Brief:
Sheri's Hot Rockets Saturn V is a high power (54 mm engine mount), shiver me timbers, 1/48 scale model o' t' famous NASA moon rocket (Sheri also offers this Saturn V with dual 29mm engine mounts although I wouldn't recommend it as it needs t' bigger motors). Arrr! Sheri keeps a consistent "Buy It Now" presence on eBay or you can order it directly off her website. Arrr! As o' this writing, ya bilge rat, matey, t' list price is $449, arrr, matey, although she does have occasional sales where she'll knock t' price down a bit and/or offer free shipping. However, as I've noted in other reviews o' SHR, most o' her kits are literally built t' order so be prepared for a wait.

Construction:
T' kit that I purchased includes t' followin' parts:

• 1 main body tube, 8.25" x 49"
• 1 tube coupler, me hearties, 8.25" x 3"
• 1 upper stage body tube 5.25" x 24"
• 1 3.125" Service Module body tube
• 1 Styrene sheet 0.010" thick
• 1 Styrene sheet 0.030" thick
• 1 Fiberboard stock 1/8" x 12" x 12" (for display nozzle mount).
• 4 ¼" ply centerin' rings (not all t' same, shiver me timbers, but they're marked)
• 6 corrugated styrene wraps
• 2 sheets white cardboard stock
• 125 1mm x 1mm styrene detail strips
• Cast resin Apollo Command Module
• Cast resin LES rocket
• 5 Cast resin F1 Main Engine display nozzles
• 38mm motor mount tube with 54mm-38mm reducer rings
• 54mm motor mount tube
• 5 pieces 3/32" round styrene tubing
• 1 Shock Cord eyelet w/ blind nut
• 1 Shock Cord eyelet with screw end
• 1 piece 1/8" x 1/8" x 3" long hardwood stock
• 1 piece 3/8" round by 6" long hardwood dowel
• 2 piece 3/16" round by 4" long hardwood dowel
• 3 piece ¼" x 3/8" x 36" long square balsa stock
• 2 piece 3/16" x 3/8" x 36" long balsa stock
• 1 piece 3/16" x 1/4" x 18" long balsa stock
• 2 "L" brackets with nuts/bolts/washers
• 5 flathead brass screws
• 2 wood screws
• 2 ¼" launch lugs
• 1 set waterslide decals
• 1-¼" x 1" x 1" fiberboard anchor block for screw eyelet
• 1/8" x ¾" x 6 ¼" plywood fin structure
• 4 Bolt/Washer/Blind nut assemblies (optional for LEM section attachment)
• Full size construction drawing
• 49 page Instruction manual
• Template Manual
• CD-ROM copy o' t' instructions with a RockSim file

Sheri's kits do nay include parachutes or shock cords--she recommends 2 x 55-60" chutes for t' lower portion and a 60" chute for t' upper portion.

As be t' case with t' Sheri's Saturn 1B, matey, me hearties, I purchased me kit shortly after it be introduced, matey, and Sheri subsequently made some improvements. Aye aye! After I noticed on t' website that t' Saturn kits had been improved with more cast resin parts, shiver me timbers, I emailed askin' if I could purchase t' extra resin parts for t' Saturn V kits. Sheri be happy t' oblige. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! She'd upped t' price o' t' Saturn kits when she improved it, so I paid t' difference betwixt t' current price and what I'd paid. Avast! T' additional parts for t' Saturn V were:

• 4 engine fairin' assemblies
• 4 fins
• 4 piece upper stage transition shroud
• 5 display engine nozzles (nicer than those originally included)
• 4 "Reaction Control Systems" (the maneuverin' rockets on t' command module)
• Escape tower parts (I didn't use these)
• A number o' detail parts

These cast resin part are a vast improvement over t' original kit. As purchased, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' fairin' assemblies were manufactured from pieces o' body tube and plywood with each stringer an individual piece o' 1mm x 1mm styrene that was glued into place. Arrr! Similarly all t' stringers on t' 2nd-3rd stage transition shroud were individually glued into place. Begad! I suspect many modelers wouldn't have bothered and just left t' stringers off.

As with t' other SHR models, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' full size construction drawin' is a nice touch--providin' quick reference when you're unsure how it should go together. One downside is that this drawin' is so big that findin' somewhere t' put it is non-trivial. I ended up tackin' it t' t' wall...

