Brief:
Only kit parts used were body tubes and coupler. Arrr! Basswood used for wings/fins, arrr, me bucko, tunnel cable cover, and missile hangers. Arrr! Arrr! 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, motor mount be installed, me bucko, but aft centerin' rin' be placed 1/2-inch into tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! This greatly reduces scorchin' common t' a lot o' Launch Pad kits. Blimey! Body be painted with Krylon gray primer, and sanded several times t' fill spirals. Final coat be again gray primer, shiver me timbers, it's a perfect match for t' gray used on the actual AIM-120. Ahoy! Aye aye!

Wings and fins were cut from basswood sheets with a dremel tool, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! After a few coats o' primer and sanding, ya bilge rat, final coat be Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, shiver me timbers, buffed with 4-0 steel wool for a smooth finish.

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

After they dried for 2 days, 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, formed them from basswood. Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Nose cone supplied with t' kit was wrong profile, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Avast, me proud beauty! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Ya scallywag! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, me bucko, matey, attached t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, packin' be great. Begad! Ya scallywag! All parts were there, arrr, shiver me timbers, just nay used. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Instructions didn't really matter, shiver me timbers, I was makin' this up as I went. 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. Ya scallywag! Worked like a charm. Launch Pad does nay supply decals, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Finished rocket is impressive, matey, me bucko, 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, or E-9's. Ahoy! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Both have been flown, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and both work out fine. Avast! With a 6-ft rod (don't even think o' usin' a 4-ft rod on this thing), shiver me timbers, lift-off is always somethin' t' watch. Well, blow me down! D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show.

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

It does have some weight t' it. Begad! Blimey!

So far it has flown 4 times, me hearties, and no damage yet. Avast!

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, no complaints there, shiver me timbers, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. Arrr! But unless you spent time around t' real thing, me bucko, you probably wouldn't notice. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! 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, me hearties, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 4-0 steel wool is great for smoothin' out sandin' marks after using xtra-fine sand paper. And don't just use stock dept. Blimey! or hobby store paints. Avast, me proud beauty! I use a lot o' automotive touch-up spray paints, ya bilge rat, you can get a lot more colors and shades. Begad! Aye aye!