Wildman Rocketry - Drago {Kit}

Wildman Rocketry Drago

Wildman Rocketry - Drago {Kit}

Contributed by Gene Wolski

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2011-10-19
Manufacturer:	Wildman Rocketry

Brief

The Drago is a 54mm all fiberglass, 3FNC rocket with a 29mm motor mount. I plan to fly it with a variety of G and H motors.

Components

Kit includes:

Fiberglass airframe (36" long)
Fiberglass nose cone and bulk plate
29mm motor tube (10" long)
Fiberglass centering rings (2)
Fiberglass fins(3)
24" parachute
15' of 1/4" tubular Kevlar shock cord

Additional components used:

Small rail buttons
Aeropack 29mm motor retainer

Construction

Excellent instructions and overall straight forward construction. All parts were sanded with 80 grit sandpaper where the epoxy would be applied. I used 45 minute epoxy for all joints as well as the external fin fillets.

Only deviations:

I installed rail buttons vs. the 1/4" launch lug.
I installed a 29mm Aeropack retainer.

The fins on my kit appear to have tabs that are too large - I liked the look so I left them as is. I've read about others with similar experience who sanded the tabs shorter.

Finishing

I decided to keep the paint job simple and jazz up the rocket with some decals. I coated the entire rocket in Krylon Gray Primer followed by Rustoleum #7250 Black Night Metallic. I applied holographic Drago vinyl decals from Stickershock followed by several light coats of Krylon Clear. Simple but awesome looking in the sunshine!

Construction Score: 5

Flight

4/3/2011 at Culpeper with Tripoli Central Virginia on an AT G79-W (29/120 case). I drilled the delay from 10 seconds to 8 and installed the motor in the rocket.

Great launch and smoke trail - I got wrapped up in watching the rocket and didn't get a launch pic.

Recovery

The kit included 15' of kevlar shock cord and a 24" parachute. I wrapped the chute in a kevlar chute protector before packing the recovery gear in the rocket.

Excellent recovery! Great landing and no damage whatsover.

Flight Rating: 5