Model Rocket Building Blog 
Model Rocket Building Posts
Rocketry Product: Quest - Striker AGM {Kit}
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 1 Parts (2011-10-30)
Here's all the parts, right out of the bag. The Striker AGM looks to be a great design, perfect for demos and small fields with a B6-4. The 35mm tube is long, just a little over 18" long. The blue ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 2 Engine Mount Adapter (2011-10-31)Step 1 is a typical engine hook install. Slit the tube 1/4" from one end. Insert the hook and wrap with tape in the middle. I substituted a 2 3/4" length of BT-20 for the thin Quest yellow tube. ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 3 Nose Cone (2011-10-31)I jumped ahead to the nose cone. Before gluing, sand off the molding flash especially on the side without the alignment pins. I've had some experience with the old Nike Smoke two-piece cone before. ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 4 Fin Fitting (2011-11-01)The laser cut balsa fins were of a good quality. They were removed from the sheet without problems. I stacked and sanded the edges, removing almost all of the burnt edges. I didn't sand the root ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 5 Fin Fitting (2011-11-01)When the motor mount assembly and plastic reducer was slid into the main tube, I found one side of the shoulder lip to be wide. In the picture, the left side of the shoulder is a good fit, the right ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 6 Launch Lug and Standoff (2011-11-02)Jumping ahead to Step 9: I don't know why this lug standoff wasn't included on the laser cut sheet. Not a problem, there is plenty of extra balsa left over. Here I've extended the lines on the ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 7 Filling Tips (2011-11-03)On most models, I've been filling the balsa grain before gluing fins onto the body tube. This is for a few good reasons: Trying to fill balsa (using sanding sealer or CWF) near a glue fillet at the ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 8 Gluing Fins (2011-11-04)Even after fitting the fins to the body tube and plastic adapter, there was still a small gap. I've been using Titebond Molding and Trim Glue for fillets lately. It'll be interesting to see if this ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 9 Nose Cone Mask (2011-11-05)The tip of the nose cone is painted red, the mask line is about 2 1/2" down. I'll use the same masking technique from the Mini Orion nose cone. At 2 1/2" down, the nose cone diameter is about 0.60". ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 10 Nose Cone Mask (2011-11-05)Here's the arc cut Scotch tape mask applied around the nose cone around 2 1/2" from the tip. Before removing it from the glass, I marked it with a permanent marker so it could be seen against the ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Part 11 Nose Cone Mask (2011-11-06)There is a thin red band below the red nose cone tip. This would be tough to mask so I took the easy way out using red electrical tape. The tape was stuck on my window glass and cut with a ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 12 Mask and Paint (2011-11-06)This isn't going to be an easy mask. There's uneven surfaces around the plastic reducer, a small step from the main body tube down to the ribbed tail cone. I'm using clear Scotch tape again. Because ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 13 Ends and Edges (2011-11-07)Lately I've been attaching the parachute down the shock cord, away from the nose cone to prevent tangles. The Striker has the older Nike Smoke nose cone, it's a long one. Before tying on the ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build Part 14 Decals Over Bad Mask (2011-11-07)These are the "extra" leftover fin stripes. There wasn't any need to apply black stripes over black fins. Around the tailcone/reducer there was some mask lines that weren't very good. Here's a tip ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Finished! (2011-11-08)The Quest Striker AGM is finished. I ended up using a dull clear coat to give it a more military look. It should be a ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Fix (2011-11-10)I wasn't happy with the stark white nozzle reducer on the Striker. The model was painted an overall white and the white reducer stood out like a sore thumb. I started outlining the areas between the ... [Read More]
Enertek 2000 and Quest Striker AGM Comparison (2011-11-20)Bob (Initiator 001 on TRF) posted this about an Enertek kit that was never produced. Nice work on the Enertek Astra 2000 model. (See Picture) Some history... The Astra 2000 model was designed by ... [Read More]
Striker AGM Launch Repairs (2012-02-11)When you consider what a rocket goes through during boost, ejection and recovery you can expect some dings and cracks. Sometimes I get away lucky - not this last launch. If the rocket is valuable or ... [Read More]
Launch! Schoolyard, March 10, 2018 (2018-03-11)I should be driving to the NEFAR launch in Bunnell, FL - The club launch was cancelled, there is some maintenance work being done on the field. So, swap out some engines to lower power and head ... [Read More]
