Wildman Darkstar Jr.

From the point of its aluminum tipped nose cone to the back of the motor mount, the Darkstar Jr oozes style.  And it does so without sacrificing performance.  Flying on 38mm motors (or 29mm with an adapter, not included) it is a rugged rocket that can be a utility craft to fly every launch or to go supersonic and well out of sight on special occasions.

We rank this particular kit as a Skill Level 4 rocket on the Apogee Components complexity scale.

The reason this is a Skill Level 4 rocket kit is that you have to make some modifications to the fiberglass parts to get them to fit properly. You will have to make your own templates and cut some of the fiberglass parts to get them assembled correctly. There are no printed instructions in this kit! 

While only 2.24 inches in diameter, the Darkstar Jr. is built of extremely rugged materials that could cause substantial damage if launched carelessly.  Even without the motor, this rocket is weighs around 3 pounds (1.4 kg) and thus, despite the fiberglass construction not making it any more difficult to assemble, extra safety precausions are required when it is flown.  While this looks like a relatively small rocket when built, it is not.  In flight it can posess a staggering amount of kinetic energy.  This is absolutely a rocket for someone who understands the requirements of high-power construction and flight safety.

In addition, while it is very precisely machined, it will require some additional machining during assembly.  Many holes need to be drilled and some amount of sanding or grinding may be required for final fitment of parts (for instance, in the corners of the fin slots).  And, unlike a kit with a cardboard tube and wooden fins, this kit must be assembled with epoxy.  Together the fiberglass and epoxy demand that health and safety precautions be followed to prevent potential complications due to fiberglass dust in the lungs or on the skin, or developing a sensitivity to epoxy resin.  A dusk mask and protective gloves are the minimum precautions recommended for construction.

There are also some parts left out of this kit that are often included in a kit like this.  There are no rail buttons, parachute, or shock cord.  This has the downside of requiring a separate purchase of these parts but it has the distinct advantage of allowing the builder to choose these particular parts.  Let's face it, if you're ready to tackle this kit, you probably already have preferences when it comes to the launch and recovery hardware that you use.

Despite some of the challenges that this kit presents, however, finishing it is a pure dream.  The surface of the nose cone, fins, and body tubes are exceptionally smooth.  Moreover, since they have been ground, they have a matte texture rather than an overly glossy one and, as such, they can be primed after no more prep than wiping off any surface dust.

Printed Instructions

There are no printed instructions provided by Wildman Hobbies that are specific for this kit. There are a lot of unanswered questions you probably will have. If you've never built a fiberglass high-power rocket before, you may have questions on what techniques, tools and adhesives to use.  

To help guide you through the process of building a fiberglass rocket kit, we suggest you watch our YouTube videos.

Video 1: Introduction (shown above) - Designing the E-bay part 1.

Video 2: Designing the E-bay part 2. Creating the hole pattern for the aft centering ring.

Video 3: Drilling the holes in the centering ring. Test fitting the fins onto the engine mount tube. Scuffing up the tube in preparation for assembly.

Video 4: Test fitting the fins onto the engine mount tube. Scuffing up the tube in preparation for assembly.

Video 5: Tack-glue the fins onto the engine mount tube. Install the rail buttons into the tube.

Video 6: Adding internal fillets to attach the fins onto the engine mount tube using RocketPoxy.

Video 7: Adding the external fin fillets onto the rocket using RocketPoxy.

Video 8: Desiging the e-bay sled using the Mach 1 parts kit.

Video 9: Starting the construction of the fiberglass e-bay sled and sanding the tubes for the all-thread.

Video 10: Creating a template to position the tubes to the sled to align the sled into the ebay.

Video 11: Mounting the tubes to the sled using Bond-Aide epoxy.

Video 12: Assembly of the hardware on the e-bay sled, and final assembly of the rocket.

Q. The motor tube in this rocket is only 10 inches long. What do you do when installing motors that are longer than the length of the motor tube?

A. You don't need to do anything extra. As with any high-power rocket kit, the Darkstar Jr. does NOT contain a motor block ring. Therefore the motor will project out the forward end of the tube and into the parachute compartment. There is enough room in the parachute compartment to allow for long motors. The shock cord for the rocket is out of the way, since it is anchored to the forward centering ring on the engine mount.

• Pencil
• Ruler

• Masking Tape

• Hobby Knife - Hobby with #11 Blade

• Adhesives - CA Glue (super glue), medium viscosity

• Adhesives - Cyanoacrylate (super glue)

• Adhesives - CA Glue (super glue), water-thin viscosity. We recommend the applicator tip to go on the bottle

• Adhesives - 15 minute epoxy

• Adhesives - RocketPoxy - 2-Quart Package
• Long Dowel To Spread Glue Inside The Body Tube
• 2-56 Tap and Drill Set for shear pin installation

• 15' of shock cord (either Tubular Nylon or #1500 Kevlar)

• 7/64" Drill Bit, 3/16" Drill Bit, and hand drill.

• Sanding Block (or Sanding Tee)

• Set of standard rail buttons 

• Acetone (nail polish remover) to clean up drips of epoxy
• Bucket of soapy water and a sponge & paper towels
• Disposable rubber or vinyl gloves
• Particle mask for sanding fiberglass
• Finishing Supplies like sanding sealer, paint and sandpaper (200 and 400 grit).
• Dust Mask

• 5/32" Drill bit and portable electric hand drill for installing removable rivets

• Motor Retention - Suggested: 38P Aeropack Retainer

• Parachute. This rocket kit does not contain a parachute, and you'll have to add one before flying. The manufacturer recommends a 36-inch diameter parachute.

• Recovery Wadding - Reusable
• Rocket Motors - See the motor selection tab.

• Launch Pad & Controller - See FAQs tab for recommended choices.

• Aluminum angle for drawing lines on the body tube, or the Estes Ultimate Tube Marking Guide
• Dual-Deployment Altimeter and mounting hardware
• Safety Glasses
• Small Jeweler's files

• Rotary Tool (like a Dremel) - with sanding drum to speed the scuffing of the parts prior to epoxying them together.

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Justin G. -- 08/07/2023