Aerotech - Mustang {Kit} (89010) [1989-]

Aerotech Mustang

Aerotech - Mustang {Kit} (89010) [1989-]

Contributed by Kris Henderson

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Manufacturer:	Aerotech
Style:	Sport

Brief:
This is a basic 4FNC kit that flies on 29mm and 24mm motors.

Construction:
The kit contains one thick body tube with pre-cut fin slots and pre-cut slots for launch lugs, 4 trapezoidal plastic fins with modified double wedge airfoil, 29mm motor mount, 24mm motor adapter, plastic nose cone, long shock cord, and 16" chute. THe kit des not include a payload section.

Huge PROs for this is kit are the pre-cut slots for everything and easy directions. The illustrations are decent but directions are pretty straight. Other PROs include the extremely sturdy body and overall construction (even though the body tube grooves are somewhat deep but are easily filled with hobby filler putty), strong fabric parachute, the thick elastic shock cord does the trick for now, and a reliable engine retention hook. Also there is the ejection baffle system that enables you to prep this thing without wadding--it works great too!

One CON is that with the plastic fins and pre-cut slots for fins and lugs, means that this kit isn't something a "real modeler" would probably be looking for. This does make for a very easy and quick kit to build, which is pretty surprising for the price you pay for one of these things. That is the other big CON: the high prices for any Aerotech rocket. (This kit is usually found for $40-$50.)

AeroTech Mustang A really important note on the Fin Lok portion of the build: Before gluing the centering rings and the Fin Loks to the motor tube, take your fins and kind of set them in the grooves of the Fin Loks to accurately measure the distance between the Loks. Doing this will ensure everything is in a straight line and that everything fits snug.

Finishing:
There are pretty deep body grooves but they are like I said easy to fill with putty and sand right out. I would recommend roughing up the plastic pieces before painting. The fins are especially smooth and paint would run all over on you if left smooth. I've read plenty of other reviews as well as have seen plenty of pictures and I realized the Mustang is one of the more popular Aerotech rockets, so I would highly recommend customizing your paint scheme. I like the idea AT has for the two tone paint but white and light gray would blend in with the sky so easily not to mention there are so many other Mustangs that finished with the stock paint scheme I didn't want mine to be "another Mustang". So I decided on Competition Orange and Jade Green metal flake. You'll notice on the picture how the fin decals kind of bounce out a bit against the orange. It looks pretty sharp in the sunlight too. Also regarding the decals, definitely follow the directions and recommendations for application. The warm water and a few drops of liquid dish soap are awesome! That is the way I'll always do mine from now on. Makes life a lot easier and makes the decals look a ton better.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
There is a plethora of different motors this rocket can handle. You can go as small as an Estes D12 but that's pretty small. You can go as big as G motors. The motor mount can take 29mm motors and also comes with a removable 24mm mount. I use my AT RMS 24/40 casing in it. So far I've only logged a flight with a RMS F12-5FJ motor on it and it was awesome. Straight up mostly (had to compensate for a little wind) with a loud, pretty slow ascent to I'm guessing between 600-700ft.

Recovery:
The chute popped right when it should have. That ejection baffle works like a dream. Better than any wadding job I've ever done. There was absolutely ZERO burns, scars, soot, anything on either shock cord or the chute after I recovered it. I didn't quite reach it in time to catch it in the air but the ground didn't even so much as dent the bottom of the body tube. This is a very sturdy rocket and will be the "go to" rocket in my quiver and probably will be for a long time. I was a little skeptical about the somewhat small chute, but after watching it descend I probably wouldn't go any more than a couple more inches bigger, if that. Where I flew it the ground was pretty forgiving (packed beach type sand and a little grass) so I won't be changing out the chute at that site. The 16" chute is big enough for me. The shock cord is not make of Kevlar®, which I would always prefer, but the length of the elastic cord was plenty long enough and will hold up to a lot of flights due mainly to the ejection baffle system.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
I have always been more of a modeler in the sense that I like to take pieces of balsa wood and sealer and turn a bunch of pieces into a flying rocket, but this kit was truly fun to build and fly! Along with the thick body tube, very well cut slots, sturdy construction, wide range of motor usage, ejection baffle system, and over all product performance, I am completely impressed and stand by Aerotech motors and their rocket kit line. I will definitely be getting another AT kit once I save enough $$$ for it. If this kit was at least $10-$15 cheaper and had a Kevlar® shock cord I would give this kit straight 5s across the board.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews

