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

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

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, me bucko, arrr, with some detailin' with t' dremel. Begad! Blimey! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. 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, matey, 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. Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, formed them from basswood. Avast! Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Aye aye! Nose cone supplied with t' kit was wrong profile, ya bilge rat, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Well, blow me down! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Arrr! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, attached t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, arrr, packin' be great. Ya scallywag! All parts were there, shiver me timbers, just nay used. Instructions didn't really matter, arrr, I was makin' this up as I went. Had t' add a bit more nose weight, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Blimey! Begad! Instead o' more clay, arrr, ya bilge rat, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, me bucko, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Worked like a charm. Launch Pad does nay supply decals, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Blimey! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Blimey! Finished rocket is impressive, me hearties, 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. 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), lift-off is always somethin' t' watch. D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, me hearties, matey, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show. Ya scallywag! 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.

It does have some weight t' it. Aye aye! Blimey!

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

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, matey, no complaints there, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! But unless you spent time around t' real thing, you probably wouldn't notice. Begad! 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, I'll cry!

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