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

Construction:
Numbered kit 44 has been sacrificed for this build, as I jumped on this one shortly after it be released. Ya scallywag! T' part quality is very good. My first impression lookin' over t' spread o' parts was "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, read t' directions through, me hearties, then start building. Avast! Take me advice and put away all glues. Ahoy! Begad! OK, now start workin' through t' directions cutting, arrr, shaping, me bucko, ya bilge rat, sandin' t' pieces, followin' t' very well written and illustrated directions. Ahoy! You'll spend t' better part o' a weekend afternoon or a few weeknights just creatin' t' various pieces involved. Now lay everythin' out, dry fittin' subassemblies where possible, and take a good look at t' thing. Avast! Unless you want t' wimp out and fly it nekkid, 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), what t' mask, me bucko, what t' spray, what t' paint by hand, etc. Arrr! 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, ya bilge rat, this is rated a skill level 4 kit and probably worthy o' that rating, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' construction and basic build is nay hard at all, matey, just a significant amount o' work. Avast! Ya scallywag! The finishin' can be extremely challenging, but nay that bad if planned out in advance. Aye aye! Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, arrr, me bucko, t' instructions are by necessity generalized and walk through construction, arrr, me hearties, me bucko, leavin' finishin' t' t' modeller, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! Ahoy! In other kits involvin' ppb's, me hearties, you generally use a body tube t' mark a circle, me bucko, cut it out, then insert t' tube and use t' shadow o' t' tube t' mark the correspondin' circle on t' other half o' t' ppb. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! That technique doesn't quite work in this case, 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. Aye aye! T' deal with this problem, you get a wrap-around template t' slip over t' ppb, markin' both holes and launch lug slot locations. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It's a little tricky t' work with, shiver me timbers, especially since circle patterns don't wrap over the surface o' a sphere very well, me bucko, 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. Well, blow me down!

T' motor tube is a BT-20 with thrust ring, me hearties, metal hook, me hearties, and pair o' centerin' rings t' slide into a BT-50. Blimey! Avast! 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. Avast! That's a bit much for an 18mm motor, ya bilge rat, thus the use o' t' extended BT-20 t' reduce t' volume o' interior air that needs t' be moved. Avast! T' BT-20 gets marked for 8 coolant fins via a wrap-around guide, t' be dealt with later. Ya scallywag!

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

I should point out, by t' way, that along with all t' tube marking, matey, thar's plenty o' tube cuttin' involved as well. Blimey! Begad! There's almost no regular, ya bilge rat, 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, me bucko, t' forward end gets trimmed and slotted. Blimey! T' upper BT-50 gets trimmed and slotted on one end, shiver me timbers, and if done correctly, t' two trimmed ends slide together along t' slots, overlappin' through about half t' diameter. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! 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. Begad! This is one o' those construction steps where it's critical t' plan t' paint first. Begad! If you build "stock", shiver me timbers, you attach t' crescent supports t' t' outside o' each tube, arrr, matey, slide them together, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, then cut/trim/glue in t' balsa panels. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I wanted a perfect fit for t' panels and wanted t' fill t' grains, arrr, so they had to be glued in before joinin' t' tubes together, which meant me crescent supports had t' be premounted on t' insides of t' tubes rather than t' outsides. Avast! This probably doesn't make sense readin' it, shiver me timbers, 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.

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

With t' ppb in place, next up is mountin' t' coolant fins. Well, blow me down! Arrr! These are 8 laser-cut fiber fins that are just amazing. Begad! They have tiny root feet that mount t' t' BT-50 just ahead o' t' ppb, then they curve around t' ppb and touch down on t' BT-20 that extends out beyond t' aft end o' t' BT-50. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! There's a small section o' BT-60 that slips inside these tentacles, perfectly fitting. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! O' course, this is probably another one o' those cases where if you want t' ppb, ya bilge rat, coolant fins, 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. They have long roots, shiver me timbers, then have arced cut outs t' slip over t' ppb, arrr, matey, 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. Ya scallywag! 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. A balsa nose cone fits t' BT-2.5 finishin' t' subassembly. In t' photos, shiver me timbers, me bucko, you can see that in me case, matey, arrr, I painted each BT-50 piece independently, me hearties, 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 bucko, but instead used some blue glittery contact paper purchased from Aerospace Speciality Products. Avast! T' BT-2.5 and cones got black metallic pre-paint before assembly. Try paintin' these subassemblies anythin' other than one main color--I dare ya... Arrr!