T' 8.25" diameter main body tube is simply massive. T' 5.25" diameter third stage body tube be t' same tube used in her companion Saturn 1B kit, and t' 8.25" tube is o' t' same 1/8" thick walled, matey, uncoated type. Well, me hearties, blow me down! As I did on t' S1B kit, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I pre-finished t' two big body tubes prior t' assembly by rubbin' slight thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish into t' tube surfaces. Begad! Begad! After it dried, I sanded it down with 180 grit and then 300 grit sandpaper. Avast! Aye aye! As before, this worked well, but workin' a body tube over 8 inches in diameter and 4 feet long took a long, shiver me timbers, long time. It turned out that this would become a common theme while buildin' this rocket.

Make no mistake, this is a big rocket. By far t' largest rocket I've built t' date. Ahoy! Effectively this be t' largest Saturn V rocket you can display with a typical 8 foot ceilin' (with t' display nozzles in place, it clears me 8ft ceilin' by little more than an inch). Ahoy! Aye aye! Previously, t' largest rocket I'd built had been t' 1/70th scale Apogee Saturn V (yes, I do really like Saturns). Well, blow me down! While t' difference betwixt 1/70th and 1/48th may nay sound like that much, remember t' effect is three dimensional, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, arrr, effectively makin' Sheri's Saturn 3 times t' size o' t' Apogee Saturn. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! With somethin' this big, arrr, ya bilge rat, even seemingly ordinary steps can be very time consuming. Arrr! Begad! Nay necessarily a bilge-suckin' thing, but be prepared. Arrr! This is a long, involved build.

That bein' said, t' actual build o' this rocket is relatively straightforward. Arrr! I think it may have been easier t' build than t' SHR Saturn 1B, although it did take quite a bit longer due t' t' larger size. Avast! T' cast resin engine fairin' assemblies were particularly appreciated. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' original instructions devoted 10 pages t' buildin' up t' fairings. Ya scallywag! With t' assemblies, it was reduced t' markin' t' body tube and gluin' t' fairings in place. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I wrapped some coarse sandpaper around t' body tube t' sand t' appropriate body tube contour t' t' fairings, shiver me timbers, me hearties, thick CA be used t' attach t' fairings, me hearties, me bucko, and then epoxy fillets were added for strength. Begad! Avast! T' fins are then simply glued t' t' fairings (again, attached with CA then epoxy fillets). Begad! Aye aye! Durin' an email exchange with Sheri after me Saturn was completed, arrr, she suggested addin' small screws t' anchor t' fairings t' t' body tube if you plan t' use particularly high thrust engines. Begad! Well, blow me down! Since mine was already finished, me bucko, I didn't bother t' retrofit t' change, but if you're plannin' t' build one as a flier, arrr, it would be a worthwhile addition. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! A more robust fin attachment may also be in order. Betwixt two flights and two cross-country shipments, arrr, shiver me timbers, I think I've knocked every fin off at least once.

T' 49 pages o' instructions for t' basic assembly o' t' rocket are reasonably good (and as noted, arrr, t' full size construction drawin' is helpful), shiver me timbers, plus thar are several more pages o' templates and patterns for makin' t' various parts and pieces. Begad! Begad! As be t' case with t' Saturn 1B, me bucko, t' instructions for addin' additional details were weak--basically little more than "shape t' part from balsa stock per t' template", although anyone capable o' buildin' this rocket really doesn't need much more in t' way o' details. Ya scallywag! T' cast resin detail parts were a nice additional, although they are nay all that detailed. Ya scallywag! Again, matey, if you want t' make it super detailed you'll need t' modify or make parts from scratch. Well, blow me down! Havin' already decided that this be t' be a flier, shiver me timbers, I didn't worry about addin' additional details.

Like Sheri's Little Joe II and Saturn 1B kits, this kit uses corrugated styrene sheets t' simulate t' external stringers. Begad! T' corrugated sheets are pre-cut t' t' appropriate width, matey, although with a main body tube circumference o' over 25 inches, it is necessary t' glue three sections o' styrene together t' get t' necessary length (usin' pieces o' t' 0.010" styrene as a doubler). Ahoy! Attachment o' t' wraps was similar t' that for t' Apogee Saturns: tapin' t' wraps in place then usin' CA t' seal t' edges t' t' body tube.

