Brief:
For those that want a bit more o' a challenge than t' traditional 3FNC, me hearties, me hearties, ya bilge rat, consider t' Decim8, matey, which as Nigel Tufnel would say, ya bilge rat, me bucko, goes t' eleven, shiver me timbers, and that's better than 3, 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, me hearties, as I jumped on this one shortly after it was released. Blimey! T' part quality is very good. Begad! 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, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, read t' directions through, arrr, then start building. Blimey! Blimey! Take me advice and put away all glues. OK, matey, now start workin' through t' directions cutting, arrr, me hearties, shaping, sandin' t' pieces, followin' t' very well written and illustrated directions. Arrr! You'll spend t' better part o' a weekend afternoon or a few weeknights just creatin' t' various pieces involved. Begad! Now lay everythin' out, arrr, dry fittin' subassemblies where possible, and take a good look at t' thing. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Unless you want t' wimp out and fly it nekkid, matey, or go with a basic 1-2 color paint scheme, me hearties, 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, what t' spray, ya bilge rat, what t' paint by hand, me bucko, etc. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, me hearties, 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. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' construction and basic build is nay hard at all, shiver me timbers, arrr, just a significant amount o' work. Ahoy! The finishin' can be extremely challenging, me bucko, me bucko, but nay that bad if planned out in advance. Avast, me proud beauty! Unfortunately, t' instructions are by necessity generalized and walk through construction, matey, leavin' finishin' t' t' modeller, arrr, 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! In other kits involvin' ppb's, you generally use a body tube t' mark a circle, shiver me timbers, arrr, cut it out, ya bilge rat, matey, then insert t' tube and use t' shadow o' t' tube t' mark the correspondin' circle on t' other half o' t' ppb. That technique doesn't quite work in this case, matey, 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. T' deal with this problem, me hearties, you get a wrap-around template t' slip over t' ppb, 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, 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. Aye aye!

T' motor tube is a BT-20 with thrust ring, metal hook, arrr, shiver me timbers, and pair o' centerin' rings t' slide into a BT-50. 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. 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. T' BT-20 gets marked for 8 coolant fins via a wrap-around guide, t' be dealt with later. Begad! Blimey!

T' BT-50 also gets marked for t' same 8 coolant fins usin' another wrap-around guide, matey, as well as a number of fins. Begad! Be careful extendin' lines, me hearties, as thar are so many lines so closely spaced they can run together. Blimey! Begad! T' instructions suggest only extendin' t' coolant fin lines up about 2", 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, me hearties, me bucko, which I believe Jim is addressin' in subsequent runs o' t' kit. Arrr! Begad! When matin' t' BT-20 t' t' BT-50, you're supposed t' make sure the coolant fin lines synch up. Well, blow me down! There are 8 lines on each tube, arrr, so takin' any one line on t' BT-20 and linin' it up t' a matchin' line on t' BT-50 leaves 8 options, ya bilge rat, all o' which would work. Arrr! 2 o' those options would be bad, ya bilge rat, though. Ya scallywag! Begad! As you line them up, me bucko, 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. If your hook is anywhere near either o' t' two "main fin" lines, me bucko, matey, 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. Begad!

I should point out, by t' way, me bucko, matey, that along with all t' tube marking, me hearties, thar's plenty o' tube cuttin' involved as well. Ya scallywag! There's almost no regular, matey, 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, arrr, me hearties, t' forward end gets trimmed and slotted. Ahoy! T' upper BT-50 gets trimmed and slotted on one end, and if done correctly, t' two trimmed ends slide together along t' slots, shiver me timbers, overlappin' through about half t' diameter. Ahoy! 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. Avast! T' air seal issue is handled via balsa bulkheads cut t' a roughly parabolic shape, me bucko, ya bilge rat, then sanded and trimmed t' fit in t' ends o' t' mated tubes. This is one o' those construction steps where it's critical t' plan t' paint first. Begad! Begad! If you build "stock", you attach t' crescent supports t' t' outside o' each tube, slide them together, matey, matey, then cut/trim/glue in t' balsa panels. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, which meant me crescent supports had t' be premounted on t' insides of t' tubes rather than t' outsides. Blimey! This probably doesn't make sense readin' it, arrr, but if you look at t' photos, shiver me timbers, arrr, then imagine tryin' t' mount t' supports externally you'll see thar's no way t' slide t' tubes together. Aye aye! Begad!

