Brief:
T' Quest Super Cruiser is a small skill level 2 fantasy rocket with 14" parachute, arrr, plastic nosecone, ya bilge rat, and die-cut balsa fins. This rocket has sharp, distinctive stylin' and it is easy t' build. Well, matey, blow me down!

This is nay a boost-glider but rather it is a standard parachute recovery rocket that is styled t' look like a futuristic high-altitude supersonic cruise airliner or since fantasy rockets are basically little daydream machines, one could imagine that it is an orbital space plane.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 9" T25 body tube (Estes equivalent BT-50)
• Plastic parabolic nose cone (includin' glue-on base)
• 14" parachute kit (consistin' o' 14" plastic parachute sheet and three 26" shroud lines and self-adhesive squares)
• 18" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord base
• 18" Elastic Shock cord
• Die cut balsa fin set
• Decal sheet (self-adhesive vinyl)
• 1" launch lug
• 18 mm motor mount (consistin' o' motor mount tube, matey, motor clip, thrust ring (BT-20/BT-5 centerin' ring), me bucko, and two BT-50/BT-20 centerin' rings

There is only one small "gotcha" error in t' instructions that I spotted before buildin' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! (Yes, ya bilge rat, it does pay t' actually read t' instructions instead o' just wingin' it by lookin' at t' illustrations.) There is a discrepancy betwixt t' orientation o' t' motor clip and launch lug in Step 9 and Step 14. Well, blow me down! In me description o' t' problem, me hearties, I will use t' word "top" t' describe t' top o' t' fuselage (if one holds t' rocket on its side t' simulate a plane in flight, me bucko, this be t' side with t' tails and cockpit), me bucko, and t' word "bottom" t' refer t' t' bottom o' the fuselage (the side where t' landin' gear would be). Blimey! Aye aye! Step 9 instructs you to align t' "launch lug" line on t' body tube markin' guide with the motor clip, which would result in both t' motor clip and t' launch lug being aligned with t' bottom o' t' fuselage. Blimey! This makes sense, me bucko, since "airplane" type model rockets typically have t' utilitarian launch lug placed out o' view on t' bottom. Arrr! However, t' illustration in Step 14 shows t' tails bein' glued t' t' same side as t' motor clip (and all subsequent illustrations show t' same orientation). Ahoy! You might nay notice this until you tried t' glue on t' launch lug in step 16. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You could correct this by drawin' a new line t' position t' launch lug on t' bottom, me hearties, but this would result in t' motor clip bein' located on t' top side o' t' fuselage. Arrr! You probably don't want t' motor clip on t' top, me bucko, arrr, as it could interfere with the igniter leads, ya bilge rat, and motor clips are also utilitarian hardware that is typically positioned on t' bottom o' an airplane-style rocket. Well, blow me down! T' correct this problem, make a note on Step 14's illustrations that t' lower fins will be glued on the same side as t' motor mount and launch lug and that t' tails will go on the opposite side.

Oddly enough, the instructions do nay have a step t' sand an airfoil on t' fins. Ahoy! Given that this rocket has a considerable amount o' drag, it is best t' create the airfoil. Experienced modelers will automatically add this step, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but many o' the people buyin' this kit will be new modelers. I would recommend that you sand the airfoil before gluin' t' fins on (it's best t' do it in Step 10). Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Make sure that you note where t' strake (front wing) and larger win' piece mate together (and you do nay want t' round these matin' sections). Avast! Begad! Or if you like, you could sand t' airfoil after Step 11, where t' win' and strake are glued together. Round off t' leadin' edges (the edge o' each fin piece that faces into t' direction o' flight), ya bilge rat, and taper off t' trailin' edges. Blimey! Avast! Leave t' root edge o' t' wings/strakes squared off and sand t' 10 degree angle on t' the root edge o' t' canards, me bucko, tails, ya bilge rat, and fins as shown in Step 13.

