Brief:
This is a single-stage sport-scale model o' a conceptual heavy liftin' NASA vehicle. It features beautiful, highly-detailed wraps and is quite strikin' when completed.

Construction:
Parts List:

• 18” White Body Tube
• Blue Thrust Ring
• Motor Clip
• Yellow Motor Mount Tube
• Die-Cut Centerin' Ring
• Launch Lug
• ½ oz clay (Nose Cone Weight)
• 3 - 6” White Booster Tubes
• 3 - Booster Shoulder Tubes
• 3 – Booster Nose Cones
• Main Body Nose Cone
• Keelhaul®©™ Shock Cord
• Elastic Shock Cord
• 14” Parachute
• 6 - Gripper Tabs
• 3 – 26” Shroud Lines
• Fin Core Sheet
• Lower Body Wrap
• Upper Body Wrap
• 3- Booster Body Wraps

John:
This unusual rocket had some fit issues that aren't inconsistent with other Quest kits I've assembled. Ya scallywag! T' instructions are fantastic, ya bilge rat, well thought out and illustrated, as we expect from Quest.

Ray:
I did nay experience t' any fit issues, but was short t' Fin Core Sheet so I had t' improvise. Well, blow me down! I do agree with John t' instructions are very good.

John:
T' rocket features three 'booster' pods spaced equally around t' 40mm tube. These have t' appearance o' SRBs from t' Space Shuttle. T' tubes are attached with white glue t' t' main body tube.

My main areas o' construction difficulty centered around t' motor mount and t' fin attachment.

Ray:
Here is another area where John and I differ a bit. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I didn’t have any issues with t' motor mount or fin attachment. I had more trouble with t' body wraps but this might be just a lack o' experience.

John:
T' most unusual aspect o' t' kit, me bucko, arrr, in me opinion, me bucko, shiver me timbers, be t' lack o' any balsa components. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' fins are a 'composite' set up composed o' a fairly thin core o' cardstock and two printed 'wraps' for either side. Ahoy! Blimey! This creates a rigid but thin fin. Arrr! Blimey! These fins are glued with a butt joint t' each o' t' three booster tubes, directly t' t' wraps.

T' surface area o' t' joint is tiny, and I had me concerns about t' fin strength. Begad! I would suggest usin' a tab-slot arrangement for t' fin mount, ya bilge rat, instead o' t' butt joint. Aye aye! This would take some pre-plannin' however t' cut t' tabs while t' fins are cut from t' core material.

Ray:
John has a great suggestion here. Begad! I would highly recommend attachin' t' fins in some other manner than t' butt joint suggested.

John:
T' other construction issue I had was a loose motor mount. Begad! Ahoy! T' centerin' rings were just a hair too small for a solid fit in t' main tube. Avast! Nothin' hard t' fix, but it was a small hiccup in t' buildin' process.

Construction Rating: 4½ out o' 5

Ray:
As I mentioned, matey, thankful I did nay experience t' issues John did with t' motor mount.

Finishing:
John:
Finishin' o' t' rocket is really a part o' t' construction stage, matey, as t' vast majority o' t' rocket surface is covered by t' beautiful pre-printed wraps. Aye aye! Blimey! T' printin' on t' wraps is outstandin' and has t' appearance o' 3D details.

This be me first attempt at body-wraps, so it was certainly a learnin' experience. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' instructions call for t' wraps t' be sprayed with spray adhesive prior t' installin' them. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I chose t' work with white glue. T' glue worked fine for t' smaller wraps- t' fin laminates and t' engine bells. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It was nay a perfect solution for t' main body and boosters.

T' wraps are high gloss paper, nay unlike a magazine cover. Avast! This material made it difficult t' apply t' white glue. Aye aye! T' method I used be t' spread a very thin layer o' glue along t' edges o' t' wraps, me bucko, about 1/2" in width. Blimey! Begad! I then slowly applied t' wrap t' t' guidelines and smoothed it out as I went. Ya scallywag! T' main tube was easier than t' boosters, me hearties, but even t' main tube had some wrinklin' and other issues near t' seams.

