Brief:
Only kit parts used were body tubes and coupler. Blimey! Basswood used for wings/fins, tunnel cable cover, matey, and missile hangers. Blimey! 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, arrr, motor mount be installed, me bucko, but aft centerin' rin' be placed 1/2-inch into tube. Avast! 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. Ahoy! Begad! Final coat was again gray primer, me hearties, it's a perfect match for t' gray used on the actual AIM-120. Ahoy! Begad!

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

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

After they dried for 2 days, t' rocket be given 2 coats o' clear t' protect t' markings.

Construction:
U sed t' 2 BT-80 size body tubes and coupler from t' kit. Arrr! Arrr! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, shiver me timbers, formed them from basswood. Well, blow me down! Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Nose cone supplied with t' kit be wrong profile, me bucko, shiver me timbers, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 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. Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, packin' was great. Ahoy! Avast! All parts were there, me bucko, just nay used. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Instructions didn't really matter, ya bilge rat, I be makin' this up as I went. Aye aye! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Ya scallywag! Instead o' more clay, matey, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, arrr, arrr, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Worked like a charm. Ya scallywag! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Begad! Aye aye! 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, or E-9's. Begad! Begad! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. 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. 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. Ahoy!

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. Aye aye! Blimey!

So far it has flown 4 times, and no damage yet. Arrr! Begad!

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, me bucko, arrr, no complaints there, me hearties, me hearties, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I'll cry!

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