Brief: T' Harpoon is a scale model o' a US Air-Launched Anti-Ship Missile, matey, T' Launch Pad's kit is an excellent first mid power and scale rocket.

Construction: I was so glad when I finally got me hands on me AGM-84 Harpoon. One o' t' members o' me club be goin' down t' t' US and be kind enough t' brin' it back for me. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I received t' Harpoon with all pieces present, in good condition, matey, and good quality. Well, blow me down! Begad! I have heard some nay so great things about TLP's balsa wood, but I found t' wood for t' Harpoon great, shiver me timbers, with a little help from CA.

T' instructions were clear, shiver me timbers, but I wish they would have included more help and info on how t' get t' little hat that sits on top o' a FatBoy style nose cone, me bucko, straight and in t' middle, that be tricky, but I think mine is close enough for me standards. Ya scallywag! Blimey! That was t' only real "gotcha" for this rocket, t' fins aligned great, me hearties, and everythin' fit together perfectly.

Finishing: T' only thin' that really disappointed me in t' beginnin' with t' Harpoon was t' lackin' o' decals. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! But, arrr, now I know that it much easier for t' consumer t' use his or her own techniques. I just painted t' bands that go around t' rocket, shiver me timbers, and for all o' t' small pinpoint rivets that are suppose t' be on t' rocket, shiver me timbers, I used a decal pack that I got from a local hobby store (East Coast Model Center) that was 1/5 rivet decals, perfect, matey, shiver me timbers, went on with ease, and made t' rocket look great. Avast! Still ponderin' what t' do for t' small amount o' letterin' that will go on t' rocket. Blimey! Begad! Just a note, ya bilge rat, I am nay a perfectionist, shiver me timbers, me bucko, or a great scale buff, matey, me Harpoon was just sports scale, but I like how it turned out.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight: T' recommended motors for t' harpoon are a D12-3, E15-4, and a RMS F24-4 (24mm). Arrr! Blimey! I plan on usin' all o' t' recommended motors, but instead o' t' E15, matey, an E18 (reload).

T' day for t' maiden flight for t' Harpoon finally came. Well, blow me down! First flight would be on a D12-3. Aye aye! Everythin' was setup, shiver me timbers, pictures were taken, and after makin' sure t' wind was perfect, ya bilge rat, me hearties, that t' launch rod was perfect, arrr, and that everythin' be perfect, it was ready t' launch. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I pushed t' launch button and t' Harpoon lifted off. Arrr! T' flight be perfect. T' Harpoon flied straight as a rail, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, nice altitude on a D, and then right at apogee t' ejection charge fired, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' nice mylar parachute deployed, and t' Harpoon drifted down. Aye aye! Perfect flight and recovery.

Second flight, me hearties, same day. I was goin' t' fly me LOC Aura on an Aerotech E engine, me hearties, matey, that was t' plan, matey, but when I launched that on a D, ya bilge rat, t' stock streamer didn't slow it down enough and it broke a fin off, so I thought I would fly it in t' Harpoon. Everythin' be set, me hearties, and was readied again. Aye aye! I hit t' launch button, and t' Harpoon lifted off t' pad, matey, t' igniter clips didn't come off, matey, ya bilge rat, it soared... Aye aye! wait a minute (my exact thoughts). Ahoy! T' Aerotech igniter clips didn't unattach themselves from t' Harpoon, when it be about ten feet off o' t' pad, t' leads ran out o' slack, me bucko, which caused them t' pull on t' harpoon, causin' it t' go horizontal. Blimey! T' leads did finally come unattached. T' Harpoon sailed directly away from us and over t' small hill we launch on. Blimey! Amazin' sight. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Then t' realization set in. Aye aye! T' slow walk started towards t' crash site. Blimey! As we got closer t' it, shiver me timbers, arrr, we noticed that t' parachute had deployed. Avast! Good sign. It landed in some alders, me bucko, pretty good sign, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but then we notice what we thought be t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, was actually t' top six inches o' t' rocket's body tube smashed.

Damage report. First six inches o' t' rocket are destroyed. Blimey! Blimey! T' nose cone was completely smashed t' bits, one broken fin, shiver me timbers, and all fins had small slits from t' alder branches. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It is fixable, me bucko, it will be fixed, me bucko, matey, and it will fly again, me bucko, me hearties, and hopefully soon. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I contact TLP and they were great enough t' help me by givin' me t' length o' t' rocket, matey, shiver me timbers, help me with a parts list, ya bilge rat, and are sendin' me a replacement 'little hat' that goes on t' t' top o' t' nose cone t' give it t' scale.

Recovery: One thin' I really enjoy about t' Harpoon is its green mylar parachute, it's easy t' see, arrr, matey, easy t' pack, and has a snap for easy removal from t' Harpoon. Blimey! T' 18" seems t' be fine from t' tests I have conducted (throwin' it off me deck). Blimey! Aye aye! T' recovery system is a snap t' put together, but instead o' usin' t' shroud line material t' connect t' nose cone t' t' swivel, me bucko, I just tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, matey, me hearties, and put t' swivel 10" or so down, didn't want t' trust that thin string).

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Summary: This rocket looks awesome, that be t' best thin' I feel about it. It is a nice lookin' rocket, t' right size, nice motors size, nice scale touch, shiver me timbers, and a nice finish. T' only thin' I would say that I disliked about t' rocket would be that little hat that goes on top o' t' nose cone. Other than that, all o' t' pieces went together easily. Ahoy! Begad! A good first mid power or scale rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5