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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, shiver me timbers, big, heavy tubes and nose, shiver me timbers, thick, solid plywood fins. Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, I be 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. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! 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!). 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). Ya scallywag! 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, with no problems encountered. Ya scallywag! T' fins are mounted TTW, me hearties, 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, me hearties, nothin' drastic. I be considerin' this for me HPR cert. bird, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. T' final product is heavy, me bucko, but solid. Ya scallywag! Looks impressive, too!

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

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

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

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

Recovery was text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Ya scallywag! 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, arrr, ya bilge rat, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and t' finished product. Ahoy! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5