Brief:
I obtained t' Big Rage along with a batch o' other Quest kits in an on-line auction. Arrr! My original intention was t' use these as gifts and give-aways. However, t' Big Rage kit was damaged a bit in shippin' -- t' main body tube was crushed -- and I didn't feel right givin' it as a gift! I decided t' repair and build it. Ahoy! I tried t' get a replacement tube for t' kit, ya bilge rat, t' no avail. Instead, Quest sent me an entire replacement kit! I put this in me fund raiser box and decided t' fix t' damaged tube.

Construction:
T' Big Rage has two body tube sections: main body, finished with a glossy blue wrapping, me bucko, and t' payload section tube, finished in glossy black. Begad! Ahoy! T' nose cone and tail section were specially colored versions o' t' fin can and nose from the Quest Nike Smoke kit. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' special color is . Ya scallywag! . . Well, blow me down! Avast! bright pink. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Really nauseatin' bright pink. Avast! Ugh! T' plastic was nice and sturdy, arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but in t' case of t' nose cone be poorly molded. Begad! Aye aye! I had t' use several clamps and rubber bands t' get t' cone halves and tip t' stay together durin' gluing. Avast! Ya scallywag! The internal parts, matey, shiver me timbers, parachutes and t' like were quite acceptable. Blimey! As is usual for Quest kits, ya bilge rat, t' shock cord is anchored with a Keelhaul®©™® cord. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! In t' case o' the Big Rage, me hearties, t' rather-short shock cord length wasn't a problem because the payload section and body tube were designed t' come back on separate parachutes. Begad! I'll rate t' components 4 out o' 5.

T' Big Rage's instructions were very nicely done. Begad! Blimey! A beginner would have no problem followin' them. Avast! Blimey! T' partially crushed body tube made for a short detour. Aye aye! Blimey! I happened t' have some coupler stock for t' T-35 body tube. I "blocked out" t' crushed section with t' coupler, ya bilge rat, forcin' t' crimp out o' t' tube, me bucko, then wrapped t' tube (after some sanding) with CA - soaked silkspan. Avast! Blimey! . I have one minor complaint about t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! They suggest usin' plastic cement t' glue t' plastic launch lugs t' t' body tube. The slick surface o' t' tube and plastic wouldn't make for a very good bond. Aye aye! I took t' step o' sandin' t' glossy top layer off o' t' body tube at t' point where t' lug would be glued on. I also scored and sanded t' lower surface of the launch lugs t' increase t' gluin' surface. Aye aye! I also glued one o' t' lugs to the plastic "fin can." I believe these steps resulted in a much sturdier kit. All told (aside from t' body tube repair, which is a task I took on myself) t' Big Rage went together quite nicely. Begad! Blimey! I'll rate it a 4 out o' 5.

Finishing:
T' Big Rage is intended t' be a "paint free" kit. Aye aye! After assembly, you simply stick on t' pressure-sensitive decals. I did do some wet-sanding and buffin' t' get rid o' t' mold lines on t' plastic parts. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I used very fine mylar-backed sandin' material and a "Scotchbrite" pad for this purpose. Avast! I think it improved t' look o' t' parts a lot. T' decals include a kit name panel, arrr, ya bilge rat, arrr, a few wrappers, and black trim panels for t' fins. Arrr! They went on easily enough. Aye aye! Avast! I covered up t' tube repair with some blue trim monokote. T' color match wasn't perfect. Avast! I'll rate finishin' a 2 out o' 5. Ahoy! Why so low, given t' fact that finishin' was very easy? Because t' Big Rage's default color scheme is UGLY. Blimey! True blue, me bucko, ya bilge rat, black, and BRIGHT PINK? Geee-yahhh! What were they THINKING?

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
Preppin' t' Big Rage is fairly easy. It requires wadding, arrr, and a moderate amount o' parachute packing. Avast, me proud beauty! T' engine clip, shiver me timbers, while a bit flimsy, ya bilge rat, me hearties, did its job. I've flown t' Big Rage several times, ya bilge rat, on B6-4 and C6-5 motors. Blimey! Liftoffs were moderately slow. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' flights were very straight and true. Blimey!

Recovery:
T' Big Rage was fairly easy t' recover. Blimey! Avast! T' bright pink parts did make it fairly visible on t' ground. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Big Rage is easy t' build, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, very easy t' finish, and easy t' prep and fly. It would make a very good "step up" for rocketeers who started out with RTF kits. T' model's size and visibility would also make it a good demo flyer. Ahoy! I'd rate t' model higher, ya bilge rat, but I can't get around t' sheer ugliness of the color choices and "Nike Smoke" cone.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5