Brief
This is a big, 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, arrr, big, heavy tubes and nose, thick, solid plywood fins. Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Avast! Begad! 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, me hearties, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Begad! Begad! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this be pretty much a necessity, me hearties, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, shiver me timbers, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, matey, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, arrr, arrr, but that's t' toughest part. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! 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. I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Ya scallywag! Begad! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, ya bilge rat, etc. 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, me hearties, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. 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. Blimey! Avast! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Ya scallywag! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, me hearties, 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, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, too!

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

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Avast! Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, me hearties, and t' finished product. Avast, me proud beauty! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5