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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Blimey! 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, me bucko, me bucko, Bob!). 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! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but that be all.

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

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. 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, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, too!

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

Recovery be text-book, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Well, blow me down! 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, shiver me timbers, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, matey, and t' finished product. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, matey, me bucko, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. Blimey! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Ahoy! Flight performance is solid. Aye aye! 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, me bucko, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Blimey! Blimey! 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