Model Rocket Building Blog
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, BackgroundAccording to the BMS website, the BMS/Alway Saturn V kit has been out of production for eight years. The picture above is from a build I did a few years back. This is a very well engineered kit. The stage 1 and stage 2 tubing is a Centuri ST-20 at just over 2" in diameter. The finished model ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 1, PartsThis picture is from the first build I did, from a few years ago. The new kits have the red and white Odd'l Rockets style 18" parachute. After a few kits were sent out, Bill at BMS realized the escape tower support pieces were cut incorrectly. He sent out replacement parts to all who ordered the ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 2, Engine MountI did use my hobby knife to free the middle from the centering rings. The small squares are for attachment of the F-1 nozzle assemblies. This is the bottom ring of the mount. I usually clean up any char marks from laser cut parts. Here I'm sanding just the "flats", not the outside edges which ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 3, Nozzle FrameworkInside the nozzle shrouds is a three-piece plywood frame. I pushed the rectangular center out of the bottom disk with the inside longer strut. At the top end of the shroud small disk. Looking at both sides you can see the differences in the diffused angle of the laser cut. When gluing the disks ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 5, Nozzle AssemblyI did have to sand down the ring inside for it to slide down onto the lines on the nozzle shroud. The top (with the narrower laser cut side) was marked so I didn't sand out the slight inside taper. The small notch in the ring needed some cleaning up before the next step. The pieces are set on ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 6, Nozzle AssemblySmall holes were punched in some scrap cardboard and the nozzles set in standing up. Just the top, flat surface got a shot of Duplicolor filler/primer and smooth sanding. The bottom of the centering ring got a shot of filler/primer and sanding. There would be no way to effectively fill the grain ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 8, Fin PrepThe fins are removed from the sheet and the sides sanded clean. On the right the outside edges have been rounded. The plywood grain is fine but still needs to be filled. Here the root edge has been masked for a better gluing edge. The fin on the left has been shot with Duplicolor Filler/Primer and ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 9, Fin Fairing PrepCut out the fin slot first. Keep the small end cut corners clean. Here I'm cutting from the outside corners to the center of the small top and bottom. You don't want the corners cut wider than the long side lines or the shroud will open up and away from the fin. Even if you cut carefully, the ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 11, Fairing Silver Paint & Fin Support GluingMore Scotch tape masks were cut over glass, this is the curved silver line mask on the low end of the fairing. The shroud guide was set over the black and white fairings and the edge lightly marked with pencil The Scotch tape cut earlier was set on the pencil line. The remainder of the fin was ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 12, Upper Body BandsI skipped ahead to Step 48 figuring it would be easier to apply the bands to the smaller tube first. TIP: Mark the end of the laser cut self-adhesive strip. When the strips are cut off it's hard to tell which is the top or bottom backing. Don't worry, you should have more than enough strips to ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 13, Tunnel ShapingThe kit contains two half-round dowels to make the tunnels. Start by sanding the backs flat with 400 grit on a sanding block. TIP: You'll find it easier to smooth the round sides if the dowel halves are set (flats) back to back. Don't blindly taper and form the ends into a conical shape. TIP: Go ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 16, Escape Motor and TowerThe escape motor dowel was longer than the 1 1/2" needed. The tip was shaped to a cone and then cut to length. TIP: Why not cut the dowel to the 1 1/2" length first? Leave it long and you can have a few tries at getting the top cone taper correct. The internal tower supports should be sanded clean ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 17, Escape Motor ShroudYou are supplied with a few extra escape motor shrouds. I would suggest making up a few and selecting the best one for your build. After carefully cutting out the shroud, you might still have an uneven edge. Lightly sand off any wide spots with 400 grit. A dowel was sharpened and used to shape the ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 18, Shroud Forming and TowerAfter the shroud dried it wasn't a perfect circle. TIP: A dowel end was carved and sanded to a cone shape, matching the angle of the shroud side. Set the shroud on the carved cone. With your fingertips, press down and turn the shroud against the dowel cone. This should mold and give the shroud a ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 19, RCS Thrusters and DetailsThe four RCS thrusters are removed from the 1/32" plywood sheet. These are also tiny so extras are included in the kit. Flip the sheet over and notice on one side the burn line is wider. The wider burn line side will have a tapered edges. The RCS nozzles will look round if the wider burn side ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 20, Ullage RocketsThe Ullage Rockets are ridiculously small! You are supplied with four, you only need two. Before removing them from the sheet, sand the sides smooth. The top edge is sanded round. Tweezers help to hold the piece as you sand the top round. TIP: Keep small pieces safe in a zip-lock snack bag until ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 21, APS Unit ShapingSave the dowel lengths left over from the long tunnels. This is an over exaggeration - but cut the dowels over size, longer than the APS Unit Core center piece. Two set of dowels and the center pieces are used on the model. A clothes pin clamp was used to glue the three pieces together. Check from ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 23, Upper Body Black Paint and VinylPlease note: I use clear Scotch tape for masking. If your surfaces aren't clean, you probably won't get a sharp masked line using Scotch tape. If in doubt, go with the Tamiya tape. I'm just cheap! The upper 1/2" of the S-IVB tube is painted black. Again I used Scotch Tape for the mask. The The ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 24, Lower Body Roll Pattern MasksThe upper and lower vertical lines of the lower body mask are in line with each other. Use an aluminum angle to join light pencil lines between the top and bottom roll patterns. Here's the start of the lower body masks with marked clear Scotch tape. The black area goes from the center of the low ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 25, Tube Trim and Engine MountFinally you get to trim the low end of the body tube. Cut the hold-down tics. You might have to do some other trimming if the laser line didn't go all the way through. Here's how the low end looks with the end cut off. The extensions are more support for the fin fairings. The engine mount is glued ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 26, Fin and Fairing GluingLook at the shape of the fairing from the top. You want a good smooth curve of the outside edge. On the left is the before, on the right is after some very gentle forming. I set the fairing tip against my finger for support. A smooth, tapered dowel was rolled over the fairing to gently coax and ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 27, Hydrogen Lines and Nose WeightThe five Liquid Hydrogen Lines are glued in place, centered on the masked rectangle areas. The instructions don't mention to do this, but I cut away the wrap strips under the glued on lines. The pieces were held in place while the lines were cut with a razor blade. The Liquid Hydrogen Lines glued ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Part 28, Decals!Most all the decals went on with no real problems. This post will concentrate on the small fin decals. The fin letter decals are tiny! TIP: To make the placement consistent on all fin sides, extend the corner lines on the full sized template from the instructions. Cut out the fin letter to the ...[Read More]
BMS/Alway Saturn V Build, Finished!The fit of the fin fairings could have been better, three out of the four were good. I've mentioned before what a well engineered kit this is. It's a manageable sized Saturn V and flys well with a C6 engine. I know BMS has sold out of this run, more kits could be made in the future.[Read More]
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