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

Construction:
Numbered kit 44 has been sacrificed for this build, shiver me timbers, as I jumped on this one shortly after it was released. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' part quality is very good. Avast! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, 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, ya bilge rat, then start building. Ahoy! Blimey! Take me advice and put away all glues. OK, now start workin' through t' directions cutting, shaping, arrr, sandin' t' pieces, followin' t' very well written and illustrated directions. Avast! You'll spend t' better part o' a weekend afternoon or a few weeknights just creatin' t' various pieces involved. Arrr! Now lay everythin' out, dry fittin' subassemblies where possible, and take a good look at t' thing. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, what t' spray, shiver me timbers, what t' paint by hand, etc. Begad! Ahoy! 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, arrr, 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. Aye aye! T' construction and basic build is nay hard at all, just a significant amount o' work. Begad! The finishin' can be extremely challenging, arrr, but nay that bad if planned out in advance. Begad! Unfortunately, t' instructions are by necessity generalized and walk through construction, leavin' finishin' t' t' modeller, 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! Begad! In other kits involvin' ppb's, ya bilge rat, you generally use a body tube t' mark a circle, 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. Well, blow me down! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! T' deal with this problem, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, you get a wrap-around template t' slip over t' ppb, markin' both holes and launch lug slot locations. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It's a little tricky t' work with, shiver me timbers, me bucko, especially since circle patterns don't wrap over the surface o' a sphere very well, matey, arrr, so I cut t' circles a bit undersized on purpose, ya bilge rat, 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, metal hook, 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. Ya scallywag! That's a bit much for an 18mm motor, shiver me timbers, thus the use o' t' extended BT-20 t' reduce t' volume o' interior air that needs t' be moved. Begad! T' BT-20 gets marked for 8 coolant fins via a wrap-around guide, arrr, me bucko, t' be dealt with later. Blimey!

T' BT-50 also gets marked for t' same 8 coolant fins usin' another wrap-around guide, as well as a number of fins. Be careful extendin' lines, as thar are so many lines so closely spaced they can run together. Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! 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. When matin' t' BT-20 t' t' BT-50, you're supposed t' make sure the coolant fin lines synch up. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast! Begad! 2 o' those options would be bad, though. As you line them up, matey, pay attention t' where t' engine hook on t' BT-20 sits. Blimey! Look further down along that line towards the BT-50 and see what fin lines that sits near. Aye aye! If your hook is anywhere near either o' t' two "main fin" lines, rotate t' BT-20 and line up t' a different coolant fin line. Arrr! 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, me hearties, as be t' case with me build. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

I should point out, matey, by t' way, that along with all t' tube marking, shiver me timbers, thar's plenty o' tube cuttin' involved as well. Begad! There's almost no regular, me bucko, squared end tube treatment on this model. Blimey! 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' forward end gets trimmed and slotted. Begad! 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, me hearties, overlappin' through about half t' diameter. Aye aye! 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. Well, blow me down! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This is one o' those construction steps where it's critical t' plan t' paint first. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! If you build "stock", matey, you attach t' crescent supports t' t' outside o' each tube, slide them together, me bucko, then cut/trim/glue in t' balsa panels. Begad! Begad! I wanted a perfect fit for t' panels and wanted t' fill t' grains, shiver me timbers, 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. This probably doesn't make sense readin' it, ya bilge rat, 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! Ahoy!

Movin' along, me bucko, arrr, 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, arrr, slidin' t' larger hole over t' BT-50, until t' BT-50 hits t' inside wall o' t' ppb. Avast! Insert a launch lug, 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. Ahoy! Avast! These are 8 laser-cut fiber fins that are just amazing. Aye aye! They have tiny root feet that mount t' t' BT-50 just ahead o' t' ppb, matey, then they curve around t' ppb and touch down on t' BT-20 that extends out beyond t' aft end o' t' BT-50. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast! Avast! There's a small section o' BT-60 that slips inside these tentacles, arrr, perfectly fitting. O' course, ya bilge rat, this is probably another one o' those cases where if you want t' ppb, coolant fins, me bucko, arrr, BT-20 and/or BT-60 t' be anythin' other than a single color, arrr, if you've used glue at this point you're in [deep dudu].

