Brief:
Accordin' t' me records, matey, me Refit USS Atlantis has been sittin' in me build pile for about a year. Ya scallywag! That jives with my memory. It was one o' t' first kits I ordered and it has been intimidatin' me ever since. I really wanted t' build it but I wanted it t' look good too. Ahoy! Finally, I decided t' give it a try, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, nay because I think I can do it justice but because I want it so bad. Ahoy! 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. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I gave t' instructions a thorough reading. Aye aye! Blimey! That certainly ratcheted up t' intimidation factor. Ahoy! Don't get me wrong, t' instructions are well written, matey, ya bilge rat, very thorough and chock full o' helpful hints and tips, me hearties, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I made t' motor tube as directed, located the centerin' rings and engine hook and came t' a screechin' halt. Begad! Blimey! I searched through t' bag and t' instructions and found no mention o' a thrust ring. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Neither did I find t' actual ring. Avast, me proud beauty! It may nay be needed but, me hearties, I like them. Arrr! Blimey! 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. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Accordingly, I cut a rin' off o' a spent Estes E motor and used that as a thrust ring, matey, 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' forward one allows passin' o' a Keelhaul®©™® thread and t' aft one accommodates t' engine hook. Ahoy! Blimey! T' middle rin' has no notch and is located at t' midpoint. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! Instead o' doin' this, matey, I decided t' add a baffle system and anchor the recovery system t' that. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I chose a FlisKits BAF-55.

Since thar was no recovery system associated with t' motor mount t' worry about, t' next step was t' actually install t' motor mount into t' main body tube. 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. Well, blow me down! I generally prefer these t' t' end alignment guides that some favor. Begad! Sirius has gone a step further than most o' t' competition though. Ya scallywag! Avast! Theirs is printed on its own sheet. Begad! 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. Aye aye! I aligned t' belly centerline with t' engine hook and taped t' guide an 1/8" forward o' t' end. Well, blow me down! I then transferred t' lines to the BT and labeled them. I slid t' guide off for t' time being, 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, arrr, I again slipped t' wraparound guide onto t' BT and ensured that its marks lined up with those on t' tube. Blimey! This time t' guide was taped in place flush with t' end o' t' tube. Well, blow me down! 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, I taped a steel ruler along one o' t' lines for t' cutout. Avast! Ya scallywag! Then using multiple passes, a razor knife be used t' cut t' BT. You must be careful nay t' cut too deep and penetrate t' motor tube. Avast! When one line was cut, I repositioned t' ruler and cut another. Finally, all that be left be t' very short cut at either end o' t' slots. Ya scallywag! 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. Avast! T' guide be then removed.

T' first o' t' fins t' go in place be t' belly fin. Aye aye! 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. Begad! Blimey! T' other two pieces have the same lower profile but only extend t' just above t' slot for t' dowel. Begad! Well, blow me down! Taken together, arrr, 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. Begad! This be so that t' glue could form "rivets" that penetrate t' BT. Aye aye! I then put some yellow glue on the root edge o' t' fin, pressed it place and immediately removed it. I then let both glue trails dry so that I could form the double glue joint. Avast! When dry, I applied some more glue t' t' root edge and carefully placed t' fin. Aye aye! Begad! 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! Ahoy! Blimey! When the fin was dry, arrr, me hearties, I applied glue t' t' interior face o' t' outer piece and t' root edge and pressed it into place on the central fin. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! I noticed that both o' me side pieces were ever so slightly warped and did nay want t' sit flat against t' central piece. 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. Blimey! They did t' clampin' just fine.

T' battery clamps came off after a day and it was time t' insert t' wooden dowel antenna into t' pocket formed by t' two side pieces and t' center piece. Ya scallywag! It was 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 was followed by two rounded decks, me bucko, one on either side o' t' tail assembly. Ya scallywag! Begad! They too were fixed in place with yellow glue.

Another, shiver me timbers, longer dowel is provided as an antenna that sits on t' tail assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This be put in place with yellow glue. Blimey! Arrr! 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, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I discovered me mistake before it has set up and was able t' correct it.

