Public Build - Semroc WAC Corporal

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Project_Gemini

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Well, it has officially happened. After 21 years I am building a rocket again. I built today for two hour but the excitement is back. I forgot how much I missed picking wood glue off my hands, sneezing because sawdust flies up my nose, and many other joyful things.

I picked the WAC Corporal because I am interested in US Army rocket/missile history. What better rocket to start than the original sounding rocket, that started it all.

I understand this is a very easy kit to build, but it has been 21 years. I needed to start somewhere and it will only get better from here. Please feel free to give me tips, advice, or critisism. That is the oly way I will get better, you wont hurt my feeling. So without further ado here is my public build.

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20180131_145930.jpg
• This is a good start, all the pieces are in the bag, and my kid is asleep in the monitor. Time to get to work.

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• Wow, I forgot how time consuming it was to sand fins. This took up most of my time, due to my OCD. It felt like an accomplishment looking at the mound of sawdust.

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• I brushed on the wood filler so I could begin the motor mount as they were drying. Got half way through the motor mount and the kid woke up from his nap. Time to switch gear.

More to come...
 
You're off to a good start. I hope you and your son will fly rockets together in a few years.

Sheryl
 
Thank you for the kind words. My son is currently two and a half, so it is not far away. I picked up this rocket so I could build it and launch it for him, in the back yard. It has been 21 years since I was in the hobby, and I got back into it to give him an opportunity to experience it.
You're off to a good start. I hope you and your son will fly rockets together in a few years.

Sheryl
 
Welcome back project_gemini ! You may have heard this before but you are now a Born Again Rocketeer - loud and proud ! I predict fun times ahead for you and the little guy.
It looks like you're already following one piece of advice my model airplane-building uncle gave me; clean space = clean build. I still struggle with that one. :eek:
It takes a little forethought and extra effort to do a build thread so thanks for this.
 
I open the package on mine probably 2 years ago. I looked at that fin sanding jig and put it away. One day, when I feel like I won't screw it up, I'll give it a go.
 
Welcome back project_gemini ! You may have heard this before but you are now a Born Again Rocketeer - loud and proud ! I predict fun times ahead for you and the little guy.
It looks like you're already following one piece of advice my model airplane-building uncle gave me; clean space = clean build. I still struggle with that one. :eek:
It takes a little forethought and extra effort to do a build thread so thanks for this.

Thank you for the greeting. I am enjoying being a BAR, it has been a long time. I really hope my son enjoys the hobby as much as I did when I was young. Only time will tell though. My work space is clean because it is new. Once I get some projects under my belt it will not be like that, I promise.

I open the package on mine probably 2 years ago. I looked at that fin sanding jig and put it away. One day, when I feel like I won't screw it up, I'll give it a go.

It might have been a mistake but I did not use the jig. The instructions were not very clear on how to use it. I did all the sanding using my good ol' calibrated eyeballs. We will see on the firest flight if this was a bad idea. I will let you know how it goes.
 
... My work space is clean because it is new. Once I get some projects under my belt it will not be like that, I promise. ...

Ha Ha, no doubt. Still a good ideal to strive for. A couple of ace builders on here are much better at walkin' the walk than i am. Here are the links to 2 kit vendors with some nice scale offerings you might want to check out:

Rocketarium
https://www.rocketarium.com/Rockets/Scale?sort=20a&page=1

ASP
https://www.asp-rocketry.com/ecommerce/ASP-Scale-Model-Rocket-Kits.cfm?cat_id=8


... and some scale data preserved on the Wayback Machine. Not every link is still valid but what's there is gold.
https://web.archive.org/web/2008060...line.com/jimball/jimball/scale-data/scale.htm
 
It might have been a mistake but I did not use the jig. The instructions were not very clear on how to use it. I did all the sanding using my good ol' calibrated eyeballs. We will see on the firest flight if this was a bad idea. I will let you know how it goes.

I'm sure it wasn't a bad idea, it's just exactly 'scale'. I'll probably just round off the leading and trailing edges as normal & fly it.
 
Ha Ha, no doubt. Still a good ideal to strive for. A couple of ace builders on here are much better at walkin' the walk than i am. Here are the links to 2 kit vendors with some nice scale offerings you might want to check out:

Rocketarium
https://www.rocketarium.com/Rockets/Scale?sort=20a&page=1

ASP
https://www.asp-rocketry.com/ecommerce/ASP-Scale-Model-Rocket-Kits.cfm?cat_id=8


... and some scale data preserved on the Wayback Machine. Not every link is still valid but what's there is gold.
https://web.archive.org/web/2008060...line.com/jimball/jimball/scale-data/scale.htm

Yeah, I plan on buying the ASP Corporal (24mm) for my next project. I forgot how much I disliked building 18mm rockets. Very small details that piss me off, haha.

I'm sure it wasn't a bad idea, it's just exactly 'scale'. I'll probably just round off the leading and trailing edges as normal & fly it.

Yeah, the instructions are very confusing. This one won't be perfectly to scale, hope the scale Gods do not look down upon me.
 
Yeah, I plan on buying the ASP Corporal (24mm) for my next project. I forgot how much I disliked building 18mm rockets. Very small details that piss me off, haha.



Yeah, the instructions are very confusing. This one won't be perfectly to scale, hope the scale Gods do not look down upon me.

The fin template is just an aid to help you find the center of the fin edges. By marking the centerline with a pencil it helps you sand the proper bevels without oversanding one side. Don't sweat it, it's not essential. Welcome back, hope you and your son enjoy the hobby for many years to come.
 
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