Yet another deviation that I would recommend is t' apply t' balsa filler to all fins before t' canted fins are glued on. T' reason for this is that it if you applied t' sandin' sealer after t' fins were glued t' t' wings, matey, shiver me timbers, it would be very hard get your sandpaper or sandin' block within t' acute angle of t' canted fins and t' wings. Ahoy! It is best t' apply t' sealer at t' end of Step 13 (instead o' Step 19 as t' instructions state). Aye aye! You want t' have the locatin' lines for t' tails and lower fins drawn on t' wings. Avoid applying sandin' sealer t' t' pencil lines, ya bilge rat, since t' fins will form a sturdier bond to bare balsa than t' sealed balsa.

It would have helped t' have a full size fin alignment template, shiver me timbers, however the cross section illustrations sufficed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! In order t' make t' fin alignment process easier, I did nay glue t' motor mount assembly into t' body tube until all o' t' fins were glued in place. This allowed me t' place t' rocket on its aft end on top o' t' cross-section illustrations while I was gluin' the canted fins in place. I looked down t' rocket toward t' illustration and aligned t' joint that I was workin' on with t' correspondin' point on the illustration while holdin' t' fin at t' right angle until t' glue set. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is just me own personal buildin' style, matey, but others may nay like this approach. One draw back t' me approach is that it is difficult t' get t' motor retainer hook precisely where you want it when you glue t' motor mount in place.

With all o' these corrections and recommended deviations, arrr, arrr, you might get the impression that I did nay like t' instructions. In reality, I was very impressed with t' quality o' t' instructions. Well, blow me down! They were concise, largely accurate, me hearties, and full o' useful illustrations. Blimey! Avast! Quest goes so far as t' give you an illustration o' how t' tie an over hand knot.

PROs: Easy construction, excellent parts, very good instructions.

CONs: Three minor issues with instructions

Finishing:
Finishin' is rather straightforward and does nay require any special tools or supplies. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' only deviation that I would recommend is that you apply (and sand smooth) t' sandin' sealer at t' end o' Step 13 (which be mentioned above in the Construction section).

T' kit calls for gloss white paint on t' entire model, shiver me timbers, which makes it pretty darn easy t' finish. Aye aye! O' course you can paint a model any color you want but keep in mind that t' vinyl decals have a gloss white background (instead of a clear background). Begad! If you were t' paint t' model a different color, say silver, me bucko, t' white on t' decals would look rather odd.

One weak spot with t' kit be t' ability o' t' decals t' adhere t' gloss enamel paint. Ya scallywag! I may be an old fogy who prefers water slide decals, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but the self-adhesive decals that came with this kit seemed too thick. Ahoy! They looked great when I first applied them and I applied a heavy amount o' gloss overcoat to try t' keep them in place but within a day they were curlin' up on the edges. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! This problem may be aggravated by t' rather sharp curves that these decals need t' clin' to. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I had applied very small amounts o' CA adhesive t' the ends o' t' decals on t' sharply curvin' nose, but now almost all o' the decals are curling. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I know that t' market for beginners kits wants self-adhesive vinyl decals but thar has got t' be a better way t' make these decals stick. Ahoy! If anyone readin' this review knows o' a good way t' get vinyl decals t' stay in place, please add a comment t' this review.

Another item that I would have changed is that thar are no decals on the bottom side o' t' plane. If I designed this, ya bilge rat, I would have at least provided decals for t' landin' gear. Arrr! But then again, one o' me favorite kits as a kid was t' decal saturated Estes Interceptor. Avast! Blimey! This kit is probably targeted toward beginners, who may nay want t' take t' time t' apply any more decals.

I had applied a number o' coats o' primer and paint in order t' get a glassy smooth paint job. Ya scallywag! Blimey! If you plan on flyin' this rocket with t' Quest A6-4 motor, arrr, matey, I would strongly recommend that you go light on t' paint in order to keep t' weight down.

Again, despite t' few negative comments that I have, arrr, shiver me timbers, I really like this rocket with its sleek lines and sharp decal scheme.

