Quest - Micro Maxx Series {Other}

Quest Micro Maxx Series

Quest - Micro Maxx Series {Other}

Contributed by Chris Taylor Jr.

Manufacturer:

(Contributed - by Chris Taylor)

Display Pic

Silo Launcher Brief:
These are t' new Quest Micro Maxx Micro Mini (super tiny), arrr, ya bilge rat, adorably-cute, plastic RTF rockets. Ahoy! Here is a list o' t' 10 (I have flown all 10) MMaxx Rockets: Space Shuttle, SR-71, Saturn V, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, Tomahawk Cruise Missile, Space Fighter, U.F.O., and four other 3-Fin-&-Nose-Cone rockets.

Also included be t' Quest Silo Launch system with In-Pad Ignitors and Puck Launch Controller.

Construction:
Packagin' was very cool, shiver me timbers, impressive and protective o' t' contents. Begad! If Toys-R-Us would shelve them more prominently they would really stick out impressively. Ya scallywag! Nothin' in any o' t' kits was was broken. Ahoy! All was in order and included. Blimey! Arrr!

One pain is that t' ignitors mount onto t' Launch Pad and then t' rockets slide over this onto t' rod. Avast, me proud beauty! T' problem comes with t' fact that thar are two possible hole positions for t' rod t' line up with t' rockets. But this is nay too difficult and easy t' modify. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You just yank t' rod out and insert it into t' other hole.

Another CON be t' igniters. Begad! Although very reliable in me book, they can be a pain if t' tip is too thick. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! If so, me bucko, ya bilge rat, when you insert t' motor it pinches the igniters leads together down lower, me hearties, me hearties, thereby, me bucko, matey, shortin' out t' igniter. Well, blow me down! Begad! I found the Saturn V fins are great for stickin' in betwixt t' leads and then biting the tip o' t' igniter t' brin' it more into a point t' allow it t' easily slide into t' engine hole.

Rocket Pic Finishing:
T' be no finishin' work, however t' finish was very cool especially of course t' SR-71. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Saturn V, arrr, Tomahawk and Space Shuttle were also cool. Begad! Ahoy! The UFO, ya bilge rat, as always is awesome looking. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! They also seem unusually sturdy (hey there all plastic).

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Rocket Pic Flight:
All o' t' rockets flew perfectly straight t' about what I would guess t' be around 50 feet (UFO about 15-20 feet). T' 3FNC rockets near 60-70 feet and maybe a little higher. Now a problem with flight - these things are extremely sensitive t' ANY wind - I took them up t' me Grandmom's t' show them off t' the kids and they would ALL (except t' UFO) boost fine but start tumblin' toward end o' flight before ejection. I got t' thinkin' and launched t' next one durin' a lull in t' light wind and walla . . Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! . Blimey! a perfectly stable flight! Blimey! So, if thar be more than a tiny breeze these things may be hypersensitive t' it. Although it was always at t' end o' t' flight that I had trouble. Ya scallywag! Blimey! So heed the warnin' in t' instructions t' fly in 5-7mph wind max. In fact I would stay under 5mph.

T' looks o' t' Silo Launch Pad was fine. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Surprisingly t' base o' t' pad has stood up very well t' t' exhaust o' 10 engine firings with no wear and only some wipeable crud.

Rocket Pic Recovery:
Now t' t' fun part. Avast! Needless t' say as most on RMR have already reported the recovery systems just plain stink. Begad! I have only had one piston rocket deploy at all, while all t' others end in ejection o' piston. Well, blow me down! Okay, but no streamer because it was either nay fully out o' tube or melted really bad t' point sometimes o' it fallin' off . Begad! Now t' Space Fighter and Space Shuttle did not have quite as much trouble especially if I jammed a little waddin' in there (NOT all t' way t' bottom just under streamer BUT even they melted a little. T' only one with NO recovery problems was t' . . Blimey! . Begad! Drum Roll . Well, blow me down! . Begad! . Blimey! UFO.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Rocket Pic Summary:
I gave a 4 for awesome, me bucko, matey, adorable, cute flights but nay a 5 because o' t' lousy recovery system. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! If I could rate them separately I would give a 4 for flight (5 would better handlin' in wind) and a 1 for recovery. As far as survivability, it seems t' be a little better than I thought. I have flown some o' these 3 times each and so far they are still airworthy although I can see inside it startin' t' melt etc.. Ahoy! Arrr! Only time will tell.

T' Launch Controller is very cool and cute but t' battery is pitiful. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I was tryin' t' launch (maybe 5th launch) and it would nay launch no matter what I did. I would take rocket off and igniter would glow but would nay light engine. Aye aye! Finally I got fed up ripped t' wires out (literally) o' t' controller (I have 3 o' them) and hooked up a set o' jumper cables and touched t' wires to it and walla instant ignition. Aye aye! I fired off 5 more engines with no problems. Needless t' say I will be modifyin' t' launch system.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Aye aye! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Begad! For more information, use t' two links above.

