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

Aerotech Wart-Hog

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

Contributed by Kevin Fisher

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Manufacturer:	Aerotech
Style:	Sport

(Contributed - by Kevin Fisher - 10/21/00)

Brief: This is a great rocket. Begad! Ahoy! This is a great rocket. Well, blow me down! It was the second mid power rocket I built and it was very challengin' yet easy enough for the average builder. Well, blow me down! This be t' same for all Aerotech kits. This kit runs on Aerotech composite motors. Aye aye! I would use an E15-4W at t' least.

Construction: As with all Aerotech kits , t' packagin' was great and all t' parts were there. None were broken. None were broken. Ahoy! Most o' t' materials were a phenolic base cardboard tubing. T' kit had plastic, pre-cut fins. Blimey! Blimey! T' kit had plastic, shiver me timbers, pre-cut fins. The instructions were fine but thar be just one thing. I don't know if I have missed t' step but I would stress linin' up t' fins, because you will CA the motor tube into t' BT, and t' Fin-Lok's won't be in place, so then , me bucko, me bucko, there goes that rocket.One more think I highly stress, me bucko, you must fit in t' fins all t' way, yes, they do go in so that they are flush, matey, you really have to push.

Finishing: To finish me rocket, I used Testor's model spray paint and painted it a Blue Camo pattern. Ahoy! (Gray, matey, shiver me timbers, Lt. Ahoy! Blue, shiver me timbers, Dk. Ya scallywag! Blue, Black) It came out really nice. Good visibility, arrr, too. I did nay use t' decals so don't ask me how those went on. Ahoy! Aye aye! They were peel-off nay water-transfer. Blimey! I also think that Aerotech's recommended paint job would be fine, ya bilge rat, but at Lucern Dry Lake, me hearties, you would lose it even on an E15. If you want t' do camo on any o' your rockets, arrr, shiver me timbers, just e-mail me on the technique, matey, It is very simple. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight: I used an F25 for me first flight. Begad! I used an F25 for me first flight. Well, blow me down! It be great, me hearties, arrr, hardly any spinning, ya bilge rat, and it went off slow enough t' get some great pictures. Ahoy! I just stuffed t' motor in, no technique t' that! This kit, like all Aerotech kits, me bucko, did nay use recovery wadding, they use a kinda meshy stuff that works great. Begad! T' motor retention be a metal hook. Arrr! you might want t' friction fit also on a RMS.

T' second flight was on a G40. That be a very fast flight, matey, t' put it mildly. It hit about 2000 feet. Aye aye! It hit about 2000 feet. I plan on flyin' this on an H73 next month after certification. Avast, me proud beauty! (L1) By t' why I am certifyin' level 1 on a Public Enemy PSYCHO.

Recovery: T' recovery o' this rocket did nay impress me one bit. At about apogee , t' parachute came out and just stripped right off t' shrouds. Begad! Blimey! Nay a pretty sight! So now I have a rocket with a steamer type recovery whippin' around its 3-foot shock cord. Also during thrust, matey, t' rails flew off. But back t' t' suspense, matey, so I had a rocket comin' down as fast as it went up. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Well finally it landed and lucky for me, Lucern Landings help a lot. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Needless t' say t' parachute was ruined. Arrr! Blimey! One of the ROC members found it on their car! Blimey! I would switch t' a Rocketman, myself, or even a Top Flight 24 inch parachute. Arrr! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 1 out o' 5

Summary: This is a great kit buildin' and thrustin' wise. I would immediately switch t' a sturdier parachute and nay put t' decorative rails on at all. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Overall this kit is worthwhile if you are willin' t' beef up construction and put another 20 bucks into it.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out o' 5

UPDATED 10/00 - OK...this is really showin' how dumb I was about rocketry 2 years ago. Blimey! Aye aye! I just came back t' see if me reviews were still thar and can't believe I gave it a 1/5 in flight. Man, as I look at t' video, shiver me timbers, it flew great, and it was me stupid buildin' techniques that screwed it, me bucko, so...oh well...its a really kewl rocket, but I still would go t' a nicer parachute. Yea...this review is stupid,... Avast! I didn't know what I was talkin' about...but ok. And I would change t' ratings to:

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 Greg Deeter
Brief: This is a single stage 2.6" diameter by 37" tall rocket currently in production by Aerotech. It is called an "Advanced Model Rocket". Construction: I do not consider this to be an "Advanced Model Rocket" as it was quite simple to build. The first Aerotech kit that I built was a Cheetah. I enjoyed that one so much I purchased the Arreaux, ...

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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