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. 

Written and submitted by Alex Immerman for Rocketry Online -- Copyright 1996-2000 
 

Brief:
The Initiator is a good looking, mid powered rocket that flies on 24mm and 29mm rocket motors. The starter set comes with everything needed to build and launch the Initiator.

Construction:
The Initiator comes with (1) main body tube, a motor tube, 3 fins, a nose cone, a gas baffle system and recovery system. The starter set also includes a launch pad, launch controller and 2 motors.

The Initiator is one of the easiest rockets to build and with great illustrated instructions. The kit went together very quickly and the way the fins snap in, make alignment a breeze. The rocket needs no special tools to build and is very sturdy. We have launched our Initiator 25 times with only one 1 bad landing, we broke 1 fin off after launching her on a G64 with no parachute (but it was easily repaired). The controller has worked perfectly, but we did give away the launch pad and built our own (the Mantis pad wasn't going to hold up to me and my 3 boys).

Finishing:
The Initiator was very simple to finish and came with very nice decals. The Initiator is a great looking rocket and we have flown her with both the low powered rocket guys and the high power rocket guys. She blows the low powered rockets away and can keep up with the high powered rockets.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
We have flown our Initiator 25 times on every thing from E's to big G's. We are having a lot of fun flying her on our new 29mm 40-120 reloadable system. She will fly fine on the E size motors, but really roars on a G64. This rocket uses no wadding and the recovery system has worked perfectly. Our Initiator has flown straight every time.

Recovery:
Our Initiator has been recovered perfectly every time except the time I left the parachute out (but that's a long story). The shock cord is sized fine for the size of the Initiator.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
As a first rocket in the mid-power range, you couldn't find a better rocket with its ease of building and strength. This is our 1st mid-powered rocket (we have many low and high powered rockets) and we have the already mentioned 25 launches with a lot more to come from our Initiator.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Brief:
The recovery system on this rocket is a large yellow parachute. Although this chute is very large it can be hard to see at a great distance. The only problem with this chute is that it easily catches in trees and this was the fate of my rocket.

Construction:
This kit comes with one body tube without a payload section. There are also a motor mount tube, molded plastic nosecone, and 3 through the wall mounted fins. There are also 2 centering rings which hold up nicely. The nosecone is attached to the labyrinth ejection gas cooling system with an elastic cord and the parachute is attached to this same cord.

The instructions for this kit were explicit and very fun to put together. They were easy to follow, well illustrated, included templates, and were for the most part logically assembled. I love the through the wall fin mount system used by Aerotech. This makes for easy and very durable fin mounts. No special tools were needed that cannot be found around the house or purchased for a few dollars. All of the necessary supplies could be found around my house.

Finishing:
The finishing is fairly simple for this rocket. There are great decals which you simple cut out. The decals are easy to match with the photographs on the box. The only problem with the finishing is that the paint for the nose cone has to be matched with the same color of red on the stickers. If this is not done the rocket looks a bit strange. All in all the rocket is sleek and looks wonderful.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motors (two of which come with the SU kit) may seem small but they deliver. The launch is great and very loud. I would not suggest an angle of launch other than 90 degrees. Any deviations from this result in loss of the rocket. There was no wadding required and a hook prevents the motor from exiting the motor mount tube. The rocket flew high for me but due to strong winds at altitude the rocket drifted about a mile.

Recovery:
The recovery was perfect; the rocket did not burn or receive any damage. The single yellow parachute works quite well with this rocket and is attached to a heavy-duty shock cord. The rocket might need to descend a little quicker in windy conditions.

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Summary:
This kit is excellent for the beginner and I highly recommend it. The included launch pad is easy to assemble, but is only plastic with metal legs that fall out easily. I would not use this pad with high power rockets because I don't believe it would support them sufficiently.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5