Brief:
Sheri's Hot Rockets Saturn V is a high power (54 mm engine mount), me bucko, 1/48 scale model o' t' famous NASA moon rocket (Sheri also offers this Saturn V with dual 29mm engine mounts although I wouldn't recommend it as it needs t' bigger motors). Avast! Sheri keeps a consistent "Buy It Now" presence on eBay or you can order it directly off her website. As o' this writing, matey, t' list price is $449, although she does have occasional sales where she'll knock t' price down a bit and/or offer free shipping. Begad! However, shiver me timbers, as I've noted in other reviews o' SHR, most o' her kits are literally built t' order so be prepared for a wait.

Construction:
T' kit that I purchased includes t' followin' parts:

• 1 main body tube, me hearties, matey, 8.25" x 49"
• 1 tube coupler, arrr, 8.25" x 3"
• 1 upper stage body tube 5.25" x 24"
• 1 3.125" Service Module body tube
• 1 Styrene sheet 0.010" thick
• 1 Styrene sheet 0.030" thick
• 1 Fiberboard stock 1/8" x 12" x 12" (for display nozzle mount).
• 4 ¼" ply centerin' rings (not all t' same, but they're marked)
• 6 corrugated styrene wraps
• 2 sheets white cardboard stock
• 125 1mm x 1mm styrene detail strips
• Cast resin Apollo Command Module
• Cast resin LES rocket
• 5 Cast resin F1 Main Engine display nozzles
• 38mm motor mount tube with 54mm-38mm reducer rings
• 54mm motor mount tube
• 5 pieces 3/32" round styrene tubing
• 1 Shock Cord eyelet w/ blind nut
• 1 Shock Cord eyelet with screw end
• 1 piece 1/8" x 1/8" x 3" long hardwood stock
• 1 piece 3/8" round by 6" long hardwood dowel
• 2 piece 3/16" round by 4" long hardwood dowel
• 3 piece ¼" x 3/8" x 36" long square balsa stock
• 2 piece 3/16" x 3/8" x 36" long balsa stock
• 1 piece 3/16" x 1/4" x 18" long balsa stock
• 2 "L" brackets with nuts/bolts/washers
• 5 flathead brass screws
• 2 wood screws
• 2 ¼" launch lugs
• 1 set waterslide decals
• 1-¼" x 1" x 1" fiberboard anchor block for screw eyelet
• 1/8" x ¾" x 6 ¼" plywood fin structure
• 4 Bolt/Washer/Blind nut assemblies (optional for LEM section attachment)
• Full size construction drawing
• 49 page Instruction manual
• Template Manual
• CD-ROM copy o' t' instructions with a RockSim file

Sheri's kits do nay include parachutes or shock cords--she recommends 2 x 55-60" chutes for t' lower portion and a 60" chute for t' upper portion.

As be t' case with t' Sheri's Saturn 1B, me hearties, I purchased me kit shortly after it was introduced, and Sheri subsequently made some improvements. Begad! Blimey! After I noticed on t' website that t' Saturn kits had been improved with more cast resin parts, ya bilge rat, I emailed askin' if I could purchase t' extra resin parts for t' Saturn V kits. Begad! Blimey! Sheri be happy t' oblige. Avast! Blimey! She'd upped t' price o' t' Saturn kits when she improved it, so I paid t' difference betwixt t' current price and what I'd paid. Ahoy! Blimey! T' additional parts for t' Saturn V were:

• 4 engine fairin' assemblies
• 4 fins
• 4 piece upper stage transition shroud
• 5 display engine nozzles (nicer than those originally included)
• 4 "Reaction Control Systems" (the maneuverin' rockets on t' command module)
• Escape tower parts (I didn't use these)
• A number o' detail parts

These cast resin part are a vast improvement over t' original kit. As purchased, t' fairin' assemblies were manufactured from pieces o' body tube and plywood with each stringer an individual piece o' 1mm x 1mm styrene that be glued into place. Avast! Ya scallywag! Similarly all t' stringers on t' 2nd-3rd stage transition shroud were individually glued into place. Ahoy! I suspect many modelers wouldn't have bothered and just left t' stringers off.

As with t' other SHR models, arrr, t' full size construction drawin' is a nice touch--providin' quick reference when you're unsure how it should go together. One downside is that this drawin' is so big that findin' somewhere t' put it is non-trivial. Ya scallywag! Avast! I ended up tackin' it t' t' wall...

