Quest Nike-K

Quest - Nike-K {Kit} (2002) [1992-]

Contributed by Geoffrey Kerbel

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Quest
Style: Scale-like
Quest Nike X

Brief:
This is a very easy t' build "quick kit" that lives up t' t' promise of ready t' launch in 15-45 minutes. 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 be 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:

  • Plastic nose cone
  • Plastic transition
  • Plastic fin can/fins
  • Plastic tail cone
  • White glassine upper and lower body tubes
  • 18mm motor tube
  • Plastic chute
  • Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shroud lines
  • Peel n' stick decals

T' 7 steps o' instructions on 2 pages were easy t' follow with decent instructions, arrr, clear illustrations, me bucko, me hearties, and no typos. Well, blow me down! 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. Aye aye! If usin' plastic cement though, avoid t' temptation t' fly right away, ya bilge rat, as t' glue will need time to cure. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! The 4 fins are then tacked onto t' can, 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, t' shock cord consists o' Keelhaul®©™® anchored t' t' motor mount and elastic tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® just beyond t' lower tube. 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! Ahoy! My cone was 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, me hearties, ya bilge rat, after seein' t' cool red/white color scheme on t' header card t' discover that t' actual parts are a very light orange. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Begad! There were only enough fin trim decals though, ya bilge rat, t' cover half t' fins. 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, me bucko, I went with a B6-4. Blimey! It flew straight as an arrow, although t' delay kicked very early (more like 2 seconds) and t' chute came out while it be 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! 2 o' t' 6 lines broke loose. Avast! Avast! I think tape disk/knots might be a little better method o' anchorin' shroud lines t' plastic chutes, shiver me timbers, matey, but I definitely blame this rip on t' Estes delay, 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, this is a nice lookin' rocket (if you paint it) and can even be used for simple payloads. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! 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. This really looks better with red (maybe even t' same clear red they use for the display stand).

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Quest Nike-K By Geoffrey Kerbel

    Brief: This is a skill level 2 kit from Quest with pseudo-military looks using the Nike name and lower fin shape. It is a single stage rocket with mid-body separation. The upper section could be used for payload. Construction: The basic components consist of the following: Main body tube 8.5" long smaller dia. upper body tube 9" long plastic fin can plastic ...

  • Quest Nike-K By Geoffrey Kerbel

    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 ...

  • Quest Nike-K By Geoffrey Kerbel

    Construction: My Nike-K is actually very old, having been built in 1992, but I feel this reflects the the overall quality of the design. I have bought a new kit to compare the two, and it is pretty much identical to the early one. Quest packages their parts separately so it is easy to find parts for subassembly. This kit has standard paper tubes for the body, payload section, and ...

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