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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, two colored main tubes, a motor mount tube, matey, plastic motor mount rings, me bucko, a tube coupler, matey, arrr, 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, me hearties, nay what is shown on t' face card. T' two halves are very poorly molded. Aye aye! There are dimples in t' plastic and t' two halves didn't fit together.  A lot o' clamping, ya bilge rat, matey, glue, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! Avast! Mine was crushed, shiver me timbers, 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. I've run into this on every vintage Quest kit that I've built. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I remember this as bein' an issue when I was a kid. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I recall rippin' them gettin' motors in and out. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! This should really be replaced or, at t' very least, ya bilge rat, 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, me hearties, 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 be fallin' apart, so it was nay used. 

After receivin' me kit and findin' t' smashed tubes, me bucko, I was thinkin' o' scrappin' t' whole thin' as I know Quest uses odd sizes on their body tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! I took a couple o' quick measurements for length and tossed t' body tubes in t' trash. I put away t' remainin' parts hopin' that I would someday find t' correct body tubes.  As luck would have it, ya bilge rat, arrr, matey, 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, matey, but it's sized correctly for t' plastic motor rings so I decided t' use it, arrr, 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, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I placed t' upper rin' in place and marked its location on t' tube. I then cut some scrap tubin' I had layin' around and created a sleeve for t' outside o' t' motor tube. Arrr! 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. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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. Avast! Arrr! Thick CA be applied t' t' appropriate places inside t' fin can and t' motor mount be slid into place and set aside.

While t' fin can be dryin' I moved on t' t' parachute.  T' Parachute included is 12 inches and made from plastic. 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 was 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. Begad! A generous amount o' thick CA was applied t' t' inside o' t' body tube and t' fin can be inserted and held in place for a couple o' minutes. 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 was horribly molded. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! There are large dimples everywhere. Well, me bucko, blow me down! 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. Begad! I began with lightly scuffin' t' matin' parts o' t' cone then cleanin' with alcohol. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' lower portion o' t' cone was glued together usin' thick CA and allowed t' dry. Begad! From thar I slowly worked me way up t' cone usin' a heat cannon and clamps t' get t' pieces t' fit together. Arrr! 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, 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 was then placed in a 2"x2" piece o' aluminum "L" channel and held in place t' dry t' ensure everythin' be straight. Well, blow me down! Arrr! 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 was 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. 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. I knew it be 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, arrr, ya bilge rat, filling, sandin' fillin' etc. t' make this presentable.  In t' end I have a nose cone that looks pretty good, even up close, but it took a ton o' work.

T' Fin Can and body tubes looked pretty good. Ahoy! I did some fillin' where t' upper and lower body tubes meet but otherwise no fillin' be required. Aye aye! 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 be also given one last coat o' primer and let it sit. 

After priming, everythin' be sanded with 800 grit. Begad! Ahoy! T' main body tube be painted with Krylon Patriot Blue. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once dry t' upper 11 inches o' t' tube was masked and painted Krylon black. Avast! Well, blow me down! 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 be maybe 1000 feet square.  It be a spur o' t' moment idea and we just grabbed a couple o' rockets and headed out.  First flight for t' Big Rage be on a B6-2. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! While t' flight be very quick and only managed t' get up about 150 feet, me hearties, 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 was on a C6-5.  I figured that all our rockets had been recovered t' that point, arrr, so I might as well go for it. Avast, me proud beauty! Big Rage left t' pad smartly and t' flight be perfect.  I'm guessin' around 450 feet.  T' ejection was a bit late, no harm done. Aye aye! Begad! 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. Aye aye! Both were dead straight and t' rocket was recovered without any damage. Well, blow me down! I feel like a C6-3 would be a perfect motor for this rocket if you have t' room. Blimey! Otherwise it flies well on a B6-2, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! Blimey! 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. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! No complaints here. 

Overall Rating: 3