T' 8.25" diameter main body tube is simply massive. Avast! T' 5.25" diameter third stage body tube be t' same tube used in her companion Saturn 1B kit, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and t' 8.25" tube is o' t' same 1/8" thick walled, me bucko, uncoated type. As I did on t' S1B kit, me bucko, I pre-finished t' two big body tubes prior t' assembly by rubbin' slight thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish into t' tube surfaces. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After it dried, I sanded it down with 180 grit and then 300 grit sandpaper. As before, matey, ya bilge rat, this worked well, ya bilge rat, but workin' a body tube over 8 inches in diameter and 4 feet long took a long, me hearties, me hearties, long time. Begad! It turned out that this would become a common theme while buildin' this rocket.

Make no mistake, me bucko, this is a big rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! By far t' largest rocket I've built t' date. Well, blow me down! Effectively this be t' largest Saturn V rocket you can display with a typical 8 foot ceilin' (with t' display nozzles in place, it clears me 8ft ceilin' by little more than an inch). Previously, t' largest rocket I'd built had been t' 1/70th scale Apogee Saturn V (yes, me hearties, I do really like Saturns). Aye aye! Avast! While t' difference betwixt 1/70th and 1/48th may nay sound like that much, ya bilge rat, arrr, remember t' effect is three dimensional, me bucko, effectively makin' Sheri's Saturn 3 times t' size o' t' Apogee Saturn. With somethin' this big, even seemingly ordinary steps can be very time consuming. Blimey! Nay necessarily a bad thing, me hearties, but be prepared. Avast! Blimey! This is a long, me hearties, involved build.

That bein' said, t' actual build o' this rocket is relatively straightforward. I think it may have been easier t' build than t' SHR Saturn 1B, matey, matey, although it did take quite a bit longer due t' t' larger size. Arrr! T' cast resin engine fairin' assemblies were particularly appreciated. Aye aye! T' original instructions devoted 10 pages t' buildin' up t' fairings. Well, blow me down! With t' assemblies, it be reduced t' markin' t' body tube and gluin' t' fairings in place. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! I wrapped some coarse sandpaper around t' body tube t' sand t' appropriate body tube contour t' t' fairings, thick CA was used t' attach t' fairings, and then epoxy fillets were added for strength. Begad! Blimey! T' fins are then simply glued t' t' fairings (again, attached with CA then epoxy fillets). Begad! Durin' an email exchange with Sheri after me Saturn be completed, me bucko, she suggested addin' small screws t' anchor t' fairings t' t' body tube if you plan t' use particularly high thrust engines. Begad! Blimey! Since mine was already finished, I didn't bother t' retrofit t' change, but if you're plannin' t' build one as a flier, shiver me timbers, it would be a worthwhile addition. Begad! A more robust fin attachment may also be in order. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! Betwixt two flights and two cross-country shipments, matey, I think I've knocked every fin off at least once.

T' 49 pages o' instructions for t' basic assembly o' t' rocket are reasonably good (and as noted, t' full size construction drawin' is helpful), plus thar are several more pages o' templates and patterns for makin' t' various parts and pieces. Aye aye! Begad! As was t' case with t' Saturn 1B, t' instructions for addin' additional details were weak--basically little more than "shape t' part from balsa stock per t' template", arrr, me hearties, although anyone capable o' buildin' this rocket really doesn't need much more in t' way o' details. Arrr! Avast! T' cast resin detail parts were a nice additional, although they are nay all that detailed. Avast! Again, me hearties, arrr, if you want t' make it super detailed you'll need t' modify or make parts from scratch. Blimey! Havin' already decided that this was t' be a flier, I didn't worry about addin' additional details.

Like Sheri's Little Joe II and Saturn 1B kits, matey, this kit uses corrugated styrene sheets t' simulate t' external stringers. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' corrugated sheets are pre-cut t' t' appropriate width, me hearties, although with a main body tube circumference o' over 25 inches, me bucko, it is necessary t' glue three sections o' styrene together t' get t' necessary length (usin' pieces o' t' 0.010" styrene as a doubler). Ahoy! Blimey! Attachment o' t' wraps be similar t' that for t' Apogee Saturns: tapin' t' wraps in place then usin' CA t' seal t' edges t' t' body tube.

