Brief:
This is a semi scale model o' t' French Air-to-Air missile. This is another one o' t' great mid power scale kits from T' Launch Pad. Avast! Blimey! This kit was o' interest t' me as I worked on t' project in t' late 1980s that qualified this missile t' be carried on t' F16 Fightin' Falcon.

Construction:
T' kit parts are o' Estes quality as opposed t' t' heavier parts found in high power kits. Parts include two very long BT-80 tubes, arrr, one short length BT-50 tube, ya bilge rat, me hearties, two tube couplers, a balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, three fiber centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, nose weight, eyebolt, motor retainer clip, arrr, 3/16" launch lugs, me bucko, me bucko, elastic shock cord material, shiver me timbers, mylar parachute, ya bilge rat, and enough balsa for twelve good sized fins.

T' Launch Pad lists this kit as a skill level 4. Begad! Blimey! T' instructions are well thought out and sufficiently illustrated. Arrr! Blimey! Templates were provided for t' fins and for a body wrap. Ahoy! Blimey! T' tube coupler for joinin' t' two lengths o' BT-80 was a bit shorter than I would have liked so extra care needs t' be taken t' make sure that t' tubes are properly aligned. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions call for coatin' t' fins with some thin CA before gluin' onto t' model. Begad! Blimey! I had a great deal o' trouble with this, shiver me timbers, me bucko, probably due t' bad technique. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! This resulted in a trip t' t' local hobby store for some replacement balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! On t' second set o' fins, shiver me timbers, I used medium CA t' coat t' fins. Ahoy! Blimey! This worked much better for me, but I suspect that t' problem be mine all along.

I was surprised that a model this long did nay have a stuffer tube t' minimize t' area that needs t' be pressurized for ejection. Ahoy! Ahoy! Since I was plannin' t' fly this model only on reloadable motors, arrr, I didn't think that this would be a problem and me flights t' date have confirmed this. Ahoy! T' motor mount can only accommodate 24mm x 70mm motors, ya bilge rat, so those wishin' t' fly this model on t' longer 24mm Econojets will need t' modify t' motor mount accordingly.

Assembly o' t' model was pretty straightforward. Aye aye! T' number one thin' that one has t' do is t' make sure that t' fins are aligned perfectly. Models with forward fins make this a must, and this model has two sets o' four forward fins. Aye aye! All t' fins are mounted flush t' t' body tube. Avast! Ya scallywag! I drilled small holes in t' body where t' aft fins are mounted and cut a small groove in t' body where t' forward fins were t' be mounted.

I did make some minor changes t' t' kit. Arrr! First, shiver me timbers, I replaced t' 3/16" launch lugs with 1/4" lugs. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' model is light enough that it doesn't really need t' 1/4" lugs, but I used them because they're a better fit for our club's launch system. Ahoy! Second, matey, me bucko, I replaced t' mylar parachute with a cloth one. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I'm just nay comfortable usin' mylar on a model that flies on E and F power. A third modification that I did nay elect t' do would be changin' t' forward centerin' rin' t' plywood and then installin' an eyebolt t' anchor t' recovery system. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Finally, arrr, I replaced t' supplied shock cord with a longer one from me stash.

Finishing:
Launch Pad kits don't usually come with decals, me bucko, but thar be a drawin' in t' instructions that shows how t' detail t' model. Avast! Begad! I used trim Monokote t' detail t' model. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Be prepared t' spend a good bit o' time sealin' and sandin' t' twelve fins. Arrr! Also, ya bilge rat, launch lug positionin' is left t' t' builder so you can place t' launch lugs t' minimize t' impact t' your other detailing.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I've flown this model four times so far and ran into a bit o' trouble on three o' them. Liftoff is slow and majestic. Boost on all flights has been arrow straight with no hint o' a roll so this is a very stable kit if you build it right.

First flight was on an E18-4 RMS. Arrr! Ejection occurred 1-2 seconds after apogee and t' model flew through t' parachute and fouled it. I had t' replace t' top 4" o' t' model.

Second flight be on a F24-4 RMS. Begad! Ejection occurred right at apogee but didn't push t' parachute out. Arrr! Aye aye! Turns out that it spit t' casing. Well, blow me down! Once again, arrr, I had t' replace t' top 4" o' t' model. I also added a second motor retention system t' hopefully prevent losin' t' casing.

Third flight be on a E28-S. Ya scallywag! Ejection occurred just after apogee for a perfect flight. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' dual motor retention method worked.

Fourth flight be on a F24-4. Ejection occurred at apogee, but one o' t' shroud lines snagged on one o' t' forward fins. Blimey! Drat.

T' F24-4 be t' best motor that I've tried so far. T' E28-S was also good, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and I think that t' F39-S would also be a good choice. Avast! I would nay recommend usin' t' E18-4 unless you cut 1-2 seconds off t' delay.

Recovery:
With t' recovery system located so far forward o' t' motor, ya bilge rat, wear on t' system has been negligible t' nonexistent. T' forward centerin' rin' holds t' recovery system well away from t' motor and helps provide additional stability margin.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: A big model that really stands out on t' range head. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' model is light enough that it flies well on relatively inexpensive 24mm RMS motors. Avast! Ya scallywag! Slow and majestic lift offs gives a very pleasin' flight experience.

CONs: T' supplied recovery system may nay robust enough for a model flyin' on composite Es and Fs.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5