The Super Bird is said to take of and fly slowly, which is why it was selected for review. Those type of flights are a personal favorite. This model rocket is a payloader, with a large cargo section, which comes down on its own parachute. The face cards states "Flies up to 800 ft.". The launch instructions, on the other hand, list a maximum altitude of 600 ft. While the parts list and the parachute assembly sheet make reference to the gripper tabs, there were no gripper tabs included with this kit. The kit built for review came with tape discs, which was rather disappointing. The tabs are nicer and make assembling the parachute quicker and easier. The parachutes did come with pre-punched holes which is always nice and does save some time and effort. The centering rings and bulkhead ring are made of paper/cardboard which doesn't look sturdy at all, to put it gently. While this is not an expensive kit, I had expected more out of this Quest flying model rocket kit.

Parts List

The kit comes in the usual packaging (plastic bag) with a color-printed face card.

- 2 body tubes
- plastic nose cone
- 3 die-cut balsa fins
- motor tube with trust ring and engine hook
- cardboard centering rings
- tube coupler and cardboard bulkhead ring
- launch lug
- Kevlar and elastic shock cords (one each)
- 2 parachute assemblies (14")
- fin marking guide (to be cut out)
- instructions sheets

To build your own Super Bird, you'll need these hobby supplies : pencil, glue, hobby knife, ruler, sandpaper, and tape. Model rocket motors and other launch supplies are not included.

Construction

There are seventeen steps in the instructions, which includes finishing and parachute assembly. This is a level two kit that feels more like a level one kit. There's nothing tricky or difficult to do. It is recommended for modelers age 10 and up with adult supervision under age 12.

Assembly starts by cutting a slit in the motor tube for the engine hook, or motor clip as Quest calls it. Use tape to hold the engine hook in place. Tie the Kevlar shock cord around the motor mount tube and glue the centering rings in place. To complete motor mount assembly, glue the thrust ring into the motor tube. Insert and glue the motor mount assembly into the long body tube.

Mark the fin locations on the body tube and attach the fins and launch lug. Glue the paper bulkhead disk to the tube coupler. Tie the elastic shock cord onto the bulkhead, through the holes. Once the glue dries, this model rocket is ready for finishing.

Finishing

After the coat of Rust-Oleum automotive primer dried and was sanded, a coat of white Krylon primer was applied.

The model rocket's cargo section and nose cone were painted with Rust-Oleum Regal Red gloss protective enamel. The bottom section was painted with Rust-Oleum White gloss protective enamel. Once the paint dried, one of the fins was painted Regal Red.

To complete the rocket, the decals were applied. This color scheme, with decals, is close to what you see on the face card. To match it even more, you'd probably want to use a different shade of red.

Measurements

According to the face card, the model rocket is 31.25" (79.4 cm) with a diameter of 1.378" (35 mm) and a weight of 2.75 oz (78 g).

Flight Data

The Quest instructions recommend using a B6-4 or C6-5 model rocket motor to launch the Super Bird. The face card lists those engines, and also the C6-3.

The first flight was on a C6-3 engine. The rocket went up slowly, as advertised. Very nice C engine flight. Parachute deployed without a problem (I only used one parachute, not two). As it started to come down, it became clear it was heading towards a tree. After a few anxious moments, it landed in the tree. Luckily, someone at the launch has a telescopic stick with hook for exactly such occasions and the rocket was recovered without any damage.

For the second flight, a C6-5 was used. Another nice and slow flight. When the ejection charge fired, the payload section and bottom part of the rocket separated and the parachute did not deploy. Both pieces were recovered with no real damage, other than a broken shock cord. I had not examined the shock cord after the rocket was saved from the tree after the first flight. It may already have been damaged due to its encounter with the tree.