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

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

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

When lookin' at t' fin template, we thought we’d discovered a problem. Arrr! Begad! LP marks t' root edge o' t' fin on t' template, and I thought it was a ‘grain direction’ mark. Well, blow me down! This would’ve made for extremely weak fins, ya bilge rat, but t' instructions do specifically state "grain parallel t' t' leadin' edge". Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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). Both use heavy paper painted with CA t' strengthen them. Ya scallywag! Don’t rush things here, matey, be prepared for several rounds o' filler and sanding, shiver me timbers, arrr, and t' results will be much better. Ahoy! I also made some practice templates on a copier, t' get a feel for how t' curves would form.

T' 24mm motor mount is recessed into t' boat tail a bit, so we painted t' inside o' t' boat tail with CA for durability. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, ya bilge rat, but gettin' them straight up and down is probably more important than bein' perfectly in-line. Avast, me proud beauty! I replaced t' supplied shock cord with a piece about 3 times t' body length. Begad! 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. Fill, me hearties, matey, prime, sand and paint. Blimey! T' ALARM is red with a few ½" black stripes. We were goin' t' use pinstripin' tape from t' local auto-parts store, but I couldn’t find any wide enough. Aye aye! What I eventually did be print t' stripes onto blank decal paper and apply them like any regular decals. Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' final touch was a few light mistings o' clear-coat t' protect t' decals.

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

T' recommended motors are D12-3, shiver me timbers, E15-4, arrr, E30-7 (all single use 24mm), and t' F25-7 RMS. For it’s first flight, we used an E15-4. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' boost be a little squirrely, shiver me timbers, leavin' a smoke trail that looked like a sidewinder trackin' a movin' plane. It straightened out nicely and t' chute ejected fine. Begad! There was no damage upon recovery. I’m goin' t' add some nose weight t' try and straighten out that boost, 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, me hearties, so this was a satisfyin' project.

Don’t rush construction, and your kit will look and fly great. Ya scallywag! It’s big (44"), shiver me timbers, and t' smallest motor suggested here be t' D12-3, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so I recommend buildin' light.

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