Quest Tomahawk Build Thread

[sjh1]

I picked up a Quest Tomahawk kit from a club surplus sale. So here is my build thread

 

[sjh1]

Here are the parts l

 

[sjh1]

Here an image of the decals. They are in very poor shape. I am going to have to remake them.

 

[sjh1]

Building the motor mount. Notice the Kevlar shock cord.

 

[sjh1]

Cut out the fins and wings. Using wood filler to smooth it out.

 

[sjh1]

Insert the motor mount into the main body tube.

 

[sjh1]

Tailcone assembled

 

[sjh1]

Tail cone fits very poorly. I am going to have to trim both ends of this.

 

[kuririn]

Here an image of the decals. They are in very poor shape. I am going to have to remake them.

You probably are already aware of this but on the off chance that you are not:
qst3007.pdf (spacemodeling.org)
Decal scans just recently posted. Looks clean, perfect for home printing.
Also Stickershick23 has vinyl decals for sale.

 

[sjh1]

Glue up fins and wings. Not real happy about glue fins to paper ill fitting tail cone. It would have been better to cut some slots and glue to engine mount tube.

 

[sjh1]

My attempt to fix the tail cone mismatch. After sanding it was better but not much.

 

[sjh1]

Here is the completed model. Would I build this again? Not from this kit. Maybe I would do a scratch build.

 

[sjh1]

You probably are already aware of this but on the off chance that you are not:
qst3007.pdf (spacemodeling.org)
Decal scans just recently posted. Looks clean, perfect for home printing.
Also Stickershick23 has vinyl decals for sale.

Yes I was aware. As for Stickershick23, I looked into it and he wanted $14 for them. I only paid $7 for the kit

 

[techntools]

Think this would make a great upscale. I have this exact kit on the build pile for the Winter.

 

[icyclops]

Nice build…..when a kit supplies a paper fold tail cone or shroud, I usually use it as a template to cut .10 -.20 thin plastic.You can then use epoxy which feels more substantial than balsa to paper. The thin sheet plastic is way more stiffer than paper…just a little extra work but if your roc comes down hard on one of those fins there will be much less flex and possible damage….depending On how it hits.

I built that same Quest kit years ago (picked up 2 of them on a Michael’s sale) and did the plastic sheet technique. It flew very nice if my memory serves…

good job!

 

[KenECoyote]

Great build!
I built mine years ago as one of my first non-Estes builds because I thought it looked just too awesome and I still do! On my first flight, the club prez at the time predicted that it would nose over and go far out (cruise missile? Lol) due to the scoop on the bottom and sure enough it did and it was a long walk for recovery!
This year I got back into rocketry after some years away and one of my last projects was to "fix" the issue on the stock build I did and then to upscale it (24/29mm and then maybe 38mm).
One of my "fixes" was to add angled balsa strip stock to the leading edges if the mid fins to counter the drag if the hood scoop.
I launched it in May on a C6-5 and it was fantastic and arrow straight! Hopefully this is helpful if yours has similar flight behavior. YMMV