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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. 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 bucko, Bob!). Aye aye! Arrr! 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, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Well, blow me down! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

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

What followed be t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Begad! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, me hearties, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Ahoy! 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, ya bilge rat, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Arrr! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, arrr, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Well, blow me down! Begad! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, ya bilge rat, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and it seems adequate, ya bilge rat, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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, and t' finished product. Avast, me proud beauty! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Ahoy! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Aye aye! Aye aye! I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, me bucko, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5