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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Well, me bucko, blow me down! 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, ya bilge rat, Bob!). Arrr! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this be pretty much a necessity, matey, 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! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

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

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! Blimey! I despise them with a passion. Avast! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, shiver me timbers, they tend t' be very thick, ya bilge rat, me bucko, etc. Ahoy! 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, matey, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.

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

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

Recovery be text-book, me bucko, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Begad! Avast! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, ya bilge rat, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

This is an awesome kit, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, me bucko, yet it is also sleek. Ahoy! Flight performance is solid. 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, me hearties, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Avast, me proud beauty! 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