Quest Bright Hawk

Quest - Bright Hawk {Kit}

Contributed by Alan Tuskes

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: Quest

Brief:
Single stage, parachute recovery, matey, skill level 1 kit that featurin' a plastic nose cone and fin can, makin' assembley virtually foolproof.

Construction:
Bought t' Bright Hawk kit at a Hobby Lobby 40% off sale in order t' have somethin' extremely simple that I could build with me 4 year old daughter without havin' t' worry about anythin' gettin' messed up. This kit appeared to be just t' thing. Begad! Ya scallywag! Upon openin' t' kit, everythin' appeared t' be accounted for and o' t' usual high Quest quality. Avast, me proud beauty! T' parts were:

  • 1 T35 body tube, 17 inches long
  • 1 motor clip
  • 1 thrust ring
  • 1 motor mount tube
  • 2 fiber centerin' rings
  • 1 plastic nose cone
  • 1 plastic fin can
  • 24 inch long elastic shock cord
  • 21 inch long Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
  • 2 strips o' 3 gripper tabs each
  • 3 26 inch shroud lines
  • 1 14 inch parachute
  • 1 self-adhesive decal sheet
  • assembly instructions and launch procedure sheet

One thin' I noted was that t' quality o' t' parachutes has increased lately. Avast! They no longer have that poly grocery bag quality o' a few years ago that seemed t' tear very easily. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Packagin' quality was very good and thar was no damage t' any parts.

My daughter and I sat down t' put t' Bright Hawk together at t' dining room table. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' only tools needed t' assemble t' kit (per t' instructions) are a hobby knife, a pencil, white glue, and either scotch or maskin' tape. Curiously enough, me bucko, plastic cement, for bondin' t' fin can t' t' body tube was not listed but more on that later.

T' first step was construction o' t' motor mount, shiver me timbers, which was very straightforward, me bucko, me bucko, matey, included the installation o' t' standard Quest Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, which was wrapped around t' engine tube for a very strong mount. Begad! Begad! A nice touch which I don't remember seein' before be that t' engine tube already had t' slit for t' engine hook cut into it. Blimey! I think that if t' nose cone didn't have had some plastic flash in t' shock cord eye, shiver me timbers, you could have gotten away with assemblin' this kit without even havin' t' hobby knife on hand.

After installin' t' dried engine mount, usin' either white or wood glue, the followin' step caused me some consern:

Step 7 - Slide t' one piece molded fin unit onto t' body tube as shown.

That's it. No mention o' plastic cement or tape. Ya scallywag! Nothing. Begad! Usin' glue be no problem for me, but I was concerned that another person, perhaps buildin' this as a first model, may have their model disassemble itself under thrust. Wonderin' if this be an oversite or possibly a way o' changin' out fin cans in case o' damage, ya bilge rat, I made a call t' customer service at Quest and be promptly put through t' Matt Constabile (aka "El Chubbo" on T' Rocketry Forum). He assured me that it was nay an oversite but that t' fin can be molded with a bit o' taper on t' inside and that it friction fits quite nicely onto the body tube. Blimey! However, arrr, plastic cement or a silicone sealer could be used t' secure it if so desired. Arrr! I found Matt t' be quite personable and he answered some other questions nay related t' this kit as well (bein' t' nosy little man that I am...) I ended up nay gluin' it on but put a couple o' small pieces of maskin' tape on t' body tube t' make sure t' fin can fit extra snug. Inertia can be a bear and I could just imagine me daughter's rocket bein' t' first Bright Hawk t' fly out o' its fins...

As t' launch lug is molded into t' fin can, you didn't even need t' worry about gluin' that on straight. Ya scallywag! In a way, this kit reminded me o' me very first rocket from about 1970, matey, matey, t' MPC Pioneer-1, shiver me timbers, which also had t' molded fin can with integral launch lug.

T' last steps were t' assemble t' parachute and tie t' shock cord t' the nose cone. Aye aye! I opted t' put t' chute on a snap swivel as this bird looks sturdy and light enough t' be able t' use streamer recovery without too much problem. Besides, ya bilge rat, I'm old and fat and I don't want t' walk that far t' recover my rockets anymore.

Wait a minute! Blimey! It's me daughter's rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! She can walk after it. Arrr! Blimey! Where's that chute?

Finishing:
T' fin can is molded in bright yellow plastic, nose cone is orange, arrr, and the body tube is white, matey, so no paintin' is really necessary. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' self-adhesive decals are also in bright, happy yellows and oranges as well. Blimey! Avast! My daughter finished t' rocket off with markers and other miscellaneous stickers. Every time I turn around, me hearties, she has either removed a sticker or added a new one, so it appears t' be that this rocket will be a "work in progress" until she tires o' it or it is lost or destroyed.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I will be flyin' t' Bright Hawk on April 23, matey, 2005, me hearties, me bucko, at t' Great Lakes Regional Meet Revisited, where me daughter will be allowed t' push t' red button to make it go over and over and over and (switch t' t' Snitch) and over and over....

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Easy t' build, big and easily seen rocket that your younguns will enjoy assemblin' and decorating. Ya scallywag! Inexpensive enough that you won't mind when they do a child's job o' decoratin' it.

CONs: I can't think o' any.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Quest Bright Hawk By Bill Eichelberger

    Brief: Quest's Bright Hawk is a good example of a Skill Level .5 rocket. (It's listed as a Skill Level 1, but its plastic fin can makes that a bit of a stretch.) Big and sturdy with a brightly colored plastic fin can and nose cone, it might be one of the better rockets currently available to gradually step up with if your previous experience has all been with RTF rockets. ...

  • Quest Bright Hawk By Clive Davis

    Brief: 4FNC skill level 1 easy build kit with plastic fin can. Construction: The kit comes in plastic bag with: bright orange nose cone large, wide white body tube yellow plastic fin can motor mount, motor block, engine hook, and centering rings parachute kit Kevlar ® & shock cord decal stickers I selected this kit for a rocket build I was ...

Flights

ID
Date
Flyer
Rocket
Kit
Motors
Altitude
Action
76818
2024-07-07 photo
Bill Eichelberger
Quest - Half-Bright Hawk
B6-4
402 Feet
list
76503
2023-11-19 photo
Bill Eichelberger
Quest - Bright Hawk
B6-4
350 Feet
list
76135
2023-05-28 photo
Bill Eichelberger
Quest - Half-Bright Hawk
Quest - Bright Hawk {Kit}
A8-3
250 Feet
list
67289
2014-07-25 photo
Bill Eichelberger
Quest - Half-Bright Hawk
Quest - Bright Hawk {Kit}
B6-4
400 Feet
list
66979
2014-05-26 photo
Bill Eichelberger
Quest - Bright Hawk
Quest - Bright Hawk {Kit}
B4-2
300 Feet
list
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