Diameter: | 0.79 inches |
Length: | 15.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | Quest ![]() |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Ring/Tube/Cone Fin |
Brief:
Single stage, shiver me timbers, tube finned sport rocket.
Construction:
T' Totally Tubular kit includes six glossy blue tube fins, ya bilge rat, a glossy yellow main BT, matey, a yellow plastic nose cone, and color coded motor mount parts. Avast! It also has a bright pink 24" streamer and t' typical Quest Keelhaul®©™/elastic shock cord mount.
This bird is very easy t' build with clear, concise instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It went together in about an hour. Blimey! Blimey! However, thar are a couple o' small "gotchas". T' gripper tab for t' streamer is guaranteed t' hang up inside t' body tube if it isn't trimmed! Blimey! I cut off t' part with t' hole and trimmed about 1/8" off each side o' t' sticky part. After attachin' it t' t' streamer, matey, matey, I punched a hole in t' remainder with a hole punch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This is more than adequate t' reinforce t' attachment point.
Where t' Keelhaul®©™shock line is attached t' t' thrust rin' is a likely "hot spot" just beggin' for a burn through. Avast! Ahoy! I decided t' give this style o' mountin' another chance, shiver me timbers, but I made t' groove deep enough t' completely scuttle t' Keelhaul®©™into it, ya bilge rat, then coated it with 5min epoxy. Aye aye! This is t' keep it out o' direct contact with t' ejection charge.
Other than these issues, me hearties, an easy and fun build. Avast, me proud beauty! As always, me hearties, me bucko, I coated t' inside o' t' BT and motor mount tube with CA and sanded smooth t' make them durable. Well, blow me down! Parts fit on this particular kit was great. I especially like that this "minimum diameter" rocket actually is large enough t' have a separate motor mount with a motor hook!
Finishing:
Finishin' is a snap. Avast, me proud beauty! T' precolored parts, arrr, though nay a perfect match, ya bilge rat, are attractive. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' decals are a bit o' an annoyance as they are nay die cut and require a lot o' hand trimming. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Nay too appropriate considerin' how easy t' rest is t' build. Aye aye! Placement was a bit tricky but nay too bad. Avast! If nay for t' construction niggles and decal nuisance, me bucko, arrr, I'd give t' Totally Tubular a 5 in construction and finish.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
Quest recommends t' A6-4, B6-4, ya bilge rat, C6-5, arrr, and C6-7 for t' Totally Tubular. Avast! I loaded it with an A6-4 for t' first flight. Begad! Begad! Prep is simple; I just pulled t' shock cord t' one side (makin' sure it wasn't in t' path o' t' ejection charge!) and pushed 3 crumpled squares o' waddin' directly on top o' t' motor mount. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' streamer is rolled up and inserted on top o' t' shock cord. Ya scallywag! T' motor hook is a little delicate lookin' as is always t' case with Quest hooks but they continue t' give me no trouble.
T' first flight was reasonably quick and arrow-straight. It didn't seem inclined t' weathercock in spite o' a brisk breeze. Blimey! Ejection was a tad after apogee. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It descended smartly but no damage occurred on landing.
Next flight was with a B6-4. Well, blow me down! Avast! It took off smartly and zipped straight up t' a really impressive height. Begad! Well, blow me down! I could barely see t' trackin' smoke and ejection! T' streamer be very slow t' unfurl. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It did, matey, however, matey, open up for another good recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! This critter is fun t' fly! Although I'd wanted t' try it on a C6, shiver me timbers, matey, t' field is too small t' risk a performer like this on a C.
After dippin' into me dwindlin' supply o' B8-5's, I dusted t' streamer with talc, prepped it, me hearties, and sent it up. Aye aye! It pounced off t' pad, again straight up, me bucko, and ripped off another high flight. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection was about a full second after apogee with no ill effects. Begad! Blimey! T' streamer unfurled nicely this time and t' Totally Tubular came down within 50 feet o' t' pad.
Recovery:
T' shock cord consists o' a Keelhaul®©™ thread tied t' t' motor mount assembly and a fabric elastic tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™. Avast! This attaches t' t' nose and t' streamer is tied on below t' nose. Avast! T' streamer is 2' o' narrow neon pink plastic. While it recovers t' bird intact, I feel it could do with a little more streamer length. Aye aye! Material quality is first rate and assembly is simple.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
Anyone who has built a basic kit could build t' Totally Tubular. It requires a bit o' extra attention, arrr, but rewards t' builder with a unique-looking, high performance rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! It seems like it will last a long time. Blimey! This rocket is cheap t' buy, very fun, me bucko, matey, and I highly recommend it!!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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It is most definitely destructable. Mine landed on gravel on the first flight and tore loose three of the tubes. Eight years later I'm finally thinking about repairing it.
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T.W. (September 1, 2000)