Scarab 54 vs Wild Thang Jr build challenge

[DavidMcCann]

you need photos.

times 2

 

[Mr G]

At yesterday's LUNAR launch at Snow Ranch, the WTJ on an I218 Redline performed flawlessly albeit a bit lower at apogee than predicted. Open Rocket estimated 2,770 ft but the Adept 22 beeped out 2,330 ft.

The Scarab, on the other hand, exceeded expected altitude by almost 20%, poking a hole in the cloud deck during the 8-sec I59 White Lightning/Warp-9 burn up to 4,722 ft. Turns out the Open Rocket file was almost a pound over on weight compared to the pre-launch weigh in. I'll have to go back and re-weigh components and adjust the OR data accordingly for more accurate future performance predictions.

The I59 exhaust captured in the photo shows a gap in visible flame that is interesting. Maybe is was due to both White Lightning and Warp-9 grains burning simultaneously at the start? And the I59 really doesn't put out that much smoke in the photo. LUNAR had a mass launch to mark 25 years and another rocket had just been launched.

 

[CPUTommy]

Scarab 54 on a CTI J

https://youtu.be/4ceXLBDZX9g

yeah.. seems to have went higher than expected... LOL

 

[Mr G]

Just ordered from Wildman I435 Blue Thunder for the Scarab and I285, I366, I600 and J285 Redline reloads for the Wild Thang. Should make for an increasingly exciting winter/Spring launch season. Happy that rains are finally coming to Northern California with visibility and launch conditions getting better.

 

[Mr G]

After a bit of a launch draught through much of 2019, the WTJ started eating motors again with an I366R at Snow Ranch in January 2020. It was the end of a cloudy, windy day and I lost sight after it disappeared in a thin cloud layer on the way down, coming in drouge-less. Some kind people turned it in to the lost and found at the March launch - so it sat in the open for 60 days. On tear down, other than some rust on nuts and some fade on part of the blue RT 38/600 case and body tube decals, the rocket and electronics were unscathed.

Surprisingly, both the Jolly Logic Altimeter 3 and Adept A22, once charged up, were in working order. Apogee was 3,485 feet. The bummer was finding that the main ejection charge on the A22 did not fire.

Multiple lessons learned on the flight - don't wait to the end of the day for higher altitude flights; flying through cloud decks, however thin, is not a good idea; and waiting until installing the new tracker would have saved a lot of mindless hunting and angst over losing a rocket and all its expensive components.

The WTJ proved once again that it is a capable performer and plenty tough, coming in flat but hot with no damage to the 3/32" thick G10 fins. Next up will be an I600 Redline (with a tracker onboard!).

 

[Mr G]

The max altitude J825 Redline flight finally happened last weekend at TCC's Dairy Aire launch. The J825 was the last in a series of Redlines, starting with an I218R launched March of 2018, through an I285R, I366R and I600R before this flight.

Switched out the Quark for an RRC2+ altimeter, added an Eggfinder tracker and stuffed in the 38/1080 motor. Launch weight was 5.8 lbs. The motor chuffed just long enough that the camera I was holding pitched up enough to lose focus so there is just this pre-flight photo.

The J825R packs a punch! 975Ns burned in 1.2 seconds. It was hard to follow the last part of the ascent as there was a 2.5 second gap after the 14 second delay tracking smoke was exhausted before apogee. No one saw an event or the descent so I was completely dependent on the tracker that displayed a lateral distance of 3,500 feet upwind of launch. Driving slowly along the dirt roads bordering crop fields, the tracker proved to be spot on, directing me on foot at the end to the center of a smaller field. I had no idea what to expect as there was no way to know if the ejection charges fired. It was nice to come up to the recovery site and see all components in good shape. The RRC2+ beeped out 7,462 ft - a new altitude record for me!

So, the challenge is complete for the Wild Thang Jr. It is a fantastic all around kit that is a convenient size, virtually indestructible, looks really cool, can fit a tracker, and handle a wide range of motors. Highly recommended!

There is still the I435 Blue Thunder for the shorter Scarab. That flight sims to 4,480 feet - no match for the Wild Thang, but it will still be fun to experience. And then this saga will be over.

 

[Mr G]

Was able to download the tracker data and confirmed the flight path and apogee.

 

[Rocketjunkie]

My Scarab has 8 flights, ranging from 1000' on a H73 to 4100' on a CTI 38-3g I170.