Apogee Components Saturn 1B (1/70th)

Apogee Components - Saturn 1B {Kit}

Contributed by Chan Stevens

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: Apogee Components
Skill Level: 5

Rocket PicBrief:
Let me preface this review by pointin' out that I have never paid more than $100 for a rocket, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and me previous experience with Apogee and t' dauntin' $175 price for this rocket set me expectations outrageously high. Ahoy! Blimey! That said, this kit has exceeded them in every way. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! It is a magnificent kit for t' serious modeler, me hearties, ya bilge rat, though even moderately experienced modelers will nay find this an intimidatin' build thanks t' t' video instructions. Ya scallywag! T' video instructions and construction techniques are outstanding.

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

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

Next comes t' engine mount core. Begad! This was smartly and easily built usin' t' 29mm motor mount tube, die-cut cardboard centerin' rings, arrr, and a couple o' tube spacers. Well, blow me down! T' components are excellent quality, ya bilge rat, with everythin' fittin' perfectly. Begad! Blimey! T' die-cut cardboard parts break free cleanly with little or no rework. Ya scallywag! 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you're ready for one o' t' toughest parts o' this project: cuttin' and bondin' t' vacu-form wraps. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! My only prior experience with this was t' Estes Saturn 5, and after a lengthy struggle I managed t' cover up most o' me mistakes on that one. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Apogee Saturn 1B makes me wish for a "do-over" on t' Estes. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' video instructions for this are very detailed, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, with plenty o' close-up shots and tips for linin' up t' wraps correctly. Aye aye! I was especially impressed with t' numerous tips for usin' trace amounts o' CA t' avoid premature crackin' o' t' plastic. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' wraps are very tight fitting, shiver me timbers, and gettin' t' edges t' line up exactly right is very challenging. Avast! T' video instructions, ya bilge rat, me hearties, though, me hearties, enabled this "apprentice" t' do a very craftsman-like job.

Rocket PicRocket Pic

Movin' on t' t' transition section, I had t' dig into t' wallet a bit for supplies. Arrr! T' do a respectable job on this kit, be prepared t' invest in a variety o' quality tools and materials. Bein' primarily an Estes mod-roc builder, I've got basic tools, wood glue, me bucko, 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). Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' core o' t' transition is made with t' basic tube & centerin' rin' approach (plus wood glue). Arrr! Next comes a paper shroud, which is bonded with rubber cement. Avast, me proud beauty! I've always been frustrated by t' flat spots from usin' wood glue, me hearties, arrr, and t' rubber cement is pliable enough that t' shroud is perfectly round. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Glue #3 is a light application o' thin CA t' t' paper shroud t' give it strength. Avast! Once that's sanded smooth, 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, and I had a terrific fit.

Rocket PicRocket Pic

Rocket Pic T' escape tower looked like a simple build, arrr, much like t' capsule from me Mercury Redstone. Blimey! T' parts were tiny enough t' call for tweezers, and once again t' video instructions turned me into a master craftsman. Nay only were thar close-ups showin' exactly where t' cut t' parts, me bucko, 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, me proud beauty! While I'm sure this is normal for resin cast parts, I was 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, ya bilge rat, you're now facin' a choice o' "regular" fin alignment, or mountin' with a 2° canted alignment. Begad! T' canted alignment provides a slight amount o' spin, helpin' t' stabilize t' rocket durin' flight. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This leads t' less nose weight for stability, matey, resultin' in higher altitude flights. Avast! I opted for t' canted fins, me bucko, which is barely noticeable. Ahoy! Fins are bonded t' t' base with thick CA and t' t' plastic transition with a tiny wick o' thin CA. As usual, everythin' fit perfectly.

T' nozzle assembly was fairly straightforward, and includes a very nicely detailed vacu-form cover for t' base. Begad! T' nozzles have a slight slant t' them, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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. Paintin' and detailin' a Saturn, though, is a very challengin' task and takes nearly as much time as t' construction itself. Begad! Blimey! There are very helpful tips on fillin' any blemishes and tube swirls. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I deviated a bit from t' instructions here, shiver me timbers, though, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and used a very fine steel wool pad (designed for furniture refinishing) t' sand down t' vacu-form wraps. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This took t' rough edge off t' primer without damagin' t' wraps. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! After two very light primer coats, t' rocket gets a couple o' coats o' white. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I opted for Krylon flat white, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, which doesn't hide blemishes as well as gloss, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but in me opinion offers a nicer lookin' overall finish.

After two light coats o' white, arrr, t' maskin' project begins for t' black roll patterns. A sharp edge line along ribbed vacu-form wraps is extremely difficult. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions again offer some good tips, startin' with usin' a Sharpie marker t' draw a fine edge line, me bucko, followed by a layer o' liquid maskin' medium, followed by standard maskin' tape, me bucko, arrr, pressed firmly into t' valleys betwixt ribs. Arrr! I had difficulty gettin' a satisfactory finish with t' Sharpies (note-three different types o' Sharpie brand had trouble leavin' a consistent finish). Avast! First o' all, Sharpies leave a glossy finish, which doesn't blend well with me flat black paint. Begad! Second, me bucko, 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). After a lot o' trial & error, ya bilge rat, with some touch-ups applied usin' a microscopic paint brush, arrr, I finally got a nice, crisp roll pattern.

