Brief:
TLP's Indigo SAM is a 1/2.95 scale model o' a short-range anti-aircraft missile manufactured by Contraves Italiana and Sistel. It is a single stage, matey, arrr, mid-power model rocket recovered by an 18" parachute.

Construction:
Since thar wasn't a previously posted review for this particular rocket, me hearties, I thought this might be helpful for anyone wishin' t' build a really cool lookin' scale model o' this Italian SAM. T' kit comes in t' familiar plastic bag, typical o' TLP kits. Avast, me proud beauty! Included are two 2.6" diameter body tubes, matey, tube coupler, me hearties, matey, a 3" x 24mm engine tube, engine clip, 2 centerin' rings (for engine tube), plastic nose cone, clay (for nose weight), 2 narrow centerin' rings (for exhaust tube), shiver me timbers, 1 centerin' rin' with 1" hole (for t' parachute compartment), shiver me timbers, 2 sheets o' 1/8" thick balsa stock, 4 balsa strips, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a sheet o' heavy cardstock, arrr, a 1/4" dowel rod, arrr, 1/4" shock cord, shiver me timbers, shroud line, me bucko, 18" mylar parachute, matey, cardstock shock cord mount, me bucko, and brass barrel and snap swivels.

T' instructions are pretty easy t' follow for anyone who has built a few model rockets. Ahoy! T' engine assembly went together quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! Simply cut a slot in t' engine tube 2.5" from t' end o' t' engine tube, shiver me timbers, insert t' clip, wrap with tape, and glue t' centerin' rings 1/4" from t' ends. Aye aye! T' rings fit well, no sandin' needed. One centerin' rin' is slotted for t' engine clip which makes changin' motors a snap.

Next up was cuttin' out and formin' t' tail cone from t' cardstock. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Nay too difficult, but I found that formin' t' tail cone over a steamin' cup o' hot water made things a lot easier. Ahoy! This was followed by insertin' t' exhaust tube into t' tail cone and gluin' t' narrow centerin' rings. T' tail cone assembly be then painted with CA glue t' toughen it up.

Like other TLP kits, me bucko, ya bilge rat, this one calls for a pointy nosecone extension made from t' supplied cardstock. Arrr! Once again, shiver me timbers, this is nay too difficult but do take your time t' make sure it's aligned correctly before committin' t' glue. I formed t' extension first and then tacked in place with maskin' tape. Avast, me proud beauty! Once t' nosecone extension be glued, me bucko, I followed up with Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler t' fill in t' seams.

Next step be t' insert and glue t' centerin' rin' with 1" hole for t' parachute compartment. Blimey! Since this has t' wind up 6" from t' forward end o' t' body tube, shiver me timbers, I taped off a piece o' dowel rod 6" from t' end, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, spread some aliphatic resin along t' inside o' t' body tube, matey, and carefully poked t' centerin' rin' into place. Blimey! Arrr! Once t' wood glue be dry, I added a few drops o' CA glue t' secure t' centerin' ring.

T' second body tube was joined t' t' first with t' supplied coupler and glued into place. Begad! T' make sure both tubes were aligned, arrr, I rolled t' joined tubes on a flat surface before t' glue set.

T' conduit strips were then sanded, me hearties, shaped, and glued t' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins were cut out o' t' supplied balsa stock usin' t' patterns provided. Avast! T' balsa be pretty flimsy but strengthenin' with thin CA glue and laminatin' with printer paper resulted in very smooth and tough fins.

Final details include cuttin' and shapin' t' 1/4" dowel rod into t' aft fin antennae. Pretty simple, just cut with a razor saw, shiver me timbers, shape with an emery board, and glue t' t' aft fins.

Mount t' aft fins in a cruciform pattern. Aye aye! I used an Estes fin alignment guide t' do this. Avast! In spite o' me best efforts, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, one fin was misaligned and had t' be reattached. Arrr! I aligned t' forward wings usin' two aluminum yardsticks and clothespins t' make sure they lined up with t' aft fins.

Glue fillets were made usin' aliphatic resin along t' seams for t' fins and conduit strips. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! All o' t' fin joints seemed pretty sturdy with t' exception o' t' one reattached fin. Ya scallywag! Avast! CA glue and Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler were used t' finish t' fillets.

Finishing:
Finishin' this model was a lot o' fun. Begad! Avast! Blimey! TLP suggests a simple two-tone blue and white paint scheme t' replicate t' real thing. Avast, me proud beauty! This particular rocket doesn't require any special graphics, and as with other kits from TLP, decals are nay included. Ahoy! T' nice thin' about nay includin' decals is that it presents t' builder with more choices and challenges. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! You can either make your own decals with your PC or do what I did and go with your own theme.

With college football season approaching, shiver me timbers, I thought it might be fun t' go with a yellow, ya bilge rat, green, matey, and black paint scheme t' match t' football uniforms worn by t' University o' Oregon Ducks.

T' entire rocket was primed usin' Kilz Original and sanded with 600 grit sandpaper, arrr, twice. Aye aye! Blimey! A base coat o' Krylon Sun Yellow be then applied followed by Hunter Green stripes on t' nosecone, matey, mid-body, matey, and aft fins. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Gloss Black be then applied t' t' forward wings, nosecone, and tail cone. Finishin' touches were made usin' a diamond plate pattern cut from Frisket maskin' film on t' forward wings and painted Gray Pewter. Begad! Next step be t' cut out t' University o' Oregon athletics logo from Frisket film, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, apply t' stencil t' t' forward part o' t' rocket, and paint Hunter Green.

Finally, me bucko, t' green, yellow, and black bands were separated with chrome mylar pinstripin' tape purchased from an auto parts store. T' end result is a stunnin' lookin' rocket that has since received a lot o' positive feedback from everyone who has seen it.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I've only flown this rocket once. A D12-3 was t' motor o' choice for t' maiden flight. Ya scallywag! A 4 foot long, 3/16" launch rod be used as t' 3' Estes rod seemed a little short for a large rocket like this. 5 sheets o' waddin' be used t' protect t' mylar parachute. Well, blow me down! Liftoff was slow and realistic. Because this is a heavy rocket for a D12 motor, it struggled t' get aloft and altitude was only about 250'. Ahoy! Next flight will use an E15-4 engine.

Recovery:
Three seconds doesn't seem like a long time for a delay, ya bilge rat, but it can seem like an eternity when thar's nay a whole lot o' space betwixt your rocket and terra firma. Begad! T' chute deployed just in time but she came down hard, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, breakin' off a fin and t' pointy nosecone extension. Avast! Aye aye! Flight damage has since been repaired and will fly again. Aye aye! Nice comments from t' spectators present made this flight worthwhile. Begad! Ahoy! I plan on goin' with a 24" parachute and an E15-4 motor next time out.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I really enjoyed buildin' and finishin' this rocket. Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! T' challenge o' makin' nose and tail cone extensions along with alignin' multiple sets o' fins made this a fun kit t' build. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! T' first con is that while D motors work well for smaller TLP rockets (Anubis, Bolo, shiver me timbers, Perseus), shiver me timbers, this particular model needs t' fly on an E motor or higher. Begad! Blimey! T' other con is that an 18" parachute will help t' brin' it down near t' launchpad, just don't expect a soft landing. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I don't know if epoxy is really necessary, arrr, just make sure you do a good job on t' aft fin joints before flyin' this model.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5