Brief:
For those that want a bit more o' a challenge than t' traditional 3FNC, consider t' Decim8, me hearties, which as Nigel Tufnel would say, goes t' eleven, and that's better than 3, matey, innit? This kit is a challengin' build rated at skill level 4, but will reward t' careful modeller with a beautiful futuristic alien battle ship.

Construction:
Numbered kit 44 has been sacrificed for this build, arrr, as I jumped on this one shortly after it was released. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' part quality is very good. Aye aye! My first impression lookin' over t' spread o' parts be "that's a whole lot o' body tubes for just one nose cone".

T' parts list includes:

• BT-50 body tubes--2 18" lengths, 2 9-inch lengths
• BT-20 motor/stuffer tube
• BT-60 rin' fin
• BT-2.5 body tube (2)
• Balsa nose cone (1 for BT-55 2 for BT-2.5's)
• 20/50 centerin' rings (4)
• 20/5 centerin' rin' motor block
• Balsa fin stock
• Laser-cut fiber fins (8)
• Pin' pong ball transition
• Wood dowel for trim
• Keelhaul®©™®+elastic shock cord
• Plastic chute
• Waterslide decals

This is one project where you DO NOT want t' open t' bag, me bucko, read t' directions through, then start building. Take me advice and put away all glues. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! OK, now start workin' through t' directions cutting, shiver me timbers, shaping, matey, sandin' t' pieces, followin' t' very well written and illustrated directions. Blimey! You'll spend t' better part o' a weekend afternoon or a few weeknights just creatin' t' various pieces involved. Arrr! Begad! Now lay everythin' out, dry fittin' subassemblies where possible, and take a good look at t' thing. Begad! Begad! Unless you want t' wimp out and fly it nekkid, ya bilge rat, or go with a basic 1-2 color paint scheme, you're goin' t' need t' spend a considerable amount o' time gettin' your head around how t' finish this model--which tube spirals t' fill (some inside spirals as well), me bucko, what t' mask, what t' spray, matey, what t' paint by hand, etc. Well, blow me down! There are so many funky shapes and joints involved in this that you simply can't go about doin' a decent finish job on an already built model unless you have exceptional skills.

That said, this is rated a skill level 4 kit and probably worthy o' that rating, though t' Fliskits Saturn 1b rates betwixt a 3 and 5 dependin' on level o' complexity modelled, and I would rate this a good step or two below that in terms o' challenge. T' construction and basic build is nay hard at all, shiver me timbers, just a significant amount o' work. Begad! The finishin' can be extremely challenging, but nay that bad if planned out in advance. Aye aye! Blimey! Unfortunately, matey, t' instructions are by necessity generalized and walk through construction, leavin' finishin' t' t' modeller, me bucko, though thar are warnings throughout that consideration should be made t' pre-paintin' where applicable.

Construction starts by workin' on t' pin' pong ball (ppb) transition. In other kits involvin' ppb's, shiver me timbers, you generally use a body tube t' mark a circle, cut it out, me hearties, then insert t' tube and use t' shadow o' t' tube t' mark the correspondin' circle on t' other half o' t' ppb. Arrr! That technique doesn't quite work in this case, me bucko, because one o' the holes is sized for a BT-20 and t' other for a BT-50, plus one o' t' launch lugs rests against t' BT-50 and goes through t' ppb. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' deal with this problem, matey, you get a wrap-around template t' slip over t' ppb, me bucko, markin' both holes and launch lug slot locations. It's a little tricky t' work with, especially since circle patterns don't wrap over the surface o' a sphere very well, matey, so I cut t' circles a bit undersized on purpose, then sanded them open a bit as needed for a good fit around t' tubes.

T' motor tube is a BT-20 with thrust ring, metal hook, me hearties, and pair o' centerin' rings t' slide into a BT-50. Avast, me proud beauty! It's a fairly long BT-20, servin' as a stuffer tube t' help build up pressure through t' roughly 36" length o' BT-50 that t' ejection charge would have t' push through t' deploy a chute. Aye aye! That's a bit much for an 18mm motor, thus the use o' t' extended BT-20 t' reduce t' volume o' interior air that needs t' be moved. Avast, me proud beauty! T' BT-20 gets marked for 8 coolant fins via a wrap-around guide, t' be dealt with later. Well, blow me down!