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

After applyin' all t' finishin' touches, me hearties, final assembly o' t' modules and preppin' o' t' parachutes. Aye aye! I be very impressed with t' chutes, bein' made o' strong nylon, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and very brightly colored. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' fly t' rocket, a bit o' nose weight is necessary, 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, matey, arrr, and with winds betwixt 10 & 15 mph at launch, t' rocket went completely unstable at about 25 feet, flew roughly horizontal, shiver me timbers, hit t' ground still under propulsion, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and popped t' chutes in t' tall grass.

Damage was pretty heavy-the escape tower be destroyed, matey, a couple o' t' plastic & resin details were broken, I've completely lost 2 o' t' 8 fins and recovered 2 others t' reattach, me hearties, t' fuel tank housing/shroud was cracked, 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), 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, me proud beauty! My CG was at least 1.5 calibers ahead o' t' calculated CP, so I'll contact Apogee t' see what Tim thinks could have happened.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary:
Final rocket weighed 17.1 ounces, versus RockSim calculated weight o' 13 ounces (the RockSim file be provided with t' kit). Well, blow me down! Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! My real-life CG be 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. Begad! Eyewitnesses tell me it was definitely startin' t' spin at liftoff (per plan). I was too busy tryin' t' get a shot o' t' liftoff t' see. Blimey! It seemed t' have cleared t' rod with awfully low velocity, though, 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), so he might be able t' come up with a more definitive answer. Ahoy! Aye aye! Nay likely t' be a design problem (hundreds o' these kits have been built and flown), matey, and I'm too stubborn t' claim construction problem (the craftsmanship be top-notch, havin' built enough o' a lead in t' contest that I would have won that event even with zero flight points). Well, blow me down! I'm leanin' towards a marginally stable approach with t' fin cant, me hearties, 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, arrr, as well as repair tips. Tim couldn't find anythin' dramatic, me bucko, though suggested I add nose weight. I be already about 50 grams over t' suggested spec for nose weight with a CG 3.9 inches forward o' calculated CP, ya bilge rat, but followin' his advice, I added about 50 more grams o' nose weight. Begad! Arrr! I also ordered replacement parts from him, and after about 40 hours o' diligent repairs, 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, which is right at t' limit for an F25, I horse-traded at t' pad and went with an F50-4T. Well, matey, blow me down! There be hardly a trace o' wind. T' rocket, empty, is now 21 ounces versus t' Rocksim file weight o' 13 ounces, so nose weight should no longer be a problem. Blimey! T' F50 lit, arrr, t' rocket raced off t' pad, arrr, me bucko, and t' 2-degree fin cant resulted in a beautiful spinnin' motion as t' rocket soared upward on a perfectly straight ascent. T' 4-second delay was a bit too early, with t' rocket still coastin' upward at deployment.

Both chutes deployed beautifully, matey, and I watched t' two sections drift slowly t' t' ground. Well, blow me down! Ordinarily, I'm nay impressed by parachutes, shiver me timbers, but I have t' say that watchin' t' rocket slowly descend under t' HUGE chutes was really thrilling. Begad! Avast! T' escape tower and SIV-B stage is supported by a bright orange 24" nylon chute, and t' lower portion comes down under a fluorescent yellow 36" chute. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I had no trouble at all pickin' these up in t' sky or in t' very tall grass at our club's field. Begad! Blimey! Everythin' be 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, shiver me timbers, I think t' high winds and low thrust motor were more likely t' culprit o' t' first flight. Avast! I'm goin' t' move up t' a G for me next flight, 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

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Flights

Comments:

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B.E. (January 15, 2003)
Great review. Consider doing one on the Little Joe that you built with the Apogee capsule. I recently bought the capsule with this project in mind and can use all the help I can muster to keep from screwing it up.
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B.B. (January 23, 2003)
I largely agree with this review, and the model is absolutely top-notch in almost every way. Nonetheless, there are two areas where I think the kit could be improved upon. The first is the CD-ROM instructions. I think I understand the motivation behind it, but as the reviewer mentions, it does tend to drag. More importantly, finding the relevant details can really be frustrating. The concept of providing step-by-step instructions is perfectly appropriate for models likely to be built by the inexperienced. That's not this model! The engineering of the kit is excellent, and it certainly doesn't demand anything extraordinary in the way of modeling skills. For experienced modelers, a few paper pages with at least some exploded views (and details in the few areas that it's required) is really all that's required. But that's not provided. Instead, you have to sit down for several "steps" for a long time just to see how it all goes together. This rather frustrating. I could be overly sensitive but the combination of the step-by-step instructions and the "tone" of the movies at times borders on condescending. The other area where there could be improvement is the fins. As mentioned in the review, getting the CG forward is a pretty important detail. The "spinning" fin alignment is neither scale, nor is it really all that reliable a stability-enhancer. So, it would be a really good idea to get the tail end of the model as light as possible, to reduce the need for nose weight. Unfortunately, the fins are cast resin. This makes them both heavy and relatively weak. They also have numerous bubbles, and a rather rough finish. The cross-section is a simple wedge, whereas the real fins have a constant-thickness section aft of the rear spar. Additionally, there is no apparent attempt to model the hold-downs that protrude from the TE of the fins. Compared to the detail apparent in the rest of the model (particularly the BPC/Capsule) this seems quite out of character. It's a relatively simple matter to replace the fins with balsa, but it would sure be nice if there were some assistance in the area of the hold-downs - like nice injection-molded parts. Don't misunderstand - the model it absolutely excellent in almost every way. The minor problems are nothing that anyone with reasonable experience can't overcome. They only stand out because the rest of the kit is so well done.

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