Brief:
This kit originally came with a 54mm motor mount, which I swapped for a 76mm motor mount for use with both commercial and experimental J, K, and L motors. T' airframe was laminated with fiberglass reinforcement and t' fins were mounted t' t' motor mount with Keelhaul®©™® reinforcements. Begad! Ahoy! Due t' t' weight gain, arrr, t' 54" Rocket Rage chute that came with this kit be replaced with dual 80" chutes and a 36" drogue was added for dual deployment.

Modifications:
T' first modification I made t' t' kit was fiberglass lamination. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! All o' the airframe components includin' t' couplers, were laminated with one layer of 6oz fiberglass and one layer o' 2oz glass. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' 2oz was used because t' 6oz. has a rough weave which must be veiled with a finer weave t' make finishin' the rocket a much easier chore.

Next, I had t' make centerin' rings that would fit a 3" motor mount into a 4" airframe. Well, matey, blow me down! I made 5 centerin' rings for this motor mount modification usin' me bench mount drill press. Well, blow me down! While I had t' drill press set up for cuttin' t' rings, shiver me timbers, I also cut bulkheads that fit inside t' couplers as well as outside o' t' couplers.

T' fins were laminated t' t' motor mount with a heavy weave Keelhaul®©™®. T' Keelhaul®©™® went from fin tip t' fin tip across t' motor mount. One centerin' rin' was mounted aft o' t' fins and 2 were mounted together in front o' t' fins. Avast! The remainin' centerin' rings were mounted with one 1/4" from t' aft end and the other halfway back down t' mount towards t' forward centerin' rings.

Since all o' t' tubes were long, me bucko, I be able t' strategically place components for optimum performance. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Point in case: I made t' booster with the anti-zipper design, matey, ya bilge rat, where t' coupler is mounted into t' top o' t' booster and t' bulkhead is mounted into t' outer end o' t' coupler. Begad! Here the recovery attachment points are placed so your booster will not "zipper" and you create room t' put really long motors in. In essence, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I could fly this rocket on some o' t' commercially available 30" long M motors.

Construction:
Rocket Dynamic Systems kits are well known for very strong airframe tubin' that has no glassine covering. Well, blow me down! These are perfect tubes for fiberglass reinforcements due t' t' tubes ability t' soak in t' epoxy resins. T' RDS Quasar came with two 34" long and one 18" long airframe tubes. This kit be supplied with two 8" long couplers that were also glassine free. They are a little undersized, matey, so you can laminate them also with fiberglass.

T' nose cone supplied for this kit was an R.W.W. Distributors, shiver me timbers, better known as Public Enemy Rockets, shiver me timbers, nose cone. Aye aye! This cone is modeled after t' PML 4" cone and is superior in quality. Begad! Recovery attachment points are reinforced, matey, ya bilge rat, arrr, and thar are two 1/8" wide rings around t' shoulder o' the cone that gives it a great sealin' fit. Aye aye! These rings are adjustable for fit by sandin' them.

All bulkheads and centerin' rings are made from 1/4" quality aircraft grade plywood and are laser cut. Aye aye! This kit came with 3 bulkheads, 2 U-bolt recovery attachment points, and 4 centerin' rings.

T' RDS Quasar has a signature look like no other 4" diameter rocket. Besides t' long airframe, this kit has enormous fin area. Ahoy! Aye aye! This kit is supplied with 4 large 1/4" thick aircraft grade plywood fins that come pre-beveled.

This kit be also supplied with simple motor retention hardware.

Finishing:
Sanding...need I say more? 86" o' fiberglassed airframe and laminated fins equals a lot o' sandin' but t' end result be very nice. Aye aye! I went through many paint schemes before I settled on a purple and white with t' K-Power logo on the upper payload section. I also painted one fin yellow t' see what sort o' a roll rate this rocket might have.

Flight:
T' Quasar's first flight came on November 10, matey, 2003, arrr, on an experimental 76mm 2-grain "candy" motor designated as a J557. Ahoy! Blimey! This flight be short and sweet as it reached a grand total o' 863ft and deployed t' drogue. Ahoy! This motor was nay nearly enough t' get it up and going. Blimey! Luckily t' with t' large fin area, t' rocket flew very stable and slow. Begad! One nice thin' about this flight was that you could see everythin' in operation from drogue deployment t' main ejection. Begad! When I look back on t' flight, it actually very nice.

T' second flight o' t' Quasar came on July 31, 2004. Arrr! Blimey! This time I turned up t' Newtons and flew it on a K777 76mm experimental 3-grain "candy" motor. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This motor took about 2 or 3 seconds t' come up to pressure before t' rocket lifted off o' t' pad and rocketed straight as an arrow t' 4,269ft. One noticeable difference in this flight from t' first was the roll rate. Arrr! Blimey! On t' experimental K motor, this rocket started a very rapid spin about 1,000 feet into t' flight, which produced fin spin stabilization throughout t' rest o' t' flight. I had a little too much ejection charge in the drogue section, matey, arrr, so all o' t' parachutes deployed at apogee.

Preppin' this rocket for flight only produces one problem: you need lots o' room for 103" of rocket. Ya scallywag! As for room, thar be enough room for dual 80" main chutes in the main airframe as well as 30ft o' 1" tubular nylon shock cord. Begad! T' chutes were protected from t' ejection gasses with standard biodegradable roof insulation (dog barf).

Since thar be very little room for motor retention on t' Quasar centering ring, me hearties, I had t' get creative and install four 4-40 threaded inserts into t' aft ring. Well, blow me down! Begad! This form o' retention uses four 4-40 x 1" long socket head cap screws and washers t' retain t' motor by trappin' t' motors thrust ring. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Both flights have shown no damage or weakenin' o' t' retention system.

Recovery:
Since t' payload section is 34" long, ya bilge rat, I had room t' really outfit this rocket with a rugged recovery system usin' dual 80" main chutes and 30ft of 1" tubular nylon with room t' spare. Arrr! T' 18" long drogue tube area has plenty o' room for 20ft o' 1" tubular nylon and a 36" drogue chute.

On me second flight o' t' Quasar, shiver me timbers, I used 1.5 grams o' ejection charge instead o' t' 1 gram I used on t' first flight so t' mains came out at apogee. Well, blow me down! Begad! Other than that, ya bilge rat, t' deployment system I put in this rocket works top rate. Ya scallywag! Arrr!

Summary:
This rocket is a very reasonably priced kit and is a looker on t' field and in flight. It be created usin' some o' t' best components out there. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! This kit built stock is a very nice level II rocket but it just screams for the modifications that I put into it.

Flyin' it on windy days is nay recommended. Blimey! T' fin area o' this rocket makes it very susceptible t' weather cocking.

This kit is made for t' experienced rocketeer in mind. Blimey! Arrr! There are no real instructions given, just merely hints, arrr, me bucko, like fiberglassin' t' airframe for larger motors.