T' BT-50 also gets marked for t' same 8 coolant fins usin' another wrap-around guide, me hearties, shiver me timbers, as well as a number of fins. Ahoy! Be careful extendin' lines, as thar are so many lines so closely spaced they can run together. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' instructions suggest only extendin' t' coolant fin lines up about 2", ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, and t' other fin lines startin' at about 2" and extendin' t' length o' one o' t' BT-50's. Begad! I'll toss out another tip from one o' me D'oh! moments, which I believe Jim is addressin' in subsequent runs o' t' kit. Begad! Avast! When matin' t' BT-20 t' t' BT-50, you're supposed t' make sure the coolant fin lines synch up. Blimey! Ahoy! There are 8 lines on each tube, matey, shiver me timbers, so takin' any one line on t' BT-20 and linin' it up t' a matchin' line on t' BT-50 leaves 8 options, all o' which would work. 2 o' those options would be bad, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, though. Avast! As you line them up, pay attention t' where t' engine hook on t' BT-20 sits. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Look further down along that line towards the BT-50 and see what fin lines that sits near. Arrr! Arrr! If your hook is anywhere near either o' t' two "main fin" lines, matey, rotate t' BT-20 and line up t' a different coolant fin line. Begad! This is because t' main fins wind up anchorin' to t' BT-20 and t' BT-50, me hearties, and you don't want one o' them sittin' on t' motor hook, as was t' case with me build.

I should point out, me hearties, me bucko, by t' way, me hearties, me bucko, that along with all t' tube marking, thar's plenty o' tube cuttin' involved as well. Ahoy! There's almost no regular, squared end tube treatment on this model. I think only t' motor tube and two little BT-2.5 tubes slipped into side pods wind up goin' onto t' model without some level o' scalloping.

In t' case o' t' lower BT-50, t' forward end gets trimmed and slotted. Begad! Avast! T' upper BT-50 gets trimmed and slotted on one end, and if done correctly, arrr, t' two trimmed ends slide together along t' slots, overlappin' through about half t' diameter. Arrr! That leaves two structural issues--the need for a stronger joint than two slots in t' tubes, and somethin' t' seal off t' air flow t' enable pressurized ejection through what is basically a ducted tube joint. T' structural issue is handled by a pair o' little crescent shaped braces formed usin' laser-cut bulkheads attached t' a cutaway section o' centerin' ring. Aye aye! T' air seal issue is handled via balsa bulkheads cut t' a roughly parabolic shape, then sanded and trimmed t' fit in t' ends o' t' mated tubes. Blimey! This is one o' those construction steps where it's critical t' plan t' paint first. Begad! If you build "stock", matey, you attach t' crescent supports t' t' outside o' each tube, slide them together, matey, then cut/trim/glue in t' balsa panels. Arrr! I wanted a perfect fit for t' panels and wanted t' fill t' grains, so they had to be glued in before joinin' t' tubes together, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which meant me crescent supports had t' be premounted on t' insides of t' tubes rather than t' outsides. Avast, me proud beauty! This probably doesn't make sense readin' it, me bucko, but if you look at t' photos, then imagine tryin' t' mount t' supports externally you'll see thar's no way t' slide t' tubes together. Well, blow me down!

Movin' along, with t' BT-50's trimmed and mated, me bucko, me bucko, and t' BT-20 stuffer tube glued into t' lower BT-50, you then slide t' ppb transition over t' BT-20, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, slidin' t' larger hole over t' BT-50, me bucko, until t' BT-50 hits t' inside wall o' t' ppb. Ya scallywag! Insert a launch lug, ya bilge rat, trim t' ends (another case where this is much easier t' do offline before gluin' on t' ppb), and then mount another lug further up t' line.

