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

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

T' instructions were clear, 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, ya bilge rat, but I think mine is close enough for me standards. Avast! That was t' only real "gotcha" for this rocket, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' fins aligned great, matey, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! But, ya bilge rat, now I know that it much easier for t' consumer t' use his or her own techniques. Blimey! I just painted t' bands that go around t' rocket, and for all o' t' small pinpoint rivets that are suppose t' be on t' rocket, I used a decal pack that I got from a local hobby store (East Coast Model Center) that be 1/5 rivet decals, perfect, shiver me timbers, me bucko, went on with ease, arrr, and made t' rocket look great. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Still ponderin' what t' do for t' small amount o' letterin' that will go on t' rocket. Just a note, shiver me timbers, I am nay a perfectionist, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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). Ahoy! I plan on usin' all o' t' recommended motors, but instead o' t' E15, an E18 (reload).

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

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

Damage report. Avast! Aye aye! First six inches o' t' rocket are destroyed. Ahoy! T' nose cone be completely smashed t' bits, shiver me timbers, me hearties, one broken fin, me hearties, and all fins had small slits from t' alder branches. Well, blow me down! It is fixable, it will be fixed, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and it will fly again, and hopefully soon. I contact TLP and they were great enough t' help me by givin' me t' length o' t' rocket, arrr, arrr, help me with a parts list, 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, shiver me timbers, it's easy t' see, easy t' pack, and has a snap for easy removal from t' Harpoon. Arrr! T' 18" seems t' be fine from t' tests I have conducted (throwin' it off me deck). Begad! T' recovery system is a snap t' put together, arrr, but instead o' usin' t' shroud line material t' connect t' nose cone t' t' swivel, ya bilge rat, I just tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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, me hearties, matey, me hearties, that be t' best thin' I feel about it. Aye aye! It is a nice lookin' rocket, ya bilge rat, t' right size, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, nice motors size, nice scale touch, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and a nice finish. Ya scallywag! 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, me bucko, matey, all o' t' pieces went together easily. A good first mid power or scale rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5