Brief:
T' Scimitar is a mid-power Launch Pad original Surface t' Air missile with dual 24mm engine mounts and an 18" parachute recovery.

Construction:
This rocket came packed in a bag, arrr, all o' t' pieces were contained in t' bag and none were damaged. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' 6 pages o' instructions were well illustrated and detailed. Arrr! T' body tube was spiral wound tube with only a light spiral t' fill (almost non-existent) T' one thin' that I didn't agree with (and didn't follow) was t' body tube assembly. T' instructions direct you t' glue t' 2 tube sections together first and then glue t' engine mount assembly and the chute compartment disk in second. Avast, me proud beauty! This would have made it harder t' get the chute disk in properly although it would have been possible either way.

T' next thin' was t' sandwiched main "wings", if you follow the instructions t' t' letter, arrr, matey, you would end up with an open area betwixt t' two fins that attach t' t' airframe. Begad! If I would have left this area open, shiver me timbers, it would have been impossible t' finish. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I filled them with a small sliver o' balsa and it turned out good. Ahoy!

T' fins needed t' be cut from soft balsa wood stock from templates that were provided. Arrr! It's a good thin' that it be soft balsa too, because thar be a lot o' it t' cut, sand and form. Aye aye! I'll address more on t' fins in t' finishing section. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' last thin' was t' light cardboard "turbojet" air intakes. Blimey! The intakes are cut from light cardboard that is provided, matey, scored, folded, and then glued t' t' body tube on 4 sides 45 degrees from t' fins. I looked at these and tried t' talk myself into leavin' them off. Once I prepared them for assembly, me bucko, I decided t' put them on anyway, this was a good decision on me part. They look kind o' cheesy when you first look at them but, me hearties, once it's finished, they look nice.

Once everythin' be glued t' t' airframe, t' resultin' product was sturdy and solid. Arrr! Aye aye! T' parachute supplied was an 18" mylar that I didn't care for. I like nylon so I substituted an 18" ripstop nylon chute.

Finishing:
T' finishin' had one particular twist that I'd had nay encountered before. The soft balsa and t' cardboard were t' be coated with light CA before sanding. This did make t' fins sturdy but almost impossible t' sand smooth. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I guess I could have sanded them until me fingers hurt but, shiver me timbers, I'm glad I did nay (see the sad end t' t' story). Blimey! Ahoy! T' next one I build that instructs that I apply CA to balsa, I'm goin' t' use t' standard sandin' sealer. Arrr! It will take several coats of sandin' sealer but, ya bilge rat, I'm sure it will be easier t' sand smooth. (or it will just seem easier and I'm all for that)

After everythin' be sanded, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I sprayed on a few coats o' primer and sanded it down again. Then I put a coat o' machinery grey paint. Begad! Then I applied some 1/8" and 1/4" automotive pinstriping. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' resultin' Scimitar looked very nice.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors were a pair o' either D12-5, D12-7, o' Aerotech E15-7. Ahoy! I used two D12-5's for t' only launch (this is leadin' t' t' sad part o' the story). Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' motors were held by Estes style retainin' clips, and t' igniters were tied together. I put t' waddin' and t' parachute in and set her on the pad and connected t' t' leads. Well, blow me down!

At launch, ya bilge rat, t' rocket few a straight line t' maybe 600 or 700 feet and then it weathercocked bad and flew at about 40-50 degrees t' t' horizontal (best guess) this was nay t' fault o' t' rocket (I'm guessin' again) but me fault. T' wind be nay exactly calm but it be nay continuous either. I would guess that t' large fin area in conjunction with t' wind gusts well above me head contributed t' t' arrant flight path. Begad! Ya scallywag!

Recovery:
T' shock cord was long enough but it attached by a piece o' heavy paper in an Estes style. Begad! I didn't have a big problem with t' way t' recovery system was set up. Begad! From me vantage point on t' ground, shiver me timbers, matey, I saw t' ejection and the parachute high in t' sky. Arrr! Begad! Now this be t' sad part. Begad! Since t' flight path took the rocket much farther over than I expected, I was unable t' recover it. Aye aye! It cleared a row o' trees into a field on t' other side o' t' tree line. I figured that I missed t' trees so I would be able t' go t' t' field on the other side o' t' trees and search for me rocket. Arrr! Ahoy! Once I passed through the trees, me bucko, I discovered that t' field was nay empty but, full o' field corn about 8 foot tall. Blimey! I did buy a piezo locator but, I didn't have it ready for installation. Arrr! I should have been workin' on that instead o' launchin' that day. T' flight was nay that bad because I cant blame t' rocket kit for t' will of Mother Nature. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I read some o' t' comments that others have written about Launch Pad kits and I have read t' comments from t' Launch Pad. I will agree that it be more of a challenge than buildin' an Estes kit. Well, blow me down! I will also agree that t' instructions leave somethin' out that a novice would have trouble with. Aye aye! I do like t' fact that t' instructions leave some o' t' thinkin' t' me. After all, I can't really say "As a matter o' fact, I AM a rocket scientist" if I were unable t' assemble t' kit with t' instructions provided. Avast! Begad! I didn't agree with coatin' t' balsa with CA. If several coats o' sandin' sealer made it necessary to add some nose weight, arrr, then so be it. It would have been worth t' time to add it although I don't believe that nose weight would have been necessary either way. Avast! I know that t' CG be just fine without any additional adjustment.

Here's a good tip that I learned from this rocket. If you take your time buildin' a rocket t' make it look and perform well, don't be in a big hurry to lose it on t' first launch. Avast! I wanted t' see it fly and I needed t' wait for another day. This rocket leads me t' believe that t' wind causes more problems to rockets with large fin area.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

* SPECIAL NOTE off o' RMR from Chuck Barndt, President o' T' Launch Pad