Brief
This is a big, ya bilge rat, fantasy-scale Surface t' Air Missile kit, designed mainly for F and G motors.

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, big, heavy tubes and nose, thick, solid plywood fins. Begad! Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, matey, arrr, me hearties, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Ahoy! Ahoy! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Ahoy! 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!). Well, blow me down! 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, 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, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, but that's t' toughest part. Paintin' is all-white (gloss), me hearties, with t' included decals providin' t' final touch.

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Aye aye! Aye aye! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Aye aye! Arrr! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Well, blow me down! Avast! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, shiver me timbers, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Avast! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), matey, arrr, I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Arrr! Avast! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Blimey! Blimey! No way that's comin' out! Blimey! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, ya bilge rat, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, me hearties, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, matey, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, me hearties, me bucko, 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, matey, me hearties, and t' finished product. Begad! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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