Rogue Aerospace Gnat

Rogue Aerospace - Gnat

Contributed by Nick Esselman

Manufacturer: Rogue Aerospace
[Picture](02/28/98) I thought it would be fun to have another mini from a non-Estes company for a comparison to my newly build Estes Quark. I found that Rogue Aerospace was ready to help out with their mini-rocket, the Gnat.

This kit comes in a package smaller than a credit card and only as thick as the body tube. There are only 4 parts in the kit, along with thorough instructions. You will need a hobby knife, sandpaper and glue to assemble this kit.

Construction of this kit is also simple. A fin template is cut from the instructions, allowing three fins to be cut from the single sheet of balsa provided using a hobby knife. Once cut out, holding all three tightly, the fins are sanded to be made equal in size. Then the leading and trailing edges are rounded.[Picture]

With fins completed, assembly was done in about 15 minutes. Three fins, a balsa nose cone and a launch lug were all quickly adhered to the body tube with CA. Last steps included applying 5-minute epoxy fin fillets and thinly sealing the fins and nose cone with epoxy. After drying, it was ready for finishing.

Light sanding along with Plasti-Kote primer and some left over bright red enamel paint put a quick and smooth finish on the Gnat. There are no decals provided with this kit.

[provided by MJW]

When finished, my Gnat checked in at 4.2", by far the shortest rocket I have! Also, since I did purchase the Gnat for comparison sake to the Estes Quark, I think it is fair to mention that the Quark lists for $3.49 while the Gnat lists for $0. 99. Things that make you go hmmmmm?

This Gnatwas launched on an 1/2A3 and was out of sight in no time. Be sure to designate a spotter who is set back a bit from the launch pad. Being right under the pad can cause you to quickly loose sight of this little guy. It's tumble recovery and size means that you shouldn't take your eyes off of it!

I have since added a comparison on Mini Tumble-Recovery Rockets - See Here.

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