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

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

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, matey, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, matey, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! They were created on me home computer usin' an old DOS program-Harvard Graphics. Then printed on Avery clear shippin' labels.

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

As with all Launch Pad kits, packin' be great. All parts were there, just nay used. Instructions didn't really matter, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I was makin' this up as I went. Well, blow me down! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, me bucko, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Aye aye! Begad! Instead o' more clay, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, arrr, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Begad! Ya scallywag! Worked like a charm. Avast, me proud beauty! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, me bucko, me bucko, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. 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, me hearties, or E-9's. Ya scallywag! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Avast, me proud beauty! Both have been flown, shiver me timbers, and both work out fine. Arrr! With a 6-ft rod (don't even think o' usin' a 4-ft rod on this thing), 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. Aye aye! Blimey!

It does have some weight t' it.

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

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