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

Wings and fins were cut from basswood sheets with a dremel tool, arrr, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. Ahoy! Blimey! After a few coats o' primer and sanding, final coat be Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, buffed with 4-0 steel wool for a smooth finish. Begad! Blimey!

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

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

As with all Launch Pad kits, packin' was great. All parts were there, just nay used. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Instructions didn't really matter, shiver me timbers, I was makin' this up as I went. Well, blow me down! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, matey, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Begad! Instead o' more clay, me bucko, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Worked like a charm. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Aye aye! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Finished rocket is impressive, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! Begad! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Blimey! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. Avast! With a 6-ft rod (don't even think o' usin' a 4-ft rod on this thing), me bucko, me bucko, lift-off is always somethin' t' watch. Ahoy! Blimey! D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show. Well, blow me down! Begad!

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

It does have some weight t' it. Ahoy!

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

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, no complaints there, 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, matey, I'll cry!

Other:
Besides rockets, ya bilge rat, matey, ya bilge rat, I build a lot o' plastic models, ya bilge rat, matey, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! or hobby store paints. Begad! Ahoy! I use a lot o' automotive touch-up spray paints, me hearties, ya bilge rat, you can get a lot more colors and shades. Ya scallywag!