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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, arrr, ya bilge rat, arrr, big, heavy tubes and nose, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, thick, matey, solid plywood fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, I be impressed by how solid everythin' looked. A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Ya scallywag! 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, arrr, Bob!). Begad! 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). Blimey! Ya scallywag! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

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

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

What followed be t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Ahoy! 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, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 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. No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Blimey! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Ahoy! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, matey, arrr, and it seems adequate, matey, me bucko, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Aye aye! 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, me bucko, me bucko, and t' finished product. Avast, me proud beauty! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Flight performance is solid. It looks great, 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. I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, arrr, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5