RocketReviews.com - Odd'l Rockets - Wedgie

Manufacturer: Odd'l Rockets
Diameter: 4.875 inches
Skill Level: 3
Style: Odd-Roc, Pyramid

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Brief

A flying pyramid odd-roc with plenty of skin/decorating options...

Components

I'll take the easy road and just post a concurring/second opinion to Dick's thorough review. I purchased my kit in the fall of 2011, and the components have not changed.

Construction

This is definitely not your simple 3-fin model, so reading the fairly good instructions is a must. I would generally agree that the "sanding guide" and approach used to bevel the 3 sides for a flush fit is the weakest part of the project. I spent just a couple minutes before recognizing the futility and decided to just eyeball it. My main issue was that the sides are about 8" tall, the the template lines up against the bottom edge. Trying to sand a consistent angle all the way up by looking at how you're doing relative to the bottom edge is not exactly an exact science. I wound up just using a 10" long sanding block and going smoothly along the side all at once, then comparing it to the template, tweaking a bit here and there. In the end, I realized it's mainly just to make sure I've got a good glue joint, so I filled the gaps and imperfections and covered them up with the skins afterwards.

I'd also suggest two deviations from the sequence of steps in building this. First, as Dick figured out after the fact, cutting out the small opening for the launch rod BEFORE gluing everything together is a little bit easier, mainly because you can work on a flat surface/cutting mat. Second, that little limewood brace that anchors the shock cord in place is a bugger to get in there far enough up to be out of the way. I think anchoring that to one side before putting them together would allow for better placement and probably a more secure glue joint.

Overall, this was a little more challenging build than I'd anticipated, and I don't mean that in a bad way. From the outside of the bag I'd figured it would be a quick cut/glue job and a few minutes of work, but it wound up taking a good couple hours making sure everything fit, was securely constructed, and rugged enough to handle multiple flights.

Finishing

By the time I'd purchased my kit, there were a number of skins available through the Odd'l Rockets web page, including the Point (shown in Dick's review), a brown brick pattern, an NAR logo, and a Christmas tree. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to fly a Christmas tree, since at time of build it was only a few days before our NAR section's last launch before Christmas. The skins are self-service--download and print on your own, and require a little bit of attention following the instructions. You need to print 3 copies of a base pattern, but trim 2 of the 3 slightly differently to avoid having exposed overlap tabs. I attached using a spray 3M adhesive, and had no wrinkling problems. I did find the tree image fell slightly outside the borders/lines, so part of my tree topper is chopped off, and the graphic is hacked a bit at the bottom. I suspect that's just an issue with the tree skin, though, not affecting the other styles.

Construction Score: 4

Flight

I flew the inagural flight on a B6-2 on a fairly calm day. The recommended motor is a C6-3, and I tipped slightly off the straight-up path when clearing the rod, not quite a weathercock but headed a bit upwind. The C6 would probably have eliminated that, but I wanted to go for a low first flight. The flight was fine, though, not a problem. Deployment was just about perfect.

Recovery

Given my final weight of 1.8 ounces (without motor), the streamer is a bit undersized for this and it came down a little fast. It's rear ejection, so will always come down nose/pointed end down. The combination of brisk descent rate and pointy tip hitting the ground first is going to result in a few flattened tops unless you're flying over very soft ground. Mine didn't suffer major damage, but it was clear after just the first landing that the tip would need ongoing maintenance/repairs. I'll probably upgrade to a 15" chute unless winds are going to carry it too far away.

Flight Rating: 3