Picture courtesy o' Discount Hobbies

Brief:
Tiny and awfully cute (1/396) scale Saturn V for mini-motors. Parachute recovery.

Construction:
T' kit is actually fairly simple t' construct despite its appearance. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' kit basically consists o' a short length o' 24mm tube, one giant epoxy-cast nose-cone and four epoxy-cast fins-shrouds. T' motor mount and t' chute are standard for mini-kits -- a centered 13mm motor tube and a tiny plastic chute. T' tubes and chute are basically Estes quality. Avast, me proud beauty! No surprises there. Aye aye! T' cone and fins are very nicely done. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' cone was perfect, arrr, me hearties, but a couple o' fins had "dents" in 'em from bubbles formin' durin' t' casting. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I didn't even bother with anythin' elaborate t' fill t' dents. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! A little Elmer's was fine.

T' instructions are quite easy t' follow, and t' kit will be a snap for anyone who's built small rockets before. T' only part that be a bit hairy was puttin' on t' big roll-pattern on t' main tube. Avast! Take your time with this step. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I don't recall what's recommended, ya bilge rat, but I glued on t' fins/shrouds with a little bit o' 5-minute epoxy. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I also poked some holes through t' roll-decal with a pin before epoxying, so t' fins weren't just attached t' t' decal. This seems t' have done t' trick, me hearties, because t' fins are on quite well. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' only other thin' I'd recommend is t' bevel t' shoulder o' t' nose cone a bit. Ahoy! The base o' t' cone is concave and has a sharp edge from t' castin' process, which makes it difficult t' insert in t' body tube. Arrr! I carved away that sharp edge and sanded a bevel into t' bottom o' t' shoulder, and it fit very nicely now. Ya scallywag! No special tools are required for this kit, although I do recommend some epoxy for t' fins and for t' edge o' t' decals, me bucko, matey, t' keep 'em from wantin' to peel up.

Finishing:
Finishin' is quite simple. Ahoy! Begad! You need t' paint t' cone white before applyin' the other roll-decals, matey, shiver me timbers, as a couple o' sections o' it and t' escape-rocket don't have decals. You also need t' paint t' fins. Aye aye! Ahoy! I'd recommend a brush, matey, me bucko, because maskin' off t' fins from t' rest o' t' body would be a pain. Aye aye! Paintin' the fins is a bit o' a pain, matey, as they need t' be black, white, and silver t' match the scale paint scheme. I used a black marker and a silver paint-pen, and I got reasonably good results. Once everything's painted, me hearties, ya bilge rat, go over t' entire rocket with some matte-finish spray, shiver me timbers, matey, and it'll look great.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I fully expected this rocket t' fly like a pig, because t' huge epoxy cone makes it so heavy for its tiny size. Blimey! I be pleasantly surprised t' find that it flies quite well. Well, blow me down! Begad! Another plus is that it's got so much nose-weight that you don't have t' snap any extra clear plastic fins on it t' keep it stable. Begad! I've flown it several times on an A3-4, arrr, and it's done quite well, me bucko, poppin' at t' top and droppin' a bit too smartly for comfort on its tiny parachute. Aye aye! T' little escape-rocket point at t' top isn't as sharp as it used t' be, arrr, but I build 'em to fly, nay t' sit on t' shelf.

Recovery:
No real flight and recovery cons t' speak of. Blimey! It flies surprisingly well, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and it always gets interest when I brin' it t' t' pad. It's a cute little rocket. Motor selection for it is pretty limited, me bucko, though. Begad! I don't think I'd fly it on anythin' other than an A3-4. Arrr!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros: Goes together easily. Ahoy! Looks great on t' shelf or t' pad. Ahoy! Flies better than expected. Begad! Begad! Cons: Shoulder o' big cone could damage tube if you don't sand on it first.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5