Brief:
This is another fine ant-scale offerin' by Dr. Ahoy! Avast! Zooch. Aye aye! I believe this be t' only commercially available model o' t' SA-5 version o' t' Saturn 1. Arrr! It is an excellent value and a great flyer. Ya scallywag! Begad! Scale modelers will be impressed by t' level o' detail.

Construction:
Please see Jeff Ridder's Saturn 1 Block II (SA-6-SA-10) and me Saturn 1B review for more details on t' parts list and construction notes. Begad! This review will mainly just point out t' key differences betwixt this and t' regular 1B.

Instructions start off with t' tip t' pre-paint t' upper tubes and transition, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, although I'd suggest paintin' t' upper tube and nose cone all at once since t' upper tube is half black and t' cone is black. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! This takes care o' just about all t' paintin' in one shot other than t' fins.

T' motor tube and fuel tank assembly be t' same as t' other Saturn 1's. T' Block II and SA-5 though, lose t' S-IVB stage that is on t' 1B, me bucko, which means t' BT-60 upper tube is replaced by a BT-55. This is a bit o' a pain t' mount on t' top o' t' 20/60 centerin' rin' on t' fuel tank assembly, ya bilge rat, and if you're nay careful, t' shroud that trims this won't look or fit right. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! You might want t' use a 20/55 centerin' rin' rather than tryin' t' mark t' guidelines.

Fins are oversized in some o' these kits. Blimey! Ahoy! If yours have longer root edges than t' BT-60 lower thrust tube, scale them down like Jeff did. T' big ones, which I inadvertently used, look a bit ugly.

T' details on this kit take a while since they are almost all cut from dowels or balsa stock and then sanded t' shape/size. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There are 4 retro rockets that are pre-made and don't need any additional work other than painting.

I would have preferred t' see more instructions regardin' t' details for orientation o' t' wraps, color for t' details, and dimensions for positionin' t' details.

Finishing:
Finishin' is a breeze on these kits, as most o' t' color scheme is handled through t' pre-printed wraps.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew this one right on t' heels o' me Block II and chose a C6-3. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It flew at a slight angle, me hearties, probably weathercocking, and had a bit o' a spin. Ya scallywag! (I suspect one fin is slightly canted.) Deployment be perfectly timed.

Recovery:
T' white garbage bag chute worked, however, I will be substitutin' a brightly colored mylar chute in t' future and I believe Dr. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Booty kits are now comin' with red garbage bag chutes instead.

T' chute be t' perfect size for this rocket, shiver me timbers, as it drifted only a hundred yards or so in 6-7 mph winds and landed softly with zero damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I can't say enough about these kits. Ya scallywag! If you have any interest at all in scale rocketry, me bucko, pick one up. Ahoy! They're cheap ($25 retail and often found for $19.95), fly great, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, and have a lot o' kit for t' money.

T' only con I have is that scale nuts will have t' consult other reference materials for t' details since they won't be able t' sleep at night wonderin' whether t' ullage motors are silver or white and whether or nay they are positioned exactly right.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5