Dr Zooch Apollo 5- Saturn 1B

[Rocket Al]

I have already submitted the review to EMRR, and it can be read here , however I thought that you may want to know that this particular kit could be considered a good starter kit for those wanting to get into building other Dr Zooch kits, or other equally challenging kits.

While this particular kit does have a lot of custom tube rolling (for the pre-printed fuel and oxidizer tanks) fin tracing and cutting, and small detail cutting and shaping that is quite atypical for most any other kit in this price range, unlike many of the other Dr Zooch kits, this particular rocket did not involve an emergency escape tower, which can be done in one of two methods in most of the kits. And the method that any real man would use (the only method I would even consider) will probably leave my old, weak eyes nothing more than greasy smears of vitreous fluid dribbled down my cheeks. But this lack of escape towers probably makes it one of the easier Dr Zooch kits to build, and one that never fails to draw comment from spectators and fellow rocketeers alike at any launch I fly it at.

Al

First, a shot of the finished rocket at my desk

 

[Rocket Al]

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a launch hosted by the Toledo, Ohio area rocket club, held on a sunny Sunday morning in a beautiful farm field in Fremont, and while there I flew the Saturn on a C6-5 for the first time. Previously, I'd only had the nerve to try it with B6-4's, but the field was big enough, my shoes were comfy, and I thought I could use theexercise, so I used the "C" and went for broke. Art Upton, proprietor of Cowboy Rocketry and Boostervision used his truly amazing digital camera to get some outstanding shots, which he has given permission to be posted here for your edification. First of all, the lift-off shot:

 

[Rocket Al]

He followed it up into the sky....

 

[Rocket Al]

And it got waaaaaaaaaay the heck up there....

 

[Barone]

Originally posted by Rocket Al

First, a shot of the finished rocket at my desk

Looks great! I guess I need to start work on my Saturn 1....

Don

 

[Reed Goodwin]

Looks nice! Great photos, Art!
Reed

 

[Rocket Al]

It did end up drifted into an alfalfalfalfalfalf(STOP ME, PLEASE)alfalfalfalfa field just off to our left, which was just tall enough to effectively hide it for about 20 minutes, but when the breeze picked up briefly, it filled the red plastic chute with enough air to pop it above the alfalfa, allowing me to find it's perfectly intact rocket.

I highly recommend any of the Dr Zooch kits, and I look forward to building the rest of my stash with great anticipation.

Al

 

[Rob Fisher]

Originally posted by Rocket Al
He followed it up into the sky....

WOW-what a great bunch of pictures! This one is my favorite. I like the way the smoke trail is so visible. Those Dr. Zooch rockets are so cool!

 

[Planet Andy]

Al,
Beauty on the desk and a beauty in flight! Great photos also! Man how did you manage to not pass out when it was stuck in the Alfalfa (and Spanky) field? I have nightmares about such scenarios.

here comes the weekend...and not a day too soon

Andy

 

[Dr.Zooch]

He kept from passing out by telling himself over and over "It's just 25 bucks to get another one, It's just 25 bucks to get another one..."

Then there's the fun in building all over again.

 

[prowlerguy]

What did you use (if anything) to clear-coat it. It appears the wraps and fuel tanks on yours are shinier than mine, and I didn't like what happened to the last wrapped rocket I used Krylon clear on.

Thanks.

 

[Dr.Zooch]

All of the Krylon crystal clears should be safe right up to the high gloss- I've tested them all. The ink used on the wraps is Epson Dura-brite and it does not run under they Krylons. I even have a Saturn V that I gooped the stuff on trying to make it run and it would not. I've also used Aero Gloss fireproof dope on it and it also did not run. If you use Krylon crystal clear high gloss on your Dr. Zooch wraps and the ink runs, send me the kit and I'll send you a free replacement kit plus your postage.

 

[Rocket Al]

Because the white that I sprayed the upper section with was a gloss paint, I wanted to get the tanks to be a little shinier, so I did about three or four light dust coats of Krylon Crystal Clear. There was no "full coats" like you would do with spray paints, rather more like a literal "dusting". I did the same with the R7 Luna, in that I didn't want it really glossy, just a bit of a sheen. In my opinion, it just helps it look "scale"

Al

 

[prowlerguy]

Thanks, guys. I wasn't so much worried about ink running, but rather I have seen the cardstock soak up the clearcoat and look kind of translucent. However, with your assurances, I will follow your suggestions.