Brief:
Only kit parts used were body tubes and coupler. Aye aye! Blimey! Basswood used for wings/fins, me hearties, tunnel cable cover, and missile hangers. Ya scallywag! 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, matey, motor mount be installed, arrr, but aft centerin' rin' be placed 1/2-inch into tube. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! This greatly reduces scorchin' common t' a lot o' Launch Pad kits. Body be painted with Krylon gray primer, and sanded several times t' fill spirals. Begad! Blimey! Final coat was again gray primer, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, 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, me bucko, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! After a few coats o' primer and sanding, final coat was Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, buffed with 4-0 steel wool for a smooth finish. Avast! Ya scallywag!

Forward fin guides were made from card stock, these were nay used on t' 1st lot o' AIM-120's, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, shiver me timbers, matey, with some detailin' with t' dremel. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. Ahoy! Blimey! They were created on me home computer usin' an old DOS program-Harvard Graphics. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Begad! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, formed them from basswood. Avast! Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, shiver me timbers, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Ahoy! Nose cone supplied with t' kit be wrong profile, ya bilge rat, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Arrr! Avast! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, attached t' t' motor mount. Begad! Blimey! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

As with all Launch Pad kits, arrr, me hearties, packin' was great. Aye aye! Arrr! All parts were there, just nay used. Arrr! Instructions didn't really matter, ya bilge rat, I was makin' this up as I went. Begad! Had t' add a bit more nose weight, due t' doublin' t' number o' motors from 2 to 4. Begad! Blimey! Instead o' more clay, matey, I used t' clay from a Launch Pad AIM-9 kit, me bucko, and added a dozen small fishin' weights, topped off with some white glue. Blimey! Worked like a charm. Begad! Avast! Launch Pad does nay supply decals, arrr, and only gives a vague idea of what they might be. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It's up t' t' modeler t' figure out what and where. Begad! Finished rocket is impressive, shiver me timbers, 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, me bucko, or E-9's. I opted t' go instead for a 4-cluster mount o' D12-5's or D12-7's. Arrr! Arrr! Both have been flown, and both work out fine. Ya scallywag! With a 6-ft rod (don't even think o' usin' a 4-ft rod on this thing), ya bilge rat, lift-off is always somethin' t' watch. Avast! Arrr! D-12's don't rip off t' pad fast, arrr, matey, buy 4 o' them at once do make a good show. Aye aye!

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

It does have some weight t' it. Avast! Aye aye!

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

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