Brief:
My first Estes catalog be a dog-eared, second-hand copy o' t' 1977 edition. Ya scallywag! This was me first hint that model rocketry did nay begin and end with t' legendary Estes Scout, matey, and like many others, I spent a good deal o' time thereafter pagin' through it, me hearties, plotting, me hearties, planning, ya bilge rat, memorizin' and most o' all, me hearties, ya bilge rat, wishing. Avast! While t' usual suspects (i.e. Orbital Transport, Mars Lander, Interceptor and t' big scale birds,) always caught me eye, matey, deep down I knew that I stood a much better chance o' actually ownin' and flyin' t' smaller kits. T' Estes Wolverine, with it's unique ram-jet style nose cone and cool pseudo-Russian graphics, was always high on me list o' "gotta-haves". Blimey! Unfortunately it wasn't readily available in me area, ya bilge rat, matey, and with mail order but a far off dream, I never managed t' build one, (or even see one for that matter.) Many years later (after a hideously unsuccessful attempt t' turn me own usin' a drill and a chunk o' balsa,) a chance inquiry t' BMS about t' availability o' this special nose cone would change all o' that.

Construction:
T' parts that are needed are:

• BT-50 (7.75")
• BNC-50BC (from BMS)
• 13mm engine mount kit
• 3/32"basswood fin stock
• cockpit pattern
• 12" parachute
• 18" sewin' elastic shock cord
• 1 snap swivel
• 1 screw eye
• launch lug
• decal sheet
• 2 - 3/4" wood screws

One thin' that I hadn't been prepared for when I started this project was t' Wolverine's small size. Ya scallywag! Blimey! (Despite t' fact that it is a "mini-brute".) This would nay have been a big deal on it's own, ya bilge rat, but it would make a difference when it came time t' finish t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Construction was easy and considerin' t' excellent instructions, me hearties, probably would have been so even for a beginner. There should be nothin' about this project that would trip up even a marginally experienced builder, and in t' end you are rewarded with a great looking, compact rocket that is about as far as you can get from a standard 3FNC rocket (and can be flown on a small field as a bonus.)

As I mentioned earlier, BMS now makes t' cone for this classic. T' BMS version o' t' BNC-50BC is a two-piece cone and gluin' on t' tip is probably t' most challengin' part o' this project. (Not really, but t' truly anal modeler really sweats t' small stuff and I was somewhat panicked about t' possibility o' gluin' t' tip off center. Ya scallywag! I didn't.) T' balsa cleans up nicely, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and despite t' fact that I've never seen an original, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I can't imagine that one would be able t' tell t' difference betwixt t' two.

Finishing:
Because o' it's relatively small size and single color paint scheme, I expected that finishin' t' Wolverine would be about as straightforward a project as one could ask for. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay so in me case.

Since I had used basswood for t' fins, finishin' looked like it was goin' t' be a breeze. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Followin' a coat o' thinned Elmer's Fill n Finish (and t' sandin' thereof,) and a couple o' coats o' primer (ditto sanding,) I sprayed on t' initial coat o' Krylon Metallic Silver. Well, blow me down! T' metallic paints coat evenly and quite well, but when dry they tend t' accentuate any inconsistencies in t' rocket's surface, matey, (at least in me experience.) T' body and fins looked fine, but t' area immediately surroundin' t' fins looked particularly sloppy, matey, bad enough that even a full set o' decals weren't goin' t' distract even casual onlookers from t' sub-standard sandin' job. Ahoy! At this point I decided t' take a mulligan and do a combination re-sand o' t' areas around t' fins and a color sand o' t' first coat. Avast, me proud beauty! This made for a marked improvement. A set o' inkjet decals completed t' "catalog perfect" look.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
This was one area where I was surprised t' find that improvement be needed, although I suspect that t' fault lies with t' builder, nay t' design. I first launched t' Wolverine at a QUARK section launch in t' sprin' o' 2002. Ahoy! For t' first flight I deliberately chose an engine that be on t' conservative side, me bucko, a 1/2A3-2T, hopin' t' get a better idea o' t' rocket's flight characteristics. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Unfortunately t' most notable flight characteristic turned out t' be a habit o' wobblin' as it left t' pad. Ya scallywag! Ejection occurred at apogee and overall it was a good flight, me hearties, but t' wiggle had me worried. "More power," I mistakenly thought, ya bilge rat, and plugged in t' "mighty" A10-3T for t' second flight. Begad! Blimey! This made t' wiggle disappear entirely, me hearties, but t' wobbling, arrr, end over end flight pattern that replaced it wasn't t' fix I had been hopin' for. Ya scallywag! This made me rethink t' problem and I figured that substitutin' basswood for balsa had probably messed up t' rocket's surprisingly delicate balance. Arrr! Several o' me fellow QUARKer's also came up with this theory, me hearties, so I felt like I be movin' in t' right direction. T' third flight came after I had added some nose weight in t' form o' two good sized screws into t' bottom o' t' nose cone next t' t' screw eye. Ya scallywag! T' resultin' flight was perfect, shiver me timbers, arrow straight with a textbook recovery, nay much in t' area o' altitude, me hearties, but bein' a mini-brute, me bucko, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' Wolverine wasn't meant t' be a high flier anyway. Aye aye! (But an UPSCALE might be! Where'd I put me crayons?)

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Despite t' trouble I had with this project, I gave t' Wolverine five points across t' board because t' problems I encountered were o' me own making, arrr, nay inherent in t' design.

PROs: Overall unique design, matey, seldom seen at launches, matey, BMS makes t' cone.

CONs: JimZ's decal scan needs work and t' cockpit pattern isn't included with t' plans.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5