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

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

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Ya scallywag! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, matey, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, 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, ya bilge rat, 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, arrr, but that was all.

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

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

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Begad! T' Archer be fast off t' pad, ya bilge rat, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, arrr, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Avast! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, me bucko, matey, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Aye aye! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Well, blow me down! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery be text-book, matey, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. 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, ya bilge rat, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Begad! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, shiver me timbers, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Ahoy! Arrr! 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