PROs: Easy finishing, me bucko, sharp appearance

CONs: Curlin' vinyl decals

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Since this is me first review for EMRR, I'm embarrassed t' report that all three o' me flights on this bird resulted in crashes (this doesn't happen that often t' me really). Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! But none o' t' crashes had anythin' t' do with t' design or t' quality o' Quest kits and components. Avast! T' Super Cruiser appears t' be a good straight flyer but more launch experience is needed t' see how well it flies on A impulse motors.

When I first received t' Super Cruiser kit, I was curious t' see if it included any nose weight t' keep it stable. With t' large strakes and forward canards, I wasn't certain if weight be needed t' keep t' center o' gravity ahead o' t' center o' pressure. Begad! Avast! No nose weight was supplied or needed though. T' broad expanse o' t' wings countered t' effect o' t' canards. I was surprised at how little fin surface protruded out t' bottom side o' t' bird, but it must have been enough as it flew well. One benefit o' buyin' a kit like this is that it is hard for t' average rocketeer t' predict t' stability o' a rocket with complex fin arrangements. Arrr! Aye aye! It is easier t' let a company like Quest do t' design and test flights rather than tryin' t' design a rocket like this on your own.

Since t' package claimed that t' Super cruiser weighs 1.23 ounces, I decided that I would use an Estes 1/2A6-2 for me first test flight (although Quest only recommends t' A6-4, B6-4 and C6-5). Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! When I was a kid, shiver me timbers, I watched a few treasured models drift away out o' reach and I usually stick t' low powered motors when flyin' from small fields. Ya scallywag! I wanted t' demonstrate that t' 1/2A motor would be a good choice for small fields, where you want t' keep the rocket away from t' hungry trees. Blimey! My first launch did keep t' rocket near the launch pad-- in fact it crashed almost next t' t' pad. Well, blow me down! Oops! T' rocket struggled off t' pad, matey, rose t' about 50', me bucko, then flopped t' t' ground, ejecting the parachute a short while later. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' starboard tail broke off, but t' rocket was otherwise undamaged. Ahoy! Begad!

After packin' up, matey, arrr, I went t' t' post office that is near me small field park. I placed t' Super Cruiser on t' postal scale and t' rocket weighed about 1.75 ounces. Blimey! Begad! This and t' weight o' t' motor put t' rocket above the maximum take-off weight for a 1/2A motor. Arrr! I'm nay sure if t' specified 1.23 ounces was t' unfinished weight or if me paint job and t' addition o' two snap swivels added excessive weight. Avast! T' lessons here: weigh any rocket before usin' an engine other than t' recommended motors and go light with t' paint on this rocket. This also illustrates one o' t' great things about EMRR: somebody else crashes their rocket so you don't have to.

I glued t' starboard tail back on, me hearties, me hearties, and a couple o' weeks later, me bucko, me bucko, I had a narrow window o' opportunity t' launch this bird again. Aye aye! Avast! A cold snap resulted in subfreezin' temperatures and thar was a little wind. Begad! I loaded an Estes A8-3 motor. Arrr! Oddly enough t' rocket appeared t' fly with t' wind as opposed to weathercockin' into t' wind. T' parachute ejected rather late but at least the ejection occurred in t' air. However, t' parachute did nay open probably due t' t' cold and a hastily packed chute. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This time t' port tail broke off. For comparison, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I launched me Custom Fiesta (a 12" BT-50 rocket with 3 small balsa fins) with an A8-3 resultin' in a much faster flight and higher apogee. Blimey! This wasn't surprisin' since t' Super Cruiser is significantly heavier (all o' that painted balsa adds up) and more draggy. Begad! Well, blow me down! I am concerned that a Quest A6-4 (which has a 4 second time delay as opposed t' 3 seconds on the Estes A motor) would result in too late o' an ejection. I won't be doin' any more launchin' until t' spring, arrr, so I curious t' see if any readers in the warmer parts o' t' country are brave enough t' try this rocket on an A6-4.

