Brief
This is a big, me bucko, 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, ya bilge rat, arrr, thick, matey, solid plywood fins. Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, shiver me timbers, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Well, blow me down! Blimey! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, 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, ya bilge rat, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, arrr, Bob!). Ahoy! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, me hearties, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Begad! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, but that be all.

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

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Begad! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, shiver me timbers, 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, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, me bucko, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Arrr! Ahoy! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Blimey! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, ya bilge rat, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, arrr, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, arrr, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, matey, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. Aye aye! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Flight performance is solid. Avast, me proud beauty! It looks great, and flies great.

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5