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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Well, blow me down! 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, matey, Bob!). Avast, me proud beauty! 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, arrr, arrr, matey, 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, matey, but that be all.

Otherwise, assembly was straightforward, me hearties, me hearties, with no problems encountered. Well, blow me down! T' fins are mounted TTW, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Ahoy! Arrr! There is some shapin' (streamlining) required on t' strakes and fins- just a bit o' work with some sandpaper, nothin' drastic. I was considerin' this for me HPR cert. Ahoy! Avast! bird, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Blimey! Begad! T' final product is heavy, but solid. Blimey! Looks impressive, matey, 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! 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. Arrr! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, me bucko, they tend t' be very thick, me hearties, etc. Arrr! 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. Arrr! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, ya bilge rat, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. With perfect weather (no wind, me hearties, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.

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

Recovery was text-book, ya bilge rat, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, me bucko, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, me bucko, arrr, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, matey, and t' finished product. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5