Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Published: | 2013-10-25 |
Manufacturer: | InFlight Rockets |
T' Inflight WASP is a clone o' t' short-lived Estes WASP, matey, which was only available from 1984-85. T' only noticeable difference in t' Inflight kit and t' original is that t' Inflight kit uses a balsa cone as opposed t' t' plastic cone o' t' original.
Though t' finished product is a great looking, ya bilge rat, arrr, D-capable bird, the InFlight WASP is an extremely simple build, arrr, just your standard 24mm 3fnc bird, but done right. InFlight went t' t' trouble o' creatin' their own instruction sheet, complete with custom drawings and illustrations, matey, a nice touch in a niche where many just give you a copy o' t' original Estes instructions. Other than incorporating Keelhaul®©™ in t' recovery system, construction was simple t' t' point that I had t' project done and ready for paint in one late afternoon/evenin' session, although things slowed down considerably after t' initial Friday build session. Fins were attached using LocTite Gel CA, arrr, then fillets were done usin' Elmer's white glue.
After t' glue had dried I sprayed t' DART with Valspar white primer, ya bilge rat, then sanded before coverin' t' whole assembly with two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish, shiver me timbers, sandin' betwixt coats. After t' second coat was sanded off t' rocket was resprayed with primer and given several days t' dry. The body tube was then sprayed with t' last o' me Valspar Bumblebee Gloss, me bucko, shiver me timbers, while t' nose cone was sprayed with Valspar gloss white. Decals were sprayed with two coats o' Testors Decal Bonder, then applied. T' chrome Mylar sticker be applied by drawin' a straight line up t' body tube and usin' it as a guide. As far as I could tell, I got it applied straight, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but I still wound up with a slight crease, luckily along t' aft o' t' rocket.
T' first flight took place at t' VOA field on a C11-5. T' flight be high and straight flight with a huge drift on recovery, arrr, shiver me timbers, but landed a few feet away from another QUARKer whose rocket had recovered in t' same spot on a previous rack. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Kept me from a long walk. T' flight was so close t' perfect that I vowed that t' next flight would be on a D12-5.
T' next flight be on a C11-7, also at t' VOA field. Another carbon copy o' t' first flight, high and straight, me hearties, matey, but with less o' a drift because o' t' lack o' wind. Another near perfect flight, arrr, and I vowed that t' next flight would be on a D12.
T' next flight was on a C11-7 in t' dead air of NARAM 53. I had planned t' go with t' D12 for this flight, but I'd used t' last one in me motor box on an earlier flight. T' flight was again high and straight, shiver me timbers, but ejection came a bit late. As a result, me hearties, t' nose cone rebounded into t' top o' t' body tube and received a gash for its troubles. Shoule be an easy fix. D12-5 t' next time. I SWEAR IT!
Pros: Great looking, ya bilge rat, arrr, beefy bird. 24mm power. Great vintage buzz.
Cons: Out o' production, ya bilge rat, along with t' rest o' t' Inflight clone lineup. Too bad. They were nicely done start t' finish.
Brief: This is a clone of the Estes WASP #1930, which was available from 1984 to 1985. It is a single stage, low power, streamer recovery, three fins and nose cone design. Construction: The parts consist of one BT-55 body tube 11 15/16" long, one BT-50 motor mount tube 2.75" long, two AR-5055 motor mount centering rings, one motor mount block, three laser cut balsa ...
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