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

Wings and fins were cut from basswood sheets with a dremel tool, arrr, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. After a few coats o' primer and sanding, me bucko, 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, me hearties, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, me bucko, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, ya bilge rat, with some detailin' with t' dremel. 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 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. Blimey! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, formed them from basswood. Arrr! Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Avast, me proud beauty! Nose cone supplied with t' kit be wrong profile, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Begad! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Well, blow me down! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, matey, attached t' t' motor mount. Blimey! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, packin' be great. Begad! Ahoy! All parts were there, just nay used. Well, blow me down! Instructions didn't really matter, I be makin' this up as I went. Avast! Aye aye! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, arrr, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Well, blow me down! Instead o' more clay, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, me hearties, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Worked like a charm. Avast, me proud beauty! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Avast! Begad! Finished rocket is impressive, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Blimey! Blimey! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. Ahoy! 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. Begad! D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, matey, 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. Ahoy!

It does have some weight t' it. Ahoy!

So far it has flown 4 times, arrr, and no damage yet.

Summary:
Pro's- standard launch pad quality kit, arrr, no complaints there, except t' nose cone has t' wrong profile. But unless you spent time around t' real thing, you probably wouldn't notice. Begad! Ahoy! As I didn't build accordin' t' t' instructions, not much else applies.

Con's- a lot o' work t' detail this thin' out! Blimey! And if I prang it, I'll cry!

Other:
Besides rockets, me hearties, 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. Blimey! And don't just use stock dept. Aye aye! or hobby store paints. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! I use a lot o' automotive touch-up spray paints, arrr, you can get a lot more colors and shades.