It was my 14th birthday — my birthday present was a mid-power starter set. My dad and I headed down to the hobby shop to browse the selections. This particular shop had two choices. The NCR Phantom 4000 set and the Aerotech Initiator set. We looked at each and chose the AT Initiator, not only was it a good value, but it looked like a nice kit and came with two engines. Included were several components in the set.

Mantis Launch Pad

The Mantis launch pad is built primarily of a reasonably sturdy-grade plastic (except for the leg holders which are very weak) and can be easily be constructed in half an hour or so. It features a launch lug adapter that takes the standard Estes rod and their Maxi rod, plus a 3/8 launch rod which is included with the set.

This is a downside to the pad—it cannot be fitted with anything but these three rods. However, this kit is designed for mid-power, not high power and all of AT’s rockets come with 3/8 inch launch lugs as far as I know. I would not launch anything larger than a G off this pad.

When I opened the box to assemble the pad, I noticed some of the pieces were cracked or broken: mainly the ones that hold the four metal legs on the pad. I sent them back and was told by AeroTech they must have been part of a defective batch of plastic and they were replaced promptly and at no charge.

Sadly, however, soon after someone accidentally stepped on the pad breaking many plastic pieces. Luckily they were all easily replaced again. But that was not the end…later, as I was taking the pad outside to take some photos, one of the pad’s legs lightly bumped the door to my house. The joint of a leg had cracked again. I placed it carefully on the ground and looked at the damage. The cracked leg gave way after several seconds and the pad fell breaking two more legs in the process.

This is a serious problem with this launch pad. The leg holders break under very little pressure and this is the only major downside to the pad. If the problem were fixed, and the weak plastic leg holders were replaced by metal ones, I would highly recommend this pad. I suggest that if you get a Mantis pad, take off the legs before moving it!

Interlock Launch Controller

The interlock launch controller is also supplied with the kit. It provides about 40 feet of wire and all the parts you need to build the controller including the safety key and safety beeper. The controller is also easy to assemble and requires very little electronics skill.

The controller from my experience has worked very well. Hook it up to a 12-volt battery from Radio Shack and you’re ready! It would could be improved if AT included an adapter to use alligator clips instead of the Copperhead igniter clip, however this is easily solved by attaching copper wires with alligator clips on the end to the clamps on the clip.

Initiator

The Aerotech Initiator is one of my favorite rockets to date. It is a 2.6 inch diameter kit that flies great of E-G power and is quite reliable. Construction was simple and straightforward. Very good illustrated directions guide you through the building process.

The Labyrinth ejection gas baffle is built into the 29mm motor mount. The baffle includes steel cooling mesh, which is used as permanent recovery wadding. To avoid serious alignment problems later, when building the motor mount tube be sure to align the fin-lock system correctly or you will have lots of trouble later.

Once the motor mount is installed you must insert the fins through the wall and into the fin-locks. This is harder than it seems. The fin locks are very tight which is good, however it can be a little hard to insert the fins.

Be careful not to crease the cardboard body tube while installing and locking the fins. If you plan on flying on a G, I would use 5-minute epoxy for extra strength. Once fins are installed you can attach shock cord to the nose cone and tie on the nice yellow chute supplied.

For finishing my rocket I primed it using a plain white primer. This is important for not only does the primer help fill in the spiral groove (if you don’t use a filler) but also it helps the paint adhere to the cardboard tube. I painted mine blue with a chrome nose cone.

I flew it for my first successful mid-power flight in Amesbury, MA at a CMASS launch in November of 1999 using an F. I flew it again that afternoon on an E. I have videos of the launch here. Both flights were beautiful with perfect recoveries.

If you are looking for an economical mid-power starter set I would suggest this one. However if you are definitely going into HPR in the near future, don’t invest in the Mantis pad. It will not be of use in HPR, but is fine for mid-power.

Everything is relatively easy to assemble. Some model rocket experience is not necessary but I highly recommend it. This was a good starter set for me. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in getting started in mid-power.