Movin' along, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Insert a launch lug, me bucko, 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, me bucko, arrr, next up is mountin' t' coolant fins. Blimey! These are 8 laser-cut fiber fins that are just amazing. Blimey! Arrr! 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. 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! There's a small section o' BT-60 that slips inside these tentacles, perfectly fitting. Well, blow me down! O' course, this is probably another one o' those cases where if you want t' ppb, coolant fins, shiver me timbers, 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, then have arced cut outs t' slip over t' ppb, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! 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. Blimey! In t' photos, ya bilge rat, you can see that in me case, I painted each BT-50 piece independently, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, but instead used some blue glittery contact paper purchased from Aerospace Speciality Products. T' BT-2.5 and cones got black metallic pre-paint before assembly. Avast! Try paintin' these subassemblies anythin' other than one main color--I dare ya...

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). Ya scallywag! T' tip o' each o' these fins gets a wood dowel gun, matey, trimmed t' match t' angle o' t' fins.

But wait, thar's more. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I said thar were 11 fins, and so far we've only covered 6 (those coolant fins don't count). Blimey! 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, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Those, in turn, get tiny little guns mounted t' them that are built up from a toothpick, wrapped with paper or tape, slipped into an 1/8" launch lug.

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

Still leaves us with one fin. Aye aye! Blimey! On t' top o' t' lower BT-50 is somethin' called an antenna. Apparently spaceships don't have cable TV, me bucko, arrr, so they need somethin' resemblin' a satellite dish, me bucko, me hearties, and for proper reception it has to be raised up a bit t' avoid t' cosmic interference o' t' coolant fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There's one fin actin' as an antenna mount (naturally, with a curved leadin' edge). Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! At t' tip o' this goes a short section o' BT-2.5 (scalloped, 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, me hearties, matey, me hearties, and cutting/makin' t' chute, fairly standard stuff. All told, you've got t' 11 fins, me hearties, 8 coolant fins, 11 different sections o' body tube (6 o' which are slotted/joined, ya bilge rat, matey, arrr, with 7 different scalloped ends), 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, ya bilge rat, but that's more a result o' t' paint (to follow). Begad! Just about everythin' on this be prepainted offline before assembly. Aye aye! Blimey!

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

For t' other colors, ya bilge rat, arrr, I used Krylon X-metal paints, which claim t' produce an anodized-lookin' finish. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! They do tend to result in pretty good metallic finishes, me bucko, though with that sparkle/glitter, nay a mirror shine. Avast, me proud beauty! They require a special primer which is a silver metallic base coat. While I do generally like t' finished color, me hearties, they are almost translucent and therefore do nay cover well. Begad! Avast! They also are more prone t' runs than other Krylons and they really hate bein' sprayed in t' cold. Ya scallywag! For most o' this model, shiver me timbers, I've got two primer coats only lightly sanded, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and at least 3, matey, in some cases 5 finish coats. Well, blow me down! With 5-7 coats o' paint, me hearties, thar are still some slight traces where you can spot t' pencil lines I drew on t' unpainted tubes. Arrr! You can also see t' spirals, nay because they aren't filled, arrr, ya bilge rat, but because t' filler is a different color than t' tube and took t' paint differently. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! They go on easily, but I've got t' pan them a bit as t' weakest aspect o' t' kit. Ya scallywag! Arrr! On t' cover, they add some excellent accent trim. When applied t' anythin' other than very light colors, arrr, arrr, though, they fade into t' background. On t' black surfaces, arrr, me bucko, they'd be invisible. These really need t' be silk screened and/or printed over a base coat o' white, me bucko, 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, so I braved t' elements and schlepped out on a cold winter day. Highs in t' teens, winds 6-8 mph, 4-5 inches o' fresh snow cover. Well, blow me down! I've got a stash o' C5-3's t' burn down, ya bilge rat, matey, shiver me timbers, so substituted one o' those for t' recommended C6-3.

Boost was straight up in t' moderate winds, with a little bit o' a roll on t' way up, maybe 2 rotations. Ahoy! Apogee was in t' neighborhood o' 300-350 feet, matey, and while t' delay was a little early, 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, but this kit apparently features voice-activated dual deployment, clearly another element o' t' advanced alien technology reflected in t' design. Avast! Blimey! When t' ejection charge fired, t' chute came out, but as is often t' case with plastic chutes in cold weather, it decided t' stick closed. T' rocket descended horizontally, though, so I wasn't too worried, arrr, but was jokin' t' t' handful o' fellow flyers watchin' that it was dual deploy. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! At about 75 feet, me bucko, I said "and now is when t' main should be deploying", at which point t' stuck chute decided t' unfurl, right on cue. Ahoy! 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' decals are definitely a con, though a small one. It has jumped up near t' top o' me favorite Fliskits models, and I highly recommend it for t' experienced modeller.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5