With t' ppb in place, next up is mountin' t' coolant fins. Arrr! Blimey! These are 8 laser-cut fiber fins that are just amazing. Avast! Blimey! They have tiny root feet that mount t' t' BT-50 just ahead o' t' ppb, me hearties, then they curve around t' ppb and touch down on t' BT-20 that extends out beyond t' aft end o' t' BT-50. They then curve back up from t' BT-20 and sort o' hang out a couple inches behind t' BT-20 like t' tentacles o' an octopus. Begad! Blimey! There's a small section o' BT-60 that slips inside these tentacles, perfectly fitting. Arrr! Blimey! O' course, this is probably another one o' those cases where if you want t' ppb, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, coolant fins, ya bilge rat, BT-20 and/or BT-60 t' be anythin' other than a single color, if you've used glue at this point you're in [deep dudu].

Buildin' up t' lower BT-50 now, t' main fins go on. Ahoy! They have long roots, then have arced cut outs t' slip over t' ppb, and very small root sections that reach down t' anchor t' t' BT-20.

Each main fin gets a side pod subassembly attached t' t' tip. T' side pods are a very funky assembly o' two pieces of scalloped and sliced BT-50 that slide together, with a section o' BT-2.5 slipped inside their seam. Begad! A balsa nose cone fits t' BT-2.5 finishin' t' subassembly. In t' photos, you can see that in me case, I painted each BT-50 piece independently, maskin' off betwixt colors at t' slot where they join together. I also decided nay t' actually paint t' tube interiors that would be exposed, me hearties, but instead used some blue glittery contact paper purchased from Aerospace Speciality Products. Ahoy! T' BT-2.5 and cones got black metallic pre-paint before assembly. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Try paintin' these subassemblies anythin' other than one main color--I dare ya... Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey!

There's still more t' build out beyond t' pods--each gets a pair o' fins mounted into t' tube seams, with the fins spread out at about a 70 degree angle (aided by a little cut out angle template). Blimey! Blimey! T' tip o' each o' these fins gets a wood dowel gun, trimmed t' match t' angle o' t' fins.

But wait, thar's more. Begad! I said thar were 11 fins, and so far we've only covered 6 (those coolant fins don't count). Each o' t' pod fin pairs gets another extension type fin tacked into their root joint, shiver me timbers, basically extendin' the main fin line if everythin' has been mounted correctly. Begad! Those, in turn, get tiny little guns mounted t' them that are built up from a toothpick, me bucko, wrapped with paper or tape, slipped into an 1/8" launch lug. Begad!

OK, matey, that's 8. 3 more t' go...On t' "bottom" o' t' lower BT-50 thar are a pair o' cut off arc fins/stabilizers. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! You'll find very few fins on this use nothin' but straight lines, which had me mutterin' t' myself as I was cuttin' everythin' out. Blimey!

Still leaves us with one fin. On t' top o' t' lower BT-50 is somethin' called an antenna. Apparently spaceships don't have cable TV, so they need somethin' resemblin' a satellite dish, and for proper reception it has to be raised up a bit t' avoid t' cosmic interference o' t' coolant fins. There's one fin actin' as an antenna mount (naturally, with a curved leadin' edge). At t' tip o' this goes a short section o' BT-2.5 (scalloped, ya bilge rat, matey, o' course--can't have squared tubes on this beauty). Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! On t' end o' that goes t' antenna, me hearties, which consists o' a rolled paper cone front section, glued t' one o' t' cut out sections from t' ppb for t' back end.

All that's left o' construction be t' nose cone screw eye/anchor, and cutting/makin' t' chute, fairly standard stuff. Avast! All told, me hearties, matey, you've got t' 11 fins, matey, 8 coolant fins, me hearties, 11 different sections o' body tube (6 o' which are slotted/joined, matey, with 7 different scalloped ends), arrr, and a poopload o' other do-dads involved.

Finishing:
T' write-up for finishin' on this could take another couple pages, arrr, so I'll grossly abbreviate it and refer you to t' various pics included.

