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, arrr, big, heavy tubes and nose, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, thick, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, solid plywood fins. Begad! Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, ya bilge rat, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. 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, me hearties, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, shiver me timbers, Bob!). Avast! Avast! 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, 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, ya bilge rat, arrr, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Ahoy! Blimey! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, ya bilge rat, arrr, but that's t' toughest part. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! Ahoy! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Well, blow me down! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, they tend t' be very thick, shiver me timbers, etc. Begad! Because o' t' decals, me bucko, matey, 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. Avast! Avast! I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, arrr, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Aye aye! Aye aye! With perfect weather (no wind, me hearties, and clear blue sky), matey, I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed be t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Begad! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, arrr, me hearties, matey, 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. Arrr! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, arrr, ya bilge rat, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Ahoy! Blimey! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, me bucko, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, me bucko, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, me bucko, 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, me hearties, and t' finished product. Ya scallywag! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! 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, shiver me timbers, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5