Brief:

Mid-power scale model of the air-to-air missile.

Construction:

As with all rockets from The Launch Pad, this is a "builder's kit". The fins and various detail bits all have to be cut and assembled by the builder. Lots of fun if you enjoy that sort of thing, which I do.

The package contained everything I needed: sheets of balsa for fins, dowels and balsa strips for details, paper templates for fins and wraps, two 3/16th lugs, two BT-60 tubes, nose cone, and clay weight, as well as a pre-cut mylar chute, shock cord and lines, with a barrel swivel, parts for the motor mount, etc.

The instructions are straight forward, but not overly detailed. It pays to read carefully, then study the diagrams for further details. Some things, like launch lug placement are not mentioned at all. I believe I recall seeing somewhere that this is intentional- TLP believes that everyone has their own preferred method of attaching the lugs. 

Things seem to go together quite well, but it's worth mentioning that one should take extra time and care when cutting the dowel for the forward fin inserts. I rushed through mine, and they ended up slightly misshaped. Another thing to watch is how you lay out your fin patterns- do the rear fins first! I didn't, and ended up making a trip to the local hobby shop for more sheet balsa. There is enough in the kit, but you have to plan carefully. Also, remember to watch the direction of the grain, especially on the aft fins! The only other problem I encountered was that the supplied clay had solidified. A quick e-mail to the company, followed by a quick reply fixed the problem- just add a few drops of water to the bag the clay comes in, seal and leave over night. 

Assembly itself was simple enough, once the parts were prepared (lots of cutting and shaping). There are no fin alignment wraps supplied, so you're on your own for lining everything up right. Not a difficult thing for a modeler with some experience, but any rocket with a forward set of fins like this needs extra care to be stable- this is pointed out in the instructions. The centering rings for the motor mount are laser- cut (I think) from think card stock- very solid. Also included is a ring which is mounted forward, and acts like a seat for the parachute. I think this is to avoid any shift in CG during boost.

The recovery system consists of an 18" mylar chute, a length of cloth/elastic shock cord, barrel swivel, snap swivel, shroud lines and a thread. I had two misgivings here: I've never used a mylar chute before, and that thread I mentioned ties the weighted nose cone to the shock cord. So far, the combination works, but I'm still dubious about that thread- the nose is pretty heavy.

The final result is a pretty solid ship. Of course, to fly mid-power, it needs to be!

Finishing:

Detailed painting instructions are included for the kit, including a couple of scheme variations. There are no decals included, unfortunately. There is a bit of masking involved, but nothing terribly tricky- except perhaps on the nose cone. For the 1/16" red band, I used vinyl car detail striping; everything else was painted. Finding a blue that matched photos of inert missiles was virtually impossible, without airbrushing, so I used a "close match".

The final product looks pretty good!

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight: 

I've only had one flight on my Sidewinder, so far. I used the recommended first-flight motor, a D12-3. No directions regarding wadding requirements is given, so I just looked up what I needed for another BT-60 based rocket. Prepping for flight is like any regular kit- no special things to watch out for.

Boost was nice and straight, and fairly high; very little weathercocking- a surprise for a kit with so much rear fin area!

One thing to watch here: Use an angled blast deflector, or else support the rocket a couple of inches above the deflector. The base of the motor is about 1/2" up the body tube, and you will scorch the BT if care isn't taken. I used an angled deflector, and the inside of the BT wasn't even marked.

Recovery:

Chute deployed near apogee, and the ship descended at a nice rate. One fin broke on landing, but that was due to my error during construction- remember I mentioned to watch the grain direction? Oops! The recovery system itself was unscathed.

The only design-related problem I encountered was that I couldn't remove the spend motor with my fingers. It's too far up the tube to remove without a pair of needle nose pliers.

Flight Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:

Overall, I very pleased with my Sidewinder. There is lots of work involved, but the final result is worth the effort. Any problems I encountered (except motor removal) were generally of my own making.

I cannot stress enough that this kit requires some building experience! The directions are written assuming you know what you are doing, and leave things like lug placement to the builder. Depending on your viewpoint, this is either good or bad. 

The main Con's are: no fin alignment wrappers (would make things a bit easier), and the lack of decals. I remain suspicious of the thread holding that heavy nose to the shock cord, but it's held so far.

An important note: The manufacturer has repeatedly mentioned that these kits do not require heavy-duty building techniques- that carpenter's glue and CA will work just fine, but over building (Epoxy, fibreglass, etc) will likely result in an unstable model. 

Things like missiles are originally designed to be unstable- designing a scale replica to fly can be very difficult. The relationship between CG and CP is critical with the kits. Build light, but strong.

I followed that advice, and the results are great. 

If you like getting into cutting, shaping and sanding- lots of parts making, then I'd recommend this kit. I had a lot of fun putting it together- my only regret was that I kinda rushed it.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5