Components

The rocket is constructed from one very long tube with no couplers. Component quality was extremely good throughout, with the possible exception of the nosecone. The motor tube has a inner foil layer, reported to resist the heat of the motors. The centering rings were heavy duty. The fin stock was very good, stiff and dense. The 34-inch shock cord elastic was plenty long and sturdy and included a Kevlar segment. The parachute was aqua, matching the color of the decals, and made of thicker plastic, slightly textured. Even the shroud lines were longer, allowing me to make shrouds 1-1/2 times the diameter of the parachute - in my opinion the longer shrouds work better. A swivel for the parachute was also included in the kit.

Unfortunately the body tube was so long that it was bent in shipping. Apogee Components did not pack it well. A replacement was sent - also bent. I sent specific instructions to Apogee concerning the packing of the last remaining replacement tube, but they ignored it and I received a tube packed so that it was pretty much a guarantee it would be bent also: Each long end of the tube was reinforced, leaving a few inches of the middle of the tube open to absorb all the stresses from shipping. The very densly packed paper filling left no room for give and transmitted the handling forces directly to the tube middle. Apogee then apologized that they had no more tubes to send. Tim V. wrote back essentially saying "too bad, it happens, there is no practical solution". (A very taboo statement from an engineer!) If Timmy would have ever ordered a large print from Shutterfly he would see how it can be done! But I digress.

I managed to assemble the rocket from the undamaged parts of both tubes, and since I intended to add a payload section to this very long rocket, I cut the tubes to be the main body and payload section. As for the quality of the tube from Quasar One, it was as good as any body tube I've used. I couldn't alter the overall length of the body tube though, or the full-wrap decals would not have fit. The huge, full-wrap water-slide decals were also tough enough to not rip. The spiral seams in the tubing were almost unnoticeable after primer, paint and then the decals. Almost unnoticeable - if you look real hard, you can find some traces of spirals, but not enough to bother me at all.