T' Launch Pad, me hearties, a company specializin' in military-style rockets and missiles, matey, created this ‘scale’ kit o' t' Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile (ALARM). T' real ALARM is manufactured in Great Britain.

Diggin' into t' components, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' 2.6" body tubes and plastic nose cone are Estes strength (might actually be Estes parts). Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! There seems t' be some complaints about t' balsa in LP kits, shiver me timbers, and this one was no exception. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' included balsa was softer than I’d select for me personal use. A couple o' impressions on t' rest o' t' parts; t' 18" copper-colored mylar chute is pretty cool, me hearties, t' provided shock cord (1/4" elastic) is too short, and thar are no decals for this kit. Begad! Begad! All o' it is pretty standard Estes type stuff.

T' instructions are very good, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but basic. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Listed as a level 3 kit, many things are assumed, such as puttin' t' launch lug in t' right place and knowin' what a cruciform is when layin' out t' fins. Aye aye! What this means is that you are free t' use your own techniques as you go. Ahoy! You do get fin and transition templates.

When lookin' at t' fin template, arrr, matey, we thought we’d discovered a problem. Avast, me proud beauty! LP marks t' root edge o' t' fin on t' template, and I thought it be a ‘grain direction’ mark. Blimey! Begad! This would’ve made for extremely weak fins, matey, but t' instructions do specifically state "grain parallel t' t' leadin' edge". T' problem was me misinterpretin' t' mark on t' template.

After cuttin' out t' fins, you soak them in thin CA for strength, and t' finished product is tougher than I expected.

T' ALARM features a boat tail and a cone over t' tip o' t' nose cone (to change t' profile). Ahoy! Both use heavy paper painted with CA t' strengthen them. Ahoy! Don’t rush things here, be prepared for several rounds o' filler and sanding, ya bilge rat, and t' results will be much better. I also made some practice templates on a copier, me hearties, t' get a feel for how t' curves would form.

T' 24mm motor mount is recessed into t' boat tail a bit, shiver me timbers, so we painted t' inside o' t' boat tail with CA for durability. Begad! Motor retention is by a supplied motor hook.

You’ll need t' make your own fin alignment wrap (I used VCP). Aye aye! With eight fins (two sets o' four) alignment gets tricky, but gettin' them straight up and down is probably more important than bein' perfectly in-line. Ya scallywag! I replaced t' supplied shock cord with a piece about 3 times t' body length. Ahoy! I also cut t' supplied 3/8" launch lug in half and glued a piece into t' root fin o' each set – upper and lower.

Finishin' is simple. Well, blow me down! Fill, me bucko, ya bilge rat, prime, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, sand and paint. T' ALARM is red with a few ½" black stripes. Avast, me proud beauty! We were goin' t' use pinstripin' tape from t' local auto-parts store, me hearties, but I couldn’t find any wide enough. What I eventually did was print t' stripes onto blank decal paper and apply them like any regular decals. T' final touch be a few light mistings o' clear-coat t' protect t' decals.

T' finished rocket looks very good, arrr, matey, and seems t' be stronger than I thought it would be.

T' recommended motors are D12-3, shiver me timbers, E15-4, shiver me timbers, E30-7 (all single use 24mm), and t' F25-7 RMS. For it’s first flight, matey, we used an E15-4. T' boost be a little squirrely, arrr, ya bilge rat, leavin' a smoke trail that looked like a sidewinder trackin' a movin' plane. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It straightened out nicely and t' chute ejected fine. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! There was no damage upon recovery. Avast! Blimey! I’m goin' t' add some nose weight t' try and straighten out that boost, me hearties, this might also mean I’ll have t' increase t' chute size.

Construction: 3 out o' 5 - Careful construction rewards t' builder.
Flight/Recovery: 4 out o' 5 - This is an excitin' rocket that delivers.
Overall: 4 out o' 5 - I like t' buildin' aspect o' rocketry, so this was a satisfyin' project.

Don’t rush construction, ya bilge rat, and your kit will look and fly great. Well, blow me down! It’s big (44"), and t' smallest motor suggested here be t' D12-3, so I recommend buildin' light.

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