Construction:
My Nike-K is actually very old, havin' been built in 1992, but I feel this reflects t' t' overall quality o' t' design. Well, blow me down! I have bought a new kit to compare t' two, ya bilge rat, and it is pretty much identical t' t' early one. Ahoy! Quest packages their parts separately so it is easy t' find parts for subassembly. Arrr!

This kit has standard paper tubes for t' body, ya bilge rat, arrr, payload section, and motor mount. Begad! Blimey! T' nose, matey, fin unit, me bucko, and transition are all molded o' a very rugged plastic, matey, and t' shock cord is a combination o' tough Keelhaul®©™® and fabric elastic. This is one o' t' few manufacturers that actually includes enough shock cord material!! All t' parts were thar and in good shape.

T' instructions are very simple and well arranged, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and I feel anyone could build this kit after one or two more basic kits. Aye aye! Blimey! T' motor mount and centering rings are color-coded t' ease identification. Avast! Ya scallywag! This kit built very nicely with the exception o' t' fact t' top plastic rin' o' t' fin unit fit very tightly and I creased me motor mount tube tryin' t' press it on. Arrr! Sandin' t' fin unit and t' two plastic rings are a good idea. Ahoy!

Only basic supplies are needed (white and plastic model glues), matey, arrr, and t' only tools I used were a 6" ruler and a hobby knife. Begad! Blimey! T' shock cord mount is not difficult t' do, but pay careful attention t' t' instructions and make sure you do it right. Begad! Blimey!

Finishing:
Finishin' this kit is a snap. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Quest colors t' body tubes gloss white and the plastic is molded in a high-visibility orange. I painted t' tubes with Testors gloss white t' seal them, and did t' plastic parts with Pactra fluorescent orange. Avast! T' decals need a lot o' trimming, and you must be careful t' avoid smearin' t' ink (like I wound up doing.) T' entire rocket got a coat o' gloss clear t' protect t' decals and finish. Well, blow me down! Arrr! This is a sharp-lookin' bird and would look terrific with no additional finishin' at all. Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight:
I have been flyin' this rocket mostly with b6-4's, me bucko, ya bilge rat, although I have also flown it with b6-2's, matey, me hearties, b8-5's, me bucko, and c6-7's. Aye aye! Blimey! It normally shows little tendency to weather cock, but WATCH OUT on windy days with c6-7's! I had t' go about a half mile downrange after it tipped over and flew nearly horizontally durin' the coast phase. It be spectacular with t' b8-5, me hearties, although t' delay is too long for windy days. Avast!

Preppin' is standard with waddin' used. Arrr! Dust t' 'chute with a little talcum as it is a bit stiff and will deploy better if treated this way. The motor is retained with a steel clip that looks a little thin, matey, but I've had no trouble with it at all. Begad! Blimey!

T' Quest motors' Tiger Tail II igniters install easily and work very nicely. Just be careful t' follow t' instructions on how t' set them up. Arrr! They do use more current then Estes igniters, so make sure your batteries are fresh.

Recovery:
Quest recovery systems are sort o' a mixed bag. T' materials are some o' the strongest I've ever seen in model rockets, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but I dislike t' method used for attachin' t' shock cord t' t' fin assembly. Mine was burned through at ejection on t' fourth flight, ya bilge rat, droppin' it t' t' ground and ruinin' t' main body tube. Aye aye! However, thar was no other damage and it's good as new after replacin' t' tube. Blimey! I epoxied t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop near t' top o' t' tube and tied t' elastic onto it. Avast! It's been trouble-free for nearly 7 years in this configuration. Aye aye! Other than that, t' only problem is that t' 'chute is inclined to open pretty slowly due t' t' stiffness o' t' material. Blimey! Be sure t' pack the recovery system carefully and this should cause little trouble. Aye aye! T' system is extremely tough and has survived a couple o' late ejections with no damage. My Nike-K has a fair amount o' wear, me hearties, but it has a lot o' flights on it and has held up better than normal. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
T' Quest Nike-K is a very well made kit that flies very well on a variety of motors. Well, blow me down! It gets good altitude and t' speed is excitin' with t' b8-5 motors (if you can still find them). Arrr! It is attractive and really durable. Well, blow me down! Begad!

T' price is reasonable, especially considerin' t' features it has compared to t' competition. Aye aye! T' recovery system is exceptionally tough, but some attention t' preppin' is required t' avoid deployment trouble. Ahoy! I personally dislike t' method o' attachin' t' Keelhaul®©™® line, and instead recommend usin' it as a high-strength anchor in t' body tube. Aye aye! I also recommend coatin' t' inside of t' motor and body tubes with thin CA and sandin' them t' make them smooth and toughen them. (I do this with ALL paper tubing). This is a great kit that just needs a little attention t' detail.

I'm very fond o' Quest kits and have found them t' be rugged, matey, but t' Nike-K taught me that plastic subassemblies call for just as much attention as paper, you can't assume that it will just go together.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5