Brief:
This is a sport-scale version o' t' Apollo 5, which be used t' launch a legless LEM for a test flight in January 1968. Arrr! This is a single stage, parachute recovery kit. Well, blow me down! Havin' just built t' Dr Zooch R7 Luna kit, I was still in t' mood for another kit that required actual skill t' put together. Avast! Aye aye! Having made it through this kit, shiver me timbers, I am certain that Dr Zooch fits into one o' the followin' two categories:

1. Benevolent, ya bilge rat, smiling, me hearties, messianic figure, possibly wearin' either tie-dye or maybe a pristine robe while giftin' us mere mortals with builder's kits for the purpose o' deliverin' us from t' insult o' nearly pre-built, imported "toys". Avast! Begad! Or...
2. He's t' pusher, skulkin' about in dingy alleyways, ya bilge rat, teasin' and tauntin' us with his wares, knowin' that once you're hooked, arrr, me hearties, you will come back for more because you're a hopelessly hooked Zooch junkie.

I'm nay sure which he is, but I do know I have 4 more kits waitin' t' be built and I know I'll be buyin' t' ones I don't have yet...

Construction:
Contents were packed in a sturdy cardboard box, me hearties, which is handy for transporting and storin' t' completed rocket after it's built. Contents were fine quality and included:

• BT-60 lower thrust structure tube
• BT-60 S-IVB body tube
• Balsa Apollo adapter section (with integral nose weight)
• BT-20 motor tube
• 4 Fiber centerin' rings
• Balsa fin stock and dowels
• Cardstock with fuel and lox tanks, engine bells, alignment guides, ya bilge rat, etc. Ahoy!
• Dowel for rollin' fuel tanks
• Decal sheet
• 15" red plastic garbage bag chute with Keelhaul®©™® cords
• Elastic shock cord
• Illustrated, matey, 8 page instruction sheet and a couple pages o' historical info

Once again, shiver me timbers, this is another fine kit from Dr Zooch. Well, blow me down! First step I would suggest would be t' slap a coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish (or wood filler of choice) on t' adaptor section, which besides t' fins be t' only thin' that needs fillin' on this kit. Begad! While that is drying, you can move on t' t' other steps in your build. Avast! As long as you read and follow t' instructions, arrr, thar are no real problems in buildin' this kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Heedin' me own advise after buildin' the R7 Luna, me bucko, matey, I rolled t' first stage fuel and LOX tanks and glued these with rubber cement this time. Blimey! Begad! Then I made sure that t' little buggers would stay rolled by wickin' some thin CA into t' seam. T' result was a set o' tubes that were slightly flexible yet very strongly adhered. Nay t' crispy, stiff tubes like t' conical boosters on t' Luna. Begad! If you have read t' other reviews of t' other Saturn 1 or 1B kits, shiver me timbers, t' construction process is very much the same, me hearties, ya bilge rat, except this one is actually easier than t' kits that have escape towers as this particular round had a shroud that housed a LEM. Well, blow me down! My only problem with the kit be t' thread that is used with t' unique engine bell creation. Begad! This is t' same Keelhaul®©™® thread that is used for t' parachute shroud lines. It's great for that, but it has some sort o' coatin' that makes it a bit springy and nay want t' conform to the tight windin' necessary t' get it t' stay attached t' t' nozzles while the glue sets. If I wasn't so lazy, I would have gotten off me TRF readin' fat butt and gotten a hold o' some regular cotton thread, but I didn't. Instead I grabbed t' CA, ya bilge rat, glued me fingers t' t' engine bells a couple or three times and made do with what came with t' kit. Ya scallywag! Begad! Hey, it's a review o' buildin' o' the kit. T' thread came with t' kit. Begad! Begad! I used it. So there. Aye aye! Now I feel better about bein' lazy (Or at least that's what I told myself.)

Finishing:
As much o' t' finish is built into t' kit with wraps, me bucko, matey, paintin' is pretty much confined t' t' Apollo adaptor. Arrr! (I recommended that you Fill 'n' Finish it at the beginning, remember?), t' upper section o' BT-60, and t' fins. Well, blow me down! T' good doctor does recommend that you paint t' fins before attachin' them (I also think it is a good idea) and also recommends that you trim away a sliver o' the printed wrap around t' lower thrust structure so t' fins are attached t' the tube underneath rather than t' paper o' t' wrap. That was a good suggestion which I was, once again, too lazy t' follow. Arrr! That decision was made all the worse by t' fact that before I attached t' fins, I chose t' dust t' rocket and nose cone after paintin' and assembly with some Krylon Crystal Clear. Nay a thick or even complete coat but just enough t' give it a slight sheen. Arrr! It was though, just enough t' make t' fin's bond a bit on t' weak side. Arrr! As long as it lands on t' grass, I'm fine. Begad! (But, gosh dang it, why does it always have to land in a parkin' lot?) There are a few ullage motors and retro rockets cut from scrap balsa and dowel pieces, shiver me timbers, but these are so small as t' nay even require fillin' before painting. Begad! What's really nice is that this kit gives you a handsome lookin' rocket with just a modest amount o' effort. Blimey! It has nay yet failed t' draw comments at any launch when I whip it out.

T' only decals are red "United States" decals that go on the upper stage in four places and it's pretty much done.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Dr Zooch recommends either a B6-4 or C6-3 for this beast. I chose t' launch it for t' first time at a HUVARS launch at Lyon Park in Michigan. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' finished rocket is surprisingly light and really moved out fast on t' B motor. There was a little wiggle on t' boost, most probably due t' some misalignment in one or more o' t' 8 fins. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' rocket was very stable and I couldn't have been any happier with t' flight. Avast! A C motor would be crazy high in a rocket this light and would have made for quite a hike t' recover it. Begad! Ejection be right at apogee, me bucko, and t' 15 inch trash bag chute be t' perfect size for this rocket. Unfortunately, it came down in t' nearby parkin' lot and one o' t' fins was loosened. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! That be fixed for t' next flight with a bit o' thin CA. An outstandin' flight for an outstandin' kit.

Recovery:
T' shock cord that be included with t' kit, shiver me timbers, matey, a 1/8 inch cord about 20 inches or so long, matey, would probably be fine for most kits this size, however I ended up with an "Estes dent" in me nose cone after t' first flight. I am guessin' that two things contributed t' this:

1. T' very energetic ejection charge really blew t' nose off with a lot of force and...
2. At t' end o' t' elastic's stretch, me bucko, me hearties, t' additional weight buried in the nose cone t' make t' rocket stable snapped it back with extraordinary force. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!

No big problem. A bit o' epoxy putty ought t' make it as good as new. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I will definitely tie an additional foot or two o' shock cord in thar before t' next flight. Aye aye! There is a luxurious amount o' space in t' body tube, compared t' the R7.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
All good, no bad. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! I love t' quality o' t' kits, t' wit o' t' instructions, and t' models that Dr Zooch chose t' release. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! These are kits you build rather than rip out o' t' box and crap into t' air.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5