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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Well, blow me down! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, arrr, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Aye aye! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, ya bilge rat, 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). Avast! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that be all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Blimey! Ahoy! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, but that's t' toughest part. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! 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! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Arrr! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, arrr, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! Because o' t' decals, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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, arrr, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Aye aye! 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. Blimey! Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, matey, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, ya bilge rat, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Avast, me proud beauty! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, arrr, me hearties, and it seems adequate, matey, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, matey, arrr, matey, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, shiver me timbers, and t' finished product. Blimey! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Avast! Begad! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, me bucko, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Ya scallywag! 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