Authentic 1/70th Scale Replica of the Saturn 1B

Imagine that you are Wherner Von Braun in the late 1950's. You need a inexpensive rocket that can test out various components of the moonshot project. That final moonship is to be the mighty Saturn V — the biggest, most complex, and the most expensive rocketship ever created. Before committing billions of dollars to that rocket, you figure it makes sense to test out the individual components on a smaller, cheaper, vehicle.

Before you make your decision to build a test rocket, remember that you are also under a strict deadline and enormous pressure to get it done quickly. You have to have everything tested in time to put men on the moon by the end of the 1960's.

That is exactly what happened.

What do you do? The smart thing is to slap together something that comprised of multiple smaller, cheaper rockets and to also borrow proven technology from various other rocket programs.

The final result was the Block 1 Saturn 1, and eventually the more powerful Uprated Saturn 1B.

It truly was a patchwork vehicle. The main booster stage was comprised of eight rocket tanks from the Redstone missile, which were strapped around a bigger tank from the Jupiter rocket. Hence the nickname: "Cluster's Last Stand."

To put this massive vehicle into space, a new rocket engine would be needed. Instead of one big monstrosity, eight smaller ones would be used. But the engines for this booster rocket would use borrowed technology from the Thor and Atlas programs. So development of the engine would proceed quickly to meet the tight deadline. This new engine was called the H-1, and combined, the eight engines would generate 1.5 million pounds of thrust.

The second stage was to use six RL-10 Hydrogen-Oxygen engines, which would come from the Centaur stage of the Atlas and Titan programs. Eventually it was replaced by a the new J-2, a single, larger engine. It was to be the first time that astronauts would be launched into space with highly volatile and difficult-to-handle liquid hydrogen as the fuel.

The whole purpose was to test out the new complex Apollo Capsule, the Lunar Lander, and the sophisticated "SIV-B" Hydrogen-Oxygen upper stage that would sling the astronauts out of earth's orbit toward a destination on the moon. The entire Apollo mission was counting on these components to work successfully.

It paid off. The patchwork rocket performed flawlessly and all the mission objectives were met. This allowed the mighty Saturn V to meet the goal of launching men to the moon in July, 1969.

Now you can own an authentic replica of this historic rocket. It is the totally new 1/70th scale Saturn 1B, sold exclusively from Apogee Components.

Using many original engineering drawings and rare archive material, the Saturn 1B has been carefully researched and authenticated to bring the space enthusiast the finest replica ever produced.

To make sure all the tiny details were accurately represented on the final kit, totally new molds were created costing more than $50,000. The level of intricate detail made possible are things like the 0.005 inch high raised panel lines on the surface of the Boost Protect Shield that covers the Apollo Capsule. The entire surface of the rocket is so blanketed with intricate detail. From the tip of the Escape Tower, down to the injection molded plastic nozzles, this is a totally new model that offers the best level of accuracy of this historic rocket. When your friends see it, they'll be riveted by its authentic appearance and level of accuracy.

The rocket also includes accents and colorful decals for each Saturn 1B mission flown by NASA. It is possible to build an entire fleet of rockets as a testament to the legendary rocket that ruled the skies during the space race. It will give you the feeling of prestige by owning this rare and authentic replica.

Photo by Joyce Guzik

The reason the Saturn 1B ranks on top of your list of favorite rockets is because it includes the eight fuel tanks in a big cluster, the unique transition section that conforms to the eight tank tubes, and eight fins — twice as many as any other NASA rocket. Plus it has lots of corrugations that give the rocket lots of surface texture. Finally, it has a elaborate paint pattern that makes it unique and eye appealing.

When you tell your friends that you built the awesome Saturn 1B, their jaws will drop in disbelief. Surely something as handsome as the beautiful Saturn 1B you're holding couldn't have been built by you?

Most people wouldn't even dare to undertake such a intricate looking rocket. But you did.

You knew that this kit was made simplistic to build because it came with a special video instruction book. The instructions were so detailed, and so easy to follow, that you learned the techniques required to build this simply by watching the little assembly movies. When you were done building the model, you were left with a huge sense of accomplishment and a can-do attitude to tackle other complex looking rockets.

