Brief
This is a big, fantasy-scale Surface t' Air Missile kit, designed mainly for F and G motors.
Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, big, heavy tubes and nose, thick, solid plywood fins. Begad! Begad! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, matey, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, ya bilge rat, and in good shape.
T' instructions were clear and well laid out. I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this be pretty much a necessity, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Ahoy! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.
Otherwise, assembly was straightforward, matey, with no problems encountered. Ahoy! T' fins are mounted TTW, me hearties, matey, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Begad! There is some shapin' (streamlining) required on t' strakes and fins- just a bit o' work with some sandpaper, me hearties, arrr, nothin' drastic. I be considerin' this for me HPR cert. bird, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Ya scallywag! T' final product is heavy, but solid. Looks impressive, too!
Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Begad! Begad! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, shiver me timbers, but that's t' toughest part. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), ya bilge rat, with t' included decals providin' t' final touch.
About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Begad! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, ya bilge rat, etc. Aye aye! Arrr! Because o' t' decals, I'm dockin' NCR half a point on t' construction rating- it's me only real beef.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight
Well, ya bilge rat, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Ahoy! Blimey! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.
What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Begad! Blimey! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Blimey! Blimey! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, matey, too!
Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, matey, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Begad! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, me bucko, matey, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Ahoy! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Well, blow me down! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, me bucko, and it seems adequate, ya bilge rat, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.
Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, just t' be safe.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. This is one brawny-lookin' beast!
This is an awesome kit, for high-end mid power, matey, or low end HPR. Well, blow me down! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, me bucko, yet it is also sleek. Arrr! Flight performance is solid. It looks great, ya bilge rat, and flies great.
T' problems with t' kit are few. There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, matey, arrr, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
