Brief:
This scale model uses a 29mm motor mount for midpower t' high power motors, me hearties, and uses a parachute and PML's piston for recovery.

Construction:
T' construction o' t' AMRAAM be much easier than I had predicted. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' packagin' be neat and informative. Avast, me proud beauty! All o' t' parts were in t' kit and in perfect shape.

T' kit is made o' a PML 54mm phenolic tube, 8 G10 fins, a 29mm phenolic tube for t' motor mount, shiver me timbers, 2 thick plywood centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, piston retainin' strap, piston, shock cord, shiver me timbers, 24" parachute, thick plastic nose cone, and a copper launch lug (which I cut in half for better support).

T' instructions were nay anywhere near what they could have been. Avast! Begad! Blimey! They took up t' equivalent o' one piece o' paper, arrr, matey, and assumed a lot. I be lucky t' have built mid-power rockets before so knew how t' make good bonds with epoxy, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions did have several useful diagrams.

One problem I had was that on t' lower set o' fins I could nay tell which end went through t' rocket and which end stuck out. Begad! They were very similar, matey, me bucko, but different enough t' make a difference. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I looked as closely as possible at t' diagram provided and then tried what looked more like it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'm still nay sure if I did t' right one! But t' only time I think it looks odd is when it is held up t' me Estes AMRAAM (of which I have know nothin' o' scale accuracy).

One thin' I did like about t' construction was materials. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This be me first experience with Phenolic and G10. Aye aye! Arrr! T' materials weigh a lot more, ya bilge rat, but they are stronger than plywood and paper. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' copper launch lugs were also very nice. Arrr! Arrr! I used 60 minute epoxy throughout construction and ended up with a very strong-seemin' rocket.

T' AMRAAM, shiver me timbers, matey, with t' exception o' t' fin problem mentioned above, was very easy t' use. Aye aye! T' upper fins fit perfectly in their notches, shiver me timbers, but t' lower fins left a small bit o' fin slot gap showing. Ahoy! I epoxied a small square o' paper over this hole and spread epoxy over it. Avast, me proud beauty! I sanded it once and now you can't see it, so no big problem. Blimey! Aye aye! T' AMRAAM didn't require any difficult construction techniques or special tools. Ya scallywag! Because it is promoted as a good mid-power/low-highpower rocket, arrr, and therefore a logical first high power rocket, matey, shiver me timbers, I think t' instructions could be made clearer. Begad! Overall a very nice kit.

Finishing:
Finishin' this model was nay overly-difficult. T' G10 fins are already nice and smooth, but t' tubes have those nasty spirals which require a lot o' fillin' for a decent finish. Blimey! I used several coats o' grey primer t' smooth out imperfections (usin' white for t' nose). Avast! Blimey! In t' instructions it tells you t' look for decal strips for t' colored strips, but I just painted mine on. Ahoy! T' decals also proved t' be very nice. Ahoy! Avast! I have no complaints about t' finishin' o' this rocket.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' AMRAAM kit recommends F-H motors. Because o' its high weight I would recommend flyin' it on high thrust F motors (F62, F80), matey, or just stickin' with G's and H's.

T' first flight be on a G35-7, which worked great. Begad! Well, blow me down! I think that any G or H motor should work fine, except for t' really long burn G's (G25, G33) which might nay have enough kick for this model.

T' AMRAAM be t' easiest t' prep mid-power rocket I have. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Because t' piston eliminates t' need for recovery wadding, all that is required is t' pack and insert t' chute. Aye aye! Motor retention on me model consists o' an Estes engine hook epoxied on (just like on Estes models). Ya scallywag! Although this systems sounds and looks simple and actually weak, me bucko, it works fine. Well, blow me down! First I get a good solid friction fit with maskin' tape and make maskin' tape thrust rin' on t' aft o' t' motor, then I insert t' motor and wrap t' aft o' it and t' motor mount with maskin' tape. Avast! T' maskin' tape acts as t' primary system, arrr, matey, with t' engine hook as a great backup. On t' first launch t' AMRAAM's G35 ignited first try. Aye aye! T' rocket leaped off t' launch pad and went straight up. Ahoy! T' 7 second delay was just right with this motor.

Recovery:
T' shock cord on t' AMRAAM is black flat elastic nylon strap, matey, me bucko, which attaches t' t' piston, arrr, which in turn attaches t' a heavy duty piston-retainin' strap. Ya scallywag! T' chute has a large spill hole, but even with this it is near perfect for t' AMRAAM. Avast! Ahoy! Recovery was a little slow, but overall it was great. T' only damage t' t' rocket be some slight scorchin' at t' base. Ahoy! Avast! This was me first mid-power rocket nay painted black at t' rear, me hearties, so this be t' first time I experienced this. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! It does give t' rocket a sort o' battle-worn look which I think is cool.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' AMRAAM overall is a great kit. Well, blow me down! It flies great, is a very strong and durable rocket, arrr, me hearties, and t' piston system eliminates recovery wadding. Avast! However, me hearties, t' kit doesn't come with motor retention and t' fins didn't quite fit right in their slots. Blimey! None o' these were major problems.

T' PML AMRAAM was me first PML kit. I normally am against almost all high power kits because most o' them require so many replacement parts that they aren't worthwhile. Begad! While t' AMRAAM has flaws, I still recommend it for those who don't enjoy designin' their own rockets.

My only advice for someone buildin' this kit is t' add positive motor retention and use a good quick-cure epoxy. Begad! Aye aye! Other than that, have fun flying!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5