T' dish antenna is up next. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It is an oval disk with a notch in one side t' accommodate t' first dowel antenna mentioned above. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! 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 be worried about t' next step: inserting the fin/engine pylons. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These were t' go in t' slots I had cut earlier. Avast! I be confident that t' slots were in the right place but be worried about alignment. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! T' engine hook was nay perfectly centered in t' slot o' t' centering rin' and when I had sighted along t' tube, shiver me timbers, t' asymmetry tended t' throw off me perceptions. Ahoy! 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. Begad! Blimey! I then inserted t' pylon and did me best t' ensure it be at t' proper angle to the tail assembly. Begad! Blimey! When t' epoxy had set, me hearties, arrr, I mixed another batch and did t' same for t' other side. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! When both had set, me bucko, I mixed a third batch and used it t' fillet t' joint with t' outer BT. They turned out t' be easier than I had feared.

After t' pylons were in place, I turned t' what I thought would be another easy section, t' two side decks. There was nothin' really difficult about them except that thar be a slight bow in t' wood. Ahoy! One is applied t' each side o' t' BT. Ya scallywag! For this, 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. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I actually started at one end and held that in place until t' deck would nay move. When stable, matey, I gently bend t' wood t' apply some more glue and then set t' remainder in place, holdin' it until it was dry. Ahoy! Arrr! T' process was repeated on t' opposite side. Blimey! It turned out nay t' be difficult, but it was tedious.

From t' side decks I turned t' a simpler task, arrr, however, ya bilge rat, it was t' first one involvin' any o' t' vacuum formed parts. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' top deck is plywood and extends most o' t' length o' t' BT. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! On t' deck, however, is mounted t' bridge, reminiscent o' t' bridge o' t' Star Trek Enterprise. This is vacuum formed plastic.

T' instructions suggest that you use a sharp pencil t' trace around t' vacuum formed parts. Blimey! This makes it much easier t' see t' line along which cuttin' should occur. Well, blow me down! Begad! I then used an X-Acto knife and made about 4 passes t' get the part cut out. Ya scallywag! Sandpaper be used t' clean up t' edges and t' make sure o' a flat mountin' surface. Begad! Avast! T' bridge was 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, me hearties, 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. Ahoy! T' kit actually came with one and instructions t' cut it into a longer segment and a shorter one. Aye aye! 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 be sufficiently dry so that t' top deck could be glued into place. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! 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. Each pair is glued together with t' forward edges aligned. Avast! Yellow glue be used.

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

Then came t' most tedious part o' t' whole build. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' edges o' t' pods were sanded down. Well, blow me down! Periodically, 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Then t' whole process would be repeated over and over again until the join lines disappeared. Aye aye! Begad! Eventually, I got t' t' point where I did nay want t' remove any more material but still had some fairin' t' do and putty was used t' build these places up. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! That resulted in even more sanding.

When I was satisfied with t' pods, me bucko, I needed t' cut t' slots for t' pylons. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! An X-Acto blade be used in multiple passes t' cut out t' plastic. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' process be continued until t' tubes were broached and cut as well.

T' warp engine pods were attached t' t' pylons with 5 minute epoxy. I did one side at a time and mixed a small batch. Blimey! Blimey! This be 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. Arrr! Blimey! T' pylon was then slid into t' slot and held straight until t' epoxy set up. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Another small batch o' epoxy was then mixed and used t' fillet t' joint betwixt t' pylon and t' outer edge o' t' pod. When dry, arrr, 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, but it can be done.

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

Accordingly, me hearties, I set t' Atlantis up in t' booth and me first problem became readily apparent with t' first coatin' o' Kilz. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Kilz brought out a few hairline cracks in t' joints betwixt t' sides o' t' plastic warp pods. 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. Begad! I found a pair o' parts I had forgotten t' install. Ya scallywag! These were 2 plywood rails that are applied t' t' bottom of the warp pods. Avast! I immediately began t' seal them with filler coat.

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

When t' putty was dry, I had t' sand it down smooth. Ahoy! Blimey! T' result was ugly but t' finish was smooth. After painting, me hearties, me hearties, I felt it should look very good.

T' rocket be then put back in t' booth and given another coat o' Kilz. It be then sanded some more.

