Brief:
Accordin' t' me records, arrr, shiver me timbers, me Refit USS Atlantis has been sittin' in me build pile for about a year. Ya scallywag! That jives with my memory. Blimey! It was one o' t' first kits I ordered and it has been intimidatin' me ever since. Aye aye! I really wanted t' build it but I wanted it t' look good too. Ahoy! Ahoy! Finally, shiver me timbers, I decided t' give it a try, shiver me timbers, nay because I think I can do it justice but because I want it so bad. Ahoy! Aye aye! Besides, I'll never develop t' skills if I don't actually try.

Construction:
Construction on this one started out as all such projects should but too many do not. Begad! I gave t' instructions a thorough reading. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! That certainly ratcheted up t' intimidation factor. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Don't get me wrong, t' instructions are well written, me hearties, matey, very thorough and chock full o' helpful hints and tips, arrr, but they did confirm that this was goin' t' be an intensive build.

T' first actual build step be t' buildin' o' t' motor mount. Arrr! I made t' motor tube as directed, me bucko, located the centerin' rings and engine hook and came t' a screechin' halt. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I searched through t' bag and t' instructions and found no mention o' a thrust ring. Neither did I find t' actual ring. Aye aye! It may nay be needed but, I like them. Begad! I have a few rockets that have omitted them and always notice wear where t' engine hook is used as t' sole means o' blocking the motor. Ya scallywag! Accordingly, I cut a rin' off o' a spent Estes E motor and used that as a thrust ring, mountin' it with yellow glue and spacin' it with a spent D casing.

With t' thrust rin' in place, I cut t' slit for t' engine hook and then glued on t' three centerin' rings. T' forward and aft rings each have a notch. Aye aye! T' forward one allows passin' o' a Keelhaul®©™® thread and t' aft one accommodates t' engine hook. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' middle rin' has no notch and is located at t' midpoint. Arrr! Begad! The end rings were mounted flush with t' ends o' t' motor tube and all were secured and filleted with yellow glue.

After t' glue on t' motor mount is dry, t' instructions call for t' fittin' o' a Keelhaul®©™® harness around t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! T' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® is then fed through a notch in t' centerin' ring. Instead o' doin' this, I decided t' add a baffle system and anchor the recovery system t' that. I chose a FlisKits BAF-55.

Since thar be no recovery system associated with t' motor mount t' worry about, t' next step be t' actually install t' motor mount into t' main body tube. Begad! Begad! It was secured in place with yellow glue and with t' aft rin' flush with t' aft end o' t' tube.

T' kit came with a wraparound fin markin' guide. I generally prefer these t' t' end alignment guides that some favor. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Sirius has gone a step further than most o' t' competition though. Blimey! Blimey! Theirs is printed on its own sheet. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! You do not have t' butcher t' instructions t' use t' guide.

I cut t' guide out (you still have t' do a little trimming) and wrapped it around t' BT. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I aligned t' belly centerline with t' engine hook and taped t' guide an 1/8" forward o' t' end. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I then transferred t' lines to the BT and labeled them. Avast! Blimey! I slid t' guide off for t' time being, me hearties, as it would be needed again in a later step, and all of t' lines were extended t' length o' t' BT usin' a door frame for alignment.

With t' lines extended, I again slipped t' wraparound guide onto t' BT and ensured that its marks lined up with those on t' tube. This time t' guide was taped in place flush with t' end o' t' tube. T' purpose for putting it back on be t' use it t' cut t' slots for t' warp engine pylons.

T' ensure t' cuts would be straight, matey, shiver me timbers, I taped a steel ruler along one o' t' lines for t' cutout. Avast! Avast! Then using multiple passes, me bucko, me bucko, a razor knife was used t' cut t' BT. Arrr! You must be careful nay t' cut too deep and penetrate t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! When one line be cut, matey, I repositioned t' ruler and cut another. Aye aye! Finally, me bucko, all that be left was t' very short cut at either end o' t' slots. Begad! I cut these by simply insertin' t' razor knife until its width completed t' slices. These are by far t' straightest cuts I have made in a tube t' date. Begad! T' guide was then removed.

T' first o' t' fins t' go in place be t' belly fin. Begad! Ya scallywag! It is actually composed o' 3 pieces o' plywood. Begad! T' first central piece be t' largest and has a notch in t' leadin' edge t' accommodate a dowel. Avast! T' other two pieces have the same lower profile but only extend t' just above t' slot for t' dowel. Arrr! Begad! Taken together, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, they form a slot for the dowel.

