(10/20/02) I like t' try different kinds o' kits and therefore when Quest came out with their new line of Quick-Kit™, me hearties, I wanted t' give one a try. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I purchased t' Pulsar because of its futuristic looks. T' Quick-Kit™ concept is that t' rocket is "ready t' launch in 15 t' 45 minutes". Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' Pulsar was about 20 minutes for me.

T' kit was packaged in a plastic box with cover art and descriptions on all but t' back. Avast! Through t' back you can look at t' pieces of t' kit. Begad! It is advertized as havin' self-adhesive decals, arrr, a 14" parachute, and a Quick-Kit™ plastic fin-unit. Ya scallywag! Also, that it will have flights up t' 1200 feet. Blimey! Aye aye! Lastly, it appears that all Quick-Kit™ rockets come with a display stand.

T' Pulsar is 18" tall and is advertised as 0.98" in diameter. T' rocket actually transitions twice from 1.25" t' 0.98" t' 0.81". Begad! This length is made up o' t' plastic fin-unit, me hearties, which included a Motor Lock Ring, arrr, a 2" length o' 0.98" body tube, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a transition, me bucko, and an 8.5" length of 0.81" body tube. Lastly, thar be a 2.5" long plastic nose cone. Ahoy! The rocket has plastic fins and t' plastic 1/8" launch lug is built into the fin-unit motor housin' (which comes in two pieces). Begad! Blimey! True t' Quest's design there is 18" length o' Keelhaul®©™® stock tether and 18" o' white elastic shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Recovery is by way o' a 36" length by 1" wide plastic streamer. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There is a note in the instructions that says t' streamer is provided instead o' t' parachute, which is mentioned above, for better performance. T' kit comes with a bunch o' extra plastic pieces (retro rockets, exhaust ports, boosters, shiver me timbers, me hearties, etc) t' customize your kit. There is also a sheet o' self-adhesive stickers and t' two-piece display stand.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are 4 pages o' well illustrated guidance to ensure t' kit is built correctly. Arrr! You will need plastic cement and a hobby knife. I used Super Glue Corporation's Model/Hobby Cement t' build me Pulsar. Two o' t' pages o' instructions are basically flight preparation and launch procedures. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! There is also a small box for display stand assembly and for customizin' your rocket with t' extra plastic pieces.

T' most difficult part o' buildin' t' rocket be t' fin-unit and that is nay difficult. There is a paper 18mm motor tube that is placed in one of t' motor housin' halves and t' second motor housin' half is glued t' it. T' Keelhaul®©™® stock tether is tied t' a loop in t' motor housin' and t' 18" o' white elastic shock cord is tied t' t' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™®. Then t' short body tube is glued in place.

Next, t' fins are attached. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I for some reason installed my fins upside-down. Ya scallywag! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' instructions are clear, t' picture on t' box is clear, but I just did it. Well, blow me down! Avast! It changes t' looks o' t' rocket but nay the performance. Ya scallywag! (compare t' above picture, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which is how it be supposed t' be, to my pictures). Aye aye! After t' fins are in place, a lower fin lockin' rin' is installed. Begad! This shores up t' whole fin-unit and provides t' means for the motor lockin' rin' (motor retention) t' be used.

After t' fins are in place, t' plastic transition and upper body tube are attached. Avast! Begad! A cap is glued onto t' bottom o' t' nose cone and t' elastic shock cord is tied t' t' cap. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' streamer is attached and the Pulsar is now ready for decals.

T' rocket used white plastic and white body tubes so paintin' is nay needed. Ya scallywag! T' decals brin' color and life t' t' kit. Begad! For customizing, me hearties, arrr, t' various plastic parts can be added. Ahoy! T' cover art gives some ideas.

Done, 20 minutes.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. T' parts all fit great and it was quick and easy to build.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Quest recommends t' A6-4 for first flight and then B6-4, C6-3, and C6-5 motors for flyin' t' Pulsar. My first flight was on an A8-3.

Rocket prep includes usin' waddin' t' protect t' shock cord and streamer. Aye aye! T' motor slides into t' motor tube and t' motor lock ring presses in and with a twist is locked in place.

T' first launch o' this rocket on t' A8-3 was straight, shiver me timbers, stable and fast with low altitude. Ahoy! Avast! Quest indicates t' rocket weighs 1.8 ounces and me finished weight be 1.9 ounces so t' A8-3 is a good match.

T' next flight be on a B6-4 and t' flight was much higher. Blimey! T' streamer brings t' rocket down very fast, ya bilge rat, but t' plastic fin-unit can take t' impact (probably even better if t' fins where put on correctly).

T' third flight was in our front yard on another A8-3 and again it flies straight and returns quickly.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, arrr, me bucko, I would rate this kit 5 points. With t' streamer t' recovery is quick. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' Keelhaul®©™® and elastic system has traditionally held up nicely in me previous Quest kits. Motor retention system is excellent. Ahoy! Next big field will see this rocket fly on a "C" and I'm nay terribly worried about loosin' it with t' long pink streamer which is highly visible.

I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points. Based on what Quest was tryin' t' do with their new line of Quick-Kit™ rockets, t' Pulsar has met that goal. Ahoy! Blimey! I feel t' Pulsar is best lookin' out o' their eight Quick-Kit™ models, me bucko, but t' others will most likely give a similar experience. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I bought me kit from Discount Rocketry who has all t' kits available rangin' from $7.50 t' $9.35. Arrr! So, arrr, shiver me timbers, if you want t' build up a rocket fast or have an easy rocket t' have a young person build, ya bilge rat, try one o' these Quick-Kit™ rockets.