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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, me bucko, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, me bucko, Bob!). Avast! Well, blow me down! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this be pretty much a necessity, 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). Aye aye! Arrr! 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. T' fins are mounted TTW, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Blimey! There is some shapin' (streamlining) required on t' strakes and fins- just a bit o' work with some sandpaper, me bucko, nothin' drastic. Aye aye! I was considerin' this for me HPR cert. Begad! bird, ya bilge rat, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. T' final product is heavy, matey, but solid. Aye aye! Looks impressive, too!

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Ya scallywag! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, ya bilge rat, but that's t' toughest part. Begad! Begad! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), ya bilge rat, with t' included decals providin' t' final touch.

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Aye aye! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Arrr! Aye aye! Because o' t' decals, arrr, 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! Begad! I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, me hearties, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Begad! 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. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Avast, me proud beauty! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, matey, arrr, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, arrr, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Avast, 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. Avast! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, matey, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Well, blow me down! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

This is an awesome kit, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. Ahoy! Blimey! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Flight performance is solid. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 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