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

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

OK, matey, that's 8. Avast! Aye aye! 3 more t' go...On t' "bottom" o' t' lower BT-50 thar are a pair o' cut off arc fins/stabilizers. Begad! 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. Aye aye!

Still leaves us with one fin. Begad! On t' top o' t' lower BT-50 is somethin' called an antenna. Ahoy! Apparently spaceships don't have cable TV, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! Blimey! There's one fin actin' as an antenna mount (naturally, matey, me bucko, with a curved leadin' edge). Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! At t' tip o' this goes a short section o' BT-2.5 (scalloped, matey, o' course--can't have squared tubes on this beauty). On t' end o' that goes t' antenna, 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, arrr, fairly standard stuff. Avast, me proud beauty! All told, you've got t' 11 fins, arrr, 8 coolant fins, me bucko, 11 different sections o' body tube (6 o' which are slotted/joined, shiver me timbers, with 7 different scalloped ends), me bucko, and a poopload o' other do-dads involved.

Finishing:
T' write-up for finishin' on this could take another couple pages, 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, but that's more a result o' t' paint (to follow). Just about everythin' on this was prepainted offline before assembly. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

For t' black and silver, matey, matey, I used Rustoleum metallics. Ya scallywag! By metallic, I mean t' stuff that has a glittery/sparkling appearance, arrr, nay t' stuff that has a smooth mirror-like gloss. Ya scallywag! 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. Avast! 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, shiver me timbers, 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, though with that sparkle/glitter, me hearties, nay a mirror shine. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! They require a special primer which is a silver metallic base coat. Arrr! While I do generally like t' finished color, me bucko, me hearties, 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. For most o' this model, I've got two primer coats only lightly sanded, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and at least 3, matey, in some cases 5 finish coats. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! Avast! You can also see t' spirals, nay because they aren't filled, but because t' filler is a different color than t' tube and took t' paint differently. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! 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! They go on easily, arrr, me hearties, matey, but I've got t' pan them a bit as t' weakest aspect o' t' kit. On t' cover, they add some excellent accent trim. Arrr! Aye aye! When applied t' anythin' other than very light colors, me hearties, though, shiver me timbers, they fade into t' background. On t' black surfaces, they'd be invisible. These really need t' be silk screened and/or printed over a base coat o' white, matey, 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, arrr, I be anxious t' get in t' first flight, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so I braved t' elements and schlepped out on a cold winter day. Highs in t' teens, matey, winds 6-8 mph, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 4-5 inches o' fresh snow cover. Ya scallywag! 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, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, maybe 2 rotations. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Apogee was in t' neighborhood o' 300-350 feet, matey, me hearties, and while t' delay was a little early, ya bilge rat, 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, me bucko, but this kit apparently features voice-activated dual deployment, matey, clearly another element o' t' advanced alien technology reflected in t' design. When t' ejection charge fired, t' chute came out, but as is often t' case with plastic chutes in cold weather, ya bilge rat, it decided t' stick closed. Ahoy! T' rocket descended horizontally, me bucko, me hearties, though, so I wasn't too worried, but be jokin' t' t' handful o' fellow flyers watchin' that it was dual deploy. Begad! At about 75 feet, I said "and now is when t' main should be deploying", shiver me timbers, at which point t' stuck chute decided t' unfurl, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, right on cue. Blimey! 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. T' decals are definitely a con, though a small one. Blimey! Aye aye! It has jumped up near t' top o' me favorite Fliskits models, matey, and I highly recommend it for t' experienced modeller.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5