Brief:
This is a smaller vintage Saturn 1B than t' Estes version and has vacu-formed wraps. Arrr! Ya scallywag! It clusters two 18mm motors and separates into an upper and lower section for recovery under two parachutes. Begad! Aye aye!

Construction:
T' instructions are intricate, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, clear, arrr, and excellent.

T' original owner had done minimal work, arrr, so I be able t' complete nearly t' entire kit.

It has a huge number o' parts, matey, which starts with t' fin can. Well, blow me down! There are 21 parts here. Avast! Arrr! T' fin can body tube is paper covered with a vacu-formed wrap. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! There are 8 two-piece vacu-formed fins. Ya scallywag! It all fits together nicely and is very sturdy. Well, blow me down! Begad!

Next t' upper main body. Well, blow me down! It's a 65mm ID paper body tube with two vacu-formed wraps, two hardwood "utility tunnels" and launch lug with standoff. Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! It's glued onto t' forward centerin' ring/bulkhead for t' tanks and an additional centerin' rin' further forward on an inner parachute tube.

T' LEM (long upper shroud) is next. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' inner core LEM body that extends up t' t' Apollo capsule is 38mm. There's a standard paper shoulder with paper cardstock centerin' rings. Avast! Begad! T' shroud is paper so it has a seam and even with copious fillin' and finishing, shiver me timbers, it doesn't look perfectly round. Avast! Begad! Balsa would have been a better choice here. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' tower and capsule are precision molded. Ahoy! T' pieces assemble quickly. Aye aye! Blimey! T' tower skirt and nozzles are styrene, arrr, as are t' nose cone and capsule. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! T' escape tank is a thin-wall 3/16" launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! When completed it's very sturdy.

T' main body is a 28mm ID parachute tube around which t' eight external tank BT-20s are glued. T' tanks were primed with high-build automotive primer twice and sanded t' eliminate t' very small spirals. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! They were painted white and black before assembly.

T' two motor mounts have standard 18mm metal clips, sleeves that slip over them t' retain them, me bucko, and thick die cut card stock centerin' rings fore and aft. Begad! T' model has a nice lookin' friction-fit assembly o' eight vacu-formed engine bells for display.

There are four vacu-formed antenna panels for t' area just aft o' t' upper main body.

Finishing:
T' fin can (includin' forward shroud) must be slid over t' entire length o' t' finished, ya bilge rat, painted main body. Well, blow me down! Since it's necessarily a tight, precision fit, me hearties, arrr, me hearties, paint touch up is t' be expected after t' fin can is glued into place. Ya scallywag! After the SM is painted white, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me hearties, a sharp lookin' self-adhesive mirror-finish silver panel is applied followed by t' RCS nozzles.

T' original waterslide decals were badly yellowed and so fragile they disintegrated, arrr, arrr, so new ones were made using a JimZ download (scaled-down Estes version with t' blue background deleted) as a template and Testor's inkjet decal material. Avast! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' two 18mm motor mounts are recessed 22mm t' enhance stability.

Recommended motors are two C6-5s or two B6-4s. It has flown successfully on both. Ya scallywag! It may one day fly on two D13-7 reloads. Aye aye! See a video o' a C6-5 flight.

T' outside diameter o' a contemporary thin-walled 29mm motor mount tube might be a perfect fit for t' main inner body tube, matey, which I know will give some o' you evil thoughts. Begad!

Recovery:
T' shock cord mount in t' main body is a step up from t' tri-fold paper and is comprised o' a half piece o' body tube that's glued in with t' shock cord.

T' LEM separates from t' main body and has riggin' t' keep it horizontal so t' tower doesn't hit t' ground first. Begad! Ahoy! It came with a 16" thin mylar parachute but would happily land on anythin' from 12" t' 18" dependin' on size and softness o' launch area. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' main body has a 24" chute.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is me favorite rocket, me bucko, and I have quite a fleet. Avast, me proud beauty! It's so rare that most old guys don't even recognize it. Begad! Blimey! It's a gorgeous display in me office. It flies great. It's a builder's kit with lots o' pieces, but it's pretty easy t' build.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5