Brief
This is a big, me hearties, 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, me bucko, thick, arrr, solid plywood fins. Well, blow me down! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, arrr, I be impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Well, blow me down! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Arrr! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, me hearties, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, arrr, Bob!). Ahoy! Aye aye! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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). Begad! Well, blow me down! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, arrr, but that be all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, me hearties, but that's t' toughest part. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, arrr, ya bilge rat, they tend t' be very thick, me hearties, etc. Ahoy! 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, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, matey, matey, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Arrr! With perfect weather (no wind, ya bilge rat, matey, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.

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

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Arrr! 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! 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, matey, matey, and it seems adequate, matey, shiver me timbers, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, me bucko, 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, arrr, me bucko, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, matey, shiver me timbers, and t' finished product. Avast! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Avast! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, shiver me timbers, 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