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, ya bilge rat, big, heavy tubes and nose, thick, solid plywood fins. Begad! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, I be impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Aye aye! Begad! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, me hearties, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, me hearties, matey, Bob!). Begad! 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, me bucko, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Begad! Arrr! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, but that was all.

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

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

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Well, blow me down! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Avast! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, matey, arrr, they tend t' be very thick, ya bilge rat, etc. Because o' t' decals, me bucko, arrr, 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. I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, shiver me timbers, me bucko, shiver me timbers, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Well, blow me down! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), shiver me timbers, arrr, 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, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Avast! Ahoy! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, ya bilge rat, and it seems adequate, shiver me timbers, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, matey, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Ahoy! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, ya bilge rat, 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. This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, for high-end mid power, matey, or low end HPR. Begad! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Blimey! Arrr! Flight performance is solid. Ahoy! It looks great, and flies great.

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5