Reviews copied, ya bilge rat, with permission from Sky High Hobbies - Your Vintage Rocket Source.

Brief:

T' Lunar Patrol rocket from MPC is one o' t' most unique and interesting rockets I've ever built. Ahoy! It's one o' t' Mach 10 series o' kits. Ya scallywag! Begad! In addition to havin' two 7inch gliders t' booster uses two tubes and two modified delta wings instead o' conventional fins. Begad! Aye aye! T' tube and delta win' fins also serve as the mounts for t' gliders.

It's nay an easy kit t' build. It's designed for t' advanced modeler. Arrr! If you're up t' t' challenge though, you'll have one o' t' coolest looking rockets you've ever owned or seen, ya bilge rat, and your friends are sure t' be envious.

It's a shame this kit is out o' production. Ya scallywag! Sure, me bucko, thar are lots o' model rocket kits that have gliders that detach at apogee, matey, but none are quite like this one. Arrr! It's silver and bright orange paint scheme nay only looks great it helps you see and track its three aircraft.

T' Booster rocket has a plastic nose cone, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' gliders have balsa cones and nose weights. Begad! Avast! T' booster has parachute recovery and t' gliders are engineered for long slow gentle spiral descents.

T' kit contains:

This kit comes in a cardboard box and does nay have any plastic or vacuum formed detailin' parts. Arrr! They are nay needed nor wanted if this bird is goin' to fly, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and nay just sit on display. Begad! Ya scallywag! There are two sheets o' waterslide decals to dress up both t' booster rocket and both gliders. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This rocket also comes with a block o' permanent flameproof waddin' and a 6 sided 10 inch parachute.

Construction:

T' engine mount on this kit has an easy release clip and an engine block. These were glued into place and allowed t' dry. Then t' completed assembly was pushed into t' 12" long booster tube with a liberal amount o' glue which is smeared inside t' booster tube first. T' engine mount should be flush with the end o' t' booster tube.

As this was dryin' I measured and marked t' 3 inch side fin tubes so that they would extend exactly 1 inch from t' end o' t' booster rocket. Aye aye! Mounting these side fins t' line up perfectly is easily done by runnin' a 2 inch line of glue up opposite sides o' t' booster tube. Ahoy! Make sure t' engine clip is offset. I laid t' side tubes into t' glue, ya bilge rat, makin' sure t' one inch marks were lined up with t' end o' t' booster tube. Ya scallywag! T' entire assembly be then laid on a flat surface that was covered with wax paper. Well, blow me down! Make sure everythin' is layin' flat and t' alignment with be right on.

As this was dryin' I started on t' modified delta fins. Avast! Blimey! These fins lay flat across all 3 tubes. Blimey! One on each side. Ahoy! Blimey! They extend past t' sides o' t' side tubes t' serve as a cradle for t' glider bodies. Each delta win' is composed of two trapezoidal pieces o' balsa stock which are sanded feathered and glued together t' form a chevron. Begad! Blimey! Once each o' t' 2 chevron's sides were glued together I added more coats o' glue t' t' seams, matey, smoothin' and sandin' between coats t' get a good strong bond. Begad! Once these were finished they were glued to the rocket so that t' seam was aligned with t' centerline o' t' booster and so that t' leadin' tip is even with t' leadin' edge o' t' side tubes. These delta fins should extend past t' sides o' t' side tubes evenly on both sides. To complete t' booster, matey, t' launch rod guide tube was glued into t' one of the delta wings seams. I used a sharp razor t' carve a shallow V channel in the seam for a neater and stronger fit.

Next t' gliders were built. Begad! This o' course be t' toughest part o' this rockets assembly. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! None o' t' balsa stock is die cut and t' wings o' the gliders are curved and only t' glue edges are straight cuts. Begad! Once I carefully cut out t' gliders wings and rudders they were pinned and sanded t' insure that all o' them were o' identical size and shape. Aye aye! Ailerons are cut from the trailin' edges o' t' wings and these were also pinned and sanded. Ahoy! T' rudders were given compound leadin' edges, shiver me timbers, and all but t' glue edge o' t' wings and ailerons were sanded into nice aerofoil shapes. Begad! Blimey! A card stock template for gettin' t' win' dihedral and aileron angles correct ,is included, me bucko, and was cut from its sheet. If you have some extra balsa stock you might want t' make balsa templates like I did. They are less prone t' bendin' and make fittin' with wings a bit easier.

T' wings were glued on first, matey, usin' t' dihedral template, arrr, shiver me timbers, and once dry, the rudders were installed. Aye aye! T' ailerons were then glued on usin' t' angle template t' get them on correctly. Ya scallywag! I increased t' angle on one aileron on each of t' gliders t' get a nice spiral flight on their way down. Avast! Blimey! This is optional and nay mentioned in t' instructions.

T' mounts for t' gliders are glued t' t' nose cones. Ya scallywag! They consist o' a small curved piece o' flat balsa that has a ½ inch o' balsa dowel glued to it. Well, arrr, blow me down! This two piece assembly is glued t' t' side o' t' nose cones. Begad! Once they were well glued and dry I sanded them t' seem as if they flowed into the nose cone like it was all one piece. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! A small sandin' drum on a dremel is perfect for this. T' nose cone is then glued into t' glider body tube so that the dowel mount is lined up betwixt t' wings on t' underside. Avast, me proud beauty! T' complete the glider mounts, small lengths o' launch rod guide tubes are glued inside the booster rockets side tubes, as far outboard as possible. Begad! Begad! When everythin' is lined up correctly, me hearties, t' glider bodies, ya bilge rat, when mounted, should lay flat along the side tubes with t' booster's delta wings cradlin' t' glider body.

I finished up by buildin' t' parachute and mountin' t' shock cord. Everythin' was given another good sandin' and prepped for paint. Avast, me proud beauty! A couple good coats o' clear coat first, or usin' some other sandin' sealer, will nay only save you some paint, but it also helps get a nice smooth finish for better aerodynamics.

Summary:

As mentioned this is a very challengin' kit. Ahoy! It takes some skill and patience, and fin jigs and guides are useless on this kit. Do a good job buildin' this rocket and you will have t' pride o' your collection and the envy o' your rocketeerin' friends.