Brief: T' Harpoon is a scale model o' a US Air-Launched Anti-Ship Missile, T' Launch Pad's kit is an excellent first mid power and scale rocket.

Construction: I was so glad when I finally got me hands on me AGM-84 Harpoon. Well, blow me down! Blimey! One o' t' members o' me club be goin' down t' t' US and be kind enough t' brin' it back for me. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I received t' Harpoon with all pieces present, in good condition, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and good quality. I have heard some nay so great things about TLP's balsa wood, but I found t' wood for t' Harpoon great, with a little help from CA.

T' instructions were clear, me bucko, but I wish they would have included more help and info on how t' get t' little hat that sits on top o' a FatBoy style nose cone, ya bilge rat, straight and in t' middle, me bucko, ya bilge rat, that be tricky, but I think mine is close enough for me standards. Avast, me proud beauty! That was t' only real "gotcha" for this rocket, t' fins aligned great, and everythin' fit together perfectly.

Finishing: T' only thin' that really disappointed me in t' beginnin' with t' Harpoon was t' lackin' o' decals. Avast! Begad! But, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, now I know that it much easier for t' consumer t' use his or her own techniques. Ya scallywag! I just painted t' bands that go around t' rocket, and for all o' t' small pinpoint rivets that are suppose t' be on t' rocket, I used a decal pack that I got from a local hobby store (East Coast Model Center) that was 1/5 rivet decals, matey, perfect, went on with ease, and made t' rocket look great. Begad! Still ponderin' what t' do for t' small amount o' letterin' that will go on t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Just a note, arrr, I am nay a perfectionist, or a great scale buff, me bucko, me Harpoon was just sports scale, me hearties, but I like how it turned out.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight: T' recommended motors for t' harpoon are a D12-3, ya bilge rat, E15-4, and a RMS F24-4 (24mm). Ahoy! Blimey! I plan on usin' all o' t' recommended motors, but instead o' t' E15, an E18 (reload).

T' day for t' maiden flight for t' Harpoon finally came. Ahoy! Blimey! First flight would be on a D12-3. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Everythin' was setup, shiver me timbers, pictures were taken, arrr, matey, and after makin' sure t' wind be perfect, that t' launch rod was perfect, and that everythin' be perfect, me bucko, it be ready t' launch. Begad! Blimey! I pushed t' launch button and t' Harpoon lifted off. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' flight was perfect. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Harpoon flied straight as a rail, nice altitude on a D, matey, and then right at apogee t' ejection charge fired, shiver me timbers, and t' nice mylar parachute deployed, and t' Harpoon drifted down. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Perfect flight and recovery.

Second flight, me bucko, same day. Ahoy! I be goin' t' fly me LOC Aura on an Aerotech E engine, me hearties, ya bilge rat, that was t' plan, but when I launched that on a D, arrr, arrr, t' stock streamer didn't slow it down enough and it broke a fin off, so I thought I would fly it in t' Harpoon. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Everythin' was set, matey, and was readied again. Avast! I hit t' launch button, and t' Harpoon lifted off t' pad, me bucko, matey, t' igniter clips didn't come off, it soared... wait a minute (my exact thoughts). Well, blow me down! T' Aerotech igniter clips didn't unattach themselves from t' Harpoon, me bucko, when it be about ten feet off o' t' pad, shiver me timbers, t' leads ran out o' slack, arrr, ya bilge rat, which caused them t' pull on t' harpoon, shiver me timbers, causin' it t' go horizontal. T' leads did finally come unattached. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' Harpoon sailed directly away from us and over t' small hill we launch on. Ya scallywag! Amazin' sight. Begad! Then t' realization set in. Avast! T' slow walk started towards t' crash site. As we got closer t' it, we noticed that t' parachute had deployed. Arrr! Begad! Good sign. Ahoy! Arrr! It landed in some alders, pretty good sign, but then we notice what we thought was t' nose cone, arrr, was actually t' top six inches o' t' rocket's body tube smashed.

Damage report. Ahoy! First six inches o' t' rocket are destroyed. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone be completely smashed t' bits, one broken fin, arrr, and all fins had small slits from t' alder branches. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! It is fixable, shiver me timbers, it will be fixed, and it will fly again, and hopefully soon. Avast! I contact TLP and they were great enough t' help me by givin' me t' length o' t' rocket, me bucko, help me with a parts list, and are sendin' me a replacement 'little hat' that goes on t' t' top o' t' nose cone t' give it t' scale.

Recovery: One thin' I really enjoy about t' Harpoon is its green mylar parachute, it's easy t' see, easy t' pack, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and has a snap for easy removal from t' Harpoon. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' 18" seems t' be fine from t' tests I have conducted (throwin' it off me deck). Avast! Aye aye! T' recovery system is a snap t' put together, me hearties, but instead o' usin' t' shroud line material t' connect t' nose cone t' t' swivel, I just tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, me hearties, and put t' swivel 10" or so down, me bucko, didn't want t' trust that thin string).

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Summary: This rocket looks awesome, that be t' best thin' I feel about it. Arrr! It is a nice lookin' rocket, ya bilge rat, t' right size, me bucko, nice motors size, nice scale touch, and a nice finish. T' only thin' I would say that I disliked about t' rocket would be that little hat that goes on top o' t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Other than that, ya bilge rat, all o' t' pieces went together easily. A good first mid power or scale rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5