Tubes were all treated with t' usual Fill N Finish, diluted about 20% with water and brushed into t' spirals. T' close-up photos still show t' spirals, shiver me timbers, but that's more a result o' t' paint (to follow). Arrr! Begad! Just about everythin' on this was prepainted offline before assembly. Arrr! Arrr!

For t' black and silver, me bucko, I used Rustoleum metallics. By metallic, matey, I mean t' stuff that has a glittery/sparkling appearance, nay t' stuff that has a smooth mirror-like gloss. Ya scallywag! Blimey! For example, t' black is 7250 midnight black metallic. It's a wonderful paint for certain types o' rockets, and this is one o' those. FWIW, matey, I think it's also t' perfect paint for t' Alien 8 and Night Whisper, two other futuristic Fliskit models.

For t' other colors, matey, arrr, I used Krylon X-metal paints, which claim t' produce an anodized-lookin' finish. Ahoy! They do tend to result in pretty good metallic finishes, matey, though with that sparkle/glitter, nay a mirror shine. Blimey! They require a special primer which is a silver metallic base coat. Ahoy! While I do generally like t' finished color, me bucko, they are almost translucent and therefore do nay cover well. They also are more prone t' runs than other Krylons and they really hate bein' sprayed in t' cold. Begad! For most o' this model, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I've got two primer coats only lightly sanded, and at least 3, in some cases 5 finish coats. Avast! With 5-7 coats o' paint, thar are still some slight traces where you can spot t' pencil lines I drew on t' unpainted tubes. You can also see t' spirals, matey, nay because they aren't filled, but because t' filler is a different color than t' tube and took t' paint differently. Begad! This is all only apparent at very close examination, though--from a foot away it's a fantastic lookin' model.

There are some waterslide decals included in this. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! They go on easily, me bucko, but I've got t' pan them a bit as t' weakest aspect o' t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! On t' cover, me bucko, they add some excellent accent trim. Aye aye! Avast! When applied t' anythin' other than very light colors, though, they fade into t' background. Begad! On t' black surfaces, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, they'd be invisible. These really need t' be silk screened and/or printed over a base coat o' white, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, somethin' that I believe is currently bein' considered for t' next batch o' kits.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
After all t' work t' build and finish, I was anxious t' get in t' first flight, me bucko, so I braved t' elements and schlepped out on a cold winter day. Blimey! Blimey! Highs in t' teens, me bucko, winds 6-8 mph, 4-5 inches o' fresh snow cover. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I've got a stash o' C5-3's t' burn down, so substituted one o' those for t' recommended C6-3.

Boost be straight up in t' moderate winds, with a little bit o' a roll on t' way up, maybe 2 rotations. Begad! Apogee was in t' neighborhood o' 300-350 feet, arrr, and while t' delay was a little early, me bucko, me hearties, me hearties, that's what you want (versus nose down) in terms o' deployment on somethin' like this with lots o' do-dads stickin' out t' snag a shroud line.

Recovery:
I hadn't realized it at t' time, shiver me timbers, but this kit apparently features voice-activated dual deployment, clearly another element o' t' advanced alien technology reflected in t' design. When t' ejection charge fired, ya bilge rat, t' chute came out, but as is often t' case with plastic chutes in cold weather, it decided t' stick closed. Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket descended horizontally, though, so I wasn't too worried, but be jokin' t' t' handful o' fellow flyers watchin' that it was dual deploy. At about 75 feet, me bucko, I said "and now is when t' main should be deploying", ya bilge rat, at which point t' stuck chute decided t' unfurl, right on cue. Just enough time t' slow it down for a perfect landin' within 25 yards o' the pad.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
What can I say? This is a wild and cool design and a very enjoyable build, though can be very challengin' t' paint, and it flies great. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' decals are definitely a con, though a small one. Begad! Avast! It has jumped up near t' top o' me favorite Fliskits models, me bucko, and I highly recommend it for t' experienced modeller.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5