Again, matey, as with Sheri's other kits, t' tube couplers need t' be cut down t' t' appropriate diameter, although at least t' main body tube coupler is pre-cut t' length. (I fear cuttin' a length off that massive 8.25" body tube would have proved challenging.)

One step that proved somewhat difficult is centerin' t' upper stage transitions. Avast! Most kits provide centerin' rings t' locate t' smaller diameter body tubes in t' center o' t' transition. Ya scallywag! Sheri's kits simply provide a solid bulkhead, arrr, and t' smaller tube is butt glued t' t' center o' t' bulkhead. Begad! It works, but it is tricky t' get everythin' correctly positioned and centered. Avast! Begad! In fact t' entire 2nd-3rd stage transition be tricky. Arrr! T' transition shroud is made from 0.030" styrene, and per t' original instructions, me bucko, me bucko, t' stringers were individually glued into place, shiver me timbers, which was tedious and difficult. With t' additional cast resin transition shroud pieces, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it's a relatively straightforward matter t' fit and glue t' cast shroud pieces in place. Ahoy! Begad! However, me bucko, me bucko, one thin' I'd change be t' attachment o' t' shroud t' t' bulkhead: per t' instructions t' shroud overlaps t' bulkhead with t' corrugated wrap at t' top o' t' 2nd stage and everythin' would match up. Aye aye! Avast! However, me bucko, with t' cast resin shroud pieces on top o' t' styrene transition, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' base o' t' shroud ends up significantly larger in diameter than t' top o' t' 2nd stage, makin' for a very noticeable step. Ahoy! If I had it t' do over again, me bucko, I'd fit t' shroud t' t' top o' t' bulkhead, then cover t' bulkhead/shroud joint with t' cast resin pieces.

This uses t' same cast resin Apollo capsule as t' Saturn 1B kit. Arrr! It's big, shiver me timbers, solid, and heavy at 8 ounces (although as it turned out, me hearties, nay quite heavy enough). Begad! T' additional parts Sheri sent me included cast resin parts for t' escape tower. Begad! Ahoy! However, as with t' Saturn 1B, I elected t' scratch build t' escape tower from styrene tubing. I think t' scratch built tower looks better, arrr, me hearties, and I sort o' enjoyed t' challenge.

Sheri includes ¼" launch lugs, but given t' large size and weight, arrr, I felt these would be insufficient so I left them off and I fitted rail buttons. Arrr! Unfortunately I overlooked a detail when addin' t' buttons: rails are rather wide and initially I didn't provide sufficient clearance for t' rail t' clear t' engine fairing. Avast! Aye aye! I strongly recommend t' addition o' t' rail buttons--just be sure t' center them betwixt t' fairings.

Finishing:
As noted previously, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I pre-finished t' body tubes before startin' assembly. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! But this thin' is big. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Really big. It takes a lot o' priming, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, arrr, sanding, matey, and paintin' t' paint. In fact, I went through more than three 12oz cans o' automotive primer and another three plus 12oz cans o' Krylon color while paintin' this Saturn. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I did make things a little simpler by paintin' t' main rocket before addin' t' detail parts, shiver me timbers, which I'd painted separately.

Maskin' for t' black roll patterns was particularly troublesome since sealin' around t' sharply defined corrugations was extremely difficult. Ya scallywag! This was particularly true for t' 2nd-3rd stage transition. Despite me best efforts, shiver me timbers, arrr, I got a lot o' bleed through o' t' black paint. Avast! A trick that I successfully used t' 'patch' t' black bleed through on white/black patterns is dry film typin' correction tape. Arrr! It's delicate t' work with, me hearties, but it can provide straight, crisp color breaks, arrr, and t' color match is generally at least as good if nay better than touch-ups o' white paint with a paintbrush. With a coat o' clear, t' fix is nearly invisible. Ahoy! I then used Krylon Chrome t' paint t' fins and lower fairings and t' Command Service Module.

T' waterslide decals by Space Model Systems are beautiful, reasonably easy t' apply, and come with good instructions on placement. Begad! (Although once again, it's time consumin' t' apply them.) After maskin' off t' chrome painted areas, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a coat o' clear finished everythin' off [Note: you do not want t' clear coat chrome paint--it ruins t' chrome finish. Blimey! Aye aye! Been there, done that.] T' effect is striking. Arrr! Arrr! It be a whole lot o' work, me bucko, but t' result be a really good looking, really big Saturn V model.

