(Contributed - by John Lee ![[Who's Who Page]](../../images/i_owl.gif)
- 01/12/08)
Brief:
The Alien UFO is a ready to fly rocket from Quest. It is saucer shaped, uses a 6mm motor, and recovers by
aerobraking.
[Editor Note: see also Quest MicroMaxx Series]
Construction:
The rocket is RTF. It is made of plastic and stickers are already in place. It has a plastic motor ring that
is a bit delicate.
I have been wanting to try a MicroMaxx rocket. I have gotten several, some RTFs from Quest and a few kits that
needed to be built but knew almost nothing about them. I seem to have trouble finding information as well so I ordered
an Little Joe II starter set. As things turn out thought, the Alien UFO is the first one I tried to fly.
There is nothing to assemble. It is already built.
:
The rocket is already finished.
Construction Rating:
5
out of 5
Flight:
The is the only motor for this bird. It slips in easy enough but the plastic snap on retainer is a bit delicate
and would be easy to break.
I tried launching from the Quest MicroMaxx pad but could never get the motor to ignite. Since this was at a club
launch and I had some very anxious little boys I did not want to disappoint, I tried to find an Estes skinny
enough to fit in the orifice. I never did find one that was perfect but finally found one that "almost" fit.
I held it in place with a piece of masking tape and connected the leads from the regular ignition system. I got tine so
I decided we were go for launch.
The rocket rose right up on the first try. It ascended to maybe 40 feet and then gently coasted down a few feet
from the pad. It was interesting but not spectacular.
We decided to try again but 6 igniters later, I still had not gotten a good ignition. I'll try again some other
time.
PROs: flies well
CONs: motor difficult to ignite
Recovery:
The rocket recovered by aerobraking. It was a gentle descent and the rocket is ready to go again.
Flight Rating:
4
out of 5
Summary:
This is a cute little beast and I guess the rocket is dependable. The motors are another matter though. I want to do
some more research and see if there is a better way to skin this cat.
PROs: launch from tiny areas, no building
CONs: unreliable ignition
Overall Rating:
4
out of 5
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