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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, big, arrr, heavy tubes and nose, thick, solid plywood fins. Avast! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, arrr, I be impressed by how solid everythin' looked. A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, me bucko, 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, arrr, ya bilge rat, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, 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, matey, me bucko, me hearties, but that was all.

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

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' Archer be fast off t' pad, matey, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, arrr, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! Arrr! No way that's comin' out! 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, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Aye aye! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

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

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5