As purchased, I wonder if I would have built this kit (and if I had, arrr, thar be a good chance I would have left all those stringers off t' fin-fairings and t' 2nd-3rd stage transition). But t' post-purchase improvements make it worthwhile. I still have reservations regardin' t' rough surface body tubes and t' detail parts could have better detail, but overall it makes for a good kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'd rate it betwixt a 3 ½ and 4. Givin' it t' benefit o' t' doubt, me hearties, matey, I'll call it a 4.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
As previously noted, Sheri's kits do nay include recovery components. Although she recommended two 55"-60" parachutes for t' lower section, I ended up goin' with a single 90" X-form chute, ya bilge rat, connected with a generous length o' nylon strap. Avast! For t' upper section I went with t' recommended 60" chute with a harness t' hold it horizontal t' protect t' escape tower on landing. After me less than successful experience with t' Saturn 1B harness, I decided on overkill. Avast! I drilled a hole through t' top o' t' upper stage and t' upper transition coupler, me hearties, epoxied a nut inside t' coupler, and threaded a (removable) eye bolt through t' attach t' harness. Begad! Avast! It also acts as a positive retention for t' upper transition and Apollo capsule.

For positive engine retention I added an Aero Pack 54mm engine retainer. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Sheri includes parts for a 38mm-55mm motor mount adapter, but for it's first flight with a 38mm motor, matey, me bucko, me hearties, I invested in an Aero Pack 38mm-54mm adapter. Avast! Ahoy! T' Aero Pack retainer and adapter are outside this review, but they are fantastic--definitely five stars!

With parachutes, chute protector, engine retainer, me bucko, six cans o' paint, epoxy, etc. Aye aye! (but less engine), shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, this Saturn V weighed in at a whoppin' 12 pounds. Arrr! Aye aye! Before it was finished I'd gone into RockSim with Sheri's baseline file, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and decided an I211W-S would be ideal for t' first flight. Avast! Unfortunately t' weight in Sheri's RockSim file be rather optimistic, and me Saturn V be over 3 pounds heavier. Arrr! Suddenly an I211 be marginal for velocity off t' rail, shiver me timbers, but since I'd already purchased t' motor and since a 38/480 be at t' time t' longest 38mm casin' I had, I was somewhat committed.

First flight was at "Fire in t' Sky 2009", better known as FITS, a major high power launch held in central Washington over Memorial Day weekend. Arrr! Aye aye! Showin' up at pretty much any launch with this rocket will make you a center o' attention, arrr, and FITS be no exception. As previously mentioned, arrr, t' rail buttons proved t' be an issue when t' launch rail wouldn't clear t' fin fairings. Aye aye! Blimey! (To help hide t' black buttons I'd centered them in t' black section o' t' roll patterns.) So thar was a false start and a minor thrash while I relocated t' rail buttons. Blimey! But finally everythin' came together. Well, blow me down! Liftoff o' a big Saturn V is spectacular, arrr, and this was no exception. Avast, me proud beauty! There was a slight weathercock off t' rail (remember that marginal velocity off t' rail) but t' flight was spectacular. I'm nay sure about t' altitude. RockSim said 610 ft, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but it didn't look that high t' me. Aye aye! Avast! Perhaps me perception was fooled due t' t' large size. At any rate, matey, me bucko, ejection occurred a moment after apogee and t' chutes opened shortly thar after. Avast, me proud beauty! There was a minor problem: t' lengthy shock cords for t' upper and lower sections become entangled so t' two sections came down together. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' main concern be that t' entangled shock cord had t' effect o' reefin' that big main parachute, so descent be a little more rapid than I would have liked, however, touchdown damage be minor. Aye aye! T' most serious bein' one fin bein' snapped off.

