Brief:
This is a 1/3 scale model o' Air Force AIM-9P-3 Sidewinder Air-to-Air missile that uses D or E engines. Begad! T' AIM-P differed from t' current AIM-9L/M in that t' P had a longer, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me bucko, more tapered nose and "double-delta" canards. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Also, me hearties, t' warhead was directly behind t' guidance unit, shiver me timbers, me bucko, followed by t' target detector and rocket motor. Aye aye! T' AIM-9L/M have t' warhead and target detector in t' opposite order. Aye aye! Also, me hearties, t' aft end o' t' wings were flush with aft end o' t' rocket motor. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' AIM 9P be painted gloss white overall, and did nay have a bare aluminum rin' at t' base o' t' seeker window. Ya scallywag! T' wings were one-piece aluminum, unlike t' composite wings on t' 9L/M.

Construction:
I used 2 BT-60 tubes and 1 BT-60 coupler. All wings, fins, and hangers are constructed from basswood. Well, blow me down! T' rolleron frames on t' wings are posterboard with paper overlay. Arrr! Rollerons are .03 mil aluminum tape over t' basswood wing, with t' rolleron wheels made with aluminum tape over posterboard. Avast, me proud beauty! T' slightly larger diameter aft end o' t' rocket motor was created with 2 layers o' plain copy paper and white glue. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone is from an Estes Python kit. Ya scallywag! All markings were created as TIF files and printed on clear labels with an inkjet printer.

I have copies o' old Air Force manuals showin' t' dimensions and markings o' t' AIM-9P, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, matey, so assembly was fairly easy once I figured out what I wanted t' do.

• Markin' - Decals
• Hanger Templates
• Forward Fin and Rolleron Templates
• Rear Fin Template
• Main Body Diagram

Construction was pretty basic, startin' with a standard engine mount includin' a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord assembly, matey, and t' two BT-60 tubes coupled together. Aye aye! Avast! At this point, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I gave t' body a light coat o' spray Kilz filler/primer and let it dry. Well, blow me down! Then I sanded it down, and repeated this until t' spiral lines were all filled. Ya scallywag! Begad! Two sheets o' copy paper were glued together with white glue and wrapped around t' aft end o' t' tube and then trimmed t' meet. That joint served as a base for t' fin and win' alignment. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Wings, ya bilge rat, win' ribs, ya bilge rat, arrr, and fins were cut from 1/8" basswood usin' a Dremel tool. Avast! These were then filled and sanded with Kilz. Hanger parts were cut from 3/16" basswood then filled and sanded.

At this point, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, t' body, me hearties, me bucko, nose, fins, and win' ribs were painted gloss white. Aye aye! T' wings were painted gloss white except for a 1/2" strip along t' root edge, which was painted aluminum t' simulate bare metal plus t' rollerons. T' wings were attached one at t' time and each was allowed t' cure overnight. T' win' ribs were then attached t' each side o' t' win' roots. Begad! T' fins were attached, ya bilge rat, again each was allowed t' cure overnight. Aye aye! Blimey! T' hanger bases were cut from 3/16" basswood and sanded t' match t' contour o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' hanger sides and top rails were glued on. Begad! T' completed rocket was painted with Testors Glosscoat and allowed t' dry overnight. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' markings and stripes were applied, me hearties, along with t' aluminum tape on t' top surfaces o' t' hanger rails. Avast, me proud beauty! Then another coat o' Glosscoat applied.

Nose Weight: Check your balance! You may need t' add 1-2 oz o' nose weight. Michael indicates that t' CG is 24.5" from t' nose cone.

Flight:
First flight be with a D12-3 and flew with no problems. Subsequent flight were made with D12-5s. Aye aye! Florida has a lot o' trees and open water. Well, matey, blow me down! T' less canopy time, t' shorter t' drift.

Recovery:
Standard chute recovery, matey, usin' a 2ft Keelhaul®©™ cord attached with a swivel t' a 5ft elastic cord. Begad! All landings so far have been soft, shiver me timbers, no damage yet.

Summary:
I like t' build scale models o' missile systems I've worked on. T' PROs are mostly t' satisfaction I get when it turns out right. T' CONs are tryin' t' locate t' correct markings and dimensions for projects like this.