• Highly detailed injection-molded Apollo Capsule
• Injection-molded engine nozzles
• Cast-resin fins that are true-to-scale. Other models of the Saturn 1B often use bulky oversize fins (that are not authentic) to make the rocket stable when launched.
• Urethane resin details for the booster interstage section
• Injection molded transition with fits perfectly over the cluster of fuel tank tubes
• Meticulously detailed vacuum form wraps for the booster thrust structure, Interstage, and 2nd stage.
• Eye-poppingly detailed embossed wrap for the transition of the 2nd stage to the Service Module.
• Special "raised ink" wrap for the Service Module portion to bring out the raised panel lines on the rocket, and to aid in masking off the different color patterns.
• Injection molded Reaction Control System (RCS) nozzles on the Service Module.
• "Perfect Fit" body tubes.
• 29mm motor mount for E, F, and G rocket motors.
• Five-color water-slide decals. Includes markings for all of the various Saturn 1B missions flown by NASA
• Four hours of video instruction. These not only show where to place the parts, but how-to put them together correctly. This gives a high quality fit and lightweight rocket.
• 10 pages of superb painting instructions and drawings show the colors on the rocket.
• Removable display nozzles. Other models don't even include nozzles!
• Vacuum form baseplate that shows the excellent surface detail on the bottom of the rocket.
• Vacuum form antenna panels.
• Precision cut cardboard centering rings — for a strong and lightweight rocket that fits together perfectly.
  Kevlar shock cords
• High Strength rip-stop nylon parachutes. Includes a 24 inch and 36 inch diameter chute, which brings your model down nice and slow after a rip-roaring launch.
• 1/4 inch launch lugs
• RockSim design file so you can pick which motors you'd like to fly, and to determine how well the rocket will perform with those motors.
• CP location charts, to show you how to balance the rocket if you choose the "spinning" model launch system.

This kit does not contain an engine hook, so you'll need to have a bit of extra skill when securing the engine for flight. Please see our education page for more information on holding motors in big rockets.

Another option (not necessarily required) is that you can order the Aero Pack Engine Retainers. These are useful on rockets that use the 29mm diameter reloadable motors and really give the model a professional appearance. And yes, they can be installed on existing rocket kits like this one.

Tools needed to assemble this rocket kit:

Click here for a list of tools, adhesives, and paints you'll need to build this rocket (it's the same as for the Saturn V kit).

We predict that this will be one of your most favorite rockets of all time. Not only does it look great, but you'll have an enjoyable time building it.

Jim Hupalar can't help smiling - His Saturn 1B is AWESOME!

With the exclusive instructional videos that show you the correct way to put together your Saturn 1B kit, you're going to end up with a model that will simply awe your friends.

Bonus Offer: Order Now, and you'll also receive a large 20 X 28" wall poster displaying the history, and specifications of the Saturn 1B. This is a $9.97 value. This offer is only good while supplies last. Order by clicking the "Add to Cart" button below. Click Here for details of the poster.

• Launch video of the 1B kit - it really flies!
• Replacement Apollo Capsules
• How-To Build Complex Rockets
  (video instruction book)
• Saturn 1B history and data
• Review of this kit
• More Customer reviews of the kit
• Saturn V Rocket Kit
• Aero Pack Engine Retainers

You'll like all the detail on this kit; right down to the base plate and the injection molded nozzles.

Q. What launch pad should I use to launch this rocket kit?

A. Since this is a big rocket, you'll need very stable launch pad. We offer the Aerotech Mantis Launch Pad and the Estes Porta Pad-E.

Q. What launch controller can I use to ignite the motors?

A. We offer two different controllers that can be used for mid and high-power size rockets. The Aerotech Interlock and the Pratt Hobbies GO-BOX Controller.

Q. Can this kit be flown as a cluster like the real Saturn 1B?

A. It is possible, because there is plenty of room for motors inside the tube. But YOU will have to modify the kit yourself. This kit does not come with extra centering rings or engine mount tubes for a cluster version; it only comes with a single 29mm motor mount in the first stage. The photos below shows an Apogee Saturn 1B kit that has been converted by Jim Filler to a cluster of four C6-3 motors and four A10-PT motors. This was model took 2nd place in scale at the NARAM-50 contest in 2008. (Photos by Chris Taylor).

Q. I need help selecting motors. What should I do? Can you teach me how to select them myself?

A. Watch this YouTube video - How to Select Model Rocket Engines

We encourage you to learn the proper motor selection technique. Please watch our YouTube video that will walk you step-by-step through the process