After repairs and a cross-country shipment came t' big test. Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! This be goin' t' be me Level 2 Cert Flight at LDRS 28. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Motor selection was a 54mm J275W-S (we had a discussion at FITS, me hearties, it was agreed that t' only appropriate propellant selection for a Saturn V is White Lightning). O' concern was t' rocket CG. Blimey! With t' 38mm I211W, t' CG was already close t' t' recommended aft CG limit. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' J275W was goin' t' be roughly a pound heavier so I'd gone t' work on t' Apollo capsule. Avast! I drilled and ground out a large cavity in t' base o' t' capsule and epoxied enough lead shot in t' hole t' raise t' total weight o' t' Apollo from 8 ounces t' an even pound. O' course this had t' undesirable affect o' makin' t' rocket even heavier, ya bilge rat, matey, but I saw little choice.

T' LDRS cert flight became a challenge but for an unexpected reason. Avast! Avast! Even at LDRS, ya bilge rat, a 7.5' Saturn V will make you a center o' attention and I was surrounded by photographers as I prepared t' rocket on an 8ft rail. Ya scallywag! Even with t' J275, shiver me timbers, me bucko, RockSim predicted that it wouldn't reach stable velocity until a few inches before it left an 8ft rail. Begad! Ya scallywag! It was windy when t' Saturn V was launched, me hearties, and I feared a weathercock off t' rail, but t' flight was magnificent and almost perfectly vertical with a slow (by mod-rock standards) boost. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! RockSim had predicted 1600 feet, and that appeared t' be about right. Motor ejection occurred right at apogee, and both chutes opened moments later t' a round o' applause. Begad! I figured I was home free. Wrong.

While t' lower half o' t' Saturn descended nicely, me bucko, t' upper portion caught a thermal and started drifting. Avast! Begad! At times it definitely appeared t' be goin' up. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! It drifted so far I lost sight o' it before it touched down. Begad! Arrr! I knew I had t' try, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but with little more than a general area where I thought it came down, matey, I be nay optimistic that I would ever see it again. Begad! Arrr! If someone had asked me t' list everythin' that might have gone wrong on me cert flight, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I would never have even considered losin' t' rocket, but suddenly that was a very real possibility.

Amazingly, matey, I found it. Begad! It took over four hours and two separate trips out. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I found two other lost high power rockets and headed back t' t' launch area midway through t' search since I literally couldn't carry any more. Ahoy! I'd like t' say it was a properly devised search that yielded t' recovery, ya bilge rat, but in reality it was more luck than anythin' else. Arrr! After landing, t' wind had dragged it through a corn field knockin' t' escape power off in t' process, but I was able t' backtrack through t' knocked down corn and located t' missin' tower. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' result was a successful Level 2 high power certification.

Recovery:
A couple comments on t' flights: On large rockets like this that are intended t' come down in two portions, me bucko, me bucko, me hearties, I generally make a point t' insert t' upper section parachute first so that as t' sections pull apart, me bucko, it'll be sure t' pull out t' lower section chute. Avast! This is especially important on this big Saturn V. Even usin' a fairly generous ejection charge (over 2 grams on t' second flight), t' chute protector has yet t' leave t' body tube. Begad! Puttin' t' upper chute on t' bottom increases t' risk that t' two sections will get tangled (as happened on t' first flight), but that is definitely preferable t' t' possibility o' t' lower section parachute failin' t' exit t' rocket. Arrr! Also, as t' cert flight demonstrated, shiver me timbers, t' upper section can use a smaller chute (or if usin' a 60" chute reef it a bit).

This rocket is a fine flier that can't help but look magnificent in flight. I give it a full five stars.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Be forewarned: buildin' this rocket takes a commitment well beyond t' $449 sticker price (plus I figure around another $200 for parachutes, shiver me timbers, arrr, motor retainer, paint, shiver me timbers, etc.) It's big, complex, and will take a major commitment o' time t' do t' rocket justice. Aye aye! Blimey! I also remain less than thrilled with t' rough surface body tubes, arrr, although t' strength and weight is more readily justified on a big high power rocket such as this. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' cast resin parts that were added after me original purchase are a major improvement, me hearties, but t' detail parts could be a little more detailed.

I really like this rocket. Avast! Arrr! I don't know how often I will actually fly it. Well, blow me down! Avast! It's nay trivial t' put so much time, shiver me timbers, effort, and loot at risk, me bucko, arrr, but it's a magnificent flier and pretty much guaranteed t' draw a crowd. Blimey! But perhaps t' best endorsement I can give is, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, should this Saturn V meet an untimely demise, I'm pretty sure I'd build another.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5