T' center fin is installed first. Avast! I used a needle t' prick a set o' holes along t' line it was t' be mounted on. Avast! Ya scallywag! This be so that t' glue could form "rivets" that penetrate t' BT. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I then put some yellow glue on the root edge o' t' fin, pressed it place and immediately removed it. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I then let both glue trails dry so that I could form the double glue joint. Ahoy! When dry, I applied some more glue t' t' root edge and carefully placed t' fin. Avast! The instructions warn that you should nay try t' form a fillet at this point.

T' reason you are warned nay t' fillet t' fin yet is that t' two outer pieces still have t' be applied. Begad! Blimey! When the fin was dry, I applied glue t' t' interior face o' t' outer piece and t' root edge and pressed it into place on the central fin. I noticed that both o' me side pieces were ever so slightly warped and did nay want t' sit flat against t' central piece. Aye aye! Blimey! I could find none o' t' clamps that are hidden around t' disaster area I call a workshop but I did notice t' battery leads t' me battery charger. Avast! Blimey! They did t' clampin' just fine.

T' battery clamps came off after a day and it be time t' insert t' wooden dowel antenna into t' pocket formed by t' two side pieces and t' center piece. Begad! Blimey! It be glued in place with yellow glue and periodically checked t' make sure that t' dowel was aligned with t' BT and parallel t' t' BT.

T' dowel antenna be followed by two rounded decks, me hearties, one on either side o' t' tail assembly. They too were fixed in place with yellow glue.

Another, longer dowel is provided as an antenna that sits on t' tail assembly. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This be put in place with yellow glue. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Note well t' side that t' instructions have you mark: I marked as indicated and then made an "assumption" and glued it on backwards. Fortunately, I discovered me mistake before it has set up and was able t' correct it.

T' dish antenna is up next. It is an oval disk with a notch in one side t' accommodate t' first dowel antenna mentioned above. Ahoy! T' disk is glued t' t' 3 layered tail assembly and helps t' support t' dowel.

All o' t' wood assembly up t' this point had been fairly easy, but I was worried about t' next step: inserting the fin/engine pylons. These were t' go in t' slots I had cut earlier. I was confident that t' slots were in the right place but was worried about alignment. Avast, me proud beauty! T' engine hook was nay perfectly centered in t' slot o' t' centering rin' and when I had sighted along t' tube, matey, t' asymmetry tended t' throw off me perceptions. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! This rocket would not work in me Art Rose fin jig so I had t' do it by eye.

I decided t' use 5 minute epoxy for this step and do t' pylons one at a time. Accordingly, I mixed a small batch and began t' ladle it into t' slot. I then inserted t' pylon and did me best t' ensure it was at t' proper angle to the tail assembly. Arrr! When t' epoxy had set, I mixed another batch and did t' same for t' other side. Begad! When both had set, I mixed a third batch and used it t' fillet t' joint with t' outer BT. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! They turned out t' be easier than I had feared.

After t' pylons were in place, arrr, I turned t' what I thought would be another easy section, me hearties, t' two side decks. There be nothin' really difficult about them except that thar was a slight bow in t' wood. Aye aye! Blimey! One is applied t' each side o' t' BT. For this, me hearties, I used a safety pin t' drill rivet holes along t' application line and put them on with a double glue joint o' yellow glue. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I actually started at one end and held that in place until t' deck would nay move. When stable, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I gently bend t' wood t' apply some more glue and then set t' remainder in place, ya bilge rat, matey, me bucko, holdin' it until it was dry. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' process was repeated on t' opposite side. Aye aye! Blimey! It turned out nay t' be difficult, but it be tedious.

From t' side decks I turned t' a simpler task, arrr, however, it be t' first one involvin' any o' t' vacuum formed parts. Begad! T' top deck is plywood and extends most o' t' length o' t' BT. Avast! Begad! On t' deck, however, is mounted t' bridge, reminiscent o' t' bridge o' t' Star Trek Enterprise. Aye aye! This is vacuum formed plastic.

