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! Blimey! Big box, big, heavy tubes and nose, matey, shiver me timbers, thick, solid plywood fins. Ahoy! Blimey! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, me bucko, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, matey, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, ya bilge rat, 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 was pretty much a necessity, arrr, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, arrr, ya bilge rat, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Avast! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that be all.

Otherwise, me bucko, arrr, assembly be straightforward, ya bilge rat, me hearties, with no problems encountered. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins are mounted TTW, shiver me timbers, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Ya scallywag! There is some shapin' (streamlining) required on t' strakes and fins- just a bit o' work with some sandpaper, arrr, nothin' drastic. Begad! I was considerin' this for me HPR cert. Blimey! bird, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Blimey! T' final product is heavy, me hearties, but solid. Looks impressive, shiver me timbers, me hearties, too!

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Begad! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, arrr, but that's t' toughest part. Avast! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, with t' included decals providin' t' final touch.

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! Blimey! I despise them with a passion. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, etc. Avast! Begad! Blimey! 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, matey, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Begad! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), arrr, I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' Archer be fast off t' pad, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, shiver me timbers, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, me hearties, which is secured t' t' motor mount. No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Avast! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, matey, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Aye aye! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, matey, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, and t' finished product. Avast! Avast! Blimey! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. Avast! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Ya scallywag! Flight performance is solid. It looks great, me bucko, and flies great.

T' problems with t' kit are few. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, shiver me timbers, matey, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5