(05/01/98) The
Icarus was t' first Quest kit that I have ever built and quite frankly
I think I got it by accident when I transposed some numbers on an order. But I
put it together. It's a level 2 kit with large payload section and
dual-parachute recovery. And like all Quest kits, ya bilge rat, it uses 18mm motors
(A-C). T' kit be packaged fine in a long plastic bag with a colorful picture o' t' kit on t' front cover. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! There's an inlay picture showin' t' use o' t' payload section for electronic experiments.
Upon inspection, ya bilge rat, t' kit was missin' a 12-inch piece of white elastic shock cord which is used on t' top section. I used some Keelhaul®©™® that I had t' replace it. Everythin' else was in order. Aye aye! Ahoy!
T' instructions were very clear, usin' pictures for each step. Blimey! It was a nice touch t' add two illustrations showin' t' difference between an over-hand knot and a figure-8 knot. Avast! Ahoy! They gave clear measurements as to where parts should align and t' assembly instructions were in a logical order. Avast! Overall, matey, matey, very fine instructions which are needed for a level 2 kit since it is geared for those with only some experience. Ya scallywag!
T' kit is comprised o' two body tubes, me hearties, a
coupler with a bulkhead, arrr, ya bilge rat, a motor mount assembly includin' motor clip, two
12" Tuff-Chute (plastic) parachutes with
shroud lines and gripper tabs, a balsa wood sheet with three die-cut fins, shiver me timbers, a
Keelhaul®©™® shock cord for t' lower section and a elastic shock cord (missing) for
the upper section, me hearties, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a plastic nose cone and lastly a decal sheet.
I used Quick Grab glue on this model (additional comments about Quick Grab glue) for everythin' except the fin fillets where I used 5-minute epoxy. Arrr! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I also sealed t' balsa fins with CA. Well, blow me down!
There was only one problem durin' t' entire assembly of
this kit. Avast! One o' die-cut fin tips was already separated along t' grain o' the
balsa sheet, therefore, me bucko, that had t' be glued on and carefully sanded and
handled. Ahoy! ![[Picture]](/images/archive/images2/icarus01.jpg)
Durin' t' finishin' stage I experienced a self-induced tragedy which took a good bit o' time t' correct. I always use Plasti-Kote primer, since it is heavy and fills t' grooves fast. It also sands easily. Apparently, arrr, matey, Rustoleum paint isn't fully compatible with this primer. Blimey! I discovered this AFTER paintin' me payload section and findin' a nice grouping of bubbles. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! This was corrected by sandin' off t' entire finish, re-primin' and re-paintin' with a different paint. Arrr!
I chose t' paint t' payload section gloss black and t' bottom section gloss white, me bucko, it worked out well. Ahoy! The decals were a bit disappointin' though. Begad! They are solid colors on white, not transparent. Therefore, if t' rocket be nay painted white on t' bottom, ya bilge rat, the decals would look bad. Well, blow me down! In addition, shiver me timbers, thar be a black band-decal that was supposed t' go around t' body tube which be no long enough. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't use it.
Overall, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points and strongly suggest that Quest addresses their decals.
T' Icarus is a bit
unique due t' a mid-separation which releases nose cone and payload section to
descend on it's parachute and then t' second parachute carries t' bottom
section down. Aye aye! I tested mine with a B6-4 which installed and was clipped by the
motor mount without any problem. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Because o' it's length and weight a B6-4 motor
gives a nice lift off and moderate distance flight. T' flight be straight and
true. Arrr! T' flight was straight and true. Ya scallywag! Ejection was just at apogee and both
sections returned without damage. No signs o' burnin' or stress on t' Keelhaul®©™®
shock cord and t' parachutes both opened cleanly. Avast!
For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, matey, matey, I would rate this kit
4
1/2 points.
Overall, ya bilge rat, for t' price and skill ratin' (2), ya bilge rat, me hearties, the Icarus is a good kit for someone lookin' fora payload rocket or someone that would like a bit o' uniqueness in recovery. Well, blow me down! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 points. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!
Quest - Icarus ( Contributed - by Tai Fu) Brief: Used 24mm motor mount, reinforced fin joint w/fiberglass. Modifications: Seeing that Quest Icarus uses 18mm motor mount, and has a payload section, I think a A/B/C motor would not have enough power to give this an impressive flight if a payload were used, so I decided to give this rocket a little boost. I added a 24mm tube instead ...
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