Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | The Launch Pad |
Brief: T' Harpoon is a scale model o' a US Air-Launched Anti-Ship Missile, me bucko, T' Launch Pad's kit is an excellent first mid power and scale rocket.
Construction: I be so glad when I finally got me hands on me AGM-84 Harpoon. One o' t' members o' me club be goin' down t' t' US and was kind enough t' brin' it back for me. I received t' Harpoon with all pieces present, in good condition, and good quality. Ya scallywag! I have heard some nay so great things about TLP's balsa wood, but I found t' wood for t' Harpoon great, me hearties, with a little help from CA.
T' instructions were clear, but I wish they would have included more help and info on how t' get t' little hat that sits on top o' a FatBoy style nose cone, straight and in t' middle, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, that was tricky, but I think mine is close enough for me standards. Ya scallywag! That be t' only real "gotcha" for this rocket, t' fins aligned great, and everythin' fit together perfectly.
Finishing: T' only thin' that really disappointed me in t' beginnin' with t' Harpoon was t' lackin' o' decals. But, now I know that it much easier for t' consumer t' use his or her own techniques. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I just painted t' bands that go around t' rocket, and for all o' t' small pinpoint rivets that are suppose t' be on t' rocket, ya bilge rat, I used a decal pack that I got from a local hobby store (East Coast Model Center) that was 1/5 rivet decals, perfect, went on with ease, arrr, and made t' rocket look great. Still ponderin' what t' do for t' small amount o' letterin' that will go on t' rocket. Begad! Just a note, arrr, I am nay a perfectionist, arrr, shiver me timbers, or a great scale buff, me bucko, me bucko, me Harpoon was just sports scale, arrr, matey, but I like how it turned out.
Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5
Flight: T' recommended motors for t' harpoon are a D12-3, E15-4, and a RMS F24-4 (24mm). I plan on usin' all o' t' recommended motors, arrr, but instead o' t' E15, shiver me timbers, an E18 (reload).
T' day for t' maiden flight for t' Harpoon finally came. Avast! First flight would be on a D12-3. Aye aye! Everythin' was setup, ya bilge rat, pictures were taken, me bucko, and after makin' sure t' wind was perfect, shiver me timbers, that t' launch rod be perfect, and that everythin' be perfect, it was ready t' launch. Arrr! I pushed t' launch button and t' Harpoon lifted off. Begad! T' flight was perfect. Begad! T' Harpoon flied straight as a rail, nice altitude on a D, and then right at apogee t' ejection charge fired, and t' nice mylar parachute deployed, and t' Harpoon drifted down. Perfect flight and recovery.
Second flight, shiver me timbers, same day. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I was goin' t' fly me LOC Aura on an Aerotech E engine, that be t' plan, but when I launched that on a D, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, t' stock streamer didn't slow it down enough and it broke a fin off, so I thought I would fly it in t' Harpoon. Avast! Ahoy! Everythin' be set, and was readied again. Arrr! Avast! I hit t' launch button, and t' Harpoon lifted off t' pad, t' igniter clips didn't come off, it soared... Begad! Begad! wait a minute (my exact thoughts). T' Aerotech igniter clips didn't unattach themselves from t' Harpoon, when it be about ten feet off o' t' pad, me bucko, t' leads ran out o' slack, which caused them t' pull on t' harpoon, causin' it t' go horizontal. Blimey! T' leads did finally come unattached. Begad! T' Harpoon sailed directly away from us and over t' small hill we launch on. Amazin' sight. Begad! Avast! Then t' realization set in. Blimey! T' slow walk started towards t' crash site. As we got closer t' it, ya bilge rat, we noticed that t' parachute had deployed. Arrr! Begad! Good sign. Avast, me proud beauty! It landed in some alders, me bucko, pretty good sign, but then we notice what we thought be t' nose cone, was actually t' top six inches o' t' rocket's body tube smashed.
Damage report. Begad! First six inches o' t' rocket are destroyed. T' nose cone was completely smashed t' bits, me bucko, one broken fin, and all fins had small slits from t' alder branches. It is fixable, it will be fixed, and it will fly again, and hopefully soon. I contact TLP and they were great enough t' help me by givin' me t' length o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, help me with a parts list, me hearties, and are sendin' me a replacement 'little hat' that goes on t' t' top o' t' nose cone t' give it t' scale.
Recovery: One thin' I really enjoy about t' Harpoon is its green mylar parachute, ya bilge rat, it's easy t' see, easy t' pack, and has a snap for easy removal from t' Harpoon. T' 18" seems t' be fine from t' tests I have conducted (throwin' it off me deck). Ahoy! Blimey! T' recovery system is a snap t' put together, ya bilge rat, but instead o' usin' t' shroud line material t' connect t' nose cone t' t' swivel, matey, I just tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, and put t' swivel 10" or so down, didn't want t' trust that thin string).
Flight Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5
Summary: This rocket looks awesome, arrr, that be t' best thin' I feel about it. It is a nice lookin' rocket, t' right size, me hearties, nice motors size, me bucko, nice scale touch, ya bilge rat, and a nice finish. Begad! T' only thin' I would say that I disliked about t' rocket would be that little hat that goes on top o' t' nose cone. Begad! Other than that, me hearties, arrr, all o' t' pieces went together easily. A good first mid power or scale rocket.
Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5
A roughly 1/5th scale model of the air-launched version of the HARPOON missile, designed for the modeler. Some skills required for optimum appearance results but otherwise easy to build and fly. My Harpoon kit arrived in a small package for what promised to be a big kit. Everything was there, good quality tubes, and a neat purple Mylar parachute (which works well and is easy to see), but ...
Brief This is an approximately 1/5th scale model of the Harpoon anti-ship missile. Construction My kit arrived in a "standard" long plastic bag. All parts were accounted for, and in good shape. The body tubes appear to be standard BT-80, and the nose is a PNC-80B. There were a couple of nice sheets of balsa for the fins, plus some strips for making some of the detailing. The included recovery ...
J.D. (September 1, 2000)