Brief:
Only kit parts used were body tubes and coupler. Basswood used for wings/fins, me bucko, tunnel cable cover, matey, and missile hangers. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Ogive BT-80 nose cone from Apogee Components 4-cluster motor mount from BRS Hobbies All markings created on home computer with Harvard Graphics

Modifications:
After basic construction o' body tube, ya bilge rat, motor mount be installed, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but aft centerin' rin' was placed 1/2-inch into tube. Blimey! This greatly reduces scorchin' common t' a lot o' Launch Pad kits. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Body was painted with Krylon gray primer, me hearties, and sanded several times t' fill spirals. Ya scallywag! Final coat was again gray primer, arrr, it's a perfect match for t' gray used on the actual AIM-120. Aye aye! Ahoy!

Wings and fins were cut from basswood sheets with a dremel tool, me hearties, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! After a few coats o' primer and sanding, final coat was Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, buffed with 4-0 steel wool for a smooth finish. Begad!

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Arrr! T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, with some detailin' with t' dremel. I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! They were created on me home computer usin' an old DOS program-Harvard Graphics. Then printed on Avery clear shippin' labels.

After they dried for 2 days, matey, t' rocket was given 2 coats o' clear t' protect t' markings.

Construction:
U sed t' 2 BT-80 size body tubes and coupler from t' kit. Blimey! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, formed them from basswood. Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, arrr, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Nose cone supplied with t' kit was wrong profile, matey, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Aye aye! Aye aye! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, attached t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, matey, packin' be great. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! All parts were there, just nay used. Well, blow me down! Instructions didn't really matter, I be makin' this up as I went. Had t' add a bit more nose weight, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Instead o' more clay, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, me hearties, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Avast! Worked like a charm. Well, blow me down! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, arrr, matey, arrr, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Avast! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Finished rocket is impressive, shiver me timbers, I get quite few odd looks on t' way t' and from launches with mounted on a rack in me truck bed.

Flight:
Recommended kit motors were 2 24mm D-12's, me bucko, or E-9's. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Avast! Blimey! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. Ya scallywag! Blimey! With a 6-ft rod (don't even think o' usin' a 4-ft rod on this thing), lift-off is always somethin' t' watch. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, shiver me timbers, me hearties, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

T' rocket usually does a slow spin after about 50 t' 60 feet, and tops off about 500 t' 600 on D12's. Aye aye!

It does have some weight t' it. Avast! Avast!

So far it has flown 4 times, me hearties, and no damage yet.

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, no complaints there, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. Ya scallywag! But unless you spent time around t' real thing, you probably wouldn't notice. Arrr! As I didn't build accordin' t' t' instructions, not much else applies.

Con's- a lot o' work t' detail this thin' out! And if I prang it, arrr, shiver me timbers, I'll cry!

Other:
Besides rockets, arrr, I build a lot o' plastic models, me bucko, 4-0 steel wool is great for smoothin' out sandin' marks after using xtra-fine sand paper. Avast, me proud beauty! And don't just use stock dept. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! or hobby store paints. I use a lot o' automotive touch-up spray paints, you can get a lot more colors and shades. Avast! Arrr! Blimey!