I glued t' port tail back on and a week later, I tried t' launch t' Super Cruiser with a B6-4. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' flight was a good straight successful flight with ejection near apogee. Again probably due t' t' near freezin' temperatures, the parachute failed t' open. This time it was t' starboard fin's turn t' break off again. For a comparison, I launched me 30 year old Estes Orbital Transport with a B6-4. Begad! Blimey! Since t' Orbital Transport is heavier and more draggy than the Super Cruiser, t' OT predictably flew slower and lower than t' Super Cruiser. T' chute failed t' open on t' OT as well, ya bilge rat, but t' OT backslid t' t' ground without any damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! No more cold weather launches for me!

PROs: Surprisingly stabile and straight flights without any nose weight

CONs: A-impulse motors may result in late deployment.

Recovery:
T' kit comes with a high quality thin plastic 14" parachute. When I built the kit, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I swapped t' 14" Quest parachute with t' 12" Estes parachute from t' Estes Patriot missile that I be buildin' for a couple of nephews. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' BT-60 based Patriot was too large for a puny 12" chute and 14" seemed excessive for t' Super Cruiser. Begad! This could have contributed to my parachute openin' failures since t' lower grade "Launchables" chute had shroud lines made o' heavy cotton string, me bucko, whereas t' Quest chute's shroud lines appear t' be made o' slippery Keelhaul®©™®. T' main cause o' t' parachute failures be most likely t' cold weather. (Apparently, me bucko, shiver me timbers, parachute material tries t' clin' together for warmth when it is blown out into t' cold air by those nice warm ejection gases.)

My advice is t' use t' stock Quest parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Try usin' a B6-4 on the first launch (or a A8-3 if you field is very small). Begad! If t' rocket drifts too far, then cut a spill hole in t' center o' t' chute.

I don't believe that t' tails are particularly vulnerable t' damage. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Just about any balsa fin rocket will suffer damage when t' parachute fails t' open.

One nice feature o' Quest kits be t' shock cord. Ya scallywag! Begad! Unlike most Estes kits, which have short elastic shock cords, matey, most Quest kits use a Keelhaul®©™® cord that is fastened t' t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! T' end o' t' cord is knotted then pinned down t' t' motor tube by t' top centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! T' other end o' the Keelhaul®©™® cord is tied t' a piece o' elastic cord, me hearties, matey, arrr, and t' far end o' t' elastic is tied to t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! T' result is a long two-piece cord. T' lower Keelhaul®©™® piece is strong and resistant t' t' heat o' t' ejection gases. Arrr! T' upper elastic piece absorbs t' shock o' t' parachute deployment. Many BARs are already familiar with this method, but if you haven't heard o' this method yet, give it a try on your other rockets.

PROs: Quality chute, me hearties, superior shock cord system.

CONs: Late deployment on A motors, me hearties, parachute may be too large for small fields when usin' B and C motors.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
If you are interested in a small, matey, simple fantasy rocket, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' Quest Super Cruiser is an excellent choice. Well, blow me down! T' unique stylin' o' this rocket sets it apart from t' myriad o' 3FNC and 4FNC rockets that dominate t' Estes catalog. Serious BARs should be aware that this kit is no Interceptor or Orbital Transport, so if you want a larger more decal intensive rocket, shiver me timbers, look elsewhere, but if you want a small rocket, why buy a borin' 3FNC when you can buy this cool lookin' model?

T' parts are o' very good quality, matey, and t' instructions are excellent (despite three relatively minor problems). Well, blow me down! Begad! I am very impressed with t' quality and value o' this Quest kit and will definitely be buyin' more Quest kits in the future. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Estes makes a number o' good kits as well, but me advice t' new rocketeers who may only have access t' Estes beginner kits at Wal-Mart and Michael's is that you should check out t' wide variety o' kits made by Quest, FlisKits, me hearties, and a number o' other smaller companies.

PROs: Sharp appearance, quality o' parts, ya bilge rat, matey, and instructions.

CONs: Late deployment on A motors, matey, vinyl decals that curl.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5