Brief:
The Launch Pad Folgore is a scale model of an Italian shoulder fired anti-tank rocket. This model flies on 24mm D-F motors and uses a parachute for recovery.

Construction:
Unlike Estes, Aerotech, etc, a parts list was not included so I don't remember exactly all the parts that were included in the kit but the body tubes, shock cord, nose cone, etc. were Estes type components.

The instructions consisted of two sheets of paper with illustrations and text on both sides. Since this was my first Launch Pad kit, I found this a tad confusing at first but the instructions did explain the procedure well enough so I began construction.

I started with the motor mount. Nothing unusual here. I noticed that the centering rings are made from the material similar to Aerotech's centering rings. A nice touch. I then glued the motor mount into the inner body tube.

Next, I traced the fin and fairing strips onto the balsa sheet provided and then cut out all the fins and fairing strips. Others have complained about the balsa being too flimsy but I found mine more than adequate. Cutting out six (6) fins and twelve (12) fairing strips was pretty time consuming. I then followed the Launch Pad's recommendation to reinforce the balsa with thin CA. Unlike some modelers, I did not experience any warping whatsoever.

I then applied two (2) fairing strips to each fin and then glued the fins onto the inner body tube. I then applied epoxy fillets to each fin. After the glue dried, I attached the inner centering rings to complete the fin can assembly.

One component that the launch pad uses is a disk that is mounted about 5 inches down in the body tube to hold the recovery system in place to maintain the correct CG during flight. I found this a real pain in the neck to install properly.

I now glued the fin can into the body tube with epoxy and tacked it into place with CA until the epoxy set up.

Another challenge I had was inserting the clay into the nose cone. The clay that was packaged with my kit was mostly dry and I had to use a lot of water to moisten it to the point to where I could break it into small chunks to insert it into the nose cone. After that, I swirled white glue into the cone to secure the nose weight.

One thing that the instructions do not mention anywhere is launch lug placement. I decided to place mine about 2 1/4 inch from the rear of the main body tube and that has proven fine.

I now assembled the shock cord mount which is assembled just like an Estes assembly using a tri-fold paper mount. I then glued it into the body tube.

I now assembled the 18 inch green Mylar parachute and set it aside to after finishing.

PROS: Fairly easy instructions and construction, fitting of parts (everything fit nicely).

CONS: Some component issues such as the clay being too dry, difficulty installing recovery system disk properly.

Finishing:
I started by sanding the fins smooth and then primed the entire model with gray primer and sanded between coats.

I now sprayed the entire rocket with Krylon Olive Drab. This stuff dries fast and looks great on military models.

The instructions mention a 3/4 wide red band as scale detail. This band can be applied with striping tape or brushed on with paint, however, I decided to mask off the olive and spray it on and it came out great.

I now masked off the body and sprayed the fins aluminum. I then masked off the bottom of the nose cone and painted the upper portion black as more scale detail.

The instructions mention using pinheads to simulate "rivets" on the fairing strips but I decided not to do this especially when it involved using CA on a finished product.

PROS: Nice looking when finished, has some nice scale detail.

CONS: Requires a lot of painting and four different colors of paint. Nothing major though.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motors for this kit are the Estes D12-3, D12-5, Aerotech E15-4W SU, Aerotech F24-4W RMS.

This rocket does require recovery wadding and a fair amount at that. I used Estes wadding.

The retention clip holds the motor in place during flight. Despite my concerns about it being flimsy, it has held up fine so far. I don't think I would trust it with an expensive RMS casing though.

For the first flight, I used the recommended first flight motor, the Estes D12-3. The rocket lifted off the pad and went nearly straight up and deployed before apogee.

On the second flight, I used the same motor and got a repeat of the first flight.

PROS: Flies beautifully.

CONS: None

Recovery:
The recovery system consisted of the parachute, and a thin string that I replaced with Kevlar®.

On the first flight, the Mylar chute stripped most of its lines casing the rocket to come in hard. Luckily the only damage done was a slight crack in one fin. Easily fixed.

I then replaced the stripped Mylar chute with an Estes 18 inch plastic chute and that stripped one line. Since I caught the rocket, no damage was done. I think a thin mill nylon chute is required.

PROS: 18 inch chute is perfect if it doesn't strip.

CONS: Tends to strip chutes but then the 3 second delay could be too short.

Flight Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:
I really like this rocket. I do feel that a few changes could be made such as adding a thin mill nylon chute and perhaps, a spacer tube to properly install the recovery system disk.

Also this is not a popular kit. I feel that it deserves some more attention. For about $18.99, you really can't go wrong.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5