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

Aerotech Wart-Hog

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

Contributed by Frank Casey

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Manufacturer:	Aerotech
Style:	Sport

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
Motor hook
Fin-Lok rings - 4 fin
Centering rings
Fins
Cooling mesh
Ejection gas baffle
Screw eye
Shock cord
Body tube
Launch lugs
Nose cone (blow molded)
Adhesive decal sheet
Parachute (rip-stop nylon)
"F" spacer tubes
Channel tunnels
Instructions

The instructions were straight forward and easy to follow. The actual build was easier than a lot of smaller model rockets I have built, mostly because there isn't any balsa to deal with. The nose cone and fins are plastic and CA is used throughout the build.

Finishing:
Finishing was fairly easy. The instructions caution the builder to make sure the paint is compatible with high impact polystyrene plastic. I used Painters Touch and had no problems.

I selected to paint the model close to what the box cover art reflects. I did not fill the tube spirals which weren't all that bad. I simply applied primer, sanded, re-applied primer and then the top coats.

The kit utilized stick on decals which are not my favorite type of decal, but they went on well and have not come off after over ten flights.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
{short description of image} The rocket does not require wadding because it uses a Labyrinth ejection gas cooling system which works very well.

So far I have launched the rocket on the following 24mm RMS motors; E18-4w, E28-4W, F12-3J.

I've had some excellent flights and a couple of poor ones. The F12 didn't push the rocket to comfortable altitude, while the E28 really gets it up in a hurry. On the very first launch on an E28-4T one of the legs of my Estes Maxi Launch pad snapped off under the stress of the launch. Since that time I haven't had any other launch pad related issues.

This is a great flier. It's a very rugged rocket. The tip of one fin did break on one landing, but that's because it landed directly on a rock. I was able to repair the damage to my satisfaction with no adverse affects.

Recovery:
{short description of image} The rocket uses a long elastic shock cord that attaches to the ejection baffle with a screw eye. The chute is a bright yellow rip-stop nylong chute which does a very good job of bringing the rocket down safely.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This is a great kit for someone looking to step up from the standard low power model build to something that uses larger engines, has a lot of punch and can take a lot of abuse.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Other Reviews

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, ...
Aerotech Wart-Hog By Kevin Fisher
( Contributed - by Kevin Fisher - 10/21/00) Brief: This is a great rocket. This is a great rocket. It was the second mid power rocket I built and it was very challenging yet easy enough for the average builder. This is the same for all Aerotech kits. This kit runs on Aerotech composite motors. I would use an E15-4W at the least. Construction: As with all ...

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!!

Post a Comment