Brief
This is a big, 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, big, ya bilge rat, heavy tubes and nose, ya bilge rat, thick, me bucko, me hearties, solid plywood fins. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Avast! Ahoy! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! 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, Bob!). I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, me hearties, arrr, 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). This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, matey, but that be all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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! Blimey! I despise them with a passion. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Avast! Blimey! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Because o' t' decals, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, shiver me timbers, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. With perfect weather (no wind, ya bilge rat, and clear blue sky), shiver me timbers, I had no excuse t' delay.

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

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, ya bilge rat, me bucko, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, arrr, 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). Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, me bucko, and it seems adequate, matey, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Ahoy! Arrr! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, arrr, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
This is me first HPR-capable rocket, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, and t' finished product. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

This is an awesome kit, for high-end mid power, ya bilge rat, or low end HPR. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, yet it is also sleek. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Flight performance is solid. Well, blow me down! It looks great, and flies great.

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5