After sanding, t' entire rocket be sprayed with a light coat o' Rustoleum Silver Metallic. Ahoy! 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! Blimey! That was fine with me. Every few hours, matey, or when I could get back t' t' shop, 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 be finished with t' silver paint, me bucko, matey, I looked more closely and found that thar were some unpainted places in t' shadows o' t' intricate woodwork. Aye aye! 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! I taped o' t' edges with cellophane, a big mistake (I should have known better) and paited with Tamiya copper usin' a brush. There were several problems with this. T' main one is that t' cellophane did nay produce a good seal and thar was some leakage. I had a plan for this. Begad! T' second problem stemmed from me own clumsiness. Avast! I fumbled t' brush and in me attempts to catch it, me bucko, splattered some paint. T' make matters worse, I also smudged some with me fingers. Much was cleaned up with a paper towel but some copper stainin' remained. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! When dry, matey, ya bilge rat, 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. 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! Avast! 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. I masked the areas and brush painted them with Tamiya metallic blue. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! T' color looks good but, me bucko, on liftin' t' tape, I found the same bleedin' problems I had experienced with t' copper. Begad! Blimey! Again, I planned t' take care o' this problem before adding the decals.

My method for dealin' with t' paint blunders seemed simple enough. I took t' spray can from which t' original silver had come and sprayed a big puddle into a paper plate. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! I then brushed t' paint onto t' blunders. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Coverage was not as good as I had expected. Blimey! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! 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, arrr, I needed t' "smooth out" t' graininess of t' metallic paint finish. Avast! This was done by sprayin' with Rustoleum clear. Ahoy! A total o' 3 light coats be applied.

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

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

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

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

T' upper deck, ya bilge rat, aft o' t' bridge is one long decal. Aye aye! T' look right, me hearties, me hearties, t' "bull's eye" needs t' be centered in t' circular section. Avast! Avast! This sounds easy but thar be some asymmetry which makes it just a touch more difficult that might be imagined. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ahoy! One o' them had t' be trimmed to fit around t' launch lug.

T' tail assembly had already gotten its main decal, me bucko, but t' instructions provide for another one on each side higher up on t' 3-ply area. Avast, me proud beauty! For me, arrr, shiver me timbers, this was confusin' because it be obvious that t' decal would nay fit as outlines, and I don't mean minor trimmin' here. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' lower part o' t' decal has t' be cut off and applied below the horizontal projection. Aye aye! This is nay difficult but it gave me pause because everywhere else, 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. Ahoy! Whether I am correct or not, I am satisfied with the result.

T' antenna dish got a grill pattern over its top half. Ya scallywag! On t' forward section o' t' BT, from t' bottom, there are 3 principal decals. Begad! T' aftermost features a yellow circle and more o' t' patternin' that has predominated on the bottom o' t' hull. Begad! Aye aye! Near t' nosecone thar be a pretty cool lookin' Atlantis logo. Begad! In betwixt these two is a hull number. Begad! On t' top surface, near t' front, me bucko, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! These consisted o' 3 longer decals on each side forward o' t' side decks and then a few small "detail" decals. Avast! Begad! Several were just logos and one on each side consisted o' 3 colored squares.

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

PROs: This is a good lookin' rocket but t' decals take it t' a whole new level. Arrr! Aye aye! 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 be prepped with a D12-5. Begad! People wanted t' see this one. Blimey! Ya scallywag! On takeoff, it weathercocked a bit but be very stable. Avast! It ejected and recovered nay far away. I wanted t' try it on somethin' bigger.

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

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

T' landowner was kind enough t' open a gate and let me on his property but warned me about Sweetie. 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. Well, blow me down! It's humiliating, me bucko, me bucko, really, 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 be too busy looking where I be running. Ahoy! Avast! At least I got me rocket back.

A video o' t' second flight can be seen here, me hearties, but don't blink. Aye aye! Avast!

PROs: This one is bound t' look good, no matter what. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! 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! Without it, it would just be another rocket.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I love this one. It looks cool. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! It was challengin' but nay impossible. Begad! I am actually proud o' it, arrr, 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. Ahoy! I hope it has a long career.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5