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, matey, big, heavy tubes and nose, thick, 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! 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. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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, Bob!). Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, matey, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Begad! Blimey! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but that was all.

Otherwise, assembly was straightforward, me bucko, me bucko, with no problems encountered. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' fins are mounted TTW, ya bilge rat, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Arrr! There is some shapin' (streamlining) required on t' strakes and fins- just a bit o' work with some sandpaper, me bucko, 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! Well, blow me down! T' final product is heavy, arrr, but solid. Ya scallywag! Looks impressive, too!

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

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Aye aye! 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, matey, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Ahoy! I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, shiver me timbers, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Ahoy! 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. T' Archer be fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Blimey! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Arrr! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, me hearties, arrr, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Avast! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Avast, me proud beauty! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

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

This is an awesome kit, shiver me timbers, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. Well, blow me down! Avast! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, arrr, yet it is also sleek. Aye aye! Flight performance is solid. It looks great, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and flies great.

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5