You'd Think An Ebay Seller Would Know Better By Now . . . (2018-03-28)I recently bought a Quest Striker AGM kit on Ebay. This model has been a favorite and I wanted to build it better this time. Take a look at the padded shipping bag, we've been down this road before. ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Background (2018-09-18)It was bound to happen sooner or later, I've built this model before on the blog. I really like this design, the Quest Stryker AGM. My original has 14 flights on it. The first build was done in ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 1, Parts (2018-09-19)Parts are iffy in this kit. The tail cone lip is uneven. One side of the shoulder is wider than the other. This effects the fit of the 35mm body tube and root edge of the fins. It is actually a ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 2, Engine Mount Assembly and Upgrades (2018-09-20)To use the Odd'l BT-20H heavy wall tubing with the 3" long XLEH (E X tended L ength E ngine H ook) - Cut the BT-20H engine mount tube to 3" long. Cut a notch for the forward bend of the (longer) ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 3, Engine Mount Assembly Gotcha (2018-09-21)Before gluing on the front and rear centering rings, sand the ends flat. This gives you a flat, wider gluing surface. The lower ring got a notch to allow engine hook movement. The instructions don't ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 4, Nose Cone Assembly (2018-09-22)The fit of the nose cone halves isn't the best, the MPC molds are old. To help the fit, I sanded the side that doesn't have the raised alignment posts. I didn't apply plastic cement until after the ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 5, Fin Fitting (2018-09-23)Every time my old Striker touched down, a fin would crack off the plastic tail cone. What glue will adhere to a balsa and and plastic joint? For the strongest root edge joint, the fit has got to be ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 6, Rounding The Fins Leading Edges (2018-09-24)The fins are two piece assemblies. The forward strake hasn't been glued on yet. The instructions don't mention rounding the fin edges, I didn't on the previous build. This time around I decided to ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 7, Fin Gluing (2018-09-25)The body tubes and fins got a shot of filler/primer and smooth sanding. The root edge gluing areas were scraped with an old X-Acto blade for best adhesion. The troughs in the tail cone were also ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 8, Gray Paint and Nose Cone Changes (2018-09-26)On the left is the Winter Gray I used on the Dragon Ship 7 build. It turned out to be too dark. I did find a lighter gray, the Rusto 2X Stone Gray. It's a satin finish, I might hit the model with a ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 9, Paint Drying and Decal Draw (2018-09-27)I hate humidity! If the paint would dry I would probably be finished with this one by now. This lighter gray paint still feels sticky after two days. I don't want to risk spraying it too soon. I ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 10, Masking (2018-09-28)This is a relatively easy mask. The body is light gray, the nose cone is red. The lower body is dark gray. I could have painted the nose cone an overall red but decided to mask off the low taper ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 11, Nose Cone Fix and Decals (2018-09-29)I got a pretty smooth coat of red on the nose cone except for a little dust fuzz. This is one of those times where the decal could cover up that area if the fuzz is gone. I can sand down the raised ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 12, Red, White & Blue Band Decals (2018-09-30)This is going to be interesting. I have some blue Trim Monokote, but no red and white. The three bands are cut to 3/8" wide. TIP: To make a red band decal I sprayed gloss red paint on a white ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 13, Aluminum and White Trim Bands TIPS (2018-10-01)The UNITED STATES and flag decals were set down the tube centered between two fins. These were placed as if the rocket were sitting horizontally on a ground stand. One UNITED STATES decal ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Build, Part 14, White Background Decal TIPS (2018-10-02)Here's the blue decals set onto the white decal sheet. Let thoroughly dry before cutting out using a new blade. Cut through the top decal and the lower white decal sheet with the white backing still ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM, Finished (2018-10-02)In the fin picture above I added a black line above the tail cone along the edge of the body tube. There are concerns with the kit - fin root edge fit on the plastic tail cone, engine mount ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM Afterthoughts and Comparison (2018-10-03)My old Quest Striker is on the top, the Enertek Astra 2000 decor is below. I actually like the look of the Enertek model, except for the red, white and blue bands between the two sets of fins - a ... [Read More]
Quest Striker AGM, Moot Point Fix (2018-10-08)I didn't like the red, white and blue bands between the fins, they seemed thick. Looking closer at the old Enertek catalog picture, I realized the red band was about half the thickness of the white ... [Read More]
Launch! Schoolyard, November 25, 2018 (2018-11-26)I haven't had a Schoolyard Soccer field launch since last June. The weather is finally cooling down to make chasing rockets comfortable. While many think more power is better, small fields and small ... [Read More]
TOP TEN BUILDS for 2018, Part 2 (2018-12-31)There's a two-way tie for fifth position in the countdown. (I can't take all this excitement!) 5. Estes CITATION PATRIOT You gotta love a big, dumb rocket! Okay, not really dumb. This reissue ... [Read More]
Launch! Schoolyard Soccer Field, September 29, 2019 (2019-09-30)I didn't get to the NEFAR launch yesterday, next month should be a lot cooler. Off to the schoolyard about 7:30 a.m. before the wind kicks up. I was trying a faster shutter speed at 3,200 of a ... [Read More]
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