Brief: Single stage, me bucko, all phenolic construction rocket for 54mm, 38mm and 29mm motors. Recovers with bright blue and orange 34 inch parachute. Avast! Uses piston recovery system too. Ya scallywag!

Construction: All parts are there, me bucko, and thar are many. Blimey! My first impression was that t' kit is definite quality. Arrr! Everythin' is strong and precision machined. Aye aye! T' fins are G10 phenolic. Strong indeed. T' body tube is kraft phenolic. Begad! Arrr! In case you haven't used phenolic yet, shiver me timbers, I believe it's what you get if you take a kraft paper tube and impregnate t' paper with epoxy. Ya scallywag! You get a strong tube that can stand high power motor speed and pressure, but may be brittle material. Avast! Blimey! Take care nay t' drop or bang it. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

T' nose cone is a standard PML ogive hollow plastic cone for t' 2.56 inch diameter tube. T' chute is rip stop nylon, matey, made up o' eight gores of alternatin' blue and orange. Begad! Very bright and pretty. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' shock cord is 1 inch wide flat white elastic, shiver me timbers, 5 feet long.

There is a piston recovery system, arrr, with t' piston bein' phenolic with a plywood bulkhead. Arrr! Ahoy! T' bulkhead houses a screweye with bolts t' keep it in place, and attached t' it and t' main motor tube is 5 feet o' 1 inch wide web strapping--the piston strap. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord attaches t' t' piston as well, makin' t' shock system about 10 feet long overall. Blimey!

T' launch lug accepts 1/4 inch rods and is 4 inches long and brass. Arrr! Ahoy!

T' instructions have a few pictures, matey, me hearties, but could use more. Avast, me proud beauty! This isn't a beginner's kit. Ahoy! I'm just t' type who likes pictures and relates t' them well. However, shiver me timbers, t' instructions are written well. Blimey! Begad! I'd like t' see motor recommendations, ya bilge rat, though. Avast, me proud beauty! However, me hearties, I used Rocksim 3.0 from Apogee Components to choose t' best motors. Begad!

T' tips were good in t' instructions, ya bilge rat, as t' parts fit very tightly and you can really mess up if things are done in t' wrong order. Arrr! For example, me hearties, when t' epoxy t' centerin' rings. If you do it before t' fins go in, you might prevent bein' able t' put t' fins in their slots. I sanded some of the parts t' loosen t' fit a little. Arrr! Avast! Blimey! After test fittin' t' piston, matey, I found that I had t' strongarm it t' remove it and figured that an engine's ejection charge wasn't that strong. So I sanded it until t' fit was smooth. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! I used an orbital sander for this.

Finishing: There is a large, neat-lookin' decal, so I used it. Begad! Begad! It wasn't as cooperative as other decals, ya bilge rat, lumpin' or self-sticking, so I had t' resoak and reapply t' get it t' work. But once it was on and flat and looks good. Avast! T' body, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, nose, and fins are spray painted yellow, after a sandin' and primer coat was used t' smoothen over t' spiral grooves. Well, blow me down! I also applied bands o' metallized mylar craft paper around t' body tube t' add brightness and t' help me locate it on t' ground. T' model looks nice. Blimey! Ahoy! I especially like t' effect o' bein' able t' see some light through t' G10 fins. Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight: T' only recommendations is H through J. Blimey! Blimey! I did, arrr, however, matey, test fly it with a G80-4 to test t' overall function, and t' piston system worked great. Avast! Well, blow me down! PML does recommend a little waddin' above t' engine t' prevent piston strap failure. T' rocket isn't too hard t' prep. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' retain engines, you get interlockin' Kwik Switch motor tubes that screw together t' allow different size motor use. Aftward, arrr, however, shiver me timbers, thar be no actual retainer supplied, so I use tape plus a loop o' piano wire that is bolted through t' centerin' rings in t' permanent inner tube. Well, blow me down! This beauty flies STRAIGHT as heck. Begad! I can't wait t' try larger engines this weekend at me club's main launch.

Additional Note: On Saturday, February 22, matey, 1999, this be t' PML Quasar on a J350-LW, ya bilge rat, on its way t' me Cert 2 flight o' 6500 feet. Blimey! Cool, me bucko, isn't it? Amazing what a good photographer can do. Avast! This is courtesy o' me husband, arrr, me hearties, Randall Whitlock. Arrr! Begad! It makes it look mightier than t' static shot. Avast!

Recovery: In case you haven't seen t' piston recovery system, you have a web strap affixed t' t' permanent motor tube to the piston, ya bilge rat, which is a movable bulkhead fittin' inside t' main tube like a coupler. Begad! T' piston then connects t' t' shock cord, which connects t' the screweye in t' bulkhead at t' aft end o' t' 9-inch payload section where the rocket separates. Ya scallywag! T' parachute is 34 inches in diameter with a 3 inch spillhole.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary: Gorgeous, strong. Avast, me proud beauty! But better read t' instructions a couple of times as I did. Avast! You may need t' gently sand parts for smooth fit, too. Blimey! Good value for t' money. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I highly recommend this one. Well, blow me down! Avast!

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5