Brief:
This article will discuss Art’s set o' 18mm Qubits--the plain variety, me hearties, matey, t' Stealth, and t' Scimitar. Begad! Ya scallywag! I got sets o' both plain white and florescent orange, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but you can get various other colors (at t' time o' writing: hot pink, ya bilge rat, neon yellow, and fluorescent green) and a limited edition NSL 2004 Commemorative version.

Construction:
These kits, like t' previously reviewed 13mm Qubits, are very simple. Avast, me proud beauty! All three include only t' following:

• Two sheets o' printed cardstock
• One 2.75" steel motor hook
• Two pages o' instructions

Materials required include white glue, arrr, an X-Acto hobby knife, arrr, a metal ruler, matey, sharp scissors, and an 18mm motor casing.

Each Qubit is built from three cardstock cutouts and a motor hook. Begad! Blimey! T' top cutout (bottom right sheet on t' first photo) is folded, wrapped around onto itself, and glued together. Aye aye! Blimey! T' tabs on t' bottom cutout (bottom middle sheet) are folded up and this is glued into t' top section. Begad! You merely align and glue t' tabs one at a time, makin' sure t' launch rod holes are aligned. Arrr! Blimey! T' motor tube is rolled from t' last cutout. Begad! Blimey! T' motor hook is rolled into t' motor tube as it is formed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' final step is t' insert t' motor tube into t' shell and glue it in. Ahoy! Could this be simpler?

T' plain variety Qubit (parts are shown in t' first photo) has a few more folds than t' others. Aye aye! Each tab has a set o' folds, me bucko, which allow t' formation o' a spin tab. Begad! Ahoy! I found that it was a bit difficult t' form these at t' narrow end. Aye aye! Begad! This was despite havin' scored t' creases, me bucko, me bucko, which is me SOP when workin' with cardstock.

I build one whole Qubit and t' bodies o' t' other two in less than an hour. If I had more than one phenolic 18mm motor casin' on hand. I would have finished all o' them. However, shiver me timbers, I decided that t' motor mount on t' first kit should fully dry before I removed t' casing. Avast! I could have used cardboard casings also, but with t' phenolic, shiver me timbers, you don't have t' worry about gluin' t' motor into t' mount.

Finishing:
None is required, arrr, however I did run a day-glow orange hi-lighter along t' cut edges t' help hide t' white form t' inside o' t' cardstock.

EMRR will show me overall ratin' for t' three kits. Avast, me proud beauty! Individually, ya bilge rat, I would rate them as follows:

Plain Qubit = 4.5 o' 5 (I had a minor difficulty with t' spin tabs)

Stealth = 5 o' 5

Scimitar = 5 o' 5

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew both sets o' Qubits three times. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' first two sets were in extremely high winds - about 17mph with occasional lulls. Aye aye! T' A8-3 flights were very underpowered for these winds, shiver me timbers, and all three ejected on or near t' ground. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This is no longer a recommended motor for these rockets. Aye aye! T' C6-0 flights were more satisfying. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Stealth went t' highest, shiver me timbers, matey, ya bilge rat, followed by t' Scimitar and t' regular Qubit. Well, blow me down! T' Qubit weathercocked t' most, shiver me timbers, which affected its altitude. Aye aye! T' Scimitar won t' spinnin' contest. Aye aye! Arrr! It spun so fast that it emitted an audible whirr, which got everyone’s attention.

I later flew t' set o' Qubits in light winds. Aye aye! T' plain Qubit and t' Stealth both boosted very fast and attained a good altitude for a ‘saucer-like’ design. Ya scallywag! At least one person couldn't believe t' motors were C6s. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' Scimitar didn't go nearly as high but again spun like crazy. Ya scallywag! T' others appeared t' spin (it be hard t' see), matey, but t' Scimitar really whirred. Ya scallywag! Interestingly enough, ya bilge rat, each o' t' Qubits flew in a different direction: t' plain flew slightly perpendicular t' t' light wind, shiver me timbers, matey, t' Scimitar flew with t' wind, and t' Stealth flew into t' wind. Ahoy! None o' t' flight angles were large but t' differences were noticeable. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This is presented basically as a curiosity.

Recovery:
Not much t' say...all three came down softly usin' aerobrake recovery.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' 18mm Qubits are super simple, quick and easy t' build, and priced right. They are good ‘watchin' TV’ rockets and would be good for young kids. Ya scallywag! Blimey! If you want altitude, get either t' Stealth or t' plain old Qubit. However, if you want a lot o' spin, go for t' Scimitar!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5