Adding an Aeropack 38mm thin wall retainer and drilling several holes into the booster tube to match the previous ones finished the build (version 2). The comparison to the first booster section was striking considering the first booster took a minute of motor burnout on the pad.
Being able to see through the Wild Thang is really cool. Here, lined up with the rest of the day's launch fleet, the Wild Thang Jr has a completely different aura. Its long sleek lines with the distinctive W cut into the fins make for a mean looking dart. Several folks commented on the good looking rocket as I walked up to the RSO table for check in.
(Photo Credit: Rob Heil)
A previously assembled H178 Dark Matter motor, left over from a cancelled launch, ended up propelling the Wild Thang for its maiden flight to 1,900 feet at Snow Ranch. Launch weight was 5.4 lbs. The Adept 22 performed as intended blowing first the drogue at apogee and then the main chute at 500 feet. The tiny shear pins kept any chance of premature separation of e-bay or nose cone from happening although, with gentle acceleration forces, they probably weren't needed. It was more important to know that the ejection charges were sufficient to assure the pins would shear.
On retrieval, it was discovered that the metal nose cone tip had loosened up. There will have to be a more permanent solution to keep that from happening again.
Overall, the kit turned out to be as advertised - a rugged and handsome mid-sized performance machine. The metal tip, FWFG nose cone, translucent thin wall red tubing and distinctive 3/16" fins make this a feature rich kit with great value at a retail price of $125.99. Upcoming 38mm I and J motors should expand the performance envelope to its full potential. Anyone want to Drag Race?