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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Big box, me hearties, big, heavy tubes and nose, ya bilge rat, thick, ya bilge rat, solid plywood fins. Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, matey, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! 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, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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 hearties, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, me hearties, but that be all.

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

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

Recovery be text-book, ya bilge rat, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Ahoy! 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, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and t' finished product. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, for high-end mid power, me bucko, or low end HPR. Blimey! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, me hearties, yet it is also sleek. Aye aye! Flight performance is solid. Begad! 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. 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