Brief:

Mid-power scale model o' t' air-to-air missile.

Construction:

As with all rockets from T' Launch Pad, shiver me timbers, this is a "builder's kit". Begad! T' fins and various detail bits all have t' be cut and assembled by t' builder. Blimey! Aye aye! Lots o' fun if you enjoy that sort o' thing, shiver me timbers, matey, which I do.

T' package contained everythin' I needed: sheets o' balsa for fins, dowels and balsa strips for details, paper templates for fins and wraps, ya bilge rat, me bucko, two 3/16th lugs, two BT-60 tubes, nose cone, and clay weight, me hearties, me bucko, as well as a pre-cut mylar chute, me hearties, me hearties, shock cord and lines, ya bilge rat, with a barrel swivel, parts for t' motor mount, arrr, ya bilge rat, etc.

T' instructions are straight forward, shiver me timbers, but nay overly detailed. Ahoy! It pays t' read carefully, matey, then study t' diagrams for further details. Ya scallywag! Some things, like launch lug placement are nay mentioned at all. Arrr! I believe I recall seein' somewhere that this is intentional- TLP believes that everyone has their own preferred method o' attachin' t' lugs. 

Things seem t' go together quite well, me hearties, me bucko, but it's worth mentionin' that one should take extra time and care when cuttin' t' dowel for t' forward fin inserts. Begad! I rushed through mine, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and they ended up slightly misshaped. Another thin' t' watch is how you lay out your fin patterns- do t' aft fins first! I didn't, matey, ya bilge rat, and ended up makin' a trip t' t' local hobby shop for more sheet balsa. Arrr! Well, blow me down! There is enough in t' kit, but you have t' plan carefully. Also, me hearties, remember t' watch t' direction o' t' grain, especially on t' aft fins! Blimey! T' only other problem I encountered was that t' supplied clay had solidified. Arrr! Blimey! A quick e-mail t' t' company, followed by a quick reply fixed t' problem- just add a few drops o' water t' t' bag t' clay comes in, me bucko, seal and leave over night. 

Assembly itself was simple enough, once t' parts were prepared (lots o' cuttin' and shaping). Well, blow me down! There are no fin alignment wraps supplied, matey, so you're on your own for linin' everythin' up right. Arrr! Nay a difficult thin' for a modeler with some experience, ya bilge rat, but any rocket with a forward set o' fins like this needs extra care t' be stable- this is pointed out in t' instructions. Ya scallywag! T' centerin' rings for t' motor mount are laser- cut (I think) from think card stock- very solid. Aye aye! Also included is a rin' which is mounted forward, and acts like a seat for t' parachute. Begad! Ahoy! I think this is t' avoid any shift in CG durin' boost.

T' recovery system consists o' an 18" mylar chute, a length o' cloth/elastic shock cord, ya bilge rat, barrel swivel, arrr, snap swivel, shiver me timbers, arrr, shroud lines and a thread. Ya scallywag! Begad! I had two misgivings here: I've never used a mylar chute before, me bucko, and that thread I mentioned ties t' weighted nose cone t' t' shock cord. Avast! Ahoy! So far, t' combination works, shiver me timbers, but I'm still dubious about that thread- t' nose is pretty heavy.

T' final result is a pretty solid ship. O' course, t' fly mid-power, ya bilge rat, arrr, ya bilge rat, it needs t' be!

Finishing:

Detailed paintin' instructions are included for t' kit, matey, includin' a couple o' scheme variations. Aye aye! There are no decals included, unfortunately. Avast! There is a bit o' maskin' involved, arrr, but nothin' terribly tricky- except perhaps on t' nose cone. For t' 1/16" red band, me bucko, I used vinyl car detail striping; everythin' else was painted. Aye aye! Findin' a blue that matched photos o' inert missiles was virtually impossible, ya bilge rat, arrr, ya bilge rat, without airbrushing, shiver me timbers, so I used a "close match".

T' final product looks pretty good!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight: 

I've only had one flight on me Sidewinder, shiver me timbers, so far. Ya scallywag! I used t' recommended first-flight motor, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, a D12-3. Ya scallywag! No directions regardin' waddin' requirements is given, so I just looked up what I needed for another BT-60 based rocket. Aye aye! Preppin' for flight is like any regular kit- no special things t' watch out for.

Boost be nice and straight, and fairly high; very little weathercocking- a surprise for a kit with so much aft fin area!

One thin' t' watch here: Use an angled blast deflector, or else support t' rocket a couple o' inches above t' deflector. T' base o' t' motor is about 1/2" up t' body tube, and you will scorch t' BT if care isn't taken. Ahoy! Aye aye! I used an angled deflector, ya bilge rat, and t' inside o' t' BT wasn't even marked.

Recovery:

Chute deployed near apogee, arrr, ya bilge rat, and t' ship descended at a nice rate. One fin broke on landing, but that was due t' me error durin' construction- remember I mentioned t' watch t' grain direction? Oops! T' recovery system itself be unscathed.

T' only design-related problem I encountered was that I couldn't remove t' spend motor with me fingers. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! It's too far up t' tube t' remove without a pair o' needle nose pliers.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:

Overall, I very pleased with me Sidewinder. Avast! There is lots o' work involved, but t' final result is worth t' effort. Any problems I encountered (except motor removal) were generally o' me own making.

I cannot stress enough that this kit requires some buildin' experience! T' directions are written assumin' you know what you are doing, and leave things like lug placement t' t' builder. Dependin' on your viewpoint, me hearties, this is either good or bad. 

T' main Con's are: no fin alignment wrappers (would make things a bit easier), and t' lack o' decals. Arrr! Avast! I remain suspicious o' t' thread holdin' that heavy nose t' t' shock cord, ya bilge rat, but it's held so far.

An important note: T' manufacturer has repeatedly mentioned that these kits do nay require heavy-duty buildin' techniques- that carpenter's glue and CA will work just fine, matey, shiver me timbers, but over buildin' (Epoxy, matey, fibreglass, etc) will likely result in an unstable model. 

Things like missiles are originally designed t' be unstable- designin' a scale replica t' fly can be very difficult. T' relationship betwixt CG and CP is critical with t' kits. Begad! Build light, but strong.

I followed that advice, ya bilge rat, and t' results are great. 

If you like gettin' into cutting, shapin' and sanding- lots o' parts making, then I'd recommend this kit. Avast! I had a lot o' fun puttin' it together- me only regret be that I kinda rushed it.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5