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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, big, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, heavy tubes and nose, thick, solid plywood fins. Begad! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, matey, arrr, I was 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. Begad! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, ya bilge rat, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, ya bilge rat, arrr, Bob!). Begad! Aye aye! 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, me hearties, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Avast! Ahoy! T' Archer be fast off t' pad, arrr, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, me bucko, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! Blimey! No way that's comin' out! Blimey! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, shiver me timbers, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Avast! Blimey! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Arrr! Blimey! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, arrr, ya bilge rat, 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. I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, me hearties, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, ya bilge rat, matey, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. Begad! Begad! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Avast, me proud beauty! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, ya bilge rat, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Arrr! 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