Brief:

Mid-power scale model o' t' air-to-air missile.

Construction:

As with all rockets from T' Launch Pad, arrr, this is a "builder's kit". Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' fins and various detail bits all have t' be cut and assembled by t' builder. Begad! Blimey! Lots o' fun if you enjoy that sort o' thing, me bucko, which I do.

T' package contained everythin' I needed: sheets o' balsa for fins, me hearties, dowels and balsa strips for details, shiver me timbers, paper templates for fins and wraps, two 3/16th lugs, matey, two BT-60 tubes, nose cone, arrr, and clay weight, as well as a pre-cut mylar chute, shock cord and lines, ya bilge rat, with a barrel swivel, me hearties, me hearties, matey, parts for t' motor mount, me hearties, etc.

T' instructions are straight forward, but nay overly detailed. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! It pays t' read carefully, then study t' diagrams for further details. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Some things, like launch lug placement are nay mentioned at all. Ya scallywag! I believe I recall seein' somewhere that this is intentional- TLP believes that everyone has their own preferred method o' attachin' t' lugs. 

Things seem t' go together quite well, me hearties, but it's worth mentionin' that one should take extra time and care when cuttin' t' dowel for t' forward fin inserts. Ahoy! I rushed through mine, me bucko, and they ended up slightly misshaped. Ahoy! Another thin' t' watch is how you lay out your fin patterns- do t' aft fins first! I didn't, and ended up makin' a trip t' t' local hobby shop for more sheet balsa. Begad! There is enough in t' kit, but you have t' plan carefully. Aye aye! Also, remember t' watch t' direction o' t' grain, especially on t' aft fins! T' only other problem I encountered be that t' supplied clay had solidified. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! A quick e-mail t' t' company, followed by a quick reply fixed t' problem- just add a few drops o' water t' t' bag t' clay comes in, seal and leave over night. 

Assembly itself was simple enough, me bucko, once t' parts were prepared (lots o' cuttin' and shaping). Begad! Blimey! There are no fin alignment wraps supplied, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so you're on your own for linin' everythin' up right. Nay a difficult thin' for a modeler with some experience, shiver me timbers, but any rocket with a forward set o' fins like this needs extra care t' be stable- this is pointed out in t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings for t' motor mount are laser- cut (I think) from think card stock- very solid. Also included is a rin' which is mounted forward, ya bilge rat, and acts like a seat for t' parachute. Begad! I think this is t' avoid any shift in CG durin' boost.

T' recovery system consists o' an 18" mylar chute, a length o' cloth/elastic shock cord, arrr, barrel swivel, me bucko, snap swivel, matey, me hearties, shroud lines and a thread. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I had two misgivings here: I've never used a mylar chute before, ya bilge rat, matey, and that thread I mentioned ties t' weighted nose cone t' t' shock cord. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! So far, t' combination works, me hearties, but I'm still dubious about that thread- t' nose is pretty heavy.

T' final result is a pretty solid ship. Blimey! Begad! O' course, t' fly mid-power, it needs t' be!

Finishing:

Detailed paintin' instructions are included for t' kit, includin' a couple o' scheme variations. There are no decals included, me hearties, arrr, unfortunately. Begad! Blimey! There is a bit o' maskin' involved, but nothin' terribly tricky- except perhaps on t' nose cone. For t' 1/16" red band, matey, I used vinyl car detail striping; everythin' else was painted. Blimey! Findin' a blue that matched photos o' inert missiles be virtually impossible, without airbrushing, so I used a "close match".

T' final product looks pretty good!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight: 

I've only had one flight on me Sidewinder, so far. Ahoy! I used t' recommended first-flight motor, a D12-3. No directions regardin' waddin' requirements is given, me hearties, so I just looked up what I needed for another BT-60 based rocket. Preppin' for flight is like any regular kit- no special things t' watch out for.

Boost was nice and straight, ya bilge rat, and fairly high; very little weathercocking- a surprise for a kit with so much aft fin area!

One thin' t' watch here: Use an angled blast deflector, arrr, or else support t' rocket a couple o' inches above t' deflector. T' base o' t' motor is about 1/2" up t' body tube, me bucko, and you will scorch t' BT if care isn't taken. I used an angled deflector, matey, and t' inside o' t' BT wasn't even marked.

Recovery:

Chute deployed near apogee, me bucko, and t' ship descended at a nice rate. Avast! Blimey! One fin broke on landing, but that be due t' me error durin' construction- remember I mentioned t' watch t' grain direction? Oops! T' recovery system itself be unscathed.

T' only design-related problem I encountered was that I couldn't remove t' spend motor with me fingers. It's too far up t' tube t' remove without a pair o' needle nose pliers.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:

Overall, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I very pleased with me Sidewinder. Well, blow me down! There is lots o' work involved, but t' final result is worth t' effort. Avast! Any problems I encountered (except motor removal) were generally o' me own making.

I cannot stress enough that this kit requires some buildin' experience! T' directions are written assumin' you know what you are doing, me hearties, and leave things like lug placement t' t' builder. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Dependin' on your viewpoint, this is either good or bad. 

T' main Con's are: no fin alignment wrappers (would make things a bit easier), and t' lack o' decals. I remain suspicious o' t' thread holdin' that heavy nose t' t' shock cord, matey, ya bilge rat, but it's held so far.

An important note: T' manufacturer has repeatedly mentioned that these kits do nay require heavy-duty buildin' techniques- that carpenter's glue and CA will work just fine, me bucko, me bucko, but over buildin' (Epoxy, ya bilge rat, fibreglass, me hearties, me hearties, etc) will likely result in an unstable model. 

Things like missiles are originally designed t' be unstable- designin' a scale replica t' fly can be very difficult. Well, matey, blow me down! T' relationship betwixt CG and CP is critical with t' kits. Blimey! Begad! Build light, shiver me timbers, but strong.

I followed that advice, and t' results are great. 

If you like gettin' into cutting, shapin' and sanding- lots o' parts making, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then I'd recommend this kit. Ya scallywag! I had a lot o' fun puttin' it together- me only regret was that I kinda rushed it.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5