Quest Space Shuttle Intrepid vs. Dr. Zooch Space Shuttle

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jf_reinhard

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Hey everyone,

I've become recently reacquainted with model rockets, particularly rocket boost gliders and was thinking about buying one of these two models. Can anyone make a recommendation based on durability, ease of build, and flight performance?

What about the Edmonds Deltie Airshow OR the Squirrel Works Dogfight since this only my second or third build?

Thanks,
Jim
 
The Intrepid will probably be a better fit if it's your 3rd or 4th model.

The Airshow is a lot of fun, and the gliders go together very quickly.

I think the Dogfight is a well thought out kit and the decals for finishing the gliders are a super idea. Bonus points if you are into WWII warplanes. :)

kj
 
Thanks kj and Michael!

I think I'm going to start with the Intrepid, then maybe buy the Airshow. I've been looking at the EMRR reviews for all of these and they seem to be rated highly (Dr. Zooch got good reviews too, only "negative" was the fact that the balsa didn't appear to be laser-cut). I MIGHT get the "Dogfight", if anyone still has it stock when I want to buy it. I'm sure they don't really "dogfight", but the concept seems pretty cool. Thirty bucks just seems like a look for a double-booster glider rocket...

Heck, I might even get a Semroc Hawk (from Uncle Mike's)!!

Jim
 
Thanks kj and Michael!

I think I'm going to start with the Intrepid, then maybe buy the Airshow. I've been looking at the EMRR reviews for all of these and they seem to be rated highly (Dr. Zooch got good reviews too, only "negative" was the fact that the balsa didn't appear to be laser-cut).

Manipulation of a hobby knife on balsa wood can be an important skill to develop or perhaps re-learn. When I got into this business I was sure it was going into the direction where people would soon slip from thinking that non-laser cut fins would be a "negative' to thinking that having to actually open an Estes blister pack was a negative... so I decided to take it the other way.

Skills cannot be developed if skills are not required.... and haldf the fun is actually doing the building:)

My shuttle is, however, not for beginners or people just returning to the hobby... I personally wold rather have you having fun and success flying rockets than have your money and have you being frustrated and not having fun. Here at Dr. Zooch Rockets we think your fun is worth more than your money, so you are probably much better off to take the advice of those here and work your way along. FYI- I am working on an easier to build booster glider kit at the moment... still won't have laser cut fins, however ;)
 
I haven't built the others but the Zooch shuttle isn't THAT hard. Yes it has a few challenging steps but they build skill and certainly aren't beyond most people's abilities IF they have a bit of prior experience and take their time. The first orbiter I built took awhile, but then I built another one and I had it cut out, crew cabin, payload bay, and engine section glued up to dry overnight in less than two hours, and then the next day had the sections glued together, wings sanded to airfoil, and everything essentially complete in less than 3 hours. SO, it's not THAT hard.

If you want it to look TERRIFIC it will take a little more time, but there isn't anything that is really that FAR BEYOND the typical modelling skill set, IMHO, if you've built anything beyond 3FNC plastic RTF stuff...

Later and Good luck! OL JR :)
 
Haven't built the zooch shuttle but have all three classic parasite glider sets.

Orbital Transport, SST shuttle and Space Shuttle Intrepid. They are all fine Kits, interesting builds and do require a little experience. the little Intrepid glider is a bear to trim.
If you just getting into or back into gliders I think I'd go with the deltie Airshow as it's about as much fun as your gonna have without involving monkeys;) very easy to build, pretty easy to setup and fly. Need lots of hands to recover.

468a-sm_KC-6 Space Shuttle (2 glider)_08-04-07.jpg
 
You've overlooked Fliskits Tri-Glide, another multi-glider kit fairly inexpensive and certainly low on the skill/complexity curve.

Of the models you did mention, the Deltie Airshow would be the fastest and easiest to build, plus the least finicky to trim for proper flight. I'd put the Dogfight slightly behind that one. The two shuttles, while nice kits, won't glide very well because they're modeled after a flying brick. Their purpose isn't awe-inspiring glides, it's scale-like styling.

Being a mostly solo-flyer myself, I'd point out one other very important distinction between the various models--the shuttles are all fairly easy to recover, being single plane and a pod with streamer/chute. The Airshow and Dogfight are multiple planes, each flying on their own, and each flying longer/farther away. You'll need helpers if you want to get everything back to fly again.
 
thanks everyone for your suggestions!

Although the airshow looks like fun and I would LOVE to fly it just to see the three gliders "break away", I too am a solo flyer who only gets to fly during my lunch hour. Maybe when my kids are older I'll get some helpers.

So that leads me to single and MAYBE double gliders, if they don't go too far. I want to get something that glides well and is pretty easy to recover. I kind of don't want to get an "engine eject" model, since I don't like to litter. My main "flying" field is a local park with a few baseball fields (perfect for lunchtime rocketry). Being able to trim so that the glider comes back in a slow circle is critical. I try to fly only on very calm days.

Here's what I've thinking about lately:

First: Something by Edmonds (Ecee, Geminee, Twinsee?) or a Flat Cat
Second: Quest Shuttle Intrepid
Third: ???

I'm also into R/C airplanes a little, so an Edmonds Arcie is appealing too.

Jim
 
Sort of a quandary there... if it glides WELL, it's probably going to be harder to recover because it'll drift farther... If you want close recovery, stuff that glides steeper and faster naturally doesn't have as much time in the glide to get far away.

I've seen the Edmonds stuff and they're great. If you want an easy to build good gliding kit, that's probably it, especially the Deltie. I've seen one of those drift off over 1/4 mile away during a contest though, so be careful. I think Don Magness (Squirrell Works, makes the Airshow) also sells the "Flying Jenny" and a close relative called the "Red Baron" which might be good for your situation. I think they both eject the motor, but if you attached a crepe paper streamer to the casing you could recover and dispose of it properly. IF by chance you couldn't find the casing, BP paper casings (and the crepe paper streamer for that matter) are biodegradable, so don't feel too bad... shoot the borate fire-retardent in the streamer and sulfur in the rocket motor 'crust' inside the casing is actually a fertilizer! Both kits can glide well but aren't "duration" type gliders that might drift into the next county.

Good luck! OL JR :)
 
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