(10/15/00) One would wonder how to review Launch Lugs. I'm not anticipating a long, drawn out review on them, but I do want to mention my thoughts on Budget Rocketry's 1/4" Launch Lugs. I used them on my BSD Diablo and have an extra set for a new scratch build that I am working on. They come in 3/16" and 1/4".

Budget Rocketry says, "Our lugs are hard plastic, 2 inches long and cut at an angle for less drag on the ends and are sanded on the bottom to have a better gluing surface." They also come in a variety of colors.

The lugs are easier to assemble to an airframe because they have the flat surface and this also helps when making fillets to conform the lugs on the airframe. The plastic is easy to work with and after light sanding holds paint well. I used expoxy to attach the lugs to the airframe.

As stated above, I used these lugs on my BSD Diablo. I have now flown the rocket 6 times and the lugs have performed as expected. Here is the excerpt from that review:

I replaced the the 1/2" launch lug with two 1/4" launch lugs (the instructions say to use at least a 3/8" rod). The two 1/4" launch lugs I used were from Budget Rocketry. They are plastic launch lugs with 45° cuts on both side and a slightly flattened back to allow for better adhesion. One nice thing about them, is even after the priming and painting they still accepted a 1/4" rod without having to clean out all of the over-spray.

CONCLUSION:

Budget Rocketry's Launch Lugs are a nice alternative to paper ones, they finish nicely and they do their duty. Overall, I would rate these lugs 5 points.