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, sport-scale rocket. My kit be t' 18/18mm version, arrr, however, me bucko, me hearties, it also comes in a 24/18mm version.

CONSTRUCTION:

This be really t' first scale kit that I have put together. Aye aye! Avast! It is approximately 1/12th scale.

T' instructions had 11 pages. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There is a brief summary about t' real WAC Corporal, me bucko, two pages o' interestin' "Notes on Adhesives" which you should review since you do use different glues for different assembly steps. Begad! Blimey! T' assembly instructions were broken down into three sections: t' Tiny Tim Booster, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, t' WAC Corporal upper stage, arrr, arrr, me hearties, and final construction. Ahoy! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 1/16" dowels t' attach t' t' upper and lower telescopin' tubes, ya bilge rat, 4 strips o' styrene and 3 precut fins as its main components.

Assembly required some patience and finesse. Aye aye! Arrr! Rubber bands (supplied) were needed t' hold t' dowels in place for gluin' and it was necessary t' really check for alignment. Well, me bucko, blow me down!

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, me bucko, all o' which go under t' three fins. Ahoy! Begad! Gluin' these on also required rubber bands and CA glue. Ya scallywag! You also have t' mark and groove t' t' accommodate t' strips.

T' WAC Corporal's main components are a body tube, arrr, shiver me timbers, motor mount, Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, me bucko, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, elastic shock cord, ya bilge rat, balsa nose cone with 2 nose weights (washers) and an eye-screw, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast! Begad!

T' instructions include nice illustrations for t' shapin' o' t' fins. I like how t' instructions say, "If you want a slightly less scale fin, shiver me timbers, simply round all edges o' t' fins except t' root edge." I didn't. Well, blow me down! I worked hard at gettin' t' shape like t' illustrations. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! This little offset is nice t' prevent t' rod from rubbin' t' rocket body, matey, 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. Aye aye! Blimey! They do nay have retainin' hardware. Arrr! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! A swivel and 12" Mylar parachute finish t' recovery system.

I could go on, because thar was actually quite a lot t' buildin' this kit. 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. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Aerospace Speciality Products has made t' claim that they offer "Kits YOU Build!". Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I agree and encourage others t' give one o' their kits a try. Well, blow me down! Arrr! If for no other reason but t' pick up on some o' t' various techniques used. Aye aye! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I then followed t' color scheme described in t' instructions. Arrr! I had one issue when me black reacted with me yellow. Ahoy! I had t' re-sand and clean it up then repaint. Avast! Ahoy! Happens every now and then when you mix brands and types o' paint. Ahoy! I guess I should always test . . Ya scallywag! . Ya scallywag!

Overall, matey, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Avast, me proud beauty! Take your time and read all o' t' text. Begad! It would have been good t' have some wrap-around type o' fin markin' guides although this be nay a big issue. Ya scallywag! 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, B4-4, matey, B6-4, and C6-5 (or 7). Begad! T' recommended motors for t' two-stage are B6-0, me bucko, C6-0 with an A8-3 (or 5), B6-6, or C6-7.

I first flew me kit as a single stage on an A8-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Bein' able t' observe t' whole flight I was able t' see that it was still climbin' fast at ejection. At ejection t' nose cone separated with t' parachute and t' main body fell t' t' ground. Ahoy! Arrr! 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. Begad! 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. Blimey! It, no doubt, me bucko, didn't help that it was still travelin' upward. Begad! Begad! 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. Ahoy! T' second stage ignited and took off, while t' booster turned and "flew" straight and stable downward into t' ground. Ya scallywag! This impact broke one o' t' dowels that hold t' telescopin' tube. Well, blow me down! It should be repairable.

I didn't see ejection, me bucko, me hearties, however, after recovery it was obvious that it wasn't at apogee. Avast! 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. Begad! 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, I flew t' WAC Corporal again as a single stage on a C6-7. Well, blow me down! It be still goin' up at ejection and upon recovery t' upper portion o' t' body tube be badly damaged.

On t' positive side, matey, Aerospace Speciality Products has made an excellent gap-boost design. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! There is a 6" space betwixt t' top o' t' booster motor and t' bottom o' t' sustainer motor. Ya scallywag! Blimey! With t' removable stagin' tube, it can look realistic on t' stand and still function in flight.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 2 points. Ya scallywag! Avast! 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. It was certainly a straight a fast flier, ya bilge rat, but use t' longer delays. Ya scallywag! 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, me hearties, t' WAC Corporal with Tiny Tim Booster be a challengin' kit t' build utilizin' many build techniques. It be fun t' be able t' learn them and see t' results in a sharp lookin' sport-scale model. Arrr! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 points.