw eye at t' top o' t' baffle t' replace it once t' motor and baffle assembly is secured in place. Blimey! I created a backup recovery mount t' make sure I can keep flyin' this model over and over again made from a 500# test Keelhaul®©™® cord mounted through t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! While on t' first flight I will use the stock recovery system, arrr, me hearties, me backup system is waitin' and should outlast t' life of t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I also discarded t' nice 24" cloth chute that came with the model kit and replaced it with a Cycline3 20" square Frankenchute to brin' it down a little bit softer and quicker. Begad! Blimey! I also doubled t' snap swivels on t' stock cord t' match t' 2 that come with a Cycline3 Frankenchute, shiver me timbers, so if one snap swivel should fail thar be a backup as well.

Finishing:
Finishin' was easy. Avast, me proud beauty! As t' entire airframe, fins and nose cone are all white, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I skipped primer and just applied a single coat o' Day-Glo Fluorescent Yellow. It's nice and bright and shows up good on t' white surface. Begad! There are still spirals in t' body tube but I built this t' be light for performance, matey, nay for looks. Avast! Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on a G80-10 at Challenger498 Rushin' Park, shiver me timbers, Katy, me hearties, matey, Texas on 8-14-2004.

Recovery:
I believe t' 6 foot long piece o' elastic shock cord provided for t' recovery system should be at least 30 feet long and thar should be a backup recovery mount other than just securin' t' 6 foot long cord t' a screw eye at t' top of t' baffle. Begad! If that fails, ya bilge rat, t' rocket is retired. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an excellent rocket kit but it's a little on t' pricey side. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Current list price is $69.95. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' quality is excellent and a simple build with just CA can result in a very durable high performance rocket. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' recovery system in my opinion is nay designed for repeated flights and should most certainly be upgraded with a secondary backup mount via Keelhaul®©™®. This modification is easy t' make and will prevent you from sayin' "What do I do now?" when t' stock elastic becomes too brittle and charred from the ejection charge. Ya scallywag! Again, repairin' t' shock cord is all but impossible since t' shock cord cannot be reached at t' top o' t' motor mount screw eye. It's an above average kit, a very nice introduction t' mid-power for t' novice and I highly recommend it. Well, blow me down!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews

Aerotech Wart-Hog By Frank Casey (September 29, 2009)
Brief: This is a very versitile kit made by Aerotech. The motor selection is excellent. this rocket can fly on 24mm and 29mm single use or RMS motors. The kit provies a 29mm mount and a 24mm mount adapter. Construction: The parts are top quality, sturdy and include: Motor adaptor tube Adaptor rings E spacer tube Thrust ring Thrust ring flange Motor tube ...
Aerotech Wart-Hog By Kevin Fisher
( Contributed - by Kevin Fisher - 10/21/00) Brief: This is a great rocket. This is a great rocket. It was the second mid power rocket I built and it was very challenging yet easy enough for the average builder. This is the same for all Aerotech kits. This kit runs on Aerotech composite motors. I would use an E15-4W at the least. Construction: As with all ...

Flights

Comments:

S.O. (December 1, 1999)

I would like to say that I do not agree with the review. The 'chute is strong but you either chose the wrong delay (or got an Aerotech "special" delay) also the rails add much to the appearance to the hog so use epoxy in putting them on that will keep them on. I think that the warthog should get a 4 it has some problems but they can all be fixed in less than five minutes and through wise/luckily motor choices

S.R. (May 1, 2000)

I built the Warthog stock, without any modifications and flew it twice on Aerotech F20-4W Econojet Motors. It flew to about 1000' both times and deployed the parachute at or shortly after apogee. Both flights were perfect, with no damage to the rocket. I did, however, have a problem with the labels on the Econojet Motors. The added thickness of the labels made the motors difficult to install, and the heat dissolved the adhesive. When I extracted the motors after recovery (using a pair of pliers), the labels stayed in the motor mount tube and had to be removed separately. If I had allowed the motors to cool, I fear they may have welded themselves in the motor mount.

unknown (September 1, 2000)

I have flown my Warthog over 25 times with different motors. Never having a bad result. The rails stay on fine you just have to make sure you use a strong adhesive. I use CA. This was my first Mid power rocket and it's still my favorite.

J.D. (March 1, 2001)

I also disagree with the review. This is about as bullet-proof as they come. Very stout rocket, if not a bit heavy. I have flown on an E-18, but will only fly on F's in the future. Still, a very easy to build rocket that handles some nice size motors.

D.B. (April 1, 2001)

I have not had any problem with the parachute that came with the kit. My "Hog" has flown 12 times on F24 and G35 Econojets. I agree that the motor labels are a problem. I always remove them before flight. My fins have come off several times on hard landing. they don't break, but pop out of the fin locks. It would be better to roughen up the contact surfaces and use a good epoxy to secure them.

T.J.A. (October 9, 2001)

I strongly disagree with the review above. I had no problem with the parachute. When I got to the launch site, the decorative rails had fallen of so I used 90min epoxy and they aren't coming off now. With an E-15 it flew true and strait. I plan to use a F next. I did not like the paint job that they showed so I did mine olive drab. I think this is a great first-time mid power rocket.

S.H. (September 24, 2002)

I built mine with CA and the strips stay on! I tried something different, I made a mod to hold an older Estes E engine(E15-4) to see what it would do. It went up fine to about 400 Feet and came down real nice! Had 5 nice flights wit the E (have not tried the newer E engines yet). Some may not like this, but I like the to experiment with rockets & every thing said it should work out fine(all specs.)and it was!!

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