Brief
This is a big, arrr, fantasy-scale Surface t' Air Missile kit, me hearties, me hearties, me bucko, 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. Aye aye! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Begad! 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! Aye aye! 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 hearties, me hearties, Bob!). Avast, me proud beauty! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, shiver me timbers, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, matey, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Arrr! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

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

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

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

Recovery was text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! 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, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, shiver me timbers, and t' finished product. This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. 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! I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, shiver me timbers, matey, matey, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5