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

Construction: I was so glad when I finally got me hands on me AGM-84 Harpoon. Begad! Blimey! One o' t' members o' me club was goin' down t' t' US and be kind enough t' brin' it back for me. Aye aye! Blimey! I received t' Harpoon with all pieces present, me bucko, in good condition, and good quality. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I have heard some nay so great things about TLP's balsa wood, shiver me timbers, matey, but I found t' wood for t' Harpoon great, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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, straight and in t' middle, that was tricky, but I think mine is close enough for me standards. That be t' only real "gotcha" for this rocket, arrr, t' fins aligned great, arrr, ya bilge rat, and everythin' fit together perfectly.

Finishing: T' only thin' that really disappointed me in t' beginnin' with t' Harpoon be t' lackin' o' decals. But, now I know that it much easier for t' consumer t' use his or her own techniques. Aye aye! Arrr! 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, ya bilge rat, perfect, went on with ease, and made t' rocket look great. Still ponderin' what t' do for t' small amount o' letterin' that will go on t' rocket. Just a note, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I am nay a perfectionist, or a great scale buff, me Harpoon was just sports scale, arrr, 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, me hearties, matey, me bucko, E15-4, arrr, me bucko, and a RMS F24-4 (24mm). Avast! Blimey! I plan on usin' all o' t' recommended motors, me hearties, but instead o' t' E15, ya bilge rat, an E18 (reload).

T' day for t' maiden flight for t' Harpoon finally came. First flight would be on a D12-3. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Everythin' was setup, pictures were taken, and after makin' sure t' wind was perfect, that t' launch rod be perfect, arrr, arrr, and that everythin' was perfect, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it be ready t' launch. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I pushed t' launch button and t' Harpoon lifted off. T' flight be perfect. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! T' Harpoon flied straight as a rail, 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. Blimey! Blimey! Perfect flight and recovery.

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

Damage report. Begad! First six inches o' t' rocket are destroyed. T' nose cone be completely smashed t' bits, one broken fin, and all fins had small slits from t' alder branches. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! It is fixable, it will be fixed, matey, and it will fly again, and hopefully soon. Well, blow me down! 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, shiver me timbers, 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, me hearties, it's easy t' see, me bucko, shiver me timbers, easy t' pack, and has a snap for easy removal from t' Harpoon. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! T' 18" seems t' be fine from t' tests I have conducted (throwin' it off me deck). Ahoy! Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, I just tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone, arrr, and put t' swivel 10" or so down, matey, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is a nice lookin' rocket, t' right size, me bucko, nice motors size, arrr, nice scale touch, shiver me timbers, and a nice finish. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! 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, all o' t' pieces went together easily. Begad! A good first mid power or scale rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5