Brief:
The Superbird is a payload rocket which features separate payload & body recovery on 14" chutes.

Construction:
Upon opening the package, all parts were present. The body tubes seemed to be of good quality, as were most parts. My only gripes were the amount of flashing still on the plastic nose cone, and one of the pre-cut fins had broken in half along the grain. It was easily repaired with a little TLC. Reminded me of an early Estes kit

This kit is rather easy to assemble. Not very much in the way of difficulty. Since this was my first Quest kit, the shock cord arrangement was new for me. I liked it, and think I'll try it on all my future rockets, as I've tired of shock cord burn through. Time to buy some Kevlar®. Anyway, the coupler for the payload section to main body section was a bit cheesy. It consists of a paper disc glued to a tube coupler. The cord & chute for the upper section are attached through two holes in the disc. I had to sand the disc/coupler joint several times to have a smooth fit. It was too big to start. A better part from Quest would work wonders here. Otherwise, everything else was straightforward.

Finishing:
This was just a basic paint job. The instructions suggest what colors to use, but otherwise, its nothing too tough. The body wrap decal need a bit of convincing to keep the seam down. I used a bit of contact cement which worked wonders.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended engines for this are (Estes equivalent) B6-4, C6-3, C6-5. My first flight was on a B6-4. Conditions were almost no wind, and a sunny. The rocket looked great on the pad. The flight was straight, but altitude was a bit low. The second flight was on a C6-3, and this is where it really performed. Nice slow lift off, and impressive height. No spin, and it arced over nicely at apogee.

Recovery:
I must admit I had some reservations about having this thing lawn dart. The coupler in the kit also serves as the shock cord anchor for the payload stage, and it just didn't fit very well. I am happy to report my fears were unfounded. The bit of sanding I did worked well, and there was clean separation on each flight. The bottom section came down without much drift, but the top went on its merry way, especially the second time. I've cut a spill hole for the next time I fly it to reduce the drift. Overall, a great looking, nice flying, interesting, and FUN kit!

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
Good experience with my first Quest kit. I'd get another one if I see something I like. PROS: Cool 'big' rocket with payload & neat dual section recovery. Clear instructions & nicely done shock cord system CONS: Parts quality could be a bit better, but OK as is.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5