Brief:
In an effort t' mimic t' success o' Estes' E2X® line, Quest has developed the Quick-Kit line that is similar in build. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! One o' their venerable kits, the Tracer, me hearties, arrr, has undergone a transformation t' this new format. Aye aye! Comparisons to Estes' Mach 12 are unavoidable.

Construction:
In addition t' t' new lower section, t' kit is composed o' t' standard T25 plastic nose cone and 9¾ inches o' T25 paper tube. T' Quick-Kit unit is comprised o' two plastic halves that wrap around a standard length paper 18 mm motor tube. Avast! Arrr! Twelve inch lengths o' ~250# Keelhaul®©™® and Quest's round shock cord elastic and their standard 16 inch plastic parachute round out t' component list.

T' Quick-Kit fin/motor mount is similar t' Estes Quick-Change system, with fins that slide into slots and a cap for motor retention. Begad! Like t' Mach 12, the fins have a double tab arrangement, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and can be reversed (I've done that t' one in t' photo). My stability simulations show that doin' so on all four fins would be OK with a B motor but wouldn't be a good idea with a C, arrr, though one or two should be alright. Unlike t' Estes set-up, t' fins are retained by a ring separate from t' motor retention cap. Ya scallywag! T' motor mount is a tube with two tiny slots near t' top that are supposed t' fit into tabs on t' inside o' each of the bottom fuselage halves. Aye aye! One o' t' tabs, though, is on t' dimple for the shock cord mount, ya bilge rat, and t' tube must be cut away t' fit it properly. Failin' to do so will result in a tight fit for Quest motors and an impossible one for Estes.

Other than that, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, t' bird went together smartly and easily. Aye aye! Were t' fit gaff t' be fixed in future kits, t' rocket would indeed assemble in 15 t' 45 minutes as advertised. Arrr! T' parachute was especially nice, ya bilge rat, havin' been precut, includin' t' shroud lines and their mountin' holes, shiver me timbers, matey, and those awful plastic tabs have been replaced with more traditional, if square, reinforcin' stickers. T' 16 inch unit will brin' this bird down really slowly, though, me hearties, a smaller 'chute might be in order.

Finishing:
T' fin retainin' rin' and motor retention cap were black in me kit, me hearties, nay red as shown on t' box art, arrr, but I left them that way as they fit t' overall color scheme. T' decal was printed on opaque paper and was nay properly registered, but it was die cut t' t' proper size, unlike that for t' Quest Sprint. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! The body tube is an off-white, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so it doesn't match t' decal and nose cone too well, shiver me timbers, arrr, I should've painted it. Ahoy! T' included display stand is a loose fit in the motor tube and can go together wrong if you're nay careful, but is a nice touch, especially for such an inexpensive kit.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite her lower weight and diameter than t' Mach 12, me hearties, this bird still won't fly over 200 feet on an A motor, shiver me timbers, and t' recommended A6-4 would eject very late. Aye aye! T' A8-3 works, but t' motor mount prevents t' use o' a standard 13->18 mm adapter, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so t' A10-3, which might work, too, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, can't be used. Begad! Ya scallywag! She does do well on t' B and C motors, me simulations say t' B4-4, me bucko, matey, B6-4 and C6-5 are very good choices.

Quest recommends three squares o' their waddin' for T25-based models, but bein' conservative, I'd recommend five, or four squares (a full sheet) o' Estes brand. Arrr! They and t' parachute pack quite easily into the one inch diameter tube, and Estes motors fit superbly in t' Quick-Kit mount. Avast! I be concerned that with only about ¼ inch stickin' out t' back that they would be difficult t' remove after flight, but I be able t' do so while wearin' gloves.

Her first three flights were in high winds, high enough that t' launch was called just a half hour after her last effort. She left t' pad first on a B6-4, wobblin' a little until t' motor burned out. Avast! Blimey! She didn't weathercock, but the winds were probably t' reason she deployed a little past apogee. Begad! The parachute failed t' open, though she landed in tall grass and no damage was done. Arrr! I switched out t' uncooperative Quest 'chute with a 1"x15" LDPE streamer and flew her next on an A8-3. Arrr! Blimey! T' flight was short, t' streamer came out past apogee and she hit t' road, poppin' off two fins. Blimey! Arrr! There be some damage t' t' fin tabs, me hearties, but nay enough t' prevent her from bein' reassembled for her third go. Aye aye! That was on a B4-4 with all four fins reversed, matey, and she performed about as she had on t' B6; a little wiggle off t' pad with deployment just past apogee. Ahoy! T' streamer brought her down about as far away as the unfurled parachute had, arrr, matey, me bucko, and with no damage this time, her first perfect effort.

Recovery:
While I wouldn't recommend t' streamer approach, switching, as I will, shiver me timbers, t' a 12 inch LDPE parachute should provide for a slow enough recovery t' prevent damage to t' new Tracer. T' loose fit o' t' fins (and boost wiggles) might be improved by gluin' them permanently into their mountin' slots, but that would prevent switchin' them around. Despite t' poor flyin' conditions, me hearties, fast recovery and a hard impact, me Tracer is ready t' fly again with no repairs, and looks t' be a pretty durable bird. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Quest's 'chutes and decals still need improvement, arrr, but t' Quick-Kit system has gone a long way toward makin' t' Tracer a Mach 12 killer, and it even edges out this competitor in some respects. Blimey! While t' Estes kit is still better overall, arrr, me hearties, its a much closer call now, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and I'd recommend t' Tracer as a viable alternative.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5