T' instructions suggest that you use a sharp pencil t' trace around t' vacuum formed parts. Ya scallywag! This makes it much easier t' see t' line along which cuttin' should occur. Begad! I then used an X-Acto knife and made about 4 passes t' get the part cut out. Well, blow me down! Sandpaper was used t' clean up t' edges and t' make sure o' a flat mountin' surface. Blimey! Begad! T' bridge be then mounted t' t' wood with a very small application o' tube type plastic cement.

In addition t' t' two dowels provides for t' tail assembly, thar are 2 more long ones t' serve as conduit. These were easily applied along t' marked lines with yellow glue.

T' launch lugs came next. Begad! T' kit actually came with one and instructions t' cut it into a longer segment and a shorter one. Arrr! T' shorter one be then glued in place at t' back o' one o' t' side decks and t' longer one in place even with t' aft end o' one o' t' conduit dowels.

By t' time t' lugs were in place, arrr, t' bridge was sufficiently dry so that t' top deck could be glued into place. Begad! Blimey! I again drilled rivet holes along t' length o' t' alignment line and glued it in place with yellow glue.

T' warp pods o' t' engine derive their strength from a pair o' body tubes glued together inside o' each pod. Each pair consists o' a shorter and a longer tube. Begad! Arrr! Each pair is glued together with t' forward edges aligned. Begad! Begad! Yellow glue was used.

T' vacuum formed warp pods were cut out in t' same manner as t' bridge and sanded likewise. Well, blow me down! A pair o' the tubes was then set in place in t' plastic and glued with a small bit o' tube type cement. Arrr! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! When dry, shiver me timbers, t' opposite side of t' pod be glued on with liquid type plastic cement.

Then came t' most tedious part o' t' whole build. Ya scallywag! T' edges o' t' pods were sanded down. Begad! Periodically, arrr, me bucko, arrr, this would "break into" t' glue joint and t' assembly would have more o' t' liquid cement applied and tape would be put on t' hold it closed until it dried. Begad! Ya scallywag! Then t' whole process would be repeated over and over again until the join lines disappeared. Avast, me proud beauty! Eventually, me hearties, I got t' t' point where I did nay want t' remove any more material but still had some fairin' t' do and putty be used t' build these places up. Begad! Arrr! That resulted in even more sanding.

When I was satisfied with t' pods, I needed t' cut t' slots for t' pylons. An X-Acto blade was used in multiple passes t' cut out t' plastic. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' process was continued until t' tubes were broached and cut as well.

T' warp engine pods were attached t' t' pylons with 5 minute epoxy. Ahoy! Begad! I did one side at a time and mixed a small batch. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This was ladled into t' slot on t' pod so that it would clin' t' t' area where t' pylon would hit the opposite wall o' t' tube. Aye aye! T' pylon was then slid into t' slot and held straight until t' epoxy set up. Blimey! Another small batch o' epoxy be then mixed and used t' fillet t' joint betwixt t' pylon and t' outer edge o' t' pod. Begad! When dry, shiver me timbers, t' opposite side o' t' same pod was filleted and t' entire process was repeated for t' opposite engine.

PROs: Nay as difficult as it looks...and it looks great.

CONs: Vacuum formed plastic takes some time t' get used t' workin' with, matey, but it can be done.

Finishing:
Finishin' o' this model actually started durin' construction. Begad! Blimey! As t' plywood pieces were assembled, me hearties, they were sealed with balsa filler coat with rounds o' light sanding. Begad! This resulted in an exceptionally smooth finish after t' fifth coat. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I decided nay t' try and fill t' spirals, shiver me timbers, although I very much appreciated t' advice for a good way t' do so in the instructions because they were barely visible. T' quality o' t' tubes be excellent. T' nosecone be a little rough and I started off by usin' some balsa filler coat on that as well. Ahoy! After 2 coats, ya bilge rat, however, matey, shiver me timbers, it was apparent that it would need many more and I sped things up with Elmer's Wood Filler. Begad! Blimey! With that, I thought I was ready t' prime using Kilz. Avast! Blimey! I figured t' Kilz would fill in any spiral that might be visible.

Accordingly, I set t' Atlantis up in t' booth and me first problem became readily apparent with t' first coatin' o' Kilz. Ya scallywag! T' Kilz brought out a few hairline cracks in t' joints betwixt t' sides o' t' plastic warp pods. Ya scallywag! I realized right away that I needed some more filler.

