Brief:
Back in t' fall o' 2008, Quest Aerospace found a stack o' 10 year old saucer tops for their 1998 vintage fly saucer RTF rocket. Ya scallywag! T' top plates were t' only pieces left from t' kit. Well, blow me down! Rather than discardin' them, arrr, Bill Stine added an 18 mm motor mount tube, a motor block, matey, me bucko, a plastic straw, and 3 specially cut black fiberboard supports/fins. One section of the fiberboard supports slips into 3 o' t' 6 glue holes that were originally used t' hold t' lower saucer plate. Ahoy! The other end o' t' supports are glued t' t' motor mount.

T' instructions with illustrations are printed on one paper sheet. For decals, me hearties, t' kit includes one 8.5" by 11" Avery brand sticker paper. You can go t' a link on t' Quest web site t' get 4 different decal pattern sets. You choose one and download it and print it usin' a laser printer (preferably color). Begad! Cut t' decals out and stick them onto t' Saucer plate.

Construction was simple and done in 15 minutes. T' builder has t' use both Tube type plastic cement t' glue the motor mount t' t' plastic plate as well as t' launch lug. T' remainin' paper components are glued on usin' white or yellow glue.

Modifications:

Construction:
Like other saucers built by other companies, shiver me timbers, it is unconventional. Begad! T' Area 51 Saucer SPEV does nay even have a motor hook ! It is lighter than t' original saucer--1.6 oz vs 2.7 oz.

This rocket kit is very simple t' assemble. Arrr! Ahoy! T' finished product is very sturdy once t' glues dries.

Finishing:
Pro: if you have extra adhesive back paper, me hearties, me hearties, shiver me timbers, you can download more than one design and mix and match t' create a unique saucer.

Con: Decals quality is handicapped by t' fact that t' builder uses paper cutouts. Begad! Blimey! Nay every builder has access to a color laser printer. Avast, me proud beauty! I used a black and white laser printer and pick t' best artwork for grayscale. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Most color printers are water based ink jets. Aye aye! This ink can wash out when t' saucer comes into contact with wet grass. A layer of clear coat would be useful t' protect t' decal finish.

T' be fair t' Quest, arrr, T' kit is a spare parts elimination vehicle (SPEV) It was built on t' fly with parts on hand.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Quest Area 51 saucer can be ordered with 3 C6-0 motors. Ahoy! Ahoy! Based on 3 flights, B6-0s can also be used. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motors provided were o' German manufacture and do nay quite have t' lift o' either an Estes or t' new Chinese made Quest motors. In spite o' this, shiver me timbers, t' flights were quite nice under t' German /Quest C motors. Begad! T' saucer begins t' arc over as t' moment o' burnout and, ya bilge rat, me hearties, if launched vertically, lands within 50 feet o' t' launch pad.

Recovery:
Recovery was gentle and thar was no flight damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
IF quest decided t' order another set o' top plates, me hearties, me bucko, they would have a popular kit in their inventory. Aye aye! They would also eliminated t' one CON in terms o' finishing--ad-hoc paper decals.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5