Brief:
This is Aardvark's Mini-Missile scale model rocket of the US Air to Air AIM 54 Phoenix. The kit is fairly inexpensive (approximately $10) and is a cheap introduction to scale building.

Construction:
Most materials were cardboard/paper including 2 centering rings, engine block, 2.5" motor mount tube, large Estes style body tube, Kevlar® cord, elastic shock chord, mylar ribbon for streamer, basswood sheet for fins, fin templates, paper tube wrap for fin positions, custom nose cone (a ceramic/plastic type feel... very heavy and nice), small eye screw and 2 washers for proper adjustment of center of gravity.

Measurements are given to thousandths of an inch such as 7.246". This is a bit unusual for a rocket kit.

The instructions were easy to follow with clear guidelines, a parts list (very helpful with an area to check off each item), and a hints and tips section. There were plenty of illustrations. Logical order of assembly. I deviated from the plans slightly by adding an engine hook since I hate friction fitting motors out on the field. I also attached the Kevlar® right beneath the upper centering ring, not wrapped around the lower centering ring like the directions suggested. I thought that was a bit overkill. Fins are not laser cut or die-cut and must be carefully prepared and cut using the included template. I actually like this about kits and prefer doing things from scratch.  I was careful to follow the instructions regarding the basswood fins and made sure the grain was in the correct direction. This left me with what appeared to be rather flimsy fins until I glued them onto the frame. The only real caution was sanding the flimsy fins until they are ready to be glued to the body. There are no specific directions for what the sanded fins should look like. Fortunately, I have build the Phoenix before and I used previous information from other sources for correct (or adequate) fin shape. Aligning the fins would not be a problem for anyone with previous skill level 2 building experience. I did run into a "gotcha" when I was adding the fins. I placed the lower fins first, and then measured the placement for the upper fins. At this point, I realized there was a problem because the fins were butting up against each other. I checked the measurements again and again until I realized that I did not even have the correct length body tube. I contacted Ken Johnson from Aardvark rockets. He responded quickly and gave me the exact distance between the two fins. He also promised to send me replacement parts (more on this later).

Pro's in construction: parts list, the step by step walk through for construction. The nose cone is high quality and it was my first experience to work with this type of material for a nose cone.

Con's: no scale data, incorrect body tube with my kit, inches indicated to the decimal, making me have to convert everything to fractions. Decals a bit brittle and must be treated very carefully.

In the end, after waiting a few weeks for replacement parts (and after sending a reminder e-mail), I just continued construction of the rocket with the smaller body tube and made sure the fins were in correct location from the bottom of the body tube. Thus, the nose cone is a little closer to the fins, but I was certain that with the 2 heavy washers added to the already heavy nose cone, I would not have a problem with the Center of Gravity.

Finishing:
I sanded the body and fins, added ZAR's Wood Patch where necessary and sanded again to fill in the grains in the basswood. I then added the strakes on the fins and wood patched and sanded again. I used Krylon primer and sanded and ZAR wood patched again, with more sanding. After another coat of primer and sanding, I painted the body grey and painted the nose cone gloss white. I used the water slide decals, with some trouble. I am not the decal king, so I don't do well with this part. There are instructions to place blue bands at certain points. This got a bit tricky when it meant cutting the blue bands into four segments and trying to fit them between the fins. I eventually gave up and placed two blue decals above the upper fins and one blue decal between the upper and lower fins. Additional decals including name of rocket and section descriptions (ordinance, propulsion, control) are also provided and went on rather well. The blue decals seem ! a bit grainy as if they came from an ink jet printer. After applying decals, I gave the rocket a couple good coats of Clear Krylon spray to keep those decals on.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
I did not use the recommended motor of the B6-7 since I don't even know if this motor exists or not. I used a B6-6. I prepped the rocket using non-flammable paper wadding. The streamer simply is wrapped around a pencil and then placed inside the body tube. I had to be careful, because the streamer is pretty wide and there is little room inside the rocket to keep wadding, streamer, Kevlar ® and shock cord. With patience, everything fits fine. The rocket zipped right off the pad and almost flew out of sight. I did notice that ejection was way past apogee and that prompted me to fly the rocket on a B6-4. The B6-4 flight was great, with a great quick boost and separation right after apogee. With the heavy nose cone and the streamer, this rocket returns fairly quickly to the ground, but the pro is that there is little drifting. Also, the body is light enough to use a streamer while the nose cone is strong enough to handle a fast landing.

Recovery:
Pro's: This is a great little rocket for a small field (such as a school athletic field like the one I use). It is easy to prep and the B motors give you plenty of altitude.

Con's: If you like slow majestic lift-offs, this is not the rocket for you. Due to the small size of the rocket, there is little room for the wadding and the streamer, so make sure you protect the streamer as well as you can. Even thought I used what I thought was adequate wadding, my streamer has little burn marks here and there and is already showing signs of tearing after only two flights.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
PRO's: This is a good intro to scale building for people who don't want to empty their wallets for those expensive kits. It is a really nice flyer, but be careful to add all the nose weight. The Phoenix is notorious for unstable flights without a heavy nose cone. If CA glue is used on the fins, its a sturdy little rocket.

CON's: wrong body size and misleading measurements, no scale data, decals could use some improvement. This is certainly not the kit for the first time builder, but for someone who wants to improve their building and scale rocketry skills.

After having submitted my review of the AIM-54 C Phoenix (18 mm version) from Aardvark Rockets, I did receive in the mail yesterday the replacement parts for the incorrect body tube. In addition to this, I also received a complimentary "American Dream" 18 mm kit.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5