Brief
This is a big, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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, solid plywood fins. Well, blow me down! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, shiver me timbers, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Ahoy! Blimey! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, arrr, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Arrr! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, shiver me timbers, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, ya bilge rat, Bob!). Ahoy! Aye aye! 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). Begad! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

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

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Ya scallywag! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Ya scallywag! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Because o' t' decals, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey! I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, 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 was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Begad! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Begad! Aye aye! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, shiver me timbers, 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. Aye aye! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Ahoy! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, me bucko, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, matey, ya bilge rat, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Ahoy! Blimey! 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, me hearties, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. Well, blow me down! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, arrr, shiver me timbers, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. Avast, me proud beauty! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Blimey! Blimey! Flight performance is solid. Ahoy! Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Aye aye! I'm nay a fan o' bondin' dissimilar parts for structural parts, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, like t' Archer's plastic centerin' rings and thick paper body tube.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5