| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2013-10-25 |
| Manufacturer: | InFlight Rockets  |
Brief
T' Inflight WASP is a clone o' t' short-lived Estes WASP, me bucko, which be 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.
Components
- 12" BT-55 main body tube
- 2.75" BT-50 motor mount tube
- 2 AR-5055 centerin' rings
- CR-2050 engine block
- laser cut balsa fins
- BNC-55D balsa nose cone
- 3/16" screw eye
- motor hook
- waterslide decals
- 1/4" x 48" elastic shock cord
- 36" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
- mylar streamer
- 3/16" launch lug
Construction
Though t' finished product is a great looking, shiver me timbers, D-capable bird, the InFlight WASP is an extremely simple build, me bucko, just your standard 24mm 3fnc bird, arrr, but done right. InFlight went t' t' trouble o' creatin' their own instruction sheet, complete with custom drawings and illustrations, shiver me timbers, arrr, 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, ya bilge rat, then fillets were done usin' Elmer's white glue.
Finishing
After t' glue had dried I sprayed t' DART with Valspar white primer, me hearties, then sanded before coverin' t' whole assembly with two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish, arrr, 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 be then sprayed with t' last o' me Valspar Bumblebee Gloss, while t' nose cone be sprayed with Valspar gloss white. Decals were sprayed with two coats o' Testors Decal Bonder, me bucko, matey, matey, then applied. T' chrome Mylar sticker was 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, but I still wound up with a slight crease, luckily along t' aft o' t' rocket.
Flight
T' first flight took place at t' VOA field on a C11-5. T' flight was high and straight flight with a huge drift on recovery, ya bilge rat, arrr, but landed a few feet away from another QUARKer whose rocket had recovered in t' same spot on a previous rack. Avast! Kept me from a long walk. T' flight be so close t' perfect that I vowed that t' next flight would be on a D12-5.
T' next flight was on a C11-7, also at t' VOA field. Another carbon copy o' t' first flight, matey, high and straight, me hearties, 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, me bucko, me bucko, but ejection came a bit late. As a result, 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!
Summary
Pros: Great looking, beefy bird. 24mm power. Great vintage buzz.
Cons: Out o' production, along with t' rest o' t' Inflight clone lineup. Too bad. They were nicely done start t' finish.
Other Reviews
- InFlight Rockets WASP Clone Kit By Jason Augeri (March 6, 2008)
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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Flights
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