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

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

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

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

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

Recovery be text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Arrr! 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 bucko, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. Ahoy! Begad! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Begad! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, arrr, 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