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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Ahoy! Arrr! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, shiver me timbers, Bob!). Begad! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, me hearties, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, me hearties, matey, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Ahoy! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, matey, but that was all.

Otherwise, assembly was straightforward, with no problems encountered. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me hearties, nothin' drastic. Ya scallywag! I be considerin' this for me HPR cert. bird, shiver me timbers, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Arrr! T' final product is heavy, but solid. Looks impressive, me bucko, matey, too!

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Avast! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, but that's t' toughest part. Ahoy! 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. Begad! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, me bucko, ya bilge rat, etc. Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! With perfect weather (no wind, matey, me bucko, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.

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

Recovery be text-book, ya bilge rat, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. 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, shiver me timbers, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. Well, blow me down! Avast! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Aye aye! Ahoy! Flight performance is solid. It looks great, 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, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5