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

Wings and fins were cut from basswood sheets with a dremel tool, matey, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. Avast, me proud beauty! After a few coats o' primer and sanding, ya bilge rat, final coat be Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, me bucko, buffed with 4-0 steel wool for a smooth finish. Begad!

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, shiver me timbers, arrr, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Avast! T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, with some detailin' with t' dremel. Begad! Arrr! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. Well, blow me down! Arrr! They were created on me home computer usin' an old DOS program-Harvard Graphics. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Then printed on Avery clear shippin' labels.

After they dried for 2 days, t' rocket be given 2 coats o' clear t' protect t' markings.

Construction:
U sed t' 2 BT-80 size body tubes and coupler from t' kit. Aye aye! Blimey! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, arrr, formed them from basswood. Ya scallywag! 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, me hearties, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Ahoy! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Ahoy! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, attached t' t' motor mount. Avast! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, packin' be great. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! All parts were there, ya bilge rat, just nay used. Ya scallywag! Instructions didn't really matter, I be makin' this up as I went. Avast, me proud beauty! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, matey, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Avast, me proud beauty! Instead o' more clay, me bucko, arrr, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Begad! Well, blow me down! Worked like a charm. Begad! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Avast! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Arrr! 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, me hearties, and both work out fine. Blimey! 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, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show.

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

It does have some weight t' it. Ahoy!

So far it has flown 4 times, and no damage yet. Ya scallywag!

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, ya bilge rat, me bucko, no complaints there, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. Avast! But unless you spent time around t' real thing, ya bilge rat, you probably wouldn't notice. 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, I build a lot o' plastic models, 4-0 steel wool is great for smoothin' out sandin' marks after using xtra-fine sand paper. Begad! And don't just use stock dept. or hobby store paints. Begad! I use a lot o' automotive touch-up spray paints, shiver me timbers, you can get a lot more colors and shades.