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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, shiver me timbers, matey, big, ya bilge rat, heavy tubes and nose, thick, solid plywood fins. Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, ya bilge rat, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this be pretty much a necessity, shiver me timbers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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). This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Blimey! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, but that's t' toughest part. Blimey! Blimey! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), arrr, 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. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, ya bilge rat, they tend t' be very thick, matey, etc. Blimey! Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Ahoy! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Arrr! Blimey! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, me hearties, too!

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

Recovery was text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Well, blow me down! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, arrr, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and t' finished product. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5