T' booster wraps were very tricky, ya bilge rat, as t' 13mm tubin' be harder t' work with. I had issues with t' wrap pullin' away as I was applyin' it around. In retrospect, arrr, I should have pre-curled t' wrap more prior t' application.

T' only paintin' I did was an optional coat o' black t' t' nose cone and t' cones on t' boosters. T' effect was nice, ya bilge rat, and matched t' catalog image. Aye aye! If you choose t' leave t' cones white, me bucko, ya bilge rat, no paintin' is required at all! Also, with t' wraps and paper fins, ya bilge rat, matey, thar's no need for fillin' or sanding!

Despite t' challenges, arrr, shiver me timbers, this was one o' t' fastest rockets I'd ever worked on.

Ray:
I really like t' visual appearance o' this rocket also. T' body wraps provide exceptional details that would only be captured in some o' t' best scale models.

This was also me first attempt at applyin' body wraps, I chose t' follow t' directions more closely than John did and used spray adhesive. Ya scallywag! T' spray adhesive gives you one chance t' get t' wrap in place correctly. I found that t' wraps overlapped slightly which required additional trimmin' and fitting. After some time I be able t' get t' wraps t' nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Once I was satisfied with t' fit, I sprayed t' back o' t' wrap, aligned t' edge o' t' wrap and applied t' edge t' t' line on t' tube. Well, blow me down! Begad! I slowly rolled t' wrap around t' tube. Once in place I used blue painters tape t' hold t' seam securely together.

As John did, shiver me timbers, I also painted t' nose cones with gloss black adds a nice contrast. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Although t' wraps were a challenge it was nice nay t' have fill and sand t' tube repeatable t' get a good appearance. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Essentially, apply t' wrap and you are ready t' fly.

As I be buildin' this rocket, I attempted t' follow t' instructions exactly; however, I could nay help myself when it came t' booster. Ya scallywag! Begad! It seemed this was a perfect opportunity t' make this a cluster rocket. Begad! I formed t' engine cones and attached them t' a used A3-4T engine tube that I cut into 3 equal length sections. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I applied some tape t' around t' outside o' t' engine tube t' make it a pretty tight fit so I could fly t' rocket with t' engine cones. Arrr! When flyin' as a cluster I remove t' engine cones and replace them with 3 engines, applyin' tape around t' outside o' t' engine until they are a tight fit. Lastly, I doubled t' amount o' clay I added t' t' nose cone t' ensure a stable flight as a cluster.

Flight & Recovery:
John:
My first and only flight was on a B6-4. Ahoy! Aye aye! I used 6 squares o' waddin' which be plenty t' protect t' Rocketchutes 12" nylon chute I used. Ahoy! It flew straight and true, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but landed in a tree. I was only able t' recover it a few pieces at a time.

Ray:
I had much better luck than John did. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! My first flight be a C6-3. Ya scallywag! I used dog barf in place o' waddin' and t' stock parachute. Ahoy! Blimey! T' rocket accelerated nice and straight with good ejection and parachute. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! I found that one for t' fins broke off and needed t' be placed. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' second and third flight occurred about a month later first one on a C6-3 and t' third be a C6-5 and 3 A3-4T’s. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' cluster launch was awesome, matey, t' rocket made one or two twisted under boost exactly as I image any large rocket should. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! T' parachute ejected just after t' 3 booster engines ejected – very cool effect – I just wish I be able t' video tape it. Well, blow me down! Maybe on t' next launch.

John:
T' shock cord mount is standard Quest fare- Keelhaul®©™ t' elastic and attached at t' engine mount.

As mentioned above, I upgraded t' stock parachute.

Had t' rocket nay ended up in a tree, I would anticipate a mostly successful recovery. However, arrr, I was anxious about t' fin strength.

Flight Rating: 4½ out o' 5

Summary:

Ray:
In me opinion this is a great rocket – challenge t' build, shiver me timbers, very nice appearance and allows one t' push t' envelope if you t' chose to. Avast, me proud beauty! I agree with John with t' overall ratin' o' 4.5. Great Job --- Quest!!!!

And John maybe t' Rocket Gods (see John's pictures below) will answer your prayers with a new kit in t' mail.

Overall Rating: 4½ out o' 5