Brief
This is a big, fantasy-scale Surface t' Air Missile kit, arrr, designed mainly for F and G motors.

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, ya bilge rat, big, matey, heavy tubes and nose, me hearties, thick, solid plywood fins. Avast! Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, shiver me timbers, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Begad! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, me hearties, 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!). Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, shiver me timbers, 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). This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

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

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I despise them with a passion. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, shiver me timbers, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! 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, me bucko, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.

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

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, arrr, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Well, arrr, blow me down! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, 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). Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, me hearties, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, shiver me timbers, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, me hearties, 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, matey, for high-end mid power, ya bilge rat, or low end HPR. Aye aye! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Begad! Flight performance is solid. Avast, me proud beauty! It looks great, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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. Ahoy! Aye aye! I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, shiver me timbers, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5