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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, ya bilge rat, arrr, big, heavy tubes and nose, me hearties, arrr, arrr, thick, matey, solid plywood fins. Blimey! Lookin' into t' box (which was 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, shiver me timbers, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. 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! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, matey, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, me hearties, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Ya scallywag! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, but that be all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, shiver me timbers, but that's t' toughest part. 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. Avast! Begad! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Avast! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, me hearties, etc. Begad! 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. I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Avast! Aye aye! With perfect weather (no wind, me bucko, and clear blue sky), 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, too!

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

Recovery was text-book, me bucko, arrr, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, arrr, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and t' finished product. Blimey! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Arrr! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, arrr, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Well, blow me down! 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