Aerotech Mustang By Mark Fisher
Aerotech has long been known to high power rocketeers for their fine motors and sturdy kits, but not too many model rocketeers have used their products. They're a lot more expensive than the average entry level stuff; the Initiator start set isn't cheap (Discount Rocketry has it for a reasonable $115.95), nor is their Interlock Launch Controller if purchased separately (I paid $39.95 for mine, ...
Aerotech Mustang By Darwin May
The Mustang is a single stage mid power rocket. The Mustang was my first mid power and first Aerotech kit. I opened the box to find one tube, a 5:1 ogive nosecone, 4 trapezoidal fins, and a beefy motor mount. The centering rings were made of black fiber material, very stiff. The shock cord was about 6' long. The nose was made out of plastic and was tethered to the end of the MMT by the ...
Aerotech Mustang By Jack Caynon
Brief: Modified to incorporate anti-zipper design. Modifications: This modification doesn't require any special tools, however, it does require an Aerotech 1.9" coupler. First, I used a hacksaw to gently cut the airframe into two parts, the lower part of the airframe with the fin slots should be 10.5" long. Then I tossed aside the engine retaining hook and used a 29mm Slimline motor retainer ...
Aerotech Mustang By Andy Tate
( Contributed - by Andy Tate - 04/10/02) Brief: Single stage mid power parachute recovery kit. Construction: Kit includes 4 "Trapezoidal with modified double wedge airfoil" fins, 1.9" body tube, Aero-Fibre" centering rings, 5:1 ogive nose cone, 6' elastic shock cord, and nylon parachute. This is extremely easy to put together. The instructions are clear ...
Aerotech Mustang By Carl Tulanko
The Aerotech Mustang is a Sport model using a 1.9" body tube and is 32" in length. It has a four fin configuration and has been designed to handle motors from the E thru G range. Aerotech kits are like the Cadillac of model rockets and this one is no different. High quality components and rugged yet simple design are what you expect to see when purchasing one of these kits. Thick walled ...
Aerotech Mustang By David Kneble
( Contributed - by David Andrew Kneble - 07/20/01) Brief: The Mustang is a rugged single stage mid-power rocket. It is easy to construct and flies on a wide range of motors from D-G. it is a perfect rocket for someone trying to get into the world of mid-power rocketry. Construction: The Mustang consists of a 24mm motor adapter tude, adapter rings, an E spacer tube, a thrust ring, ...
Aerotech Mustang By David Urbanek
Brief: Good entry level rocket for Mid-Power. There's one on every shelf on every hobby shop in America. Construction: Solid stuff through out. Thick body tube, plastic fins, plastic motor mount cage. It has a baffle and a motor clip. Initially I thought about deleting the motor clip so I could use H motors in it. Typical lack of perspective thought. I'm glad I ...

Flights

Comments:

C.J. (November 1, 1999)

Aerotech should stick to selling reloads and stay out of the rocket end of things for two reasons. First, Aerotech kits are not for a model builder. They are for someone that does not like to construct rockets but only likes to fly mid power rockets that are ready made. I bought this one for my first mid power kit and I wasn't dissatisfied until I had a problem. The E16 reload that I used caused this one to prang after 3 or 4 flights (the first several were flown on Estes D12-3's) I called Aerotech complaining about a problem that I thought was not mine. Whether I was right on my assessment or not (as to what caused the prang) was, in my opinion, immaterial. The fact that I had a problem and Aerotech was unwilling to help come to a solution left me displeased. I did go and buy the parts to repair the Mustang for less than $10. I do not think that I was being unreasonable when I asked for them to send a few replacement parts but, that's my opinion. Now, on to the better part of this. If you're going to have a prang, do it with an Aerotech kit. If this was another manufacturer, I wouldn't have been able to salvage anything. As it turned out, All I had to do was cut away the old airframe and remove the fins from the fin lock system (that wasn't too difficult) and repaint it. I liked the decals that were left on it so I taped the fins to repaint. I used some vinyl letters, taped and painted a black stripe, and I was back in business. I would have been happier if Aerotech would have been more customer oriented but, I do like the way that it turned out once I rebuilt it and I'm not going to cry about it, I just will not buy another rocket kit from them, not because the rockets are inferior (they're not).