Again, shiver me timbers, as with Sheri's other kits, ya bilge rat, t' tube couplers need t' be cut down t' t' appropriate diameter, matey, although at least t' main body tube coupler is pre-cut t' length. (I fear cuttin' a length off that massive 8.25" body tube would have proved challenging.)

One step that proved somewhat difficult is centerin' t' upper stage transitions. Begad! Most kits provide centerin' rings t' locate t' smaller diameter body tubes in t' center o' t' transition. Ahoy! Sheri's kits simply provide a solid bulkhead, and t' smaller tube is butt glued t' t' center o' t' bulkhead. Ya scallywag! It works, but it is tricky t' get everythin' correctly positioned and centered. Ya scallywag! In fact t' entire 2nd-3rd stage transition be tricky. Ahoy! T' transition shroud is made from 0.030" styrene, and per t' original instructions, t' stringers were individually glued into place, which was tedious and difficult. Arrr! With t' additional cast resin transition shroud pieces, ya bilge rat, it's a relatively straightforward matter t' fit and glue t' cast shroud pieces in place. However, shiver me timbers, one thin' I'd change be t' attachment o' t' shroud t' t' bulkhead: per t' instructions t' shroud overlaps t' bulkhead with t' corrugated wrap at t' top o' t' 2nd stage and everythin' would match up. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! However, me hearties, with t' cast resin shroud pieces on top o' t' styrene transition, t' base o' t' shroud ends up significantly larger in diameter than t' top o' t' 2nd stage, makin' for a very noticeable step. If I had it t' do over again, I'd fit t' shroud t' t' top o' t' bulkhead, shiver me timbers, arrr, then cover t' bulkhead/shroud joint with t' cast resin pieces.

This uses t' same cast resin Apollo capsule as t' Saturn 1B kit. Begad! It's big, me bucko, solid, matey, and heavy at 8 ounces (although as it turned out, me bucko, nay quite heavy enough). T' additional parts Sheri sent me included cast resin parts for t' escape tower. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! However, me bucko, arrr, as with t' Saturn 1B, I elected t' scratch build t' escape tower from styrene tubing. I think t' scratch built tower looks better, ya bilge rat, and I sort o' enjoyed t' challenge.

Sheri includes ¼" launch lugs, but given t' large size and weight, ya bilge rat, I felt these would be insufficient so I left them off and I fitted rail buttons. Begad! Unfortunately I overlooked a detail when addin' t' buttons: rails are rather wide and initially I didn't provide sufficient clearance for t' rail t' clear t' engine fairing. Arrr! I strongly recommend t' addition o' t' rail buttons--just be sure t' center them betwixt t' fairings.

Finishing:
As noted previously, I pre-finished t' body tubes before startin' assembly. Arrr! Blimey! But this thin' is big. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Really big. Ahoy! Blimey! It takes a lot o' priming, sanding, and paintin' t' paint. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In fact, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I went through more than three 12oz cans o' automotive primer and another three plus 12oz cans o' Krylon color while paintin' this Saturn. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I did make things a little simpler by paintin' t' main rocket before addin' t' detail parts, which I'd painted separately.

Maskin' for t' black roll patterns be particularly troublesome since sealin' around t' sharply defined corrugations was extremely difficult. Arrr! Blimey! This was particularly true for t' 2nd-3rd stage transition. Arrr! Blimey! Despite me best efforts, I got a lot o' bleed through o' t' black paint. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! A trick that I successfully used t' 'patch' t' black bleed through on white/black patterns is dry film typin' correction tape. It's delicate t' work with, but it can provide straight, me bucko, crisp color breaks, me bucko, and t' color match is generally at least as good if nay better than touch-ups o' white paint with a paintbrush. With a coat o' clear, shiver me timbers, t' fix is nearly invisible. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I then used Krylon Chrome t' paint t' fins and lower fairings and t' Command Service Module.

T' waterslide decals by Space Model Systems are beautiful, me bucko, reasonably easy t' apply, me hearties, and come with good instructions on placement. (Although once again, it's time consumin' t' apply them.) After maskin' off t' chrome painted areas, a coat o' clear finished everythin' off [Note: you do not want t' clear coat chrome paint--it ruins t' chrome finish. Blimey! Been there, done that.] T' effect is striking. Arrr! It be a whole lot o' work, but t' result be a really good looking, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, really big Saturn V model.

