Brief: T' Harpoon is a scale model o' a US Air-Launched Anti-Ship Missile, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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. Aye aye! Blimey! One o' t' members o' me club be goin' down t' t' US and was kind enough t' brin' it back for me. Ahoy! I received t' Harpoon with all pieces present, in good condition, and good quality. Blimey! I have heard some nay so great things about TLP's balsa wood, but I found t' wood for t' Harpoon great, with a little help from CA.

T' instructions were clear, ya bilge rat, 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, straight and in t' middle, me bucko, that was tricky, shiver me timbers, me hearties, matey, but I think mine is close enough for me standards. That was t' only real "gotcha" for this rocket, t' fins aligned great, me hearties, and everythin' fit together perfectly.

Finishing: T' only thin' that really disappointed me in t' beginnin' with t' Harpoon be t' lackin' o' decals. Begad! But, now I know that it much easier for t' consumer t' use his or her own techniques. Begad! 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I used a decal pack that I got from a local hobby store (East Coast Model Center) that be 1/5 rivet decals, perfect, went on with ease, me bucko, and made t' rocket look great. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Still ponderin' what t' do for t' small amount o' letterin' that will go on t' rocket. Begad! Blimey! Just a note, I am nay a perfectionist, matey, me hearties, or a great scale buff, me Harpoon be 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). Avast, me proud beauty! I plan on usin' all o' t' recommended motors, arrr, but instead o' t' E15, me bucko, an E18 (reload).

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

Second flight, same day. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I was goin' t' fly me LOC Aura on an Aerotech E engine, that be t' plan, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Everythin' was set, arrr, and be readied again. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I hit t' launch button, and t' Harpoon lifted off t' pad, me bucko, t' igniter clips didn't come off, it soared... Begad! Blimey! wait a minute (my exact thoughts). T' Aerotech igniter clips didn't unattach themselves from t' Harpoon, matey, when it was about ten feet off o' t' pad, ya bilge rat, t' leads ran out o' slack, which caused them t' pull on t' harpoon, causin' it t' go horizontal. Blimey! Blimey! T' leads did finally come unattached. T' Harpoon sailed directly away from us and over t' small hill we launch on. Avast! Blimey! Amazin' sight. Blimey! Blimey! Then t' realization set in. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' slow walk started towards t' crash site. Ahoy! Blimey! As we got closer t' it, matey, ya bilge rat, we noticed that t' parachute had deployed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Good sign. It landed in some alders, shiver me timbers, arrr, pretty good sign, me hearties, me hearties, 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! First six inches o' t' rocket are destroyed. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone was completely smashed t' bits, one broken fin, shiver me timbers, arrr, and all fins had small slits from t' alder branches. It is fixable, ya bilge rat, it will be fixed, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and it will fly again, and hopefully soon. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I contact TLP and they were great enough t' help me by givin' me t' length o' t' rocket, me bucko, help me with a parts list, arrr, 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, it's easy t' see, easy t' pack, and has a snap for easy removal from t' Harpoon. Begad! T' 18" seems t' be fine from t' tests I have conducted (throwin' it off me deck). T' recovery system is a snap t' put together, but instead o' usin' t' shroud line material t' connect t' nose cone t' t' swivel, matey, me hearties, I just tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, 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, that be t' best thin' I feel about it. It is a nice lookin' rocket, arrr, t' right size, me hearties, nice motors size, nice scale touch, and a nice finish. Begad! 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. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! Other than that, shiver me timbers, all o' t' pieces went together easily. Aye aye! Blimey! A good first mid power or scale rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5