And while we are on the subject...

[PGerringer]

... of what I saw at Walmart. Those Quest Maxx rockets caught my eyes to. Those are those cool little rockets, very detailed, that use the micro engines. I may have to pick some of those up. The rockets even have a display stand, how cool is that? Anyone have any history with these? They look like they would be fun but they only go 120'.

 

[Austin]

Phil,

I have at least two of every Quest Micro Maxx rocket ever made, along with at least 3 launch pads and another eight "kit" micro rockets from Nano Rocketry, of which I just submitted reviews for two of them to EMRR. They are a blast and the kids love em. We take them to my parents place and launch them in the back yard. Some will actually reach 100-200 feet, while the heavier ones only hit 10-30', but they are fun. The only problem is we go through motors usually by the 50 each time we launch because they are so addictive!

Carl

 

[PGerringer]

Very cool, I'm gonna have to check these out. I noticed that where the Estes engines come 3 to a pack, these Quest Maxx engines come 10 (or 8) to a pack.

 

[ShutterBug]

I bought a couple of the Quest Micro Maxx kits and took them to my Mom's this weekend to launch with my nephews. The little rockets are very detailed and look really cool. I had the Tomahawk Cruise missile (which uses a piston under the nose) and the Shuttle Space Orbiter (which uses a cord under the nose). Instead of a parachute, they each had a mylar banner. However, we did not have good luck flying them at all.

After much effort and trying several initiators, we did get each rocket up once (using the same launch pad). The piston system in the Cruise missile came apart and fell in 2 pieces, but we were about to put it back together. The Shuttle didn't go very high (must be one of the heavier ones that Carl referred to). We never could get the second launch pad to work at all. I think I am going to try to return these to Wal-Mart. I tried for over an hour to launch again to no avail. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

If we had more success, I can see how the kids would have really enjoyed them - they are small enough to do in the backyard, which is convenient. Maybe we were doing something wrong. Any ideas?

 

[Austin]

Yup, you got the wrong ones...the Cruise missle stinks...I have hadone straight launch out of 20...the space shuttle is heavy and doesn't get much altitude, sometimes it goes up 10 feet then out like a plane. If you want performance, go for the Critical Mass, Raw Fusion, Vector or No Mercy. These are longer, more stable 3 fin rockets that get some good altitude. Even then you have a bad motor sometimes with low thrust...but they do work. Also, CyA the nosecone to the ejection rod inside the rocket's body tube before launching as it's just pressed in...we lost a SR71 nosecone because of that. They will then fly well.

The launch pad looks cool and works well on fresh batteries, but corrodes fast. I keep alcohol and Q-Tips handy to clean the two contacts inside the slot where the ignitor goes; they gunk up fast. If you have a 12v system, it works like a charm and is more reliable than the 9v launcher it comes with; it makes a BIG difference!

Through trial and error, our fleet has finally come into serious good reliability, which is why they are so much fun. Should have posted some of these tips earlier. The LONG body kits from Nano rocketry are also very stable and achieve some serious altitude. I would buy a No Mercy single kit to get the pad, then some Nano kits like the Arcas and Star Booster and you are in for some good fun!

BTW, I have actually MADE my own igniters as the stock ones fail about 1 in every 10 and we launch ALOT! Also, I thought they failed more like one in three until I switched to 12v...no more problems.

Cya,

Carl

 

[ShutterBug]

Thanks for the tips.

Yeah, the Quest lauch pad runs on 9 volt, not 12. Maybe I will check out the No Mercy single kit to get a better pad. Does Nano make that and what type of store sells it? Also, is there a good web site to order just the mini rockets without the pad? Wal-Mart only had complete kits. Sorry for all the questions - I am just getting into this.

 

[Austin]

Wal Mart has good prices, but I have ordered from two places before... https://www.questrockets.com/ aka Valuland Hobby Mall is very good and ships fast... the best prices are at https://www.discounthobbycenter.com/ ...they cannot be beat but are SLOW for shipping. Takes up to two weeks sometimes. Also, the "kit" rockets can be found at https://www.nerys.com/nanorocketry/

Carl

btw, you can pull the igniter in half, discard the plastic side that doesn't have the wires attached, and use 12v and clips to the lower leads for good reliability. The igniter sits on top of the pad this way but works well. You HAVE to do it this way with the Nano kits as they will not fit rod position 1 or 2.

Carl

 

[PGerringer]

I also found www.rocketsilo.com carries the single rockets and dual-single rockets. The only carry the Maxx though.

 

[EMRR]

I have been having more trouble with my ignitors and I think I found it ... the little metal contacts inside are getting dirty. They need cleaned.

Also, how many launches are people's 9V batteries lasting?

- Nick

 

[Austin]

Nick,

You got it! That's why I mentioned the Q-Tips and alcohol; those contacts inside the igniter slot of the launch pad get really gunked up fast. I make sure I clean them after each launch session and a couple times in between. Currently I have 3 Quest launch pads/silo's and have converted one of them to 12V by cutting off the hand controller and leaving 4 feet of lead comming from the pad, then I put banana clips on the ends which plug into my HPR Pad Control/Relay Unit. The kids like the homemade HPR controller alot better anyway, with all the lights, alarms and switches.

Prior to this, we were lucky to get 10 launches out of the 9v battery; after that they would just get the igniter hot enough to stick inside the motor, ruining the motor and igniter. 12 volts cured this problem.

Carl