As purchased, arrr, I wonder if I would have built this kit (and if I had, shiver me timbers, arrr, thar be a good chance I would have left all those stringers off t' fin-fairings and t' 2nd-3rd stage transition). Arrr! But t' post-purchase improvements make it worthwhile. Arrr! I still have reservations regardin' t' rough surface body tubes and t' detail parts could have better detail, me hearties, but overall it makes for a good kit. Avast! Ahoy! I'd rate it betwixt a 3 ½ and 4. Ahoy! Givin' it t' benefit o' t' doubt, me hearties, I'll call it a 4.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
As previously noted, me bucko, Sheri's kits do nay include recovery components. Ya scallywag! Although she recommended two 55"-60" parachutes for t' lower section, matey, shiver me timbers, I ended up goin' with a single 90" X-form chute, connected with a generous length o' nylon strap. Well, blow me down! Avast! For t' upper section I went with t' recommended 60" chute with a harness t' hold it horizontal t' protect t' escape tower on landing. After me less than successful experience with t' Saturn 1B harness, matey, I decided on overkill. Aye aye! Blimey! I drilled a hole through t' top o' t' upper stage and t' upper transition coupler, epoxied a nut inside t' coupler, and threaded a (removable) eye bolt through t' attach t' harness. Blimey! It also acts as a positive retention for t' upper transition and Apollo capsule.

For positive engine retention I added an Aero Pack 54mm engine retainer. Aye aye! Sheri includes parts for a 38mm-55mm motor mount adapter, but for it's first flight with a 38mm motor, I invested in an Aero Pack 38mm-54mm adapter. Arrr! T' Aero Pack retainer and adapter are outside this review, but they are fantastic--definitely five stars!

With parachutes, me bucko, ya bilge rat, chute protector, engine retainer, six cans o' paint, epoxy, etc. Begad! (but less engine), matey, this Saturn V weighed in at a whoppin' 12 pounds. Before it was finished I'd gone into RockSim with Sheri's baseline file, and decided an I211W-S would be ideal for t' first flight. Unfortunately t' weight in Sheri's RockSim file be rather optimistic, me bucko, and me Saturn V was over 3 pounds heavier. Blimey! Avast! Suddenly an I211 was marginal for velocity off t' rail, me hearties, but since I'd already purchased t' motor and since a 38/480 be at t' time t' longest 38mm casin' I had, matey, matey, I was somewhat committed.

First flight was at "Fire in t' Sky 2009", shiver me timbers, better known as FITS, a major high power launch held in central Washington over Memorial Day weekend. Well, blow me down! Avast! Showin' up at pretty much any launch with this rocket will make you a center o' attention, matey, and FITS be no exception. Ya scallywag! As previously mentioned, t' rail buttons proved t' be an issue when t' launch rail wouldn't clear t' fin fairings. Aye aye! (To help hide t' black buttons I'd centered them in t' black section o' t' roll patterns.) So thar be a false start and a minor thrash while I relocated t' rail buttons. Arrr! But finally everythin' came together. Avast, me proud beauty! Liftoff o' a big Saturn V is spectacular, me hearties, and this be no exception. Blimey! There was a slight weathercock off t' rail (remember that marginal velocity off t' rail) but t' flight was spectacular. Well, blow me down! Begad! I'm nay sure about t' altitude. Blimey! RockSim said 610 ft, me bucko, but it didn't look that high t' me. Avast! Perhaps me perception be fooled due t' t' large size. Aye aye! At any rate, ejection occurred a moment after apogee and t' chutes opened shortly thar after. Avast! There be a minor problem: t' lengthy shock cords for t' upper and lower sections become entangled so t' two sections came down together. Aye aye! T' main concern was that t' entangled shock cord had t' effect o' reefin' that big main parachute, me hearties, so descent was a little more rapid than I would have liked, arrr, me bucko, however, touchdown damage was minor. Well, blow me down! T' most serious bein' one fin bein' snapped off.

