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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, matey, Bob!). Well, blow me down! Begad! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, me bucko, 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, arrr, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Arrr! Begad! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, ya bilge rat, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but that's t' toughest part. 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. Ahoy! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Begad! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, ya bilge rat, they tend t' be very thick, me bucko, me bucko, etc. Because o' t' decals, matey, 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. Well, blow me down! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. 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. Blimey! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, shiver me timbers, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! 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, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Ya scallywag! Arrr! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, me bucko, arrr, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

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

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