Brief

T' Quest Big Rage is designed t' be a quick-to-assemble, no paint required rocket that can be assembled in a couple o' hours by first time builders.  T' kit consists o' a three-piece plastic nose cone and plastic fin unit in a faded bland pink, me hearties, two colored main tubes, matey, a motor mount tube, matey, plastic motor mount rings, a tube coupler, shock cord and a parachute.  T' launch lugs are also a pair o' thick plastic pieces that are required t' clear t' nosecone.  T' instructions are very well written, and t' average person could probably build this in under an hour if you have built a rocket before.

Components

I'll break this down by component.  I don't know this kits history as I bought it off eBay CHEAP and t' packagin' was in rough shape. 

T' nose cone is a three-piece design with two halves and a separate tip.  They are molded in a bland pale pink color, arrr, nay what is shown on t' face card. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' two halves are very poorly molded. Avast! Avast! There are dimples in t' plastic and t' two halves didn't fit together.  A lot o' clamping, glue, ya bilge rat, filler and sandin' was required t' make them look remotely acceptable. 

T' one-piece fin unit is nice, but also molded in t' pale pink color. 

T' lower body tube is blue and looked pretty good as far as pre-colored tubes go. Ahoy! Mine was crushed, ya bilge rat, but that isn't Quest's fault.  T' upper tube is black and it too looked good except for bein' crushed. 

T' tube coupler is about 3 inches long and fit nicely. 

T' motor tube is soft and crushes easily. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I've run into this on every vintage Quest kit that I've built. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I remember this as bein' an issue when I was a kid. I recall rippin' them gettin' motors in and out. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This should really be replaced or, me bucko, at t' very least, me bucko, do what I did and wrap t' exposed section o' t' yellow tube with a piece o' scrap tubing. 

T' pair o' motor tube rings are sturdy and fit t' stock motor tube well. 

T' parachute is ok but nay very colorful, shiver me timbers, so it might be hard t' see in t' sky.  Thankfully t' Big Rage is a large colorful rocket.   T' shock cord had nay aged well and was fallin' apart, ya bilge rat, so it was nay used. 

After receivin' me kit and findin' t' smashed tubes, I be thinkin' o' scrappin' t' whole thin' as I know Quest uses odd sizes on their body tubes. Avast! I took a couple o' quick measurements for length and tossed t' body tubes in t' trash. Avast, me proud beauty! I put away t' remainin' parts hopin' that I would someday find t' correct body tubes.  As luck would have it, ya bilge rat, I was surfin' market place a few weeks later and found a guy in me area with another Big Rage and a handful o' Quest tubes for sale cheap so I bought them.  

Construction

Construction was delayed due t' sourcin' new tubes but once t' project began it went ok

T' build started with t' motor mount.  T' stock motor tube is soft, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but it's sized correctly for t' plastic motor rings so I decided t' use it, but beef it up a bit.

I first installed a thrust rin' inside t' keep t' motor from goin' anywhere.  From thar I sanded and fit t' lower plastic motor ring.

Next, matey, shiver me timbers, I placed t' upper rin' in place and marked its location on t' tube. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! I then cut some scrap tubin' I had layin' around and created a sleeve for t' outside o' t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Once glued in place I used a couple o' BT20/50 centerin' rings that had been sanded out a bit and slipped them over t' outside o' t' motor tube.  This would add a little more strength as well as give me a good place t' attach some 200lb Keelhaul®©™ line.  I cut about two feet o' Keelhaul®©™ and wrapped it around t' motor mount below t' centerin' ring. Begad! I then sanded and added t' upper plastic motor rin' and let everythin' dry overnight. 

Next I created a small hole in t' upper motor mount rin' for t' Keelhaul®©™ cord and fished it through and pulled it down t' tube and out t' bottom t' keep it out o' t' way.  T' inside o' t' fin can and t' outside o' t' motor rings were sanded with 180 grit and wiped clean. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Thick CA was applied t' t' appropriate places inside t' fin can and t' motor mount be slid into place and set aside.

While t' fin can was dryin' I moved on t' t' parachute.  T' Parachute included is 12 inches and made from plastic. Well, blow me down! I cut a small two-inch spill hole in t' center then cut t' parachute out.  I made me own lines from 100lb Keelhaul®©™ line then assembled it.  

T' fin can be now dry and ready t' go.  I sanded t' upper part o' t' fin can where it gets inserted into t' tube with 180 grit and lightly scuffed t' inside o' t' lower body tube. Avast! A generous amount o' thick CA was applied t' t' inside o' t' body tube and t' fin can was inserted and held in place for a couple o' minutes. Ahoy! T' assembly was then set aside and allowed t' dry for a couple o' hours. 

