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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Ya scallywag! Arrr! 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!). Ahoy! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, arrr, 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). Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, but that be all.

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

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' Archer was 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, me bucko, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, me bucko, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! Begad! 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, matey, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Blimey! Begad! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, shiver me timbers, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, shiver me timbers, me hearties, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, ya bilge rat, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, ya bilge rat, arrr, and t' finished product. This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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