Aerotech Mantis

Aerotech - Mantis {Launch Pad}

Contributed by Michael Karp

Construction Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Published: 2010-11-01
Manufacturer: Aerotech

[Pic]Brief:  Can handle 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 launch rods and is adjustable for wind elevation.

Construction:

Quality: All the parts were there and I even got a few spare parts!  The quality of the the materials is good even though it looks kind of cheap. . . being mostly made of plastic.

Instructions: They were missing. They were missing. I called Aerotech who directed me to their website where I was able to download the instructions.  The directions were pretty easy to follow.

Ease of build: Since it is mostly plastic I felt like I was putting together a model kit. The only parts not plastic are the bolts, some nuts and the legs. 

The only real disappointment in assembly was that the legs were plain metal. In all the ads the legs have those cool yellow and black stripes. I thought the launch pad kit had stickers or something.  I even called Aerotech to ask about them. They told me that they had been painted for the ads. I did mine with yellow and black duct tape.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:  It works very well with the rockets I have. The heaviest rocket I own is less than 3 lbs. For rockets that require a 3/16 rod it was fantastic. It has worked out pretty good for me.  Since it came with the Aerotech Initiator kit I think it was a good value.  I would NOT have purchased it as a separate item, because it costs too much by itself. For less money you could make a home made one that would work better. 

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Other Reviews
  • Aerotech Mantis By R. J. Talley (November 1, 2010)

    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 ...

Comments:

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D.L.B. (September 11, 2003)
I have used my Mantis pad on larger rockets such as LOC/HI-TECH 45 AND THE H76 VULCANITE. Last week I put together AEROTECH ARCAS these are fairly large rockets for mid power and I can't complain about its performance but I think its a bit pricey for what you get.
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M.R. (February 25, 2005)
I used this launch pad to launch my 13-foot-tall rocket about three months ago. It provided excellent stability for this rocket except I replaced the launch rod with one 60 inches long due to the extreme length of the rocket. I love the swing arm and aluminum legs although the leg connections are weak. Other than that, I am pleased with its performance.

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