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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Begad! Arrr! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, shiver me timbers, matey, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Ya scallywag! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, me hearties, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, me hearties, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Ahoy! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, arrr, but that was all.

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Begad! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, arrr, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, matey, me bucko, 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! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, matey, ya bilge rat, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Ya scallywag! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Ahoy! Begad! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, matey, matey, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, shiver me timbers, matey, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Begad! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, me hearties, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Ya scallywag! 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. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, shiver me timbers, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5