Brief:
T' Quest Apex is an OOP Quick Kit for 18mm motors. Arrr! Ahoy! Motor retention is by plastic bayonet rin' similar t' some Estes RTF models. Avast! Avast! T' rocket breaks in the middle with an upper payload section, ya bilge rat, which is long albeit still quite narrow. At 59cm (23.2 inches) complete, shiver me timbers, matey, it is a good sized model. Avast! Avast! Recovery is by 35.6cm (14 inch) parachute. Begad! Begad! Total weight without motor or recovery parachute/wadding is 52 grams (1.84oz) 18mm Quick Kit with soundin' rocket styling. No finishing required.

Construction:
This was an eBay purchase o' a handful o' OOP Quest kits. Arrr! Avast! I bought this kit specifically for me kids (12 and 14) t' assemble. Blimey! T' fleet was lookin' a bit depleted due t' an attack o' rocket eatin' trees, me hearties, so we needed some easy to build kits o' a reasonable size t' bulk out t' numbers. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I am used t' seeing kits in plastic hang bags. Begad! This kit be different, packaged in an acetate box with a hang tag on top. Blimey! Nay havin' seen a great number o' Quest kits in stores, I wasn't sure whether this was regular packagin' or not. Well, blow me down! T' kids are now o' an age where they can assemble simple kits with a minimum o' supervision. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This was their second solo build. Arrr! All parts were present, complete, me bucko, and undamaged. Instructions are clear and concise. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Illustrations are excellent quality and easy t' follow.

T' Apex requires no painting. Arrr! Begad! T' body tubes are white, me hearties, t' engine mount/fin can is red, matey, me bucko, and there is a blue plastic transition. T' body tubes are o' good quality, a crisp gloss white with obvious, but nay too deep spirals. Ahoy! T' kit includes a plastic display stand, which is an added bonus. Ahoy! T' kit is a combination o' plastic and cardboard components. Arrr! There is no balsa in t' kit at all. Begad! Motor retention is via a bayonet lockin' ring, as seen on some RTF models from Estes. Decals are peel and stick, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and appear t' be o' good quality. Aye aye! Decal background is white.

Construction begins with tyin' t' trademark Quest Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and round section elastic shock cord together. Aye aye! Total shock cord length is about three times t' length o' t' lower body tube. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! T' plastic motor housin' is then assembled from two plastic halves and a cardboard motor mount tube. As can be seen, t' very top o' t' motor tube is somewhat distorted when t' housin' is assembled, but it doesn't appear t' affect anything. Avast! T' instructions call for plastic cement t' join t' motor housing halves. Arrr! Arrr! We used Tamiya liquid cement.

Plastic fins have tabs t' lock into t' motor housin' body. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' fins are glued into place. Again, we used t' Tamiya liquid cement. T' fins are a loose fit, me bucko, so correct alignment isn't assured. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! Be sure t' check t' alignment and adjust if necessary. There is a bayonet lockin' rin' t' hold t' fins in position and provide correct spacin' for t' motor lock ring.

T' motor housin' also has t' launch lug molded in. This be t' only lug provided, and it seems very low on t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I may add another lug on the main tube later.

By t' time you have built t' motor housin' and fitted t' fins, arrr, the rocket is almost complete. Blimey! All that remains is t' attach t' plastic transition to t' upper body tube and attach t' lower body tube t' t' motor housing. Avast! Ahoy! We used CA gel for both o' these.

Assemble a parachute and that's it. Avast! You are done. Decal application adds perhaps another minute t' t' project. Begad! Total rocket assembly time for me kids was about half an hour, arrr, which included me introduction t' t' use o' brush on liquid plastic cement.

T' only gotcha is in assemblin' t' transition. This has two parts, a blue body and a red base. Aye aye! T' base be t' attachment for t' shock cord and parachute and as such has a large plastic loop on it. Arrr! However, thar be a large gap under t' plastic loop which would allow t' ejection charge up into the upper body tube/payload section, effectively gassin' or cookin' anythin' you have in there. Begad! There is also t' possibility that if t' transition is a firmer fittin' than t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, me bucko, shiver me timbers, you could blow t' nose, ya bilge rat, instead o' separatin' the rocket at t' transition. Instant lawn dart!

If I had realized this earlier, ya bilge rat, I would have blocked t' hole from inside the transition before t' top tube was glued on and had a neat, ya bilge rat, tidy, invisible modification. Oh well, me hearties, a small piece o' plastic attached under t' loop with CA does an acceptable job o' sealing. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! It is nay as pretty but almost as effective. Chalk that one up t' experience.

Finishing:
None is required.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
I flew t' Apex twice on Estes B6-4 motors, no payload. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' wind was dead calm, boost be straight. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Man, shiver me timbers, does this thin' go! Helped by its light weight and soundin' rocket skinniness, t' Apex boosted t' 112 meters (367 feet), me hearties, checked with Estes Altitrack. Begad! Perfect chute deployment, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, nice return less than 10 meters from t' pad. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' second flight was an exact copy o' t' first. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I noticed after the second flight that t' grippers on t' chute were comin' loose. Again, easily fixed with a bit o' tape.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5