(Sport Rocketry - Nov/Dec 1999 - page 38 - by Maxwell Eminussix)

"T' micro rockets are perfect for backyard launchin' and are lots of fun, but in other ways they don't measure up t' t' advertisin' claims."
"All t' models feature a twist off base or fin unit for loadin' the motor."
"Recovery is by streamer (except for t' Alien UFO) and t' models incorporate ejection baffles."
"Some have a standard shock cord arrangement, while others have t' nose cone mounted on a piston-rod assembly which t' streamer wraps around."
"T' Micro Maxx launcher is a really nice little system. . Avast, me proud beauty! . Begad! . Ahoy! Blimey! nicely engineered . Well, blow me down! Blimey! . Avast! ."
"T' Micro Maxx motors are truly cool. Begad! Ya scallywag! . Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! . Avast, me proud beauty! . Blimey! just 1/4" x 1" and they are rated at 0.20 N-sec which puts them low in t' 1/8A impulse range."
"T' packagin' claims 'flights up t' 200 feet' but none o' t' rockets get anywhere near that altitude."
". Avast! . Avast, me proud beauty! . it is important t' launch these models only in under low-wind conditions, less than 5-7 mph."
"T' recovery phase is where t' Micro Maxx designs really fall down . Avast, me proud beauty! . "
"T' ejection bafflin' works poorly . Avast! . ."
" . Arrr! Begad! . Begad! Aye aye! . Aye aye! t' streamers often don't unroll . Ahoy! . Begad! Aye aye! ."
" . . Ya scallywag! . Ahoy! or t' pistons may break or eject completely."
"In all, me bucko, t' Micro Maxx can be a really fun system for backyard rocketry . . ."

T' entire article gives t' impression is that these rockets are good for anyone and t' recovery issues are nay unsafe and may have work arounds.

Flights

Comments:

P.W.C. (February 1, 2000)

I use the motors in little paper and balsa scratch-builts. I use 18" of .062 music wire for a launch rod, remove the black plastic shells from the igniters and fire them with my regular launch system on 9.6v RC battery. I've found that, with not enough battery power, the igniter melts itself into the plastic nozzle w/o firing the motor. Apogee Centrix with an adapter goes about 40 feet up -- see my flight report on the review of that kit. Chris didn't mention this, but he and I among others have been flying tiny boost-gliders with these motors. I think he overstated the altitudes possible with the plastic RTF's, but a light scratch-built 3fnc will go quite nicely.

D.F. (January 1, 2001)

1. The igniters need more juice than a 9vdc battery can reliably deliver. When I snipped the wires off the launch controller and connected them to a 12vdc motorcycle battery, the ignition system worked great!
2. Stability is an issue, and any wind knocks them for a loop near end of flight.
3. The Saturn V and Space Shuttle both only flew to 15 feet or so. The Saturn V piston did not deploy and let the streamer out, but the rocket is so light and flies so low that it is not an issue. The Space Shuttle streamer did melt in a few spots with no recovery wadding.
4. I put a MM engine in an Estes Mosquito, and flew it successfully from the MM launch system. I wrapped masking tape around the MM engine until it fit snugly into the front end of an expended 13mm motor casing. I then inserted the 13 mm "engine adapter" into the Mosquito far enough so that the nozzle was even with the back of the fins. It then fit on the silo launcher with the rod in the #2 position. It launched fine, but flew a little erratically to about 15 feet. The ejection charge actually propelled the rocket faster than the boost phase towards the ground. Keep spectators back in case it flies towards you. This occurred in the front yard, so you can launch a Mosquito without losing it!

S.E.T. (September 19, 2001)

I flew the MicroMaxx Shuttle four times this weekend. I find myself agreeing with the points made earlier about the recovery system. Pitiful. I didn't get a single, fully successful ejection and unfurling of the mylar streamer. It did take a beating, heat wise, and has crinkles and holes melted in it now. On the other hand, the ultra-lightweight nature of the shuttle makes it's streamer nearly inconsequential. Just pick up the downed bird, extract the spent engine, load up another engine, repack the streamer, and try again. One point to make clear for the shuttle, the engine mount is removable for inserting and extracting the engine casings. Grasp the molded black engine nozzles at the rear, rotate them a quarter turn to line up the internal (i.e. invisible) retaining lug with the notch in the body frame, and pull the entire black plastic piece out. There are no Shuttle specific instructions detailing this, and the instructions that are on the generic sheet show an external notch and lug design that isn't obvious on the Shuttle.

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