Brief:
In an effort t' mimic t' success o' Estes' E2X® line, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, Quest has developed the Quick-Kit line that is similar in build. One o' their venerable kits, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, the Tracer, has undergone a transformation t' this new format. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Comparisons to Estes' Mach 12 are unavoidable.

Construction:
In addition t' t' new lower section, matey, t' kit is composed o' t' standard T25 plastic nose cone and 9¾ inches o' T25 paper tube. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' Quick-Kit unit is comprised o' two plastic halves that wrap around a standard length paper 18 mm motor tube. Begad! Avast! Twelve inch lengths o' ~250# Keelhaul®©™® and Quest's round shock cord elastic and their standard 16 inch plastic parachute round out t' component list.

T' Quick-Kit fin/motor mount is similar t' Estes Quick-Change system, me hearties, with fins that slide into slots and a cap for motor retention. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Like t' Mach 12, arrr, the fins have a double tab arrangement, and can be reversed (I've done that t' one in t' photo). Ya scallywag! My stability simulations show that doin' so on all four fins would be OK with a B motor but wouldn't be a good idea with a C, shiver me timbers, though one or two should be alright. Begad! Well, blow me down! Unlike t' Estes set-up, t' fins are retained by a ring separate from t' motor retention cap. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' motor mount is a tube with two tiny slots near t' top that are supposed t' fit into tabs on t' inside o' each of the bottom fuselage halves. One o' t' tabs, though, is on t' dimple for the shock cord mount, me hearties, arrr, and t' tube must be cut away t' fit it properly. Avast! Failin' to do so will result in a tight fit for Quest motors and an impossible one for Estes.

Other than that, t' bird went together smartly and easily. Begad! Were t' fit gaff t' be fixed in future kits, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' rocket would indeed assemble in 15 t' 45 minutes as advertised. Aye aye! T' parachute be especially nice, havin' been precut, includin' t' shroud lines and their mountin' holes, and those awful plastic tabs have been replaced with more traditional, if square, reinforcin' stickers. T' 16 inch unit will brin' this bird down really slowly, me hearties, arrr, though, a smaller 'chute might be in order.

Finishing:
T' fin retainin' rin' and motor retention cap were black in me kit, nay red as shown on t' box art, but I left them that way as they fit t' overall color scheme. Aye aye! T' decal be printed on opaque paper and be nay properly registered, but it be die cut t' t' proper size, me hearties, matey, unlike that for t' Quest Sprint. Begad! The body tube is an off-white, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so it doesn't match t' decal and nose cone too well, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I should've painted it. Aye aye! T' included display stand is a loose fit in the motor tube and can go together wrong if you're nay careful, but is a nice touch, ya bilge rat, especially for such an inexpensive kit.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite her lower weight and diameter than t' Mach 12, this bird still won't fly over 200 feet on an A motor, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and t' recommended A6-4 would eject very late. T' A8-3 works, arrr, but t' motor mount prevents t' use o' a standard 13->18 mm adapter, so t' A10-3, which might work, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, too, me bucko, shiver me timbers, can't be used. Begad! She does do well on t' B and C motors, me bucko, me simulations say t' B4-4, shiver me timbers, B6-4 and C6-5 are very good choices.

Quest recommends three squares o' their waddin' for T25-based models, me bucko, arrr, but bein' conservative, I'd recommend five, shiver me timbers, or four squares (a full sheet) o' Estes brand. Blimey! Arrr! They and t' parachute pack quite easily into the one inch diameter tube, and Estes motors fit superbly in t' Quick-Kit mount. I was concerned that with only about ¼ inch stickin' out t' back that they would be difficult t' remove after flight, but I be able t' do so while wearin' gloves.

Her first three flights were in high winds, me bucko, me hearties, high enough that t' launch was called just a half hour after her last effort. Ahoy! Aye aye! She left t' pad first on a B6-4, shiver me timbers, wobblin' a little until t' motor burned out. She didn't weathercock, me hearties, but the winds were probably t' reason she deployed a little past apogee. Ahoy! The parachute failed t' open, me bucko, matey, shiver me timbers, though she landed in tall grass and no damage was done. I switched out t' uncooperative Quest 'chute with a 1"x15" LDPE streamer and flew her next on an A8-3. Begad! T' flight was short, t' streamer came out past apogee and she hit t' road, me hearties, me hearties, poppin' off two fins. Avast! There be some damage t' t' fin tabs, but nay enough t' prevent her from bein' reassembled for her third go. Avast! That was on a B4-4 with all four fins reversed, and she performed about as she had on t' B6; a little wiggle off t' pad with deployment just past apogee. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' streamer brought her down about as far away as the unfurled parachute had, and with no damage this time, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, her first perfect effort.

Recovery:
While I wouldn't recommend t' streamer approach, switching, as I will, matey, t' a 12 inch LDPE parachute should provide for a slow enough recovery t' prevent damage to t' new Tracer. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' loose fit o' t' fins (and boost wiggles) might be improved by gluin' them permanently into their mountin' slots, arrr, me bucko, but that would prevent switchin' them around. Well, blow me down! Despite t' poor flyin' conditions, fast recovery and a hard impact, me hearties, me Tracer is ready t' fly again with no repairs, and looks t' be a pretty durable bird. Avast, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Quest's 'chutes and decals still need improvement, me bucko, but t' Quick-Kit system has gone a long way toward makin' t' Tracer a Mach 12 killer, and it even edges out this competitor in some respects. Ya scallywag! While t' Estes kit is still better overall, its a much closer call now, shiver me timbers, and I'd recommend t' Tracer as a viable alternative.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5