Buildin' up t' lower BT-50 now, matey, arrr, t' main fins go on. Well, blow me down! Begad! They have long roots, ya bilge rat, me bucko, then have arced cut outs t' slip over t' ppb, 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. Avast! Blimey! T' side pods are a very funky assembly o' two pieces of scalloped and sliced BT-50 that slide together, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, with a section o' BT-2.5 slipped inside their seam. Arrr! Blimey! A balsa nose cone fits t' BT-2.5 finishin' t' subassembly. Arrr! Blimey! In t' photos, you can see that in me case, ya bilge rat, I painted each BT-50 piece independently, maskin' off betwixt colors at t' slot where they join together. Ahoy! Blimey! I also decided nay t' actually paint t' tube interiors that would be exposed, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but instead used some blue glittery contact paper purchased from Aerospace Speciality Products. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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...

There's still more t' build out beyond t' pods--each gets a pair o' fins mounted into t' tube seams, matey, matey, with the fins spread out at about a 70 degree angle (aided by a little cut out angle template). 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. Ya scallywag! 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, basically extendin' the main fin line if everythin' has been mounted correctly. Begad! Those, in turn, matey, get tiny little guns mounted t' them that are built up from a toothpick, wrapped with paper or tape, ya bilge rat, slipped into an 1/8" launch lug. Well, me hearties, blow me down!

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

Still leaves us with one fin. Arrr! 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, shiver me timbers, and for proper reception it has to be raised up a bit t' avoid t' cosmic interference o' t' coolant fins. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! There's one fin actin' as an antenna mount (naturally, with a curved leadin' edge). Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! At t' tip o' this goes a short section o' BT-2.5 (scalloped, o' course--can't have squared tubes on this beauty). Well, blow me down! Arrr! On t' end o' that goes t' antenna, arrr, matey, which consists o' a rolled paper cone front section, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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. Begad! All told, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, you've got t' 11 fins, 8 coolant fins, 11 different sections o' body tube (6 o' which are slotted/joined, 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, me bucko, so I'll grossly abbreviate it and refer you to t' various pics included.

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

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

For t' other colors, ya bilge rat, I used Krylon X-metal paints, me hearties, which claim t' produce an anodized-lookin' finish. Blimey! They do tend to result in pretty good metallic finishes, arrr, though with that sparkle/glitter, arrr, nay a mirror shine. They require a special primer which is a silver metallic base coat. While I do generally like t' finished color, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy! Begad! For most o' this model, me bucko, I've got two primer coats only lightly sanded, and at least 3, arrr, in some cases 5 finish coats. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! With 5-7 coats o' paint, shiver me timbers, 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, shiver me timbers, nay because they aren't filled, me bucko, but because t' filler is a different color than t' tube and took t' paint differently. Arrr! 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. Begad! They go on easily, shiver me timbers, but I've got t' pan them a bit as t' weakest aspect o' t' kit. Ahoy! Avast! On t' cover, they add some excellent accent trim. When applied t' anythin' other than very light colors, though, they fade into t' background. On t' black surfaces, me bucko, they'd be invisible. Begad! These really need t' be silk screened and/or printed over a base coat o' white, shiver me timbers, 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. Highs in t' teens, winds 6-8 mph, me bucko, 4-5 inches o' fresh snow cover. Ya scallywag! Begad! I've got a stash o' C5-3's t' burn down, ya bilge rat, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, maybe 2 rotations. Well, blow me down! Apogee was in t' neighborhood o' 300-350 feet, and while t' delay be 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, matey, but this kit apparently features voice-activated dual deployment, ya bilge rat, matey, clearly another element o' t' advanced alien technology reflected in t' design. Begad! When t' ejection charge fired, arrr, 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, me bucko, though, matey, so I wasn't too worried, but be jokin' t' t' handful o' fellow flyers watchin' that it be dual deploy. At about 75 feet, arrr, ya bilge rat, I said "and now is when t' main should be deploying", at which point t' stuck chute decided t' unfurl, matey, right on cue. Avast! 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' decals are definitely a con, ya bilge rat, though a small one. It has jumped up near t' top o' me favorite Fliskits models, shiver me timbers, and I highly recommend it for t' experienced modeller.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5