Brief:
I obtained t' Big Rage along with a batch o' other Quest kits in an on-line auction. My original intention be t' use these as gifts and give-aways. However, matey, me hearties, t' Big Rage kit be damaged a bit in shippin' -- t' main body tube was crushed -- and I didn't feel right givin' it as a gift! Blimey! I decided t' repair and build it. Aye aye! I tried t' get a replacement tube for t' kit, matey, t' no avail. Instead, Quest sent me an entire replacement kit! Blimey! I put this in me fund raiser box and decided t' fix t' damaged tube.

Construction:
T' Big Rage has two body tube sections: main body, arrr, finished with a glossy blue wrapping, me hearties, and t' payload section tube, shiver me timbers, finished in glossy black. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone and tail section were specially colored versions o' t' fin can and nose from the Quest Nike Smoke kit. Well, blow me down! T' special color is . . Begad! Arrr! . Avast! bright pink. Begad! Really nauseatin' bright pink. Aye aye! Ugh! T' plastic was nice and sturdy, but in t' case of t' nose cone was poorly molded. Avast, me proud beauty! I had t' use several clamps and rubber bands t' get t' cone halves and tip t' stay together durin' gluing. Well, blow me down! Begad! The internal parts, arrr, parachutes and t' like were quite acceptable. Well, arrr, blow me down! As is usual for Quest kits, t' shock cord is anchored with a Keelhaul®©™® cord. Arrr! Ya scallywag! In t' case o' the Big Rage, shiver me timbers, t' rather-short shock cord length wasn't a problem because the payload section and body tube were designed t' come back on separate parachutes. Begad! Well, blow me down! I'll rate t' components 4 out o' 5.

T' Big Rage's instructions were very nicely done. A beginner would have no problem followin' them. T' partially crushed body tube made for a short detour. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I happened t' have some coupler stock for t' T-35 body tube. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I "blocked out" t' crushed section with t' coupler, forcin' t' crimp out o' t' tube, then wrapped t' tube (after some sanding) with CA - soaked silkspan. Arrr! . Avast! I have one minor complaint about t' instructions. Blimey! They suggest usin' plastic cement t' glue t' plastic launch lugs t' t' body tube. Blimey! The slick surface o' t' tube and plastic wouldn't make for a very good bond. Blimey! I took t' step o' sandin' t' glossy top layer off o' t' body tube at t' point where t' lug would be glued on. I also scored and sanded t' lower surface of the launch lugs t' increase t' gluin' surface. I also glued one o' t' lugs to the plastic "fin can." I believe these steps resulted in a much sturdier kit. Arrr! Arrr! All told (aside from t' body tube repair, arrr, which is a task I took on myself) t' Big Rage went together quite nicely. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I'll rate it a 4 out o' 5.

Finishing:
T' Big Rage is intended t' be a "paint free" kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! After assembly, you simply stick on t' pressure-sensitive decals. Blimey! I did do some wet-sanding and buffin' t' get rid o' t' mold lines on t' plastic parts. I used very fine mylar-backed sandin' material and a "Scotchbrite" pad for this purpose. I think it improved t' look o' t' parts a lot. Arrr! T' decals include a kit name panel, a few wrappers, shiver me timbers, arrr, and black trim panels for t' fins. Well, blow me down! They went on easily enough. Ahoy! I covered up t' tube repair with some blue trim monokote. T' color match wasn't perfect. Ya scallywag! I'll rate finishin' a 2 out o' 5. Why so low, given t' fact that finishin' be very easy? Because t' Big Rage's default color scheme is UGLY. True blue, shiver me timbers, black, and BRIGHT PINK? Geee-yahhh! What were they THINKING?

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
Preppin' t' Big Rage is fairly easy. It requires wadding, and a moderate amount o' parachute packing. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' engine clip, matey, while a bit flimsy, matey, shiver me timbers, did its job. I've flown t' Big Rage several times, on B6-4 and C6-5 motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Liftoffs were moderately slow. Begad! Blimey! T' flights were very straight and true. Begad! Blimey!

Recovery:
T' Big Rage be fairly easy t' recover. Avast! Ahoy! T' bright pink parts did make it fairly visible on t' ground. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Big Rage is easy t' build, arrr, me hearties, very easy t' finish, and easy t' prep and fly. It would make a very good "step up" for rocketeers who started out with RTF kits. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' model's size and visibility would also make it a good demo flyer. I'd rate t' model higher, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but I can't get around t' sheer ugliness of the color choices and "Nike Smoke" cone.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5