Semroc Saturn 1B - Part 1

Another project I have been meaning to write about was the 1/70 Scale Saturn 1B kit from Semroc we built. I haven't flown it yet, but now that we have the Launch Box working great, we should be good to go on lighting the four motor cluster.



The kit comes nicely packaged in a decent sized box.



It's amazing how much comes out of that box when you start unpacking it. This kit definitely has a lot of parts. I should have expected that... It's a Saturn 1B.



As with all the Semroc kits I have built, the Saturn 1B came with a detailed instructions with check boxes to keep track of your progress. That helps when you have this many steps. The Apollo Capsule was a project in itself. Although included with this kit, the Capsule kit is also available separately.



You have a choice of building a clustered motor mount for four C6-3 motors (600' approx altitude) or a single larger motor mount that will use D12-3 (220' approx altitude) or D15-4 (325' approx altitude).



I chose to go with the four clustered motors. I wanted it to be more like the real rocket and a four motor launch should make for a nice show.





The motor cluster attaches to the stuffer tube that runs up through the center of the model.





This configuration allows for piping the pressurized gases from the ejection charge from the four motors up into the single stuffer tube to deploy the parachute(s).





Four of the eight fuel tubes have to be slotted to fit over the motor mounts.



They are glued in place and also aligned with two "stars."













After you glue on the four slotted fuel tubes, you proceed to glue on the remaining four.



With the tanks glued on, you realize that this is going to be a fairly good sized rocket.





The tail ring is glued into place with spacer strips and fins between the ring and the fuel tubes.



The lower cap ring in glued into place.





The fairing shroud is cutout and glued into place around the bottom of the fuel tubes.



The tank tube cover and tube adapters are glued into place.





The shock cord is attached to the parachute tube which is then clued over the adapter rings.



Shown at this stage of construction next to a Semroc Hydra VII and an Estes Big Daddy.



Another adapter ring is glued onto the parachute tube. The upper body tube is then fit over this and glued. While that dries, you can cut out and glue together the LEM should.



The LEM shroud is glued into place.







Two sets of fin materials are included in the kit. The first set are laser cut balsa wood. The second choice is the "paper of balsa frame" stype which is much more difficult to build. I opted for the framed fins because because they look much better and realistic if finished well.

The following pictures are shots throughout the remainder of the construction.

















To be continued...