T' second problem became apparent as I went back t' me desk and started rummagin' around waitin' for t' Kilz to dry. I found a pair o' parts I had forgotten t' install. Blimey! These were 2 plywood rails that are applied t' t' bottom of the warp pods. I immediately began t' seal them with filler coat.

When t' Kilz had dried, shiver me timbers, I gave t' rocket a sandin' and then applied t' 2 rails with 5 minute epoxy. I also applied putty t' t' cracks.

When t' putty be dry, ya bilge rat, I had t' sand it down smooth. T' result was ugly but t' finish be smooth. Begad! After painting, I felt it should look very good.

T' rocket was then put back in t' booth and given another coat o' Kilz. Avast, me proud beauty! It be then sanded some more.

After sanding, t' entire rocket be sprayed with a light coat o' Rustoleum Silver Metallic. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! After t' first coat, you could barely tell that t' rocket had been painted--it puts out a very fine mist. Avast, me proud beauty! That was fine with me. Every few hours, me bucko, shiver me timbers, or when I could get back t' t' shop, me bucko, I would give it another coat and it did build up over time. A total o' six coats were applied but they are more like 2 "normal" coats.

After I thought I was finished with t' silver paint, arrr, I looked more closely and found that thar were some unpainted places in t' shadows o' t' intricate woodwork. Blimey! Avast! I sprayed these areas and let t' rocket dry for another day.

T' first o' t' trim that I attempted were t' rhomboids molded into t' engine nacelles. Begad! Begad! I taped o' t' edges with cellophane, arrr, a big mistake (I should have known better) and paited with Tamiya copper usin' a brush. Avast, me proud beauty! There were several problems with this. T' main one is that t' cellophane did nay produce a good seal and thar be some leakage. I had a plan for this. Arrr! T' second problem stemmed from me own clumsiness. Begad! I fumbled t' brush and in me attempts to catch it, me hearties, me hearties, me bucko, splattered some paint. Avast! Avast! T' make matters worse, me hearties, I also smudged some with me fingers. Avast! Much be cleaned up with a paper towel but some copper stainin' remained. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! When dry, I planned t' touch up usin' some o' t' sprayed silver paint, sprayed into a puddle, and brushed on.

I also painted t' radar dish and antenna o' t' superstructure with t' same copper.

I decided t' use some bright red paint t' highlight t' dots runnin' along t' outside o' t' nacelles. Ahoy! Blimey! I used Model Master and applied it with a brush.

While starin' at t' red dots and ponderin' t' relative dryin' time o' acrylics and enamels, I decided that I wanted t' do somethin' with t' 2 dowel "conduits" on t' ventral side. Begad! I masked them off and painted them copper as well.

Each o' t' engine nacelles has an elongated area on each side which you are instructed t' paint blue. Blimey! I masked the areas and brush painted them with Tamiya metallic blue. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' color looks good but, shiver me timbers, on liftin' t' tape, I found the same bleedin' problems I had experienced with t' copper. Begad! Again, I planned t' take care o' this problem before adding the decals.

My method for dealin' with t' paint blunders seemed simple enough. Arrr! Aye aye! I took t' spray can from which t' original silver had come and sprayed a big puddle into a paper plate. Avast, me proud beauty! I then brushed t' paint onto t' blunders. Begad! Coverage was not as good as I had expected. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I had t' put on a "first coat" and let it dry before tacklin' it again.

T' touch ups with t' brushed silver spray did nay go perfectly but they certainly improved things. Well, blow me down! While I was at it, I brushed a bit o' blue onto t' bridge assembly t' make it stand out better.

Before t' major task o' applyin' all t' decals could begin, I needed t' "smooth out" t' graininess of t' metallic paint finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! This was done by sprayin' with Rustoleum clear. Begad! A total o' 3 light coats be applied.

One o' t' more intimidatin' parts o' this kit be t' sheer number o' decals. Aye aye! There are four sheets and I knew when I began that me decal application skills are merely adequate. Begad! This kit was goin' t' push me limits.

I decided t' start simply and add t' name and hull numbers t' t' nacelles. Avast, me proud beauty! There are four instances o' this decal, me bucko, two in black and two in red. T' instructions indicate placement but nay color. Ya scallywag! I elected t' put t' black on the outer faces and red on t' inner.

Since it was on t' same sheet, me hearties, I decided t' go with one for t' tail assembly next. I cut it out and it was a tight fit. Arrr! I had t' do some trimmin' t' keep it from overlappin' t' edge.

