Construction:
My Nike-K is actually very old, havin' been built in 1992, matey, arrr, but I feel this reflects t' t' overall quality o' t' design. Aye aye! Ahoy! I have bought a new kit to compare t' two, and it is pretty much identical t' t' early one. Quest packages their parts separately so it is easy t' find parts for subassembly. Blimey!

This kit has standard paper tubes for t' body, shiver me timbers, payload section, and motor mount. Arrr! T' nose, fin unit, and transition are all molded o' a very rugged plastic, me hearties, and t' shock cord is a combination o' tough Keelhaul®©™® and fabric elastic. Ya scallywag! This is one o' t' few manufacturers that actually includes enough shock cord material!! All t' parts were thar and in good shape.

T' instructions are very simple and well arranged, and I feel anyone could build this kit after one or two more basic kits. Ya scallywag! T' motor mount and centering rings are color-coded t' ease identification. Avast! Begad! This kit built very nicely with the exception o' t' fact t' top plastic rin' o' t' fin unit fit very tightly and I creased me motor mount tube tryin' t' press it on. Well, blow me down! Sandin' t' fin unit and t' two plastic rings are a good idea. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!

Only basic supplies are needed (white and plastic model glues), and t' only tools I used were a 6" ruler and a hobby knife. T' shock cord mount is not difficult t' do, but pay careful attention t' t' instructions and make sure you do it right.

Finishing:
Finishin' this kit is a snap. Well, matey, blow me down! Quest colors t' body tubes gloss white and the plastic is molded in a high-visibility orange. Ahoy! I painted t' tubes with Testors gloss white t' seal them, me bucko, and did t' plastic parts with Pactra fluorescent orange. T' decals need a lot o' trimming, and you must be careful t' avoid smearin' t' ink (like I wound up doing.) T' entire rocket got a coat o' gloss clear t' protect t' decals and finish. Ahoy! This is a sharp-lookin' bird and would look terrific with no additional finishin' at all. Begad!

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight:
I have been flyin' this rocket mostly with b6-4's, although I have also flown it with b6-2's, b8-5's, arrr, and c6-7's. It normally shows little tendency to weather cock, me hearties, arrr, but WATCH OUT on windy days with c6-7's! I had t' go about a half mile downrange after it tipped over and flew nearly horizontally durin' the coast phase. Begad! It was spectacular with t' b8-5, me hearties, although t' delay is too long for windy days. Arrr!

Preppin' is standard with waddin' used. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Dust t' 'chute with a little talcum as it is a bit stiff and will deploy better if treated this way. Arrr! The motor is retained with a steel clip that looks a little thin, but I've had no trouble with it at all. Ahoy! Aye aye!

T' Quest motors' Tiger Tail II igniters install easily and work very nicely. Just be careful t' follow t' instructions on how t' set them up. They do use more current then Estes igniters, shiver me timbers, arrr, so make sure your batteries are fresh.

Recovery:
Quest recovery systems are sort o' a mixed bag. Well, blow me down! T' materials are some o' the strongest I've ever seen in model rockets, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I dislike t' method used for attachin' t' shock cord t' t' fin assembly. Arrr! Mine was burned through at ejection on t' fourth flight, droppin' it t' t' ground and ruinin' t' main body tube. Arrr! However, thar was no other damage and it's good as new after replacin' t' tube. I epoxied t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop near t' top o' t' tube and tied t' elastic onto it. Begad! It's been trouble-free for nearly 7 years in this configuration. Avast! Other than that, t' only problem is that t' 'chute is inclined to open pretty slowly due t' t' stiffness o' t' material. Ya scallywag! Be sure t' pack the recovery system carefully and this should cause little trouble. Aye aye! Arrr! T' system is extremely tough and has survived a couple o' late ejections with no damage. My Nike-K has a fair amount o' wear, shiver me timbers, arrr, but it has a lot o' flights on it and has held up better than normal. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
T' Quest Nike-K is a very well made kit that flies very well on a variety of motors. It gets good altitude and t' speed is excitin' with t' b8-5 motors (if you can still find them). Begad! It is attractive and really durable. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down!

T' price is reasonable, especially considerin' t' features it has compared to t' competition. T' recovery system is exceptionally tough, but some attention t' preppin' is required t' avoid deployment trouble. I personally dislike t' method o' attachin' t' Keelhaul®©™® line, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and instead recommend usin' it as a high-strength anchor in t' body tube. Aye aye! I also recommend coatin' t' inside of t' motor and body tubes with thin CA and sandin' them t' make them smooth and toughen them. Avast, me proud beauty! (I do this with ALL paper tubing). Ya scallywag! This is a great kit that just needs a little attention t' detail.

I'm very fond o' Quest kits and have found them t' be rugged, ya bilge rat, but t' Nike-K taught me that plastic subassemblies call for just as much attention as paper, you can't assume that it will just go together.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5