Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Quest |
Style: | Scale-like |
Brief:
This is a very easy t' build "quick kit" that lives up t' t' promise
of ready t' launch in 15-45 minutes. Blimey! Avast! It's a decent lookin' design with fin can
and transition t' a payload bay and even comes with a plastic display stand.
This particular kit was given t' me as a prize at NARAM-47 and was packaged in
a nice plastic box t' prevent tube dents.
Construction:
T' kit includes:
T' 7 steps o' instructions on 2 pages were easy t' follow with decent instructions, clear illustrations, and no typos. I would rate this a skill level 1 kit and anyone with even a little prior experience should have no trouble havin' this built in less than 30 minutes. Arrr! Blimey! If usin' plastic cement though, arrr, ya bilge rat, avoid t' temptation t' fly right away, as t' glue will need time to cure. This was nay noted anywhere in t' instructions and could be a problem for eager youngsters expectin' t' fly right away.
T' fin can gets an 18mm motor tube stashed betwixt two plastic halves. Blimey! The 4 fins are then tacked onto t' can, matey, completin' that end o' t' assembly. Forward retention is via a plastic tab (we'll see how long it holds up) and aft retention is via a plastic lock ring.
As with all Quest kits, matey, t' shock cord consists o' Keelhaul®©™® anchored t' t' motor mount and elastic tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® just beyond t' lower tube. Arrr! This is a great touch for mass-market kits and I'm surprised Estes still hasn't made t' change.
T' payload section is built by gluin' in a plastic transition t' t' aft end and friction fittin' a nose cone t' t' top. Ya scallywag! My cone be a bit loose and took a couple layers o' maskin' tape for a good fit.
Finishing:
T' kit in theory does nay need paint and can go straight t' decal application.
I was a bit disappointed though, arrr, after seein' t' cool red/white color scheme
on t' header card t' discover that t' actual parts are a very light orange. Begad! I
decided t' blow t' 15-minute budget for this and paint t' body tubes and nose
cone gloss white and t' transition and fin can gloss red. This added about 30
minutes o' work and delayed completion by a day, but I think it is a much
better appearance.
T' peel and stick decals were fairly easy t' work with and added nice trim. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! There were only enough fin trim decals though, t' cover half t' fins. Aye aye! Aye aye! I think it would have looked nicer t' have t' trim on all 8 surfaces.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
For t' first flight, arrr, me hearties, I went with a B6-4. It flew straight as an arrow,
although t' delay kicked very early (more like 2 seconds) and t' chute came
out while it was still coastin' pretty fast.
Recovery:
T' plastic chute with adhesive reinforcements over t' holes did nay hold up
very well t' t' early deploy. Begad! Begad! 2 o' t' 6 lines broke loose. Ya scallywag! I think tape
disk/knots might be a little better method o' anchorin' shroud lines t' plastic
chutes, ya bilge rat, but I definitely blame this rip on t' Estes delay, me bucko, nay t' Quest
chute/lines.
T' model came down fine in tall soft grass and is fine t' fly again without even a scratch.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
For a quick kit/E2X, matey, me bucko, this is a nice lookin' rocket (if you paint it) and can
even be used for simple payloads. Begad! It's definitely worth t' 15-30 minutes of
build time and flies fine.
T' only con I would offer up would be t' ugly orange plastic stock. Avast! This really looks better with red (maybe even t' same clear red they use for the display stand).
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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Brief: The Nike-K is a sport scale rocket based on the Nike booster. This is a review of the older, out-of-production version that uses the one piece fin can. Construction/Finishing: The Nike-K was packaged in the usual clear plastic bag with a full color picture of the completed rocket on the cover. All of the parts were accounted for and undamaged. This kit contains: Two body ...
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