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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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!). Avast! Blimey! 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). Blimey! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but that was all.

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Ahoy! Aye aye! 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, me hearties, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Aye aye! Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, and it seems adequate, 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, arrr, 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 hearties, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' finished product. This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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