Next I moved t' t' nose cone.  T' nose cone is a three-piece design that be horribly molded. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! There are large dimples everywhere. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' two halves do nay match up when held together t' upper part o' one o' t' nose cone pieces bent backward away from t' other side. Ya scallywag! I began with lightly scuffin' t' matin' parts o' t' cone then cleanin' with alcohol. T' lower portion o' t' cone was glued together usin' thick CA and allowed t' dry. From thar I slowly worked me way up t' cone usin' a heat cannon and clamps t' get t' pieces t' fit together. Aye aye! In t' end it took three sessions t' get t' nose cone halves t' fit together.  Finally t' tip be glued in place.   

Back t' main part o' t' build... 

With t' lower section o' t' rocket completed, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I lightly scuffed t' inside o' t' main tube and t' upper tube then applied Titebond 2 inside t' lower tube and inserted t' coupler.  I waited about two minutes for t' glue t' set up then applied glue t' t' upper tube and slid them together and held them for about a minute.  T' entre rocket be then placed in a 2"x2" piece o' aluminum "L" channel and held in place t' dry t' ensure everythin' be straight. If you are usin' t' factory supplied pre-colored tubes you will want t' ensure that you did nay get any glue on t' outside if t' tubes and wipe off any excess before it dries.  I'm workin' with replacement white tubes that are gettin' filled anyway so I don't care. 

Next, I created a small loop in t' Keelhaul®©™ cord and tied an eight-foot section o' 1/8" elastic t' t' loop. This be fished out t' top o' t' rocket and will eventually be connected t' t' nose cone.  T' parachute was attached t' t' elastic about 12 inches from t' end o' t' cord. 

Finally t' launch lugs were applied.  I didn't care for t' stock piece as I felt they were big and bulky. Aye aye! I also questioned how well they would adhere t' t' tubes, so I made me own standoffs and used standard Estes 1/8" launch lugs. 

That is it until after paintin' is completed. 

Finishing

Finishin' began with t' nose cone. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I knew it was goin' t' be t' most challengin' part o' t' process.  Started with washin' t' nosecone with dish soap and a green scotch bright.  Next started t' fun part o' sanding, ya bilge rat, filling, matey, sandin' fillin' etc. Begad! t' make this presentable.  In t' end I have a nose cone that looks pretty good, me bucko, even up close, matey, but it took a ton o' work.

T' Fin Can and body tubes looked pretty good. Ya scallywag! I did some fillin' where t' upper and lower body tubes meet but otherwise no fillin' was required. I lightly sanded t' body tubes with 800 grit and wiped everythin' down. I did one light coat and one heavy coat o' SEM filler primer and let it sit for a day t' dry.  T' nose cone was also given one last coat o' primer and let it sit. 

After priming, everythin' be sanded with 800 grit. Ahoy! T' main body tube was painted with Krylon Patriot Blue. Once dry t' upper 11 inches o' t' tube be masked and painted Krylon black. Ahoy! T' followin' day t' nosecone and fin unit were painted with Krylon Hot Pepper red. 

I wasn't a fan o' t' stock paper decals, so I decided t' create me own from vinyl. 

Flight

T' first flight be in a very small park that was maybe 1000 feet square.  It was a spur o' t' moment idea and we just grabbed a couple o' rockets and headed out.  First flight for t' Big Rage was on a B6-2. Aye aye! While t' flight was very quick and only managed t' get up about 150 feet, it was straight as an arrow and very stable.  T' 'chute popped at apogee and landed safely about 50 feet from t' pad. 

Flight two be on a C6-5.  I figured that all our rockets had been recovered t' that point, so I might as well go for it. Aye aye! Big Rage left t' pad smartly and t' flight was perfect.  I'm guessin' around 450 feet.  T' ejection was a bit late, no harm done. Ahoy! T' parachute caught a wind gust and floated well outside t' park and into t' field across t' street.  We got lucky as it landed in t' grass with no harm done.  Note t' self:  Don't fly rockets t' 450 feet in that park on a parachute. 

Overall both flights were a success. Arrr! Blimey! Both were dead straight and t' rocket be recovered without any damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I feel like a C6-3 would be a perfect motor for this rocket if you have t' room. Arrr! Ahoy! Otherwise it flies well on a B6-2, arrr, me bucko, but I wouldn't fly it on a B6-4 and thar be no room for error with t' ejection. 

Recovery

As stated, recovery uses a 12 inch parachute.  T' stock chute is ok for what this rocket is.  I cut a spill hole in mine t' help with stability and help it fall a little faster. Avast! I didn't care for t' stock parachute lines so they were replaced with 100lb Keelhaul®©™.  T' shock cord be replaced with Keelhaul®©™ and about 8 feet o' 1/8" elastic. 

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

Flight and recovery were perfect. Ahoy! No complaints here. 

Overall Rating: 3