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. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It is a single stage, mid-power model rocket recovered by an 18" parachute.

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

T' instructions are pretty easy t' follow for anyone who has built a few model rockets. Blimey! T' engine assembly went together quickly. Avast! Simply cut a slot in t' engine tube 2.5" from t' end o' t' engine tube, insert t' clip, arrr, me hearties, wrap with tape, and glue t' centerin' rings 1/4" from t' ends. Begad! T' rings fit well, no sandin' needed. Begad! 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. Begad! Nay too difficult, me bucko, but I found that formin' t' tail cone over a steamin' cup o' hot water made things a lot easier. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! This was followed by insertin' t' exhaust tube into t' tail cone and gluin' t' narrow centerin' rings. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' tail cone assembly was then painted with CA glue t' toughen it up.

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

Next step was t' insert and glue t' centerin' rin' with 1" hole for t' parachute compartment. Ahoy! Since this has t' wind up 6" from t' forward end o' t' body tube, I taped off a piece o' dowel rod 6" from t' end, spread some aliphatic resin along t' inside o' t' body tube, and carefully poked t' centerin' rin' into place. Avast! Once t' wood glue be dry, me bucko, matey, 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. Avast! Begad! T' make sure both tubes were aligned, I rolled t' joined tubes on a flat surface before t' glue set.

T' conduit strips were then sanded, shaped, and glued t' t' body tube. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' fins were cut out o' t' supplied balsa stock usin' t' patterns provided. Begad! T' balsa was 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. Begad! Pretty simple, just cut with a razor saw, shape with an emery board, me bucko, and glue t' t' aft fins.

Mount t' aft fins in a cruciform pattern. I used an Estes fin alignment guide t' do this. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! In spite o' me best efforts, one fin be misaligned and had t' be reattached. Begad! 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. All o' t' fin joints seemed pretty sturdy with t' exception o' t' one reattached fin. Begad! CA glue and Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler were used t' finish t' fillets.

Finishing:
Finishin' this model be a lot o' fun. TLP suggests a simple two-tone blue and white paint scheme t' replicate t' real thing. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This particular rocket doesn't require any special graphics, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and as with other kits from TLP, decals are nay included. Begad! T' nice thin' about nay includin' decals is that it presents t' builder with more choices and challenges. Begad! 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, I thought it might be fun t' go with a yellow, green, shiver me timbers, and black paint scheme t' match t' football uniforms worn by t' University o' Oregon Ducks.

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

Finally, t' green, yellow, matey, and black bands were separated with chrome mylar pinstripin' tape purchased from an auto parts store. Arrr! Aye aye! 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. Arrr! Ahoy! A 4 foot long, matey, me bucko, 3/16" launch rod was used as t' 3' Estes rod seemed a little short for a large rocket like this. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! 5 sheets o' waddin' be used t' protect t' mylar parachute. Ahoy! Liftoff be slow and realistic. Begad! Because this is a heavy rocket for a D12 motor, arrr, matey, it struggled t' get aloft and altitude was only about 250'. Aye aye! Blimey! Next flight will use an E15-4 engine.

Recovery:
Three seconds doesn't seem like a long time for a delay, but it can seem like an eternity when thar's nay a whole lot o' space betwixt your rocket and terra firma. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' chute deployed just in time but she came down hard, breakin' off a fin and t' pointy nosecone extension. Avast, me proud beauty! Flight damage has since been repaired and will fly again. Nice comments from t' spectators present made this flight worthwhile. Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! T' challenge o' makin' nose and tail cone extensions along with alignin' multiple sets o' fins made this a fun kit t' build. Begad! T' first con is that while D motors work well for smaller TLP rockets (Anubis, Bolo, me hearties, Perseus), matey, this particular model needs t' fly on an E motor or higher. Begad! T' other con is that an 18" parachute will help t' brin' it down near t' launchpad, just don't expect a soft landing. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I don't know if epoxy is really necessary, ya bilge rat, me bucko, just make sure you do a good job on t' aft fin joints before flyin' this model.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5