After repairs and a cross-country shipment came t' big test. Ya scallywag! This be goin' t' be me Level 2 Cert Flight at LDRS 28. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Motor selection was a 54mm J275W-S (we had a discussion at FITS, arrr, it was agreed that t' only appropriate propellant selection for a Saturn V is White Lightning). Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! O' concern was t' rocket CG. Avast! With t' 38mm I211W, shiver me timbers, t' CG was already close t' t' recommended aft CG limit. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' J275W be goin' t' be roughly a pound heavier so I'd gone t' work on t' Apollo capsule. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I drilled and ground out a large cavity in t' base o' t' capsule and epoxied enough lead shot in t' hole t' raise t' total weight o' t' Apollo from 8 ounces t' an even pound. Avast, me proud beauty! O' course this had t' undesirable affect o' makin' t' rocket even heavier, matey, ya bilge rat, but I saw little choice.

T' LDRS cert flight became a challenge but for an unexpected reason. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Even at LDRS, a 7.5' Saturn V will make you a center o' attention and I was surrounded by photographers as I prepared t' rocket on an 8ft rail. Begad! Ahoy! Even with t' J275, me hearties, ya bilge rat, RockSim predicted that it wouldn't reach stable velocity until a few inches before it left an 8ft rail. It was windy when t' Saturn V was launched, matey, and I feared a weathercock off t' rail, me bucko, but t' flight was magnificent and almost perfectly vertical with a slow (by mod-rock standards) boost. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! RockSim had predicted 1600 feet, and that appeared t' be about right. Blimey! Motor ejection occurred right at apogee, me bucko, and both chutes opened moments later t' a round o' applause. Avast! Aye aye! I figured I was home free. Ahoy! Begad! Wrong.

While t' lower half o' t' Saturn descended nicely, arrr, me bucko, t' upper portion caught a thermal and started drifting. Begad! At times it definitely appeared t' be goin' up. It drifted so far I lost sight o' it before it touched down. Ahoy! I knew I had t' try, shiver me timbers, but with little more than a general area where I thought it came down, matey, I was nay optimistic that I would ever see it again. If someone had asked me t' list everythin' that might have gone wrong on me cert flight, ya bilge rat, I would never have even considered losin' t' rocket, me bucko, me bucko, but suddenly that be a very real possibility.

Amazingly, shiver me timbers, I found it. Blimey! It took over four hours and two separate trips out. Begad! I found two other lost high power rockets and headed back t' t' launch area midway through t' search since I literally couldn't carry any more. I'd like t' say it was a properly devised search that yielded t' recovery, ya bilge rat, arrr, but in reality it was more luck than anythin' else. After landing, matey, ya bilge rat, t' wind had dragged it through a corn field knockin' t' escape power off in t' process, but I was able t' backtrack through t' knocked down corn and located t' missin' tower. Ya scallywag! T' result be a successful Level 2 high power certification.

Recovery:
A couple comments on t' flights: On large rockets like this that are intended t' come down in two portions, ya bilge rat, I generally make a point t' insert t' upper section parachute first so that as t' sections pull apart, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, it'll be sure t' pull out t' lower section chute. This is especially important on this big Saturn V. Well, blow me down! Even usin' a fairly generous ejection charge (over 2 grams on t' second flight), shiver me timbers, t' chute protector has yet t' leave t' body tube. Aye aye! Puttin' t' upper chute on t' bottom increases t' risk that t' two sections will get tangled (as happened on t' first flight), but that is definitely preferable t' t' possibility o' t' lower section parachute failin' t' exit t' rocket. Also, arrr, as t' cert flight demonstrated, arrr, me hearties, t' upper section can use a smaller chute (or if usin' a 60" chute reef it a bit).

This rocket is a fine flier that can't help but look magnificent in flight. Arrr! Begad! I give it a full five stars.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Be forewarned: buildin' this rocket takes a commitment well beyond t' $449 sticker price (plus I figure around another $200 for parachutes, matey, arrr, motor retainer, paint, matey, etc.) It's big, complex, me hearties, and will take a major commitment o' time t' do t' rocket justice. I also remain less than thrilled with t' rough surface body tubes, although t' strength and weight is more readily justified on a big high power rocket such as this. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' cast resin parts that were added after me original purchase are a major improvement, me hearties, but t' detail parts could be a little more detailed.

I really like this rocket. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I don't know how often I will actually fly it. Avast, me proud beauty! It's nay trivial t' put so much time, effort, and loot at risk, but it's a magnificent flier and pretty much guaranteed t' draw a crowd. Begad! Well, blow me down! But perhaps t' best endorsement I can give is, arrr, should this Saturn V meet an untimely demise, I'm pretty sure I'd build another.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5