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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Aye aye! 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, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. Aye aye! Blimey! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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