Quest Tomahawk SLCM

Quest - Tomahawk {Kit} (3007) [1994-]

Contributed by Kris Henderson

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Diameter: 1.58 inches
Length: 22.00 inches
Manufacturer: Quest
Skill Level: 3
Style: Scale

Quest SLCM Tomahawk

Brief:
Single stage, 18mm mount, parachute recovery, scale model of NAVY SLCM Tomahawk cruise missile. Water transfer decals included.

Construction:
Kit includes 1 body tube, 6 die-cut balsa fins, paper shrouds around tail and for the belly scoop, typical Quest recovery system that connects to motor mount with Kevlar and elastic lines, plastic nose cone, and water transfer decals.

The instructions in this kit are pretty basic and straightforward. The big CON in this kit in my opinion is the paper shroud that wraps around the tail of the body tube. You have to cut out this paper shroud and try to glue it perfectly along the dotted lines. Then you have to glue the edge of paper to the edge of the body tube. Not exactly an easy task to perform. My shroud was just a little bit off the dotted line but it really showed when I glued it to the body. You could tell I wasn't getting paid to build it. Other than that the kit was pretty basic. On the belly scoop I folded the paper tabs into the scoop vice flattening them outward from the scoop. This helped the scoop look more flush with the body.

Finishing:
Since my tail shroud wasn't placed exactly edge to edge the water transfer decals didn't end up lining up with my paint job. Even with that slip up though, this is still a cool looking rocket. Cool color scheme with the paint and decals and the two forward wings really stand out in flight. I'm giving the construction a 4 because of the good challenge the paper pieces present, but it could have been a 5 if there was a better way to configure the tail shroud piece.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Quest SLCM Tomahawk

Flight:
Very cool first flight. I flew it on an Estes C6-7. The ascent was beautiful. Straight up with almost zero corkscrew and the chute popped clean, however the 7 second delay was about half a year too long. It wanted to lawn dart for about 100 feet but it finally popped and landed with zero damage. I don't think I'd even want a 5 second delay for this rocket on a C motor. I would probably recommend a B6-4 and a C6-3 for good flights. B4 motors would be good for small fields but you're really missing out on this kit's potential.

Quest SLCM Tomahawk

Recovery:
Zero cons for recovery. Perfect size chute for this kit. Don't even think of using a streamer if you plan to fly it again.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
Big PROs are that it's a really cool rocket that you can change the paint scheme a lot and keep it looking scale, and the two forward wings make it look really neat flying. CONs, again, are the paper shrouds. Maybe thicker paper could be used.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • Quest Tomahawk SLCM By Rich DeAngelis (December 5, 2011)

    This is a standard, 18mm powered scale-like model of the US's cruise missle, in service since 1983 or '84 and used by the US Navy as well as the British Royal Navy.  SLCM stands for Surface Launched Cruise Missle.  The actual missle launches from a ship or even a torpedo tube of a submarine with a solid-propellant rocket motor, then the air scoop opens up, the wings depl ...

  • Quest Tomahawk SLCM By Joe Talento

    The following excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". The intention is to allow guests to get a basic feeling about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy of the referenced Sport Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use the two links above. (Sport Rocketry - Jan/Feb 1999 ...

Flights

Comments:

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J.B. (April 1, 2000)
I really liked this rocket. I modified to take "D" motors I cut the stock shroud to fit the 24mm motor mount.I cut a slit in the shroud for the engine hook. The belly scoop was also modified by using a hole punch at the end right before were it joins the tube. I did this to reduce drag I added weight to the nose cone.The fins and shrouds we coated with CA glue. All construction is epoxied. I do recommend filling in around were the shroud meets the body tube with finishing epoxy. Great performer on the "D" motor.
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K.H. (April 1, 2000)
Just a note to scale modelers: This kit is NOT scale. It's semi-scale at best, bit it's a good enough start that you can successfully kit-bash this thing to decent results. The rear fins and shroud are pretty close, from what I can tell, which is good. Some other help is needed, though. Here's what I did: Using the dimensions from www.fas.org, I realized that the rocket needed to be shorter, by about 2.5". The wings also had to be MUCH larger. However, if you do this, add a LOT of nose weight. String test the stability before flying. Also, the intake shroud is also a little small, but for drag and stability reasons, I used it stock.
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C.R. (April 1, 2001)
I, also, really enjoy this kit. It is the kind of kit where you can either build it factory stock, research and build to absolute scale, or somewhere in the middle. We basically built it stock, painted it bright yellow, and enjoy it. Were I to get a bit more serious with it, I'd go to D power, scratch build the belly scoop for more realism and scratch build the fins as the ones supplied were not cut very well. The rocket flies well and has done more than 20 flights to date. It [the review] was very accurate. A lot can be done with a $10 rocket here, depending upon how fanatical one wants to get with it.
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K.G.D. (October 4, 2004)
This is by far the coolest rocket I own. Quest sure does have you build it right, they give you a Kevlar® shock cord and have you anchor it to the engine mount - definitely the right way to do it. It looks great sitting on a shelf or standing on the launch pad - and it flies real good. I have only put B engines in it so far because of the size of the field I was in but I cannot wait to send it higher. I'm even thinking about buying another one and painting it camo - never hurts to have 2 Tomahawks in your fleet !!
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J.H. (July 3, 2008)
Accurate reviews for this rocket. This is one of my all time favorites. Tougher than most to build and fly. This rocket inspired me to upscale the Quest design. It is stable flying G80 motors and has even gone up on an I once.

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