Brief:
Let me preface this review by pointin' out that I have never paid more than $100 for a rocket, me bucko, matey, and me previous experience with Apogee and t' dauntin' $175 price for this rocket set me expectations outrageously high. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! That said, matey, this kit has exceeded them in every way. It is a magnificent kit for t' serious modeler, though even moderately experienced modelers will nay find this an intimidatin' build thanks t' t' video instructions. Aye aye! T' video instructions and construction techniques are outstanding.

This is a true 1/70 scale kit, with tubes bein' precisely sized rather than optin' for common, me hearties, commercially available tubing. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! All components are top quality, me bucko, me hearties, with fit and finish bein' excellent.

T' assembly starts with paintin' t' (8) fuel tank tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Despite t' fact that t' spirals in t' tube are barely noticeable, ya bilge rat, t' video shows a very effective technique for fillin' t' spirals. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Sprayin' a light base o' primer and sandin' back down t' a bare tube leaves t' spirals nicely filled. Arrr! Two more coats o' primer, ya bilge rat, a little 600 grit wet sanding, arrr, and two finishin' coats later, me hearties, t' tubes are beautiful, without a trace o' spiral. This finish was worth every bit o' t' time & effort, shiver me timbers, and should nay be rushed.

Next comes t' engine mount core. This be smartly and easily built usin' t' 29mm motor mount tube, die-cut cardboard centerin' rings, and a couple o' tube spacers. T' components are excellent quality, with everythin' fittin' perfectly. Begad! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! T' die-cut cardboard parts break free cleanly with little or no rework. Aye aye! Blimey! T' fuel tank tubes are then glued t' t' engine mount core with t' help o' an alignment tool.

After finishin' t' engine mount core/fuel tank assembly, you're ready for one o' t' toughest parts o' this project: cuttin' and bondin' t' vacu-form wraps. Begad! My only prior experience with this be t' Estes Saturn 5, me bucko, and after a lengthy struggle I managed t' cover up most o' me mistakes on that one. T' Apogee Saturn 1B makes me wish for a "do-over" on t' Estes. Avast, me proud beauty! T' video instructions for this are very detailed, me hearties, with plenty o' close-up shots and tips for linin' up t' wraps correctly. Ya scallywag! I was especially impressed with t' numerous tips for usin' trace amounts o' CA t' avoid premature crackin' o' t' plastic. Aye aye! T' wraps are very tight fitting, arrr, and gettin' t' edges t' line up exactly right is very challenging. T' video instructions, shiver me timbers, though, enabled this "apprentice" t' do a very craftsman-like job.

Movin' on t' t' transition section, I had t' dig into t' wallet a bit for supplies. Begad! T' do a respectable job on this kit, arrr, be prepared t' invest in a variety o' quality tools and materials. Begad! Bein' primarily an Estes mod-roc builder, ya bilge rat, I've got basic tools, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, wood glue, matey, and a bottle o' CA, but t' transition section on this uses four different glues (overall, you'll use seven glues plus Fix-It epoxy clay). T' core o' t' transition is made with t' basic tube & centerin' rin' approach (plus wood glue). Blimey! Next comes a paper shroud, arrr, which is bonded with rubber cement. Blimey! I've always been frustrated by t' flat spots from usin' wood glue, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and t' rubber cement is pliable enough that t' shroud is perfectly round. Aye aye! Glue #3 is a light application o' thin CA t' t' paper shroud t' give it strength. Once that's sanded smooth, matey, a spray mattin' adhesive (glue #4) is applied t' an embossed paper wrap that serves as t' outer section o' t' transition. Ahoy! T' dimensions were perfect, shiver me timbers, matey, and I had a terrific fit.

T' escape tower looked like a simple build, much like t' capsule from me Mercury Redstone. Begad! T' parts were tiny enough t' call for tweezers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and once again t' video instructions turned me into a master craftsman. Ya scallywag! Nay only were thar close-ups showin' exactly where t' cut t' parts, arrr, matey, and how t' remove t' sprue, but thar were very detailed shots showin' where t' apply trace amounts o' liquid plastic cement which yielded a strong bond without t' hairs and seams left behind by t' regular tube cement.