Next up were t' win' pylons. Well, blow me down! Begad! These require 4 decals (each side, top and bottom) and differ only in their being mirror images o' each other. Arrr! They went on without too much fuss.

T' upper deck, aft o' t' bridge is one long decal. Begad! T' look right, t' "bull's eye" needs t' be centered in t' circular section. Arrr! Blimey! This sounds easy but thar be some asymmetry which makes it just a touch more difficult that might be imagined. Begad! Begad! T' decals forward o' t' bridge went on with t' same attention t' t' misleading asymmetry.

T' tops o' t' side decks each got a decal and t' bottoms got a longer version. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! One o' them had t' be trimmed to fit around t' launch lug.

T' tail assembly had already gotten its main decal, but t' instructions provide for another one on each side higher up on t' 3-ply area. Ahoy! For me, ya bilge rat, matey, this was confusin' because it was obvious that t' decal would nay fit as outlines, and I don't mean minor trimmin' here. Blimey! T' lower part o' t' decal has t' be cut off and applied below the horizontal projection. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! This is nay difficult but it gave me pause because everywhere else, shiver me timbers, t' decals were marked with a dotted line where they were supposed t' be cut and this one had no such dots, leadin' me t' t' conclusion that I was not understandin' something. Begad! I finally cut it and applied it. Avast, me proud beauty! Whether I am correct or not, I am satisfied with the result.

T' antenna dish got a grill pattern over its top half. On t' forward section o' t' BT, from t' bottom, matey, there are 3 principal decals. Aye aye! T' aftermost features a yellow circle and more o' t' patternin' that has predominated on the bottom o' t' hull. Ya scallywag! Near t' nosecone thar be a pretty cool lookin' Atlantis logo. Arrr! In betwixt these two is a hull number. On t' top surface, shiver me timbers, near t' front, goes a much bigger hull number.

With t' decals applied on t' top and bottom o' t' rocket, t' 2 sides were left t' do. These consisted o' 3 longer decals on each side forward o' t' side decks and then a few small "detail" decals. Begad! Several were just logos and one on each side consisted o' 3 colored squares.

After all t' decals were dried, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I set t' Atlantis up in t' spray booth and began applyin' light coats of clear. Avast! I gave it a total o' 4 coats. With that, matey, matey, t' Atlantis was ready t' fly...the next day.

PROs: This is a good lookin' rocket but t' decals take it t' a whole new level. Arrr! They really make a superior kit awesome.

CONs: gettin' those nooks and crannies painted can be hard but t' effort is worth it.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' day o' t' maiden flight o' t' Refit Atlantis arrived and it was prepped with a D12-5. Begad! Blimey! People wanted t' see this one. Blimey! On takeoff, shiver me timbers, matey, it weathercocked a bit but was very stable. Ahoy! It ejected and recovered nay far away. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I wanted t' try it on somethin' bigger.

A video o' t' flight can be seen here.

For t' second flight, I wanted t' use an E15 but I didn't have one. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Like a dunce, matey, I loaded an E30-4. Arrr! Blimey! It flew stable but whipped off t' pad very fast. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It also flew with t' wind a long way away. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! We managed t' see where it landed and I started t' long hike t' get it back. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

T' landowner was kind enough t' open a gate and let me on his property but warned me about Sweetie. Aye aye! It turns out that Sweetie is a dog but I was nay worried because Sweetie was a dachshund. Sweetie seemed...sweet until I went past t' gate and then she became a hellhound. Begad! It's humiliating, really, ya bilge rat, I never thought I would ever meet t' dachshund who could outrun me. Avast, me proud beauty! I bet she was funny looking, but I was too busy looking where I was running. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! At least I got me rocket back.

A video o' t' second flight can be seen here, ya bilge rat, but don't blink. Aye aye! Begad!

PROs: This one is bound t' look good, no matter what. Seein' it in t' air is even better.

CONs: It is prone t' weathercockin' but that be t' hazard o' all that area aft. Blimey! Aye aye! Without it, me bucko, it would just be another rocket.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I love this one. Blimey! It looks cool. Blimey! Avast! It was challengin' but nay impossible. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I am actually proud o' it, nay somethin' I say about too many o' mine in terms o' appearance.

I'm glad I waited t' get started...I didn't have t' skills t' build it when I bought it. Begad! I hope it has a long career.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5