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, a glossy yellow main BT, ya bilge rat, a yellow plastic nose cone, ya bilge rat, and color coded motor mount parts. Ahoy! Begad! 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, me bucko, arrr, concise instructions. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It went together in about an hour. Begad! Avast! However, thar are a couple o' small "gotchas". Ahoy! Aye aye! T' gripper tab for t' streamer is guaranteed t' hang up inside t' body tube if it isn't trimmed! I cut off t' part with t' hole and trimmed about 1/8" off each side o' t' sticky part. Begad! Ya scallywag! After attachin' it t' t' streamer, shiver me timbers, I punched a hole in t' remainder with a hole punch. Aye aye! Ahoy! 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. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! 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, matey, me hearties, then coated it with 5min epoxy. This is t' keep it out o' direct contact with t' ejection charge.
Other than these issues, an easy and fun build. Avast, me proud beauty! As always, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I coated t' inside o' t' BT and motor mount tube with CA and sanded smooth t' make them durable. Parts fit on this particular kit be 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. Begad! T' precolored parts, shiver me timbers, though nay a perfect match, matey, are attractive. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' decals are a bit o' an annoyance as they are nay die cut and require a lot o' hand trimming. Nay too appropriate considerin' how easy t' rest is t' build. Placement be a bit tricky but nay too bad. Avast! If nay for t' construction niggles and decal nuisance, 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, me hearties, C6-5, shiver me timbers, and C6-7 for t' Totally Tubular. Arrr! I loaded it with an A6-4 for t' first flight. 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. T' streamer is rolled up and inserted on top o' t' shock cord. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 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. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! It didn't seem inclined t' weathercock in spite o' a brisk breeze. Avast! Blimey! Ejection be a tad after apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! It descended smartly but no damage occurred on landing.
Next flight be with a B6-4. Avast! Aye aye! It took off smartly and zipped straight up t' a really impressive height. Ya scallywag! I could barely see t' trackin' smoke and ejection! T' streamer was very slow t' unfurl. Ahoy! Begad! It did, however, open up for another good recovery. This critter is fun t' fly! Although I'd wanted t' try it on a C6, 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 bucko, and sent it up. Aye aye! It pounced off t' pad, me bucko, again straight up, and ripped off another high flight. Well, blow me down! Ejection was about a full second after apogee with no ill effects. Ya scallywag! 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®©™. Begad! Blimey! This attaches t' t' nose and t' streamer is tied on below t' nose. Blimey! T' streamer is 2' o' narrow neon pink plastic. Avast! Blimey! While it recovers t' bird intact, I feel it could do with a little more streamer length. 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, but rewards t' builder with a unique-looking, ya bilge rat, me hearties, ya bilge rat, high performance rocket. It seems like it will last a long time. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! This rocket is cheap t' buy, very fun, me bucko, 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)