Sirius Rocketry Refit USS Atlantis
Sirius Rocketry - Refit USS Atlantis {Kit} (S-0010)
Contributed by John R, Brandon III
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2011-09-29 |
| Diameter: | 1.33 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Sirius Rocketry  |
| Style: | Futuristic/Exotic, Upscale |
Brief
T' Refit USS Atlantis is a classy update-upscale o' Estes' old USS Atlantis exotic starship. T' old one flew on 19mm motors, this one is set up for 21mm. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! It's mostly a plywood and cardboard-tube kit with some vacuum-formed plastic parts as decor.
I have t' brag on Sirius' customer support. Avast! I ordered t' Atlantis kit on t' first o' September and their website reported it shipped on t' third...When t' fifteenth rolled around with no USPS box I emailed them t' inquire. T' email was answered on a Saturday; seems me kit went back t' Sirius due t' a mysterious torn label. They added a 12" nylon parachute, a sampler sheet o' decals, and an Estes Alpha Three kit t' t' box t' reward me patience! That, folks, matey, is customer service.
Components
This was me first Sirius kit, arrr, t' flagship o' their product line...but it CERTAINLY will NOT be me last!! It came in t' typical plastic bag with header card. Avast, me proud beauty! I had a very brief scary moment durin' me initial readthrough o' t' 12-page instructions...I couldn't find t' centerin' rings! Then I looked at t' BIG sheet o' laser-cut plywood...There they were! T' centerin' rings are laser-cut plywood too.
Kit parts were a long BT-55 tube, a 10" BT-50 motor mount tube, a nice balsa nose cone, a screw eye, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, two feet o' Keelhaul®©™ line and two feet o' sewin' elastic for t' recovery harness, arrr, t' big sheet o' laser-cut plywood that has all t' fins and centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, two BT-5 tubes each o' two slightly-different lengths, matey, two sheets o' vacuum-formed styrene parts, five wood dowels o' three different lengths, arrr, a 24" Mylar parachute kit, shiver me timbers, an engine hook, arrr, a 3/16" launch lug, a body tube markin' guide, t' assembly manual...and FOUR sheets o' waterslide decals! Blimey! Notably absent from this kit be any sort o' engine block ring...I had a spare Estes AR2050 rin' and put it in. After I found t' centerin' rings on t' laser-cut plywood sheet I noted all parts were present and none damaged.
Construction
T' instruction manual was well-written annd well-printed and included an interestin' science-fiction "backstory" regardin' t' "history" o' t' Refit USS Atlantis. Aye aye! T' tubes were nearly spiral-free, ya bilge rat, t' balsa nose cone needed a few swipes o' sandin' and a coat o' Testor's tube plastic cement t' be glassy smooth, and t' plywood surfaces were so smooth no filler or sealer was needed.
I added an AR2050 rin' salvaged from an old Esytes motor mount as a thrust ring, ya bilge rat, just because I have seen high-thrust motors shift motor-retainer clips.
T' Refit Atlantis went together smoothly and in good time...She came in one mornin' and was assembled in time for dinner! T' slottin' o' t' tubes was done with me trusty #1 X-acto knife guided by a section o' steel angle.
Those vacuum-formed styrene "ample nacelles" which bedeviled other reviewers were nay too big a problem for me...but then I have forty-four years o' plastic modelin' on me resume too. Begad! There is a neat straight one-eighth-inch gap betwixt me nacelle shells along t' tube top and bottom...I left it unfilled but filled t' nacelle ends.
Used cyanoacrylate gel and yellow wood glue for assembly throughout...typical o' me these days.
PROs -- Nice parts, moderate parts count but delightful detail level, arrr, ya bilge rat, lots o' tips on doin' it right.
CONs -- Only one I see was t' lack o' a thrust ring. Aye aye! Well, they MIGHT could have tossed in a nylon parachute and a baffle...but that's just a cost quibble.
Finishing
This was a rare bird in surface terms. Plywood be glassy-smooth as it popped out o' t' sheet and I swear t' see t' tube spirals I had t' use a magnifyin' glass! Blimey! Three mist coats o' Krylon Matte Silver (leftovers from me Nell kit...see me last review) did t' trick; a bit o' royal blur acrylic added with a brush picked out t' nacelle intercoolers.
Four sheets o' really-crisp three-color waterslide decals were provided, me bucko, and these are what makes this beauty a work o' art. Sirius has some artists in their decal-design team...there are ARBORETUM windows on this starship, and you can TELL that is what they ARE! There's a piece o' forest inside this starship, for recreation or life-support or both.
PROs -- T' decals. Ahoy! Ahoy! Simple paint job, matey, enhanced by t' decals. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Did I mention t' decals?
CONs -- I'm still tryin' t' find cons...they must all be behind bars.
Flight
I have t' wait until Texas is no longer under a burn ban t' fly this beauty...well, arrr, a friend o' mine has a possible plowed field we could use in early October. Begad! I'll update this with flight data.
My Atlantis Refit is under target weight thanks t' me adhesives decisions so she ought t' fly a bit better than t' ones reviewed before...I MIGHT put an APCP E in her t' see her superluminal performance!
Recovery
T' gorgeous silver Mylar 24" chute should be just about right...I'll keep you posted when I can fly safely!
Summary
All in all a fun build o' a classy starship-look rocket.
PROs -- Solid parts, good instructions, ya bilge rat, well-considered design that falls together nicely. Aye aye! Blimey! Stronger than it needs t' be...but easier t' build too strong than it used t' be.
CONs -- A bit pricey for what you get...but it can be argued that it's loot well spent.
Other Reviews
- Sirius Rocketry Refit USS Atlantis By John Lee (October 22, 2008)
Brief: According to my records, my Refit USS Atlantis has been sitting in my build pile for about a year. That jives with my memory. It was one of the first kits I ordered and it has been intimidating me ever since. I really wanted to build it but I wanted it to look good too. Finally, I decided to give it a try, not because I think I can do it justice but because I want it so bad. ...
- Sirius Rocketry Refit USS Atlantis By Drake "Doc" Damerau (March 26, 2007)
( Contributed - by Drake "Doc" Damerau - 03/26/07) Brief: I saw that Chan Stevens, a top-notch builder and reviewer, already reviewed this kit but I wanted to add to it by going a little further into the construction and offer more construction details. It’s not a “second opinion” review, rather one to complement Chan’s review. Construction: Engine ...
- Sirius Rocketry Refit USS Atlantis By Chan Stevens
Brief: Inspired by Star Trek, this futuristic spaceship design will draw a crowd at the pad and flies surprisingly well. At $60, it's a bit on the pricey side, but it is made with quality components and design and is challenging and enjoyable to build. Construction: I ordered my kit via the Sirius Rocketry website with their flagship Saturn V kit. There was a delay of a couple ...
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