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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, shiver me timbers, big, arrr, heavy tubes and nose, arrr, thick, arrr, ya bilge rat, solid plywood fins. Arrr! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, arrr, I be 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. 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!). Aye aye! 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, me bucko, so I can use Aerotech SU motors (Darkstars aren't available in Canada anyway). Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! This required a bit o' sandin' o' t' inside o' t' plastic centerin' rings, me hearties, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but that's t' toughest