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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, big, arrr, shiver me timbers, heavy tubes and nose, shiver me timbers, thick, solid plywood fins. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, Bob!). Avast, me proud beauty! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Well, blow me down! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

Otherwise, assembly be straightforward, matey, arrr, with no problems encountered. Ya scallywag! T' fins are mounted TTW, me hearties, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Begad! Begad! 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. bird, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! T' final product is heavy, matey, me hearties, but solid. Aye aye! Looks impressive, matey, me hearties, too!

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

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Begad! Blimey! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Blimey! Avast! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, matey, etc. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Because o' t' decals, shiver me timbers, 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 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 bucko, 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. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, ya bilge rat, me hearties, too!

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

Recovery was text-book, matey, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Ahoy! 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, arrr, and t' finished product. This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5