Brief
This is a big, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, 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, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, big, heavy tubes and nose, thick, me bucko, me bucko, solid plywood fins. Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Ahoy! Begad! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, me hearties, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Arrr! 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!). Aye aye! Blimey! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this be pretty much a necessity, matey, 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). Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Aye aye! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, arrr, but that's t' toughest part. Begad! Avast, 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. They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, me hearties, ya bilge rat, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Because o' t' decals, matey, matey, 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 bucko, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Avast! 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. Begad! 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. Ahoy! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Ya scallywag! 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, me hearties, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Avast! 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. Well, blow me down! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, arrr, and it seems adequate, me bucko, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Ya scallywag! Avast! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, matey, 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, and t' finished product. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, matey, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. Ahoy! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, me hearties, yet it is also sleek. Aye aye! Flight performance is solid. It looks great, and flies great.

T' problems with t' kit are few. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! 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, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5