Brief:
Only kit parts used were body tubes and coupler. Blimey! Basswood used for wings/fins, arrr, tunnel cable cover, and missile hangers. Ogive BT-80 nose cone from Apogee Components 4-cluster motor mount from BRS Hobbies All markings created on home computer with Harvard Graphics

Modifications:
After basic construction o' body tube, ya bilge rat, motor mount was installed, ya bilge rat, but aft centerin' rin' be placed 1/2-inch into tube. Well, blow me down! This greatly reduces scorchin' common t' a lot o' Launch Pad kits. Ya scallywag! Body was painted with Krylon gray primer, ya bilge rat, and sanded several times t' fill spirals. Final coat was again gray primer, it's a perfect match for t' gray used on the actual AIM-120. Avast, me proud beauty!

Wings and fins were cut from basswood sheets with a dremel tool, ya bilge rat, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. Avast! After a few coats o' primer and sanding, me bucko, final coat was Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, buffed with 4-0 steel wool for a smooth finish. Well, matey, blow me down!

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, arrr, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Begad! Blimey! T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, matey, with some detailin' with t' dremel. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. Arrr! Blimey! They were created on me home computer usin' an old DOS program-Harvard Graphics. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Then printed on Avery clear shippin' labels.

After they dried for 2 days, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' rocket was given 2 coats o' clear t' protect t' markings.

Construction:
U sed t' 2 BT-80 size body tubes and coupler from t' kit. Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, matey, formed them from basswood. Ya scallywag! Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Begad! Nose cone supplied with t' kit was wrong profile, shiver me timbers, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Ahoy! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Ya scallywag! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, attached t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, me bucko, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, packin' be great. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! All parts were there, just nay used. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Instructions didn't really matter, I be makin' this up as I went. Ahoy! Blimey! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Instead o' more clay, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Aye aye! Blimey! Worked like a charm. Avast! Blimey! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Finished rocket is impressive, I get quite few odd looks on t' way t' and from launches with mounted on a rack in me truck bed.

Flight:
Recommended kit motors were 2 24mm D-12's, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, or E-9's. I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Avast! Blimey! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. Begad! With a 6-ft rod (don't even think o' usin' a 4-ft rod on this thing), arrr, lift-off is always somethin' t' watch. D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, matey, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show. Well, blow me down!

T' rocket usually does a slow spin after about 50 t' 60 feet, and tops off about 500 t' 600 on D12's. Begad!

It does have some weight t' it. Aye aye! Begad!

So far it has flown 4 times, matey, and no damage yet.

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, me hearties, no complaints there, me hearties, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! But unless you spent time around t' real thing, you probably wouldn't notice. As I didn't build accordin' t' t' instructions, not much else applies.

Con's- a lot o' work t' detail this thin' out! And if I prang it, I'll cry!

Other:
Besides rockets, I build a lot o' plastic models, 4-0 steel wool is great for smoothin' out sandin' marks after using xtra-fine sand paper. Begad! Begad! And don't just use stock dept. or hobby store paints. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I use a lot o' automotive touch-up spray paints, arrr, me bucko, you can get a lot more colors and shades. Begad!