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! Blimey! Big box, big, arrr, heavy tubes and nose, thick, arrr, solid plywood fins. Arrr! Blimey! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, 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, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, me bucko, Bob!). Ahoy! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, me hearties, 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). Arrr! Begad! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but that's t' toughest part. Arrr! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, 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. They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, etc. Blimey! Arrr! 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. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I be 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. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), me bucko, I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, shiver me timbers, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Aye aye! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, 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. No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, me bucko, 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). Ahoy! Arrr! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, matey, arrr, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. 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, me bucko, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, ya bilge rat, and t' finished product. This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, for high-end mid power, ya bilge rat, or low end HPR. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! 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. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, me hearties, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Avast! I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5