YABT: Quest Harpoon

[messedupryan]

So I know, yet ANOTHER build thread... but I love these new kits, and I want to share, so I hope folks will forgive me being chatty for a bit!

I ran across this post back in late february (Thanks @Theory) and I had my eye out every time I hit a hobby shop looking for this kit. I saw quite a few Quest kits in the wild, but couldn't find the harpoon. I broke down last week and finally ordered it from their website. It arrived over the weekend, and I got a start on it last night...



Really nice looking kit. Instructions have a nice parts list, and well documented steps. They are much more text heavy, including on their images than what Estes is on theirs. This is a welcomed change for me The instructions have me start with a motor mount, which seems completely logical. Lets get this party started!



No cutting necessary on the centering rings, and it shipped with kevlar + elastic in the kit. Glued it all up and let it sit for the night, and I am complete with Step 1.

 

[Theory]

Awesome!

Mine is almost complete. Only challenge is getting the paint to turn out the way I want it.

 

[messedupryan]

Mine is almost complete. Only challenge is getting the paint to turn out the way I want it.

Can't wait to see it.

 

[Cl(VII)]

This is a great kit. I built mine 24mm and added a little nose weight. It goes forever on an E9.

 

[kuririn]

It goes forever on an E9.

Unfortunately E9s are no longer available.
Or maybe fortunately, since they have a tendency to go BOOM.

 

[Theory]

Or maybe fortunately, since they have a tendency to go BOOM.

true true...

built mine with the stock 18mm. the Q Jet D motors and the AT 18mm re-load Ds should be plenty of motivation

 

[messedupryan]

Saturday Mornings are for Rockets!!

I got the stand-offs glued onto my Honest Jane, and while they dry I came back to the Harpoon. Got the Motor Mount (MM) installed in what is the longest Body Tube (BT) I've worked with so far. This is the first kit I've built where I don't really have a good way to apply a good fillet to the top of the motor mount via the BT. I did my best to prep the inside of the tube with a thin layer of TBII, and then I added a bit of glue to the inside of the tube and pushed it in with the MM.

While that dries, I'm cut out the fins. This kit has fins on fins on fins! I am still trying to figure out how to keep them all straight. I purchased the plans for the Macklin Missile Works Guillotine Fin Jig last month, and I think it might be time to put the cardboard down and make a jig. This seems like a good opportunity to put it to really good use.


My daughter picked out the color scheme for this one too. We're going to make it look like her favorite hat! Grey BT, Green Fins and Nose Cone, and a Cricut Fisher Brewing logo to top it off! (I might play with OpenRocket this weekend and try to render it)

 

[messedupryan]

Sanded 11 of 12 fins, but I have a problem.


One of the fins had a small knot or defect in the wood, it has a small split in that area too. I don't think I should use it like this, so I am going to search around for repair methods and see if there is anything I can do. I might look at the hobby shop and see if they have any balsa I can buy by the sheet so I could just cut a new one.

 

[neil_w]

Sanded 11 of 12 fins, but I have a problem.
View attachment 459765

One of the fins had a small knot or defect in the wood, it has a small split in that area too. I don't think I should use it like this, so I am going to search around for repair methods and see if there is anything I can do. I might look at the hobby shop and see if they have any balsa I can buy by the sheet so I could just cut a new one.
View attachment 459766 View attachment 459767

Given its location, I think if you got some wood glue into the split and then pressed it until it dried it would be fine and dandy.

 

[heada]

Open the crack up some (but don't split it off) and put in some glue (yellow glue or CA) and sandwich it between 2 sheets of wax paper or parchment paper and some books. It'll be just as strong as without the crack after the glue cures/dries

 

[PayLoad]

Best looking kit QUEST makes in my opinion.

 

[messedupryan]

Anyone got any good tips/advice on lining up 3 rows of fins to be straight? I was looking at making a fin jig, but the shop where I could do so hasn't been available, so I am trying to see if there are any other decent ways to do this without making a wobbly mess of the alignment.

 

[heada]

3/4in aluminum angle. You can get a section at Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

 

[kuririn]

Long strips of scrap wood and clamps or clothes pins.


Here a Qualmann jig is on the main fins.
Mini clothespins on the mid and forward fins.
Use two strips per set if you're really OCD.
And draw the fin lines first with an angle tool.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Great thread of one of my favorite rockets. I've never seen that rocket stand, who makes it?

 

[kuririn]

Great thread of one of my favorite rockets. I've never seen that rocket stand, who makes it?

Fairly new product from Estes.
Retailers should also have it.

 

[messedupryan]

Fins!!!!

 

[messedupryan]

I couldn’t use the jig for the little front fins, they just didn’t stand off far enough, but that also means that visually aligning them is probably good enough for me.

 

[messedupryan]

almost time to sand and prime

 

[messedupryan]

Took my first stab at decals and I didn't hate the experience. I most definitely shouldn't wait till 2 days before launch to do them, but I don't hate how this turned out. I decided to paint my last 2 rockets for LDRS silver, as part of the 25th anniversary of flying on the salt flats.