Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 1.38 inches |
Length: | 37.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | Quest |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Brief:
T' Penetrator is a Quest "Quick Kit" that is designed t' be easy and
fun t' build and fly. Aye aye! It has both a large and small Payload bay and even sports
a dual recovery system! It also looks good on t' pad.
Construction:
T' kit contains:
This is another one o' Quests' "Quick Kits" designed for fast and easy construction. Blimey! My son loves these kits because they are easy for him to build and he does nay have t' wait so long for t' glue and paint t' dry. You start off by tyin' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' t' elastic shock cord. Blimey! Blimey! I really like t' fact t' Quest includes Keelhaul®©™® to protect t' all too easy t' burn elastic cords. Arrr! Aye aye! Once this is complete, you place t' gray paper motor tube inside one half o' t' plastic motor housing with fin can and lower launch lug and use plastic cement t' glue t' two halves of t' motor housin' together then add cement t' t' inside o' t' large body tube and insert t' motor housing. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' four fins are then cemented in place, plus they actually slide lock into place and are self-aligning, fitting perfectly. T' fin assembly is completed by gluin' in a fin lockin' ring.
Next comes t' assembly o' t' dual payload tubes. Begad! T' first payload tube is t' same diameter as t' body tube so a plastic coupler is used t' connect the body tube t' t' large payload tube. Avast! T' coupler also has t' upper launch lug molded into it. Arrr! Then t' transition base is glued onto t' transition. Ahoy! The base serves as a connection point for t' payload bay parachute. Ahoy! T' smaller end o' t' transition is glued t' t' small payload tube. Begad! T' large end o' the transition friction fits into t' large payload tube and be t' separation point for t' two halves o' t' rocket. Begad! T' plastic nose cone it friction fitted into t' forward end o' t' small payload tube. Avast! My nose cone be a bit loose, me bucko, but a little maskin' tape solved that problem.
T' last part o' t' build be t' parachute assembly, me bucko, which is one o' my complaints about t' kit. It took us longer t' assemble t' parachutes then it did for t' entire build o' t' rocket! First you pull off gripper tabs and place them over t' holes on t' plastic parachutes, shiver me timbers, then tie all twelve ends, since thar are two parachutes, t' t' holes. It is hard t' make small knots with big fingers. Arrr! Blimey! I think Quest should have included pre-strung parachutes. Once t' chutes are complete, you tie one t' t' base o' t' transition and connect t' other t' t' elastic shock cord. Begad! That's it!
Finishing:
T' tubes are pre-colored a bright orange and all plastic parts are black, so
no paintin' is needed. All o' t' decals are a good quality peel and stick
type. Begad! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, arrr, all o' t' decals for t' small payload tube are about
1/16" short o' fully wrappin' around. Begad! We tried stretchin' them (they are
tough and did nay break), but that did nay help. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Also, me bucko, t' picture included
with t' kit shows decals on t' fins but these were nay included. Arrr! Aye aye! T' decals
stuck so well and were o' such good quality, shiver me timbers, we decided nay clear coat. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! After 6
flights, shiver me timbers, they still look as good as new.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
We had perfect weather on launch day, with a slight wind. Arrr! Begad! We prepped t' rocket
with 5 sheets o' Estes waddin' in t' large body tube, me bucko, inserted t' first motor
and slipped on t' motor lock rin' t' hold t' engine in place. Avast! We then rolled
up both parachutes and placed them in as well. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! This rocket is slightly over 3'
tall and looks great on t' launch pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! One thin' t' note. T' kit picture says
to use B6-4, C6-3 and C6-5. Aye aye! However, matey, me bucko, t' instructions say t' use A6-4 for the
first flight. Ya scallywag! Do nay do this! Accordin' t' RockSim, me bucko, that will cause a crash
landin' and I believe it. Blimey! So our first flight was on t' B6-4 and it lifted off
slowly from t' pad, a real treat t' watch. Begad! It flew straight t' about 260 feet.
Both parachutes opened up and both sections were recovered with no damage.
Second flight on t' C6-5 be a straight shot t' almost 500 feet, ejection
right after apogee. Aye aye! This bird is easy t' spot on t' way down with its bright
orange color. Well, blow me down! T' third flight on a C6-5 carried a payload o' M&M's (plain
and peanut), ya bilge rat, so it only got t' about 400 feet, but no M&M's were harmed
durin' t' flight and remained tasty afterwards. Ahoy! We launched three more times
durin' t' day and t' rocket is still ready for more.
Recovery:
T' parachutes are a bit large and even with t' light wind, me bucko, both halves
traveled about 1500 feet downrange on t' second flight. Ahoy! Ahoy! I put a spill hole in
the lower half parachute which made a big difference on t' second flight and
it landed much closer t' t' pad, matey, about 300 feet. For our last flight on the
C6-5 (with candy), shiver me timbers, matey, t' payload bay came down nice and quick, so I think I will
leave that chute alone. Aye aye! If you are nay goin' t' fly payloads, you will either
want a smaller chute or add a spill hole. After six flights, arrr, me bucko, you cannot even
tell this rocket has even had a launch yet. Begad! It is quite sturdy.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
This rocket cost $8.99 from E-hobbies and I think it was worth every cent. It
is a great starter rocket for kids, as it's fun, matey, fast, me hearties, and easy t' build. Ya scallywag! It
looks good, flies great, and it evens comes with a display stand so your can
show it off t' your friends when you are nay flyin' it.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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H.A.F. (July 6, 2005)