T' WAC Corporal is one o' t' most popular kits from Aerospace Speciality Products and now comes with t' Tiny Tim Booster t' make a two-stage, ya bilge rat, sport-scale rocket. My kit be t' 18/18mm version, me bucko, shiver me timbers, however, arrr, it also comes in a 24/18mm version.

CONSTRUCTION:

This was really t' first scale kit that I have put together. Well, blow me down! It is approximately 1/12th scale.

T' instructions had 11 pages. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! There is a brief summary about t' real WAC Corporal, two pages o' interestin' "Notes on Adhesives" which you should review since you do use different glues for different assembly steps. Arrr! Blimey! T' assembly instructions were broken down into three sections: t' Tiny Tim Booster, matey, t' WAC Corporal upper stage, and final construction. Aye aye! Begad! I found t' t' instructions t' be clear with a lot o' text explanation and and appropriate number o' reference drawings.

T' Tiny Tim Booster has a body tube, motor mount, ya bilge rat, 1/16" dowels t' attach t' t' upper and lower telescopin' tubes, 4 strips o' styrene and 3 precut fins as its main components. Arrr!

Assembly required some patience and finesse. Rubber bands (supplied) were needed t' hold t' dowels in place for gluin' and it was necessary t' really check for alignment.

T' four styrene strips are used t' add detail t' t' Tiny Tim booster and are evenly spaced at t' lower end o' t' booster, arrr, me bucko, all o' which go under t' three fins. Aye aye! Blimey! Gluin' these on also required rubber bands and CA glue. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! You also have t' mark and groove t' t' accommodate t' strips.

T' WAC Corporal's main components are a body tube, motor mount, matey, Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, elastic shock cord, matey, balsa nose cone with 2 nose weights (washers) and an eye-screw, 3 pre-cut balsa fins, matey, a square balsa stick and a Mylar parachute.

Assembly o' t' WAC Corporal is relatively easy and doesn't require any special techniques. Ahoy!

T' instructions include nice illustrations for t' shapin' o' t' fins. Ya scallywag! I like how t' instructions say, "If you want a slightly less scale fin, ya bilge rat, simply round all edges o' t' fins except t' root edge." I didn't. I worked hard at gettin' t' shape like t' illustrations. Begad! Shapin' is required for both t' Tiny Tim and t' WAC Corporal.

T' launch lugs are mounted on a thin basswood strip before bein' glued t' t' body. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! This little offset is nice t' prevent t' rod from rubbin' t' rocket body, however, its functional value is t' allow t' rod t' clear t' 4 styrene strips on t' booster.

T' motor mounts include engine blocks and are set up for stand 18mm motors. They do nay have retainin' hardware. Ahoy! T' WAC Corporal's motor mount has t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord tied around it and then t' upper centerin' rin' placed over t' shock cord.

T' remainin' portion o' t' recovery system includes a piece o' elastic which is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord and t' t' nose cone's eye-screw. A swivel and 12" Mylar parachute finish t' recovery system.

I could go on, ya bilge rat, because thar be actually quite a lot t' buildin' this kit. Avast! Arrr! I'm nay sayin' anythin' be too difficult but thar are quite a few techniques used that I have nay come across in other builds. Arrr! Aerospace Speciality Products has made t' claim that they offer "Kits YOU Build!". Begad! Begad! I agree and encourage others t' give one o' their kits a try. Ahoy! If for no other reason but t' pick up on some o' t' various techniques used. You may apply them t' other kit builds or for scratch building.

For finishin' I always rely on several good coats o' Plasti-Kote primer. I then followed t' color scheme described in t' instructions. Begad! I had one issue when me black reacted with me yellow. Well, blow me down! I had t' re-sand and clean it up then repaint. Ya scallywag! Happens every now and then when you mix brands and types o' paint. Begad! Arrr! I guess I should always test . . Avast, me proud beauty! .

Overall, shiver me timbers, arrr, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Take your time and read all o' t' text. Blimey! It would have been good t' have some wrap-around type o' fin markin' guides although this was nay a big issue. Blimey! Motor retention would have been nice but would take some away from t' scale look.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

T' recommended motors for t' WAC Corporal as a single-stage are A8-3, me hearties, B4-4, B6-4, and C6-5 (or 7). Avast! Arrr! T' recommended motors for t' two-stage are B6-0, C6-0 with an A8-3 (or 5), me bucko, B6-6, me bucko, or C6-7.

I first flew me kit as a single stage on an A8-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Bein' able t' observe t' whole flight I was able t' see that it was still climbin' fast at ejection. Aye aye! At ejection t' nose cone separated with t' parachute and t' main body fell t' t' ground. Upon inspection t' elastic had broke just above where it is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™.

This doesn't surprise me too much since t' nose cone has two heavy washers as nose weight attached t' it. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! This puts a lot o' extra mass in motion which in turns puts a lot o' stress on t' shock cord at t' "snap" point. Avast! It, shiver me timbers, no doubt, didn't help that it was still travelin' upward. Ya scallywag! I reassembled everythin' but had t' use a three-fold attachment method since I could no longer reach t' Keelhaul®©™ loop inside t' tube.

I then flew it on a B6-0/B6-6 combination. Blimey! Blimey! T' second stage ignited and took off, while t' booster turned and "flew" straight and stable downward into t' ground. Avast, me proud beauty! This impact broke one o' t' dowels that hold t' telescopin' tube. It should be repairable.

I didn't see ejection, however, after recovery it be obvious that it wasn't at apogee. Blimey! My guess is that it be still goin' upward based on me observation on t' A8-3 and a later observation on a C6-7. Avast, me proud beauty! T' obvious indicator be t' 1/2" tear (zipper) at t' upper section o' t' WAC Corporal. Well, blow me down!

After puttin' a single piece o' tape around t' top, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I flew t' WAC Corporal again as a single stage on a C6-7. Blimey! It was still goin' up at ejection and upon recovery t' upper portion o' t' body tube was badly damaged.

On t' positive side, Aerospace Speciality Products has made an excellent gap-boost design. There is a 6" space betwixt t' top o' t' booster motor and t' bottom o' t' sustainer motor. Arrr! Avast! With t' removable stagin' tube, arrr, it can look realistic on t' stand and still function in flight.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 2 points. I think motor selection is critical on this one and I would also recommend doublin' or even triplin' t' length o' t' shock cord, especially due t' t' nose cone weights. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It be certainly a straight a fast flier, me hearties, arrr, but use t' longer delays. Well, blow me down! I don't know what t' say about t' Booster comin' back down like a rocket but I can nay see this as bein' terribly durable unless it lands in t' grass.

Overall, matey, ya bilge rat, t' WAC Corporal with Tiny Tim Booster be a challengin' kit t' build utilizin' many build techniques. Ahoy! It be fun t' be able t' learn them and see t' results in a sharp lookin' sport-scale model. Avast! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 points.