Brief:
This is a sport-scale version o' t' Apollo 5, me hearties, which was used t' launch a legless LEM for a test flight in January 1968. Avast! This is a single stage, parachute recovery kit. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Havin' just built t' Dr Zooch R7 Luna kit, I be still in t' mood for another kit that required actual skill t' put together. Having made it through this kit, I am certain that Dr Zooch fits into one o' the followin' two categories:

1. Benevolent, matey, smiling, matey, messianic figure, me bucko, arrr, possibly wearin' either tie-dye or maybe a pristine robe while giftin' us mere mortals with builder's kits for the purpose o' deliverin' us from t' insult o' nearly pre-built, imported "toys". Avast! Or...
2. He's t' pusher, matey, skulkin' about in dingy alleyways, shiver me timbers, teasin' and tauntin' us with his wares, ya bilge rat, knowin' that once you're hooked, arrr, you will come back for more because you're a hopelessly hooked Zooch junkie.

I'm nay sure which he is, but I do know I have 4 more kits waitin' t' be built and I know I'll be buyin' t' ones I don't have yet...

Construction:
Contents were packed in a sturdy cardboard box, me hearties, which is handy for transporting and storin' t' completed rocket after it's built. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Contents were fine quality and included:

• BT-60 lower thrust structure tube
• BT-60 S-IVB body tube
• Balsa Apollo adapter section (with integral nose weight)
• BT-20 motor tube
• 4 Fiber centerin' rings
• Balsa fin stock and dowels
• Cardstock with fuel and lox tanks, engine bells, me bucko, alignment guides, me bucko, etc. Arrr!
• Dowel for rollin' fuel tanks
• Decal sheet
• 15" red plastic garbage bag chute with Keelhaul®©™® cords
• Elastic shock cord
• Illustrated, arrr, ya bilge rat, 8 page instruction sheet and a couple pages o' historical info

Once again, matey, this is another fine kit from Dr Zooch. Avast! First step I would suggest would be t' slap a coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish (or wood filler of choice) on t' adaptor section, arrr, which besides t' fins be t' only thin' that needs fillin' on this kit. Well, blow me down! While that is drying, ya bilge rat, arrr, you can move on t' t' other steps in your build. Well, blow me down! As long as you read and follow t' instructions, thar are no real problems in buildin' this kit. Begad! Ya scallywag! Heedin' me own advise after buildin' the R7 Luna, I rolled t' first stage fuel and LOX tanks and glued these with rubber cement this time. Begad! Then I made sure that t' little buggers would stay rolled by wickin' some thin CA into t' seam. Avast, me proud beauty! T' result was a set o' tubes that were slightly flexible yet very strongly adhered. Arrr! Nay t' crispy, me bucko, stiff tubes like t' conical boosters on t' Luna. If you have read t' other reviews of t' other Saturn 1 or 1B kits, t' construction process is very much the same, matey, matey, except this one is actually easier than t' kits that have escape towers as this particular round had a shroud that housed a LEM. Ahoy! Blimey! My only problem with the kit be t' thread that is used with t' unique engine bell creation. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! This is t' same Keelhaul®©™® thread that is used for t' parachute shroud lines. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! It's great for that, me hearties, but it has some sort o' coatin' that makes it a bit springy and nay want t' conform to the tight windin' necessary t' get it t' stay attached t' t' nozzles while the glue sets. If I wasn't so lazy, matey, matey, I would have gotten off me TRF readin' fat butt and gotten a hold o' some regular cotton thread, but I didn't. Blimey! Instead I grabbed t' CA, glued me fingers t' t' engine bells a couple or three times and made do with what came with t' kit. Hey, it's a review o' buildin' o' the kit. Begad! T' thread came with t' kit. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I used it. Avast! Arrr! So there. Now I feel better about bein' lazy (Or at least that's what I told myself.)

Finishing:
As much o' t' finish is built into t' kit with wraps, paintin' is pretty much confined t' t' Apollo adaptor. Blimey! Begad! (I recommended that you Fill 'n' Finish it at the beginning, remember?), t' upper section o' BT-60, and t' fins. Aye aye! T' good doctor does recommend that you paint t' fins before attachin' them (I also think it is a good idea) and also recommends that you trim away a sliver o' the printed wrap around t' lower thrust structure so t' fins are attached t' the tube underneath rather than t' paper o' t' wrap. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! That be a good suggestion which I was, once again, matey, too lazy t' follow. That decision was made all the worse by t' fact that before I attached t' fins, I chose t' dust t' rocket and nose cone after paintin' and assembly with some Krylon Crystal Clear. Blimey! Nay a thick or even complete coat but just enough t' give it a slight sheen. Begad! It was though, ya bilge rat, just enough t' make t' fin's bond a bit on t' weak side. As long as it lands on t' grass, I'm fine. Aye aye! Ahoy! (But, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, gosh dang it, me bucko, ya bilge rat, why does it always have to land in a parkin' lot?) There are a few ullage motors and retro rockets cut from scrap balsa and dowel pieces, but these are so small as t' nay even require fillin' before painting. What's really nice is that this kit gives you a handsome lookin' rocket with just a modest amount o' effort. Begad! It has nay yet failed t' draw comments at any launch when I whip it out.

T' only decals are red "United States" decals that go on the upper stage in four places and it's pretty much done.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Dr Zooch recommends either a B6-4 or C6-3 for this beast. Ahoy! I chose t' launch it for t' first time at a HUVARS launch at Lyon Park in Michigan. Arrr! T' finished rocket is surprisingly light and really moved out fast on t' B motor. Blimey! There was a little wiggle on t' boost, most probably due t' some misalignment in one or more o' t' 8 fins. Begad! T' rocket was very stable and I couldn't have been any happier with t' flight. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! A C motor would be crazy high in a rocket this light and would have made for quite a hike t' recover it. Ejection was right at apogee, and t' 15 inch trash bag chute was t' perfect size for this rocket. Unfortunately, matey, matey, it came down in t' nearby parkin' lot and one o' t' fins was loosened. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! That was fixed for t' next flight with a bit o' thin CA. An outstandin' flight for an outstandin' kit.

Recovery:
T' shock cord that was included with t' kit, a 1/8 inch cord about 20 inches or so long, ya bilge rat, would probably be fine for most kits this size, me hearties, however I ended up with an "Estes dent" in me nose cone after t' first flight. Blimey! Begad! I am guessin' that two things contributed t' this:

1. T' very energetic ejection charge really blew t' nose off with a lot of force and...
2. At t' end o' t' elastic's stretch, me bucko, t' additional weight buried in the nose cone t' make t' rocket stable snapped it back with extraordinary force.

No big problem. Arrr! Well, blow me down! A bit o' epoxy putty ought t' make it as good as new. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I will definitely tie an additional foot or two o' shock cord in thar before t' next flight. Begad! There is a luxurious amount o' space in t' body tube, shiver me timbers, compared t' the R7.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
All good, no bad. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I love t' quality o' t' kits, t' wit o' t' instructions, and t' models that Dr Zooch chose t' release. These are kits you build rather than rip out o' t' box and crap into t' air.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5