Brief:
An education-series rocket that can only be purchased in bulk. Perfect for a group of scouts, a school project, church groups, or someone who just wants a ton of the same rocket, for whatever reason.

Construction:
The individual kits come in a clear plastic bag, and contain a plastic nose cone molded in orange, a plastic fin assembly of the same color, a mylar launch lug, a length of Kevlar® shock cord, a very sturdy body tube, and a pink streamer. All of this is standard, basic rocket stuff, but is actually a little more challenging than it first seems.

Everything fit together well during trial assembly. The motor tube fits inside the plastic fin unit, along with the motor retaining clip (more on this later) and motor block. The Kevlar® wraps around the motor block, then is attached to some thick elastic thread, which in turn attaches to the excellent nose cone. The motor tube then slips into the body tube. I deviated somewhat from the instructions, however. Instead of gluing the motor tube/fin assembly into the body tube, I glued the nose cone to the body tube and just slip the body tube over the motor tube before flight. Prep is a breeze this way, and the streamer won't get hung inside the tube. Nor will it zipper if it ejects too soon.

Finishing:
Finishing was as easy as assembly. I spray painted the body tube flat black, and while the paint was still wet, applied some decals I had left over from a car model. Then I clear coated the whole model when it was dry. Simple. Looks like a cheap, plastic and paper rocket, which it is.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
Quest suggests using their A6-4 only. The instructions never stated why, but from reading other Quest rocket instructions using the same fin can, it states that the heat from a longer duration motor might melt the fin can. So, I just HAD to test that! Flight prep is simple: Add some wadding to the motor tube, stuff the 24" streamer into the body tube, and put the body tube onto the motor tube. The motor retention clip doesn't; you could fly this one just as well if you omit the motor retaining clip. The clip is not springy, and after a few flights, doesn't even contact the motor anymore unless you bend it.

Recovery:
I flew the Star Hawk for the 6th grade science class I was invited to speak to, and with an Estes A6-3, it hit about 400 feet or so. Some of the students launch rockets themselves, and were unimpressed, but the ones who had never seen a model rocket were amazed. So, since the fins showed no signs of wear, I just had to test Quest's mettle. A B6-6 will launch the little rocket to a respectable height, and is about the absolute limit for a small school playground. I have made 3 flights on a C6-7, and the thing will absolutely vaporize off the pad! It will recover just fine without the streamer, as I found out on the final flight. No melting or damage whatsoever.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
For an educator or scout leader, this is a good deal. I'd recommend it for younger kids in a group, as assembly is a breeze. And it'll fly great!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5