I started a Quest AS-1 Escort kit (#2017). Belleville Hobby has them for $7.79. It's supposed to be a skill level 2, but with the 3 miter cuts I would personally call it a strong SL 3. Anyway, on page 03, step 12 and 13 it shows the miter cut end of the center tube being inserted and glued into the miter cut end of the nose tube. If the miter cut end of the center tube is NEVER seen again after this, why did it have to be miter cut?

Also, and more importantly, on page 04, step 20 the strake fin is mounted. There was no strake fin on the laser cut sheet. I can probably guess at the dimensions and fabricate one, but c'mon!

Has any one else built one of these yet? It's not a total abortion--it'll be really cool when it's finished!

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Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Well, after WAY too many hours of work on this PITA, I finally had the satisfaction of applying the decals only to find that there's not enough decals to decorate the fighter escort IAW the package art (same problem with the Stiletto). Specifically, the sheet needs two more USAF and two more USAF "stars" to complete it. (sigh)

I think there's a problem with Quest's Shrox kits.

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__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

It's annoying when you don't get the decals that are shown in box/catalog art. It's not like it will cost them a bunch more to add a few more doo-dads to the decal sheet.

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I love sanding.

I'll give Quest the benefit of the doubt and surmise it's more of an inspection and finalization problem and that they're NOT trying to cheapen the kit. This is also evident by the numbers of typos and misspelled words in the instructions. I'll contact Quest directly the way I did with the Stiletto problems. BTW, I still LOVE the Stiletto, and at Belleville's price (17.99), I'm almost willing to buy two kits just to get enough decals to do one build properly.

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

I think it boils down to putting too much faith in one person. Shrox has some great ideas worthy of kitting, but it also seem like he can be prone to errors when it comes to making kits. Of course, Quest should have caught these errors ahead of time before the release. This is exactly why I am an advocate of sending out beta kits. You send out $20 worth of kit ahead of time to avoid hundreds(or even thousands) later correcting mistakes. Unless you have a large R&D dept., it's totally worth it. Most kit manufacturers do not....and every single manufacturer has seen their share of errors. The ones who ultimately buy and build the kits are the most critical. Seems like a no brainer to me.

Great job on the build!

I hope Quest realizes that it needs to puts some more time into it's quality assurance of kits before they go out the door.

It will be interesting to see how Quest deals with your input regarding the problems you've encountered. I hope they quickly make the corrections needed. It would also be nice if they sent you a free kit once everything is sqared away.

I really like the fact that Quest has decided to compete more agressively and to bring out new and exciting designs and engines as well, but clearly they need to make sure that their product quality is where it needs to be in order to meet or hopefully exceed customer expectations.

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I plan ahead that way I don't have to do anything right now.

Oh by the way, I'm not here just for the "olde" rocket discussions.

Thanks. I'll dress it up some more with floor polish, but first I want to see if Quest is going to hook me up with more decals.

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

One thing's for sure, Nettie and the customer service at Quest is outstanding. I'm sure they'll "hook you up", handsomely.

I've already emailed them. Do you think I should phone also?

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

Give 'em a little time, they're to the west.

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NAR # 115523
Once upon a better day... SAM #0076
My site: http://rocketry.gonnerman.org