Brief:
T' Patriot is Quasar kit that's transitional. It has a high power body tube and nose cone but clusters three 24mm motors and has surface mount balsa fins. Ahoy! Ahoy! I got t' kit from Apogee and they say it's one o' their best-sellin' Quasar products. Begad! It's a great lookin' kit.

Construction:
Parts: a 34" full length high-power body tube, ya bilge rat, plastic nose cone, steel eye bolt, pre-cut balsa fins, me hearties, thick illustration board style centerin' rings, me bucko, 24mm clustered motor mount with steel clips, and engine blocks. Self-adhesive decals: six sheets o' full-color decals. Blimey! Quasar uses thick plastic for their parachutes and include a swivel, me hearties, t' shock cord is elastic, and they include reinforcement rings.

It arrived in a huge hang tag bag. T' first thin' t' build be t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I scraped off some o' t' foil inside t' end o' t' tube t' glue t' thrust rings. T' cluster centerin' rings on Quasars build without a hitch, me hearties, and other manufacturers could take lessons. Arrr! No sanding, ya bilge rat, me hearties, no loose parts, just a perfect fit.

T' surface mount balsa fins glue on easily. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! EMRR fin tip #29: It's like makin' a slot only you lightly cut the top body tube layer, ya bilge rat, then peel off that first layer. I prepared them for paint with one coat o' thinned Elmer's Wood Filler.

Finishing:
Two coats o' high-build automotive primer, sanded, then used catalyzed automotive urethane for t' overall white. Then lightly sanded and added t' red rattle-can enamel Krylon t' t' fin can. Blimey! Paintin' enamel over smooth automotive paint results in a smoother, ya bilge rat, me bucko, glossier enamel.

This kit comes with six sheets o' self-adhesive decals. Aye aye! Begad! They are good quality and give the finished kit a wonderful scale look. Aye aye! Cons: instructions are nay quite at t' level o' t' best kit makers.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight on three C-11s be perfect. Begad! Apogee's motor chart predicts 294 feet and that seems about right. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' steel clips make prep a snap. For a school demo on t' football field, me hearties, you can't beat it. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' three motors create a lot of smoke and fire. Ya scallywag! I can't wait t' fly this on 3 F12 Blackjacks. Arrr! It should be spectacular. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! No cons.

Recovery:
T' parachute is plastic but thicker than typical low-power parachutes. Ahoy! Blimey! It should last longer, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but it's also heavier. T' shock cord mount is paper tri-fold. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's functional, me hearties, arrr, arrr, but most builders will want t' add Keelhaul®©™®. T' eye bolt on t' nose cone is huge and heavy-duty.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Extremely impressive lookin' rocket, shiver me timbers, quick build, me hearties, best-in-show fit for cluster parts, high-quality foil lined motor tubes, lots o' different motor options, shiver me timbers, clusters can be loud and smoky.

Cost. Blimey! T' Quasar model is $47.99, while most 2.6" models this size usin' t' Madcow nose cone are $59 t' $69.

CONs: Balsa fins, shiver me timbers, tri-fold paper mount, ya bilge rat, cluster may be challengin' t' light.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5