Brief:
This is another excellent addition t' Semroc's "Retro-Repro" line o' reintroduced classics from t' early years o' model rocketry. Blimey! T' LJ-II was issued in 1968 as a companion t' t' 1/70 Saturn 1B, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, makin' it almost as old as I am. Ya scallywag! As with t' original Estes kit, ya bilge rat, this one shares t' same command module, which is also available as a very nice separate kit. At $21, it's a bit pricier than t' original K-30 at $2.75, but for t' detail included in this kit, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it does represent pretty good value today.

Construction:
It's typical Semroc excellent quality parts throughout, ya bilge rat, includin' some o' t' finest balsa parts I've ever seen. Ya scallywag! When you open t' baggie, arrr, you'll find:

• BT-70 body tube
• 18mm motor tube/block/metal hook
• 18/70 centerin' rings
• Laser cut balsa fin braces (see construction notes)
• Cardstock fin skins
• Embossed/glossy wraps (2)
• 1/8" launch lug
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• 12" plastic chute
• Waterslide decals

You'll also receive an Apollo capsule kit (available separately for $10) which includes:

• 2 Balsa nose cones
• Balsa tail cone
• BT-3 body tube
• Cardstock shroud pattern and construction/alignment guide
• Cardboard jig for buildin' tower
• Wood dowels
• TC-70 coupler
• 24/70 centerin' rings (which is actually tapered for t' shroud)
• 12" plastic chute pack

On t' surface, shiver me timbers, arrr, this hardly looks like it deserves t' skill level 5 assessment on t' package, but as you get into t' tower, you'll find that's a very accurate rating. T' rocket itself is nay overly challengin' (maybe a skill level 3), but t' capsule is best left t' experienced modelers with keen eyesight, matey, attention t' detail, and plenty of patience.

T' instructions are well written and illustrated with nice check boxes along t' way so you can make sure you haven't overlooked a step as you stop/start work on this.

Construction begins with t' motor tube assembly, which is fairly straightforward. Begad! It consists o' a motor tube, coupler used as a block, shiver me timbers, a metal hook held in place with maskin' tape, arrr, and a pair o' centerin' rings. Additionally, me hearties, you need t' anchor t' Keelhaul®©™® line t' t' motor hook. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! This is a very much appreciated improvement over t' original tri-fold paper and rubber cord system used back in t' day.

Next up is applyin' t' wraps. Avast! If you're into craftsmanship and intend t' fill t' tube spirals, it would be a good idea t' do that first. For one thing, it's a pain t' fill and sand up t' a tube/wrap seam. Ahoy! Begad! For another, the sandin' down o' t' glossy surface o' t' tube makes for an excellent bondin' surface for t' wraps. Aye aye! Begad! Apply an extremely thin layer o' white glue (do NOT use yellow glue or CA) t' t' edges o' t' wraps then press carefully in place around the tube. I found t' lower wrap fit perfectly without any trimming, and t' upper was long by about 1/32", which I shaved slightly. Avast! T' wraps have a glossy surface t' them, which offers one other nice feature--if you get any splotches o' glue on your fingers and then on t' wraps, it wipes away very smartly and easily with a damp cloth, leavin' a pristine finish.

For t' fins, this kit uses what is called t' "built up method". Aye aye! What this means is that you cut out and bond tiny balsa frame pieces t' t' inside o' a skin pattern. Aye aye! Blimey! You then fold t' skin pattern over and bond to t' other side o' t' braces. Aye aye! T' result is a very cool tapered fin, shiver me timbers, very much like a scale rendering. Avast! Well, blow me down! This process is a little tricky as you need sharp fold lines and thar will be tiny gaps where braces join together, arrr, but it's worth the trouble. Avast! T' completed fins are then attached t' t' body tube, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and CA will work just fine here.

Note t' Carl at Semroc: you might want t' consider a slight improvement t' t' wraps, arrr, pre-printin' fin locations to make t' alignment go a little more smoothly. Alignment o' tapered fins can be a little nuisance.

Stick a launch lug on t' body tube and you're ready for t' real construction adventure...

T' Apollo capsule starts o' simply enough. Ahoy! You assemble a tube, nose cone, and tail cone. Begad! These parts are fairly small and fillin' t' grain on t' tail cone was quite challenging. Arrr! Next, shiver me timbers, cut out t' shroud pattern and form it. Aye aye! The shroud is pre-printed with nice graphics on one side and plain on t' other (per scale), so you have your choice on appearance. Well, blow me down! T' shroud then slides over t' lower nose cone and is reinforced on t' aft end by a centerin' ring.

T' tower assembly be t' major pain and biggest challenge. Ahoy! Begad! You start with 4 plain wood dowels, and need t' sand them down t' 0.058 and 0.041 in diameter. Blimey! Blimey! T' good news is that a gauge is supplied so you can tell when you're to spec, arrr, but sandin' down these dowels is very time consuming. Begad! I have t' admit, arrr, after buildin' two o' these (the other went t' me Saturn 1B), me hearties, I very much prefer t' quick/simple plastic capsule o' t' Apogee kits and would have gladly paid a little extra for this kit if t' dowels had been t' size or at least closer.

Once you've sanded down t' dowels, me hearties, you need t' start cuttin' out tiny little braces and tackin' them together. There are 40 total pieces, all havin' some degree o' angled cuts. Avast! There's a little bit o' extra dowel, but nay much so cut carefully. Begad! In fact, shiver me timbers, I found that after sandin' down 2 dowels t' 0.041 and 2 t' 0.058 per t' instructions, I had to later sand down me leftover 0.058 material t' 0.041 in order t' have enough t' cover t' smaller braces.

Alignment and construction o' t' tower is greatly aided by templates/patterns on a cardstock sheet plus a fiberboard jig. Arrr! Arrr! This same jig can also be used t' poke holes in t' lower balsa nose cone t' serve as a base.

T' finishin' touches on t' tower assembly come in t' form o' t' four RCS nozzles, me hearties, which are formed out of very small paper shroud wraps--so small that formin' around a pencil tip is barely sufficient.

Overall, I think I spent somewhere around 2 hours on t' model and 15 hours on t' tower, ya bilge rat, matey, but t' finished product is worth it. Arrr! I just wish I hadn't had t' spend so much time sandin' down dowels...

Finishing:
Finishin' is very simple on this kit. Avast! T' body tube/wraps/fins are all silver (I used automotive aluminum, which looks less shiny than most silvers), arrr, matey, and t' tower is solid white. Arrr! There's a single waterslide decal for t' block pattern.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, I decided t' jump all t' way up t' a C6-5 since t' winds were practically non-existent. I must have canted me fins slightly, me bucko, matey, as it spun a bit on t' way up but was otherwise straight. Deployment be perfectly timed, right at apogee.

Recovery:
With a second chute in t' capsule kit, me hearties, you have options with regards t' deployment. Arrr! Since me finished model weighed in at 1.9 ounces, I figured a single 12" chute would suffice. Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, it came down a bit rough, landin' on the access road in an otherwise grassy square mile park and broke one o' t' fins off on impact.

I'd recommend goin' with two chutes and separate recovery o' t' tower and lower tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In particular wrap a yok around t' tower so it does nay come down tip first.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Excellent kit, a challenge t' build, shiver me timbers, arrr, great scale features.

CON: Tower is much more difficult construction than necessary

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5