Brief:
Only kit parts used were body tubes and coupler. Aye aye! Basswood used for wings/fins, tunnel cable cover, and missile hangers. 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, motor mount was installed, matey, but aft centerin' rin' was placed 1/2-inch into tube. Avast! This greatly reduces scorchin' common t' a lot o' Launch Pad kits. Avast, me proud beauty! Body was painted with Krylon gray primer, and sanded several times t' fill spirals. Begad! Final coat was again gray primer, 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, and sanded t' bevel t' leadin' and trailing edges. After a few coats o' primer and sanding, final coat was Dupli-color Ford medium charcoal metallic, me hearties, 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, but were added due to fin flutter in flight. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' knurled finger knobs at t' base o' t' aft wings were made from wooden buttons I found in a craft store, with some detailin' with t' dremel. Begad! I took t' markin' from photos I took o' actual AIM-120's I worked on while in t' Air Force. Aye aye! They were created on me home computer usin' an old DOS program-Harvard Graphics. Blimey! Arrr! 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. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Referred t' actual scale drawings o' AIM-120A to determine proper win' and fin size, me hearties, formed them from basswood. Begad! Used basswood strip t' form t' ventral tunnel cable cover, me hearties, and t' center and aft missile hangers. Avast! Well, blow me down! Nose cone supplied with t' kit be wrong profile, shiver me timbers, obtained proper ogive nose from Apogee Components. Used a 4-cluster 24mm motor mount from BRS Hobbies instead o' kit 2-motor mount. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! Used Keelhaul®©™® shock cords, attached t' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Used a 24-inch nylon parachute from LOC instead o' kit mylar chute.

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

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. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

It does have some weight t' it. Begad!

So far it has flown 4 times, arrr, and no damage yet. Avast, me proud beauty!

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