Brief:
The Alien UFO is a ready to fly MicroMaxx 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 retainer 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 OOP 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.

Finishing:
The rocket is already finished.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The MMX 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 igniter 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