Well, here's a little product review for the boys at Aerotech.

Your "Mantis" pad leaves much to be desired. It's too big for Estes stuff and too small for the NCR size mid-power rockets.

Today, I took my NCR Patriot and attempted to put it on the Mantis Pad as a static display. While the pad holds it without danger of tipping, it will not do so in a vertical position. The swing arm of the pad sways and flexes under the rocket's weight and the rod leans about 10 degrees to one side. If the Patriot were any heavier, I have no doubt that the pad could never begin to hold it without some structural failure. As it is, a launch would be out of the question as the blast shield cannot be counted on not to rotate under the weight of the rocket and the flex of the swing arm.

My over-all assessment is that, for the Mustang, Cheetah, Arreaux and the Initiator (the only Aerotech rockets I presently own), the pad is fine, for anything heavier, forget it.

Given that it is too big and bulky to be of use with smaller rockets, I rate it unsatisfactory and give it a "3" out of a possible 10.

A quick test of the Vaughn Brothers pad revealed no such short-comings except that, it too, is too bulky for Estes-sized stuff. Of course, it was never designed with the little stuff in mind and perhaps, to be honest, I doubt that the boys at Aerotech had large rockets in mind when they designed the Mantis. But, unless you can get one for free, I don't recommend laying out any money for one. There are better values for the money.