Brief:
If you're lookin' for a good scale Saturn model but don't have t' loot and/or room for a 1:100 scale kit (or larger), me bucko, then consider this little gem. Well, blow me down! Standin' less than 10" tall and retailin' for under $24, this might just do t' trick. Well, blow me down! It packs an impressive amount o' detailin' into t' model, though in this scale t' build can be extremely challenging. For t' faint o' heart, thar are variations within t' kit that result in a less challenging build at t' expense o' some scale accuracy.

This review is primarily based upon me experience buildin' a pre-release beta version o' t' kit, although I have a released version as well and have verified a number o' beta-based suggestions for improvement are reflected in the released product.

Construction:
T' parts list is a whoppin' 27 items long, shiver me timbers, so I'll spare t' details and abbreviate. You get a number o' tubes, balsa nose cone/transition, balsa fin stock, arrr, assorted centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, wood dowel, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord, plastic parachute, waterslide decals, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and pattern sheets. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! T' adhere t' scale accuracy, ya bilge rat, some o' t' tubes are custom diameter, ya bilge rat, which is very impressive for this price.

Oh yeah, matey, you also get two sizes o' Plastruct. More on that later...

OK, let's get a few things out in t' open right up front. Avast, me proud beauty! Buildin' a Saturn 1b can be as much or as little effort as you want t' put into it. Ya scallywag! Begad! For t' more casual/sport modelers, arrr, as long as you get t' 8 tanks and basic structure in place, it will look fine on t' pad. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! For t' more obsessive-compulsive Apollo geeks, arrr, you'll o' course want t' hand craft every intricate detail, some o' which you'll need a strong magnifyin' glass t' even see. Blimey! I consider myself leanin' mostly towards t' uber-geek end o' t' spectrum, matey, but I certainly do nay disrespect t' other end. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The instructions are generally written somewhere in t' middle with occasional references t' how t' amp up t' effort and detail and other times offerin' options t' tone it down a bit. Well, blow me down! As such, this can be anywhere from a skill level 2 t' a 5+ kit. Begad! Arrr! I'm nay even goin' t' touch how many hours I spent on construction, but for me free kit I'll just say that I probably earned single-digit cents per hour (but I got a really low number and Jim's autograph t' boot).

Construction begins with t' central motor tube and t' 8 tanks. Well, blow me down! T' motor tube is basic 13mm with a motor block centerin' ring. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' clusters are BT-2 (6mm) tubes that need t' have sections cut from them in order t' fit properly around t' relatively fat BT-5. Avast! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Don't even think about clusterin' this (and I'm t' guy that clustered 16 canted MMX motors around a 24mm central on a Soyuz last year). Ahoy! T' BT-2s are just too small and goin' for T-2.5s would blow the whole scale.

A few tips on trimmin' t' BT-2s: slide a launch rod or dowel inside them before cuttin' t' make straight cuts easier and be extremely careful in sandin' t' edges afterwards--not just t' avoid sandin' them too small but also to avoid bowin' t' cut tubes out. As it is, fittin' 8 sliced tubes around t' BT-5 leaves very little room for error and will likely require a dry fit first. Blimey! Also, before gluin' t' tank tubes in place, consider t' paint options--if you choose one o' t' missions with alternatin' black and white tanks, me hearties, then you'll either have some challengin' mask work down t' road, or need t' pre-paint t' tanks before gluin' them on (as well as pre-paintin' t' shroud/fin can). In my case, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I opted t' pre-paint t' tanks and fin can.

T' fin can is a short piece o' BT-50 that slides over a single centerin' rin' on t' aft end o' t' tanks. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Two rings would ensure better alignment, ya bilge rat, but thar really isn't much room in this scale for another one so you have to visually try t' keep it aligned with t' tanks.

T' fluted shroud is made from pre-printed paper (not cardstock) so it forms very easily. Arrr! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I'm proud t' say that this be t' first commercial kit I've seen (of about 15) that puts t' seam/overlap on t' shroud through the centerline o' a fin mountin' location. Well, blow me down! Every other kit out thar puts t' seam at t' nadir o' one o' t' cutouts, exposed t' all t' world t' see (or hide through finishin' effort). Aye aye! Ya scallywag! One little beta tip made it into t' final product.

T' top o' t' tank/motor tube assembly gets a couple centerin' rings for t' main tank t' sit on, and these rings also anchor t' shock cord. Avast! T' main tank (custom BT-48) slides over t' rings and tanks.

There are options for fins. Ahoy! Since 1bs are notoriously unstable with scale fins unless helpin' out with nose weight and/or canted fins, ya bilge rat, me bucko, FlisKits includes a plug-in fin can with large fins that can be used for flight. Arrr! If using just t' scale fins, arrr, you'll need t' add nose weight t' achieve t' CG specified in t' package. Avast! Avast! Either way, me bucko, you'll want t' build t' scale fins at least for display. Avast! This is done by cuttin' out t' rough outline usin' t' pattern sheet, taperin' t' edges by sanding, and then coverin' them with a scale-like wrap that helps run t' extended tip cord up t' fluted shroud. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Nay quite as complex as t' Estes/Centuri/Semroc built-up fins, arrr, but it can be tricky.

