Picture courtesty o' T' Launch Pad

Brief:
T' Scimitar is a Launch Pad original design that is modeled after military surface-to-air missiles. Well, blow me down! This rocket is a complex two-stager that uses a cluster o' three D motors in t' booster and a single D in t' sustainer, matey, and includes a nifty on-board battery circuit t' ignite t' second stage. There are lots o' exterior details included in t' plans that allow t' builder t' create a good lookin' scale-like model.

Construction:
T' Plan Pack came in a manila envelope with a cover sheet pasted t' t' front showin' a drawin' o' t' rocket and listin' basic details such as length, diameter and recommended engines.

Inside t' envelope are two stapled sets o' instructions on standard letter-size paper. Arrr! Part one contains t' written Assembly Instructions, and refer t' t' second part containin' t' diagrams. Blimey! These assembly instructions are broken down logically into discrete construction steps, me hearties, me bucko, and warnings and other potential gotcha's are printed in bold letterin' t' make sure you take note. Begad! These plans really need t' be read through and understood before pulling out t' hobby knife, ya bilge rat, me hearties, because they are detailed and nay always intuitive. Ahoy! At some points in t' plans alternatives are presented, me hearties, and these are best decided upon before beginnin' construction. Aye aye! T' last page o' this part are Launch Procedures that will help you achieve perfect launches involvin' clusters and/or staged flights.

T' assembly instructions guide you step-by-step through each phase of construction, right down t' rollin' your own body tubes. All dimensions are given, and you can substitute commonly available commercial tubes and couplers if desired.

T' second part o' t' plans contains t' materials list, matey, another list of the supplies and tools needed t' complete t' rocket, matey, shiver me timbers, and many pages of excellent diagrams that correspond t' t' assembly instructions.

A common characteristic o' Launch Pad designs is they are very light for their size. Arrr! Blimey! This is accomplished by usin' Estes-weight materials, shiver me timbers, and very little (if any) over-buildin' is done. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Some believe that this makes for less-than-rugged models, me hearties, but we have flown several o' t' Launch Pad kits and they've held up very well t' years o' use.

Another feature o' these kits and plans are t' use o' paper parts to achieve desired and interestin' profiles. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' Scimitar has a boat tail and air intakes formed o' heavy paper. Arrr! Shaped balsa is used t' create built-up fins, intake diffusers, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, access panels and conduit runs. Blimey! A method o' usin' pinheads to create 'rivets' is included for even greater detail.

Although these are 'builders' kits that require greater effort on t' part of t' modeler t' complete, t' plans give enough information t' ensure success to anyone who follows t' directions. Blimey! Details such as chute templates, shock cord mountin' and even how t' attach a snap swivel t' t' chute lines are included.

An experienced modeler will be able t' modify these plans with ease t' fly as a single stage or upgrade t' engines, but care must be taken t' make sure you don't alter t' CG/CP relationship too much. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Real military missiles are often intentionally borderline unstable, ya bilge rat, and their modeled brethren sometimes exhibit t' same characteristics. Begad! We've had more than one flight where the answer was (obviously) nay 'more power' or 'bigger kick'. Well, blow me down! Avast! I think these designs are susceptible t' wind gusts as they come off t' rod (or rail - rails are good for these rockets).

This brings up t' biggest omission in these plans - t' CP. Begad! All manufacturers should note t' CP o' their kits in t' instructions. Ahoy! If you have determined t' CP for your kits, ya bilge rat, please send 'em t' EMRR for t' library, matey, so all rocketeers can benefit.

Overall, this plan pack is a good value. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Buildin' it strictly accordin' to plan will teach you some new skills and methods you may nay have used before in rocketry. Avast! Aye aye! For those who modify most everythin' (I'm in this group), t' design is interestin' and a good startin' point for your customizations.