K.D. (January 1, 2001)

The Mustang is both solid, and sleek. Definitely my favorite Aerotech kit. It also has the distinction of being the only rocket I've ever heard scream on it's way down (thanks to a "bonus" delay). I can't believe the way this thing scoots! I like that AT baffle system so much, I've been cloning it, and installing it in every rocket I build now. Just have to remember to clean out that mesh every few flights.

N.A. (May 1, 2001)

I think this is the most kick butt rocket I have. The first time I flew the Mustang was a disaster. The Mustang flew up perfectly fine then nosed over at apogee then it kept going DOWN!! Luckily it ejected just to get stuck in the highest branches of a tree! The next day I asked one of my friends to give me a pole and with a lot of tugging the rocket came down. It didn't have that much damage but a bent airfoil on one of the fins and a small dent in the body tube but hopefully it will fly again.

N.P. (November 16, 2001)

I have this rocket and after 2 flights I have to say I am quite impressed. one fin did come off after the second flight but it was easily repaired by some glue. it flew straight up both times. they were both beautiful flights. they landed about 20 feet from the launch pad. I will say that the parachute provided is ok.

K.P. (April 12, 2002)

I can't fully agree with the opinion stated on 11/99. I think Aerotech does an excellent job with their rocket kits. I would have to say they have positioned themselves perfectly as a midpower kit for those looking to graduate from Estes style kits. The construction will be familiar to anyone who has built modrocs while providing an introduction for many into some of the beefier construction techniques needed for larger motors. Such as thru the wall fin mounting and baffle ejection systems. I love my Mustang (my first mid power rocket)and have purchased several more Aerotech kits since.

E.M.Z. (July 6, 2002)

After building and flying Estes model rockets for over 20 years, I just purchased a Mustang kit. When I first opened the box, I was impressed with the quality of the kit (detailed instructions, high quality materials, etc.) It went together easily over 2-3 days. The ejection charge baffle system is a nice feature (I can't remember how many times I had to stop countdown because I couldn't remember if I put any recovery wadding in the old Estes rockets...) I can't wait to launch it.

P.V. (July 28, 2002)

The Mustang is a great little kit for the mid-power beginner. The only drawback that I can think of is it's price(like all AeroTech kits). I lucked out and got it for $33.50 at Hobbylinc.com just a day before they jacked the price up again. It flies great on a variety of motors my favorite being the F20, it is also good for a first RMS flight because it flies great on little reload E's plus it has positive motor retention included.

W.L. (March 9, 2003)

I can't believe I got this rocket for $19.37 at Hobby lobby (clearance). No parts were missing. I was impressed with the quality of the parts. Assembly was not that difficult but time consuming. Being a twelve year old, I completed this rocket in two and one-half hours. Being simple does not mean easy. The fin-loc rings were very hard to get on. I used plastic cement on the fin fillets and CA to get them on. I did not expect to assemble this rocket in one day. I have yet to paint the rocket and fly it on a D12-3.

D.B. (August 15, 2003)

The rocket was really easy to build great instructions I used cyanoacrylate like the directions stated. Primered and painted canary yellow. Looks great with the black decals. This little rocket flew great on a Estes E. I was really surprised on how well it flew on the Estes motors. I took it to are next club launch and loaded an Aerotech G64-10. The rocket shot of the pad faster then you could blink and I would say it was close to a 2500ft launch. Good recovery I'm very proud of this rocket....way to go Aerotech.

P.T. (September 5, 2005)

Excellent kit, but it really helps to have read all these reviews first. This is my first medium power rocket and this kit is very impressive in it's quality and very rugged result. Due to limited space and gusty winds, flight has been limited to Estes E engines, but it flies great and should last a long time - however - the elastic shock card is showing some fraying and will need to be replaced which will prove very tricky. Definitely consider using a heavier (Kevlar® or steel) leader from the mounting screw to the end of the body tube if you are building this kit.

G.W. (April 28, 2006)

Great kit - the reviews are right on! I started assembling mine with CA per the directions, and I managed to permanently glue the adapter in the motor tube while installing the thrust ring assembly. I should've been more careful with my CA placement in this phase. I ended up buying a replacement motor mount kit which I then assembled with epoxy. I also made a double loop Kevlar® leader which was attached to the screw eye on the baffle. The Kevlar® leader stopped just inside the top of the body tube, and I attached the kit shock cord to it. I've only flown it once so far on an E15-7W, but both the flight and recovery were flawless!

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