If foregoin' t' plug-in oversize fins, me bucko, you'll need t' fill t' pre-drilled nose cone with lead shot. Begad! Arrr! Lead. Blimey! Not BB's and nay clay. There's nay much room, me hearties, and you need t' add a lot o' weight. Begad! Avast! T' avoid dealin' with regulatory hassles related t' shippin' a "toy rocket" with lead, FlisKits does not provide any lead shot, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, clearly warning t' modeler t' acquire this on their own. Avast! Begad! Blimey! Jim was kind enough t' send me a baggy durin' t' build, but I had t' promise nay t' sue him as well as t' nay eat t' leftovers.

Now comes t' most important decision you'll make on t' project: t' tower. Avast! Most Saturn kits out thar allow the modeler some flexibility t' build in accordance with personal thresholds o' pain. Arrr! Ahoy! Zooch kits, me bucko, for example, matey, typically include a preprinted fold-up tower and dowels/wire for makin' a built-up tower. Begad! Semroc puts you through t' dowel sanding/cutting/gluin' pain just like t' original Estes kit, and many modelers simply buy a plastic capsule kit from Apogee and avoid t' hassle. For t' Flis 1b, you can:

1. Wimp out and use a printed fold-up tower,
2. Show you're a true rocketeer and build one up usin' 0.020 and 0.010 Plastruct, or
3. Show you're really obsessive/compulsive by solderin' up a tower usin' your own wire (roughly 32 and 40 gauge).

Since I'd only just taught myself t' solder and certainly did nay feel up t' t' task o' micro soldering, matey, I went t' Plastruct route. Avast! It was a very humblin' experience, arrr, and after finally gettin' a tower done I didn't hate too much (threw out several failed attempts), ya bilge rat, I told Jim nay t' expect me t' build one for NARAM as it would be at least 6 months before I'd feel like even tryin' another tower.

Actually, t' Plastruct approach is nay all that bad, ya bilge rat, but you really need good eyes, tools, and a steady hand. For starters, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me hearties, buy a good pair o' tweezers. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! If you're like me and most modelers, matey, you didn't actually buy a pair but have borrowed/stolen t' wife's pair a long time ago. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Those are nay what you want here with their big fat, flat tips. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! We're nay pluckin' eyebrows, we're assemblin' a tower from micro-sized rods. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! You need tweezers with needle/pointed ends. Arrr! Blimey! I found a great pair with an attached magnifyin' glass at Radio Shack (product 63-1310) and cost me a whoppin' $2 plus tax. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! That be t' best $2 I've ever spent, shiver me timbers, but I didn't find them until after I'd built t' tower. Well, blow me down! You'll also want t' think through t' glue and how t' apply it. Jim used super thin CA. Begad! I used liquid plastic cement, brushed on with a single-hair brush. Begad! I found me application t' be too heavy and occasionally melted t' rods. Aye aye! About a month after buildin' it, me bucko, I saw a lecture by an artist that sculpts on t' head o' a pin, and he was describin' how he paints at that scale. Begad! He found a dead fly in his apartment, plucked one hair from t' fly's head, shiver me timbers, and uses that as a brush. Ahoy! Ahoy! I'm thinkin' about callin' this guy (or lookin' for a fly)...

T' tower construction is much like other built-up kits: build one side, flip it 90 degrees, ya bilge rat, arrr, and add another side t' it. Repeat for another pair o' struts, me bucko, then mate t' two sub-assemblies together. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It's just a little but more difficult when dealin' with a somethin' that finished is only about half an inch tall.

With t' tower done, you get t' make a set o' 4 nozzles by sandin' t' dowel t' a tapered point 1/4" long then cuttin' 3/32" off t' tip as a nozzle. Ahoy! Ahoy! I lost me first one when it went whizzin' off t' table onto the carpet, where it blended right in t' t' dust, crumbs, shiver me timbers, dog dander, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! Hint: lay t' dowel tip on a piece o' tape when cuttin' off t' nozzle.