T' fin assembly starts off with putty-fillin' t' minor blemishes in t' resin-cast fins. Avast! While I'm sure this is normal for resin cast parts, I be a little disappointed t' find any blemishes in what had t' this point been a perfect kit with flawless materials. Ya scallywag! After fillin' in t' fins, arrr, you're now facin' a choice o' "regular" fin alignment, arrr, me hearties, or mountin' with a 2° canted alignment. T' canted alignment provides a slight amount o' spin, helpin' t' stabilize t' rocket durin' flight. Blimey! This leads t' less nose weight for stability, me hearties, me bucko, resultin' in higher altitude flights. Arrr! I opted for t' canted fins, matey, which is barely noticeable. Avast! Fins are bonded t' t' base with thick CA and t' t' plastic transition with a tiny wick o' thin CA. Avast! As usual, everythin' fit perfectly.

T' nozzle assembly be fairly straightforward, me hearties, and includes a very nicely detailed vacu-form cover for t' base. Blimey! T' nozzles have a slight slant t' them, though I found t' slant a bit less pronounced when bonded t' t' vacu-form cover.

Finishing:
With t' construction just about wrapped up, I'd normally let out a sigh o' relief and enjoy t' anticipation o' an imminent launch. Avast! Paintin' and detailin' a Saturn, arrr, though, is a very challengin' task and takes nearly as much time as t' construction itself. Begad! There are very helpful tips on fillin' any blemishes and tube swirls. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I deviated a bit from t' instructions here, though, and used a very fine steel wool pad (designed for furniture refinishing) t' sand down t' vacu-form wraps. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! This took t' rough edge off t' primer without damagin' t' wraps. After two very light primer coats, arrr, t' rocket gets a couple o' coats o' white. I opted for Krylon flat white, shiver me timbers, which doesn't hide blemishes as well as gloss, but in me opinion offers a nicer lookin' overall finish.

After two light coats o' white, me hearties, matey, t' maskin' project begins for t' black roll patterns. Aye aye! A sharp edge line along ribbed vacu-form wraps is extremely difficult. T' instructions again offer some good tips, ya bilge rat, startin' with usin' a Sharpie marker t' draw a fine edge line, followed by a layer o' liquid maskin' medium, arrr, matey, followed by standard maskin' tape, arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, pressed firmly into t' valleys betwixt ribs. I had difficulty gettin' a satisfactory finish with t' Sharpies (note-three different types o' Sharpie brand had trouble leavin' a consistent finish). Well, blow me down! First o' all, Sharpies leave a glossy finish, which doesn't blend well with me flat black paint. Arrr! Second, matey, t' liquid maskin' medium tended t' pull up some o' t' Sharpie color, though this could be due t' t' brand I used (my hobby store doesn't carry t' brand recommended in t' instructions). Blimey! After a lot o' trial & error, with some touch-ups applied usin' a microscopic paint brush, shiver me timbers, I finally got a nice, crisp roll pattern.

After painting, matey, thar's minor detailin' and application o' decals. Arrr! This is one aspect o' t' instructions that I found a bit weak. Begad! While thar are several very sharp photo-like drawings provided, matey, ya bilge rat, t' Saturn depicted in t' drawings does nay exactly match t' one in this kit, me hearties, and in t' drawings it's tough t' pick out some o' t' colors. Well, blow me down! I'd recommend a secondary resource like one o' Peter Always's books before finishin' this rocket.

After applyin' all t' finishin' touches, final assembly o' t' modules and preppin' o' t' parachutes. Avast! I was very impressed with t' chutes, bein' made o' strong nylon, and very brightly colored. Ya scallywag! T' fly t' rocket, a bit o' nose weight is necessary, shiver me timbers, and t' instructions provide estimated amounts for both t' standard and 2° canted fin approach.

Construction Rating: 5

Flight:
I flew on an Aerotech F25-4 for our local club's sport scale competition, and with winds betwixt 10 & 15 mph at launch, me bucko, t' rocket went completely unstable at about 25 feet, ya bilge rat, flew roughly horizontal, shiver me timbers, hit t' ground still under propulsion, and popped t' chutes in t' tall grass.

Damage be pretty heavy-the escape tower was destroyed, a couple o' t' plastic & resin details were broken, matey, me bucko, I've completely lost 2 o' t' 8 fins and recovered 2 others t' reattach, me bucko, t' fuel tank housing/shroud was cracked, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, and I've got a lot o' paint touch-up t' cover.

For what it's worth, I did manage t' win t' competition even with zero flight points due t' very high marks on construction and craftsmanship.

I'm still workin' out t' root cause(s), matey, shiver me timbers, but I'm rulin' out motor failure, and probably rulin' out improper fin alignment (the 2 degree fin cant DID spin fairly well on t' way up). Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! My CG be at least 1.5 calibers ahead o' t' calculated CP, me hearties, so I'll contact Apogee t' see what Tim thinks could have happened.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary:
Final rocket weighed 17.1 ounces, ya bilge rat, me hearties, versus RockSim calculated weight o' 13 ounces (the RockSim file was provided with t' kit). Part o' t' increased weight is due t' t' fact that I went (theoretically) overboard on t' clay nose weight, usin' about 60 grams instead o' 20 grams. Arrr! My real-life CG was 19.25 inches from nose, versus RockSim calculated CG o' 21, so all o' t' normal bases are covered.

My guess is that this had somethin' t' do with t' 2-degree fin cant. Ahoy! Begad! Eyewitnesses tell me it be definitely startin' t' spin at liftoff (per plan). Arrr! I was too busy tryin' t' get a shot o' t' liftoff t' see. Aye aye! It seemed t' have cleared t' rod with awfully low velocity, though, ya bilge rat, so I'm wonderin' if t' spinnin' contributed t' minor rod drag.

Tim Van Milligan's goin' t' take a look at what's left o' t' rocket next week at TARC (I'm helpin' two teams that made t' finals), matey, so he might be able t' come up with a more definitive answer. Aye aye! Blimey! Nay likely t' be a design problem (hundreds o' these kits have been built and flown), and I'm too stubborn t' claim construction problem (the craftsmanship was top-notch, havin' built enough o' a lead in t' contest that I would have won that event even with zero flight points). Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I'm leanin' towards a marginally stable approach with t' fin cant, which combined with a little bit o' rod drag, slightly heavy winds, and possibly slightly weak motor put this just enough over t' edge.

I do plan on repairing/rebuildin' and I'll let you know what comes out o' it.

I sent t' rocket down t' t' TARC finals with a team I was mentoring, shiver me timbers, hopin' Tim van Milligan could review it and give me some feedback on what might have gone wrong, me hearties, as well as repair tips. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Tim couldn't find anythin' dramatic, though suggested I add nose weight. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I was already about 50 grams over t' suggested spec for nose weight with a CG 3.9 inches forward o' calculated CP, but followin' his advice, I added about 50 more grams o' nose weight. I also ordered replacement parts from him, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and after about 40 hours o' diligent repairs, matey, t' rocket looks nearly as good as new.

Flight #2:
With t' added nose weight, t' repaired Saturn 1B now weighs in at a hefty 24 ounces includin' motor, matey, which is right at t' limit for an F25, I horse-traded at t' pad and went with an F50-4T. Arrr! There be hardly a trace o' wind. Ahoy! T' rocket, arrr, empty, is now 21 ounces versus t' Rocksim file weight o' 13 ounces, so nose weight should no longer be a problem. T' F50 lit, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' rocket raced off t' pad, me bucko, and t' 2-degree fin cant resulted in a beautiful spinnin' motion as t' rocket soared upward on a perfectly straight ascent. Blimey! T' 4-second delay be a bit too early, matey, with t' rocket still coastin' upward at deployment.

Both chutes deployed beautifully, matey, and I watched t' two sections drift slowly t' t' ground. Ordinarily, I'm nay impressed by parachutes, but I have t' say that watchin' t' rocket slowly descend under t' HUGE chutes be really thrilling. Begad! Ahoy! T' escape tower and SIV-B stage is supported by a bright orange 24" nylon chute, me bucko, and t' lower portion comes down under a fluorescent yellow 36" chute. Arrr! Aye aye! I had no trouble at all pickin' these up in t' sky or in t' very tall grass at our club's field. Avast, me proud beauty! Everythin' was recovered in perfect condition, without even a scratch t' t' escape tower or RCS nozzles.

I would have t' agree with Tim's hunch that additional nose weight would help, though after watchin' t' second flight, I think t' high winds and low thrust motor were more likely t' culprit o' t' first flight. Well, blow me down! I'm goin' t' move up t' a G for me next flight, shiver me timbers, then probably retire this rocket t' a prominent display location. This is simply t' most beautiful rocket I've ever built (or seen), and havin' proven its mettle in t' field, can now safely enjoy its retirement with pride.

Overall Rating: 5