Brief: T' Harpoon is a scale model o' a US Air-Launched Anti-Ship Missile, me hearties, matey, T' Launch Pad's kit is an excellent first mid power and scale rocket.

Construction: I was 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 be kind enough t' brin' it back for me. Begad! Ya scallywag! I received t' Harpoon with all pieces present, in good condition, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and good quality. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I have heard some nay so great things about TLP's balsa wood, but I found t' wood for t' Harpoon great, me bucko, with a little help from CA.

T' instructions were clear, arrr, 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, shiver me timbers, that was tricky, but I think mine is close enough for me standards. That was t' only real "gotcha" for this rocket, ya bilge rat, t' fins aligned great, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, now I know that it much easier for t' consumer t' use his or her own techniques. Arrr! I just painted t' bands that go around t' rocket, matey, arrr, and for all o' t' small pinpoint rivets that are suppose t' be on t' rocket, I used a decal pack that I got from a local hobby store (East Coast Model Center) that be 1/5 rivet decals, matey, perfect, shiver me timbers, went on with ease, and made t' rocket look great. Ahoy! Still ponderin' what t' do for t' small amount o' letterin' that will go on t' rocket. Just a note, I am nay a perfectionist, or a great scale buff, me bucko, me Harpoon was just sports scale, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 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, me bucko, matey, E15-4, ya bilge rat, and a RMS F24-4 (24mm). Blimey! I plan on usin' all o' t' recommended motors, but instead o' t' E15, an E18 (reload).

T' day for t' maiden flight for t' Harpoon finally came. Begad! First flight would be on a D12-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Everythin' was setup, ya bilge rat, arrr, pictures were taken, and after makin' sure t' wind was perfect, matey, that t' launch rod was perfect, and that everythin' was perfect, me hearties, arrr, it was ready t' launch. I pushed t' launch button and t' Harpoon lifted off. Begad! T' flight was perfect. Avast! T' Harpoon flied straight as a rail, shiver me timbers, nice altitude on a D, and then right at apogee t' ejection charge fired, and t' nice mylar parachute deployed, matey, and t' Harpoon drifted down. Well, blow me down! Perfect flight and recovery.

Second flight, same day. Ahoy! I was goin' t' fly me LOC Aura on an Aerotech E engine, that was t' plan, but when I launched that on a D, t' stock streamer didn't slow it down enough and it broke a fin off, me hearties, so I thought I would fly it in t' Harpoon. Begad! Everythin' was set, ya bilge rat, and was readied again. Avast! I hit t' launch button, arrr, and t' Harpoon lifted off t' pad, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, t' igniter clips didn't come off, it soared... Begad! wait a minute (my exact thoughts). Well, blow me down! T' Aerotech igniter clips didn't unattach themselves from t' Harpoon, when it was about ten feet off o' t' pad, matey, t' leads ran out o' slack, which caused them t' pull on t' harpoon, arrr, ya bilge rat, causin' it t' go horizontal. Ahoy! T' leads did finally come unattached. Aye aye! T' Harpoon sailed directly away from us and over t' small hill we launch on. Well, blow me down! Amazin' sight. Then t' realization set in. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' slow walk started towards t' crash site. Avast, me proud beauty! As we got closer t' it, me bucko, ya bilge rat, we noticed that t' parachute had deployed. Arrr! Arrr! Good sign. It landed in some alders, shiver me timbers, pretty good sign, but then we notice what we thought was t' nose cone, was actually t' top six inches o' t' rocket's body tube smashed.

Damage report. First six inches o' t' rocket are destroyed. T' nose cone be completely smashed t' bits, one broken fin, and all fins had small slits from t' alder branches. Begad! It is fixable, it will be fixed, shiver me timbers, and it will fly again, arrr, and hopefully soon. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! I contact TLP and they were great enough t' help me by givin' me t' length o' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, help me with a parts list, 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, it's easy t' see, ya bilge rat, arrr, easy t' pack, arrr, and has a snap for easy removal from t' Harpoon. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' 18" seems t' be fine from t' tests I have conducted (throwin' it off me deck). Avast! Arrr! T' recovery system is a snap t' put together, but instead o' usin' t' shroud line material t' connect t' nose cone t' t' swivel, I just tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, and put t' swivel 10" or so down, arrr, didn't want t' trust that thin string).

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Summary: This rocket looks awesome, ya bilge rat, that be t' best thin' I feel about it. It is a nice lookin' rocket, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' right size, me hearties, nice motors size, shiver me timbers, nice scale touch, shiver me timbers, and a nice finish. 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. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Other than that, all o' t' pieces went together easily. A good first mid power or scale rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5