T' rest o' t' construction all comes down t' how much effort you want t' put into t' model. Arrr! Blimey! There is a pattern sheet with a large number o' details and notes on where t' place them. Arrr! Blimey! Some o' these are made by simply cuttin' out the cardstock pattern itself, me bucko, others by usin' material you have t' scrounge up on your own. Avast! Blimey! You can, me bucko, matey, for example, simply use t' waterslide decals for t' RCS nozzles or you can build them into 3D detail yourself by cuttin' 4 tiny patterns out and gluin' them on top o' each other. Note that thar are 6 sets o' patterns provided, allowin' 2 throwaways. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In my case that wasn't enough so I reprinted a bunch o' spares from a PDF o' t' sheet Jim sent me. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I will say that in terms o' t' degree o' scale accuracy reflected in t' details, me hearties, if you build everythin' on t' pattern sheets you will wind up with a kit rivalin' t' Apogee in level o' detail, greatly exceedin' such fine kits as t' Semroc/Estes and the Saturn Press Saturn V. Avast! You just may go blind gettin' there. Arrr! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' only quibble I have with t' excellent details is that thar be no suggestion for material thicknesses or types t' use. Begad! Blimey! Knowin' somethin' should come from 0.030 Plastruct versus 1/32 balsa might be helpful and avoid rework or sloppiness, although admittedly, matey, most modelers would nay have many materials layin' around other than basic balsa/basswood/plywood.

Finishing:
Finishin' a Saturn 1b tends t' be almost as difficult as buildin' them, me bucko, me hearties, and thar's nothin' different about this kit. T' fin can gets a complex masked pattern o' alternatin' black and white sections. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' tanks generally alternate white and black, me bucko, me bucko, dependin' on t' mission t' model (same with fin can, shiver me timbers, for that matter). S-IV B stage (upper tube) gets a black/white roll pattern and black upper ring/stripe. Begad! Begad! Tower/shroud all white. Aye aye! Shootin' everythin' with a base white generally works, and t' maskin' takes a long time but is worth it. Ya scallywag! At least in this scale you don't have t' fun of maskin' over corrugations...

There is a very detailed 4-view drawin' showin' t' paint patterns, me hearties, dimensions, matey, me bucko, etc., and this is also used for most decal placement.

One note on t' decals: I know Jim had a lot o' fun with this. Avast! When I took a glance at t' PDF file pre-production, they looked generally right although I didn't compare them t' me detailed scale prints. Begad! I couldn't tell though in lookin' at t' file whether any o' t' white be printed white or simply clear over a white background. Aye aye! I kiddingly sent Jim a reminder that t' tanks, as an example, need a white printed background for t' decals goin' over t' black tanks or t' modeler would have t' mask a really tiny strip that would look like fecal matter. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! He made sure t' print those United States decals with a white undercoat but didn't catch this on t' mission labels (ex. SA-205) that go on t' bottom o' t' black tanks. That will eventually be corrected, ya bilge rat, but I suspect t' first hundred or so kits will have this error. Ahoy! T' decal sheet also incorrectly lists t' scale as 1:284 and includes a few bogus/incorrect Y/Z axis labels, me bucko, identified as extra/errors.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I had intended t' build this and give it back t' Jim as a display model, nay t' fly, me hearties, but when he mentioned he was takin' it t' NARAM, me hearties, I suggested he fly it for t' Saturn celebration and/or vendor showcase. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I didn't deface it with a launch lug, matey, matey, and when Jim threatened t' drill a small hole for a pop lug, me bucko, I offered up a 13mm piston instead and helped him prep it since he hadn't caught on t' this "new fangled" technology yet.

Only one small problem though: Jim had flown his boilerplate just fine on A3s and A10s but didn't realize the piston would add at least 20% t' t' boost so when it took off on an A3-4T, it really cooked and almost flew out of sight. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' flight was perfectly straight and stable, especially impressive in t' winds that were steady at 12+ and gustin' close t' 20 mph.

Recovery:
T' standard Flis chute included is one o' those plastic ones that's 16" with patterns for cuttin' down as small as 6" or so. Begad! Blimey! Jim went with t' smallest configuration, which would normally be fine for this model, me hearties, but on the small NARAM-51 field and high winds, arrr, proved t' be fatal. Aye aye! T' model smartly blew out o' sight, driftin' well over 100 yards, down below t' horizon, matey, matey, and probably wound up somewhere in t' neighborin' cow/horse fields. It was short grass and thar would be plenty o' traffic through those fields over t' ensuin' week, matey, so I figured it would turn up but no luck. Blimey! Blimey! I walked t' rough line several times and came across a couple other models includin' one other Flis demo, but t' 1b never showed up. It was a wonderful model that simply vanished in t' winds on its first flight.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Despite t' disappointment o' losin' such a nice model and so much work, I have t' say I was very impressed with this kit and highly recommend it with a few caveats. This is by far t' most complex build o' t' Flis line, ya bilge rat, and although it can be built with some time-savin' techniques, you should really go into this expectin' a significant effort for which you'll be greatly rewarded with an outstandin' model. Well, blow me down! It may be small but packin' t' same (or more) detail o' the bigger guys into this tiny scale winds up makin' this much more difficult, nay easier. If you're up t' t' challenge, jump right on this. Aye aye! If not, you might want t' start with t' Zooch line, which are more like a weekend afternoon build, workin' your way up t' this later.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5