Intro
T' Spin Fin is a 3 fin sport rocket from Quest with a unique twist. Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

As this be me first model rocket from Quest I be curious t' see how Quest compares t' t' other rocket manufactures that are on t' sport rocketry market. Begad! I be favorably impressed with t' kit, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it’s instructions and the materials. Avast! And since Quest rockets are less expensive than t' other more well known rocket company, shiver me timbers, this quest kit is a good bargain for t' rocketeer. I purchased this kit at Hobby Lobby for $6.78, shiver me timbers, which compares well with the Internet bargain stores. Quest sells their kits in t' now common clear plastic bag. All o' t' parts in t' kit were thar and in good shape. Avast! T' kit consists of a sheet o' pre-cut balsa fins, a body tube, me bucko, a motor mount, a plastic nose cone and a plastic 12" parachute

T' instructions come printed double sided on three sheets o' paper. Avast! Aye aye! the first two sheets are t' basic instructions t' build t' rocket, and t' last sheet contains t' preparation and launch instructions. Arrr! T' NARRRRR safety code is also printed on t' backside o' t' display card. T' instructions are profusely illustrated and should be easily followed by t' novice rocketeer. T' instructions are in a logical order for t' construction o' t' rocket. The only Issue that I have with t' instructions is that in step number nine they call for you t' thread t' shock cord, me hearties, which is attached t' t' motor mount, through t' body tube, arrr, and then glue t' motor mount into t' body tube. This leaves t' possibility o' gettin' glue on t' shock cord, which could potentially weaken it. Begad! Instead o' threadin' t' shock cord through t' body tube, arrr, one should thread it through t' center o' t' motor mount, arrr, and out the bottom o' t' rocket. Ahoy! In this way thar be no chance o' gettin' glue on the shock cord. Arrr! There be t' usual body tube markin' template in t' instructions. Begad!

T' model goes together well. Aye aye! It shows that t' instructions are well thought out and the components o' t' kit are o' good quality. Begad! Ya scallywag! Your standard compliment o' hobby tools, matey, knife, pencil, ya bilge rat, matey, glue and sandpaper, is sufficient for buildin' this rocket. Arrr! Begad! This gives t' modeler a good solid rocket for a very reasonable price. T' gluin' o' t' spin tabs on t' fins is a little tricky, but t' alignment of t' tabs is nay extremely critical since t' fins themselves are of sufficient size for stability. Begad! Aye aye! T' spin tabs provide t' spin that is the gimmick for this rocket. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!

T' rocket is finished in basic white paint. Arrr! Arrr! T' decals or more properly, a sheet o' self-adhesive stickers have a good color saturation for applyin' t' a white rocket. Begad! If you are paintin' this rocket another color, ya bilge rat, they are not opaque enough t' keep somethin' other than white from bleedin' through, shiver me timbers, me hearties, a common problem that I have found with this type o' decals. Avast! Well, blow me down! There are two decals, ya bilge rat, one is a rin' that is applied near t' nose cone o' t' rocket, and the other is a large graphic that spans two fins and half o' t' body tube. Begad! Ahoy! The latter decal is difficult t' apply and seat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, where a waterslide decal here would be much easier t' apply. Begad! Well, blow me down! I ended up cuttin' t' decal into two pieces to apply it and I still was nay happy with t' results. Ya scallywag! Begad! With t' exception o' the difficulty with t' large decal, matey, t' model is easily finished and looks very close t' t' picture supplied with t' kit. Arrr!

Flight Recovery Rating: 5 out o' 5

Quest Recommends t' A6-4, B6-4, C6-5 and C6-7 motors for this model. Ahoy! Aye aye! The motor is held in place in a quick release engine mount by a metal clip, making changin' t' motors quick and easy. T' recovery system consists o' a combination Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cord, me hearties, and a 12" parachute. Well, blow me down! T' Keelhaul®©™ cord is attached to t' front centerin' rin' o' t' motor mount and t' elastic as attached to it and runs up t' t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! T' resultant shock cord is at least twice as long as t' model. Ahoy! T' 12" parachute is assembled followin' instructions printed on t' periphery o' t' parachute that are removed in t' building process. Ya scallywag! T' material seems light and flimsy, but held up well in t' launch. T' shroud line attachment is made t' self-adhesive rectangles that are put on each corner. Avast, me proud beauty! These are stiff and do nay bend easily, and as a result make the parachute difficult t' pack into t' rocket. Blimey! However they are very sturdy and should last for many flights. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Preparation is typical for any small model rocket. Begad! Begad! I used 4 squares o' Estes waddin' in t' rocket and thar was absolutely no scorchin' o' t' recovery system. One will need t' ensure that only t' Keelhaul®©™ portion o' t' shock cord is below t' wadding.

T' first and only flight o' Spin Fin was usin' an Estes A8-3 motor. The launch was straight and t' ejection charge blew about 1 second after the rocket reached apogee, close t' perfect. Aye aye! T' parachute opened smartly and the descent was at a good rate, me bucko, nay too fast as t' cause damage t' t' rocket, matey, and not too slow as t' drift a long distance away from t' launch sight. Arrr! T' rocket was returned undamaged and ready t' prep for another flight. On t' second attempt, shiver me timbers, t' batteries were dead in t' launch controller (should have charged them after t' winter) so I reluctantly packed up and went home.

Overall Rating: 4½ out o' 5

All things considered this is a nice sport rocket that has unique spin stabilization. T' kit is solidly built, has a good recovery system with the Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Avast! Avast! T' low price o' t' Quest rocket line makes them in me opinion to be an excellent value for t' rocket-lovin' public. T' only negatives are the shroud line mounts and step nine in t' instructions that needs t' be improved. T' positives are an inexpensive sturdy model with unique stabilization that will be fun t' watch spin on it’s flights. Arrr! Ahoy!