Brief:
Only kit parts used were body tubes and coupler. Blimey! Basswood used for wings/fins, tunnel cable cover, and missile hangers. Ogive BT-80 nose cone from Apogee Components 4-cluster motor mount from BRS Hobbies All markings created on home computer with Harvard Graphics

Modifications:
After basic construction o' body tube, ya bilge rat, motor mount was installed, but aft centerin' rin' was placed 1/2-inch into tube. Avast! This greatly reduces scorchin' common t' a lot o' Launch Pad kits. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! Body was painted with Krylon gray primer, arrr, and sanded several times t' fill spirals. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Final coat be again gray primer, me hearties, me hearties, it's a perfect match for t' gray used on the actual AIM-120.

Wings and fins were cut from basswood sheets with a dremel tool, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! After a few coats o' primer and sanding, final coat was Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, shiver me timbers, buffed with 4-0 steel wool for a smooth finish. Ahoy! Blimey!

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, arrr, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, me hearties, me bucko, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Arrr! Aye aye! T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, ya bilge rat, with some detailin' with t' dremel. Begad! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. Avast! They were created on me home computer usin' an old DOS program-Harvard Graphics. Then printed on Avery clear shippin' labels.

After they dried for 2 days, t' rocket was given 2 coats o' clear t' protect t' markings.

Construction:
U sed t' 2 BT-80 size body tubes and coupler from t' kit. Well, blow me down! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, shiver me timbers, formed them from basswood. Aye aye! Blimey! Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! Nose cone supplied with t' kit be wrong profile, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Aye aye! Blimey! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Ahoy! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, arrr, arrr, attached t' t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, packin' was great. Avast! All parts were there, just nay used. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Instructions didn't really matter, me hearties, I was makin' this up as I went. Begad! Blimey! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, me bucko, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Blimey! Instead o' more clay, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, matey, ya bilge rat, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Ya scallywag! Worked like a charm. Begad! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Ahoy! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Finished rocket is impressive, matey, ya bilge rat, I get quite few odd looks on t' way t' and from launches with mounted on a rack in me truck bed.

Flight:
Recommended kit motors were 2 24mm D-12's, matey, or E-9's. Avast, me proud beauty! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Ahoy! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. Avast! Aye aye! With a 6-ft rod (don't even think o' usin' a 4-ft rod on this thing), me hearties, lift-off is always somethin' t' watch. Begad! D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, matey, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show. Begad!

T' rocket usually does a slow spin after about 50 t' 60 feet, matey, and tops off about 500 t' 600 on D12's. Ahoy! Blimey!

It does have some weight t' it.

So far it has flown 4 times, me bucko, and no damage yet. Begad! Ahoy!

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, no complaints there, matey, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! But unless you spent time around t' real thing, ya bilge rat, you probably wouldn't notice. As I didn't build accordin' t' t' instructions, not much else applies.

Con's- a lot o' work t' detail this thin' out! And if I prang it, shiver me timbers, I'll cry!

Other:
Besides rockets, ya bilge rat, I build a lot o' plastic models, 4-0 steel wool is great for smoothin' out sandin' marks after using xtra-fine sand paper. Well, blow me down! And don't just use stock dept. Blimey! or hobby store paints. Begad! I use a lot o' automotive touch-up spray paints, you can get a lot more colors and shades. Aye aye!