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

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

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, ya bilge rat, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, shiver me timbers, 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, shiver me timbers, with some detailin' with t' dremel. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. 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. Blimey! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, matey, formed them from basswood. 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, matey, ya bilge rat, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Ahoy! 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' was great. All parts were there, just nay used. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Instructions didn't really matter, matey, matey, I be makin' this up as I went. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Instead o' more clay, shiver me timbers, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, shiver me timbers, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Worked like a charm. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! 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. Arrr! 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. Ya scallywag! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Ya scallywag! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, ya bilge rat, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show. Begad!

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

It does have some weight t' it.

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

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, me bucko, you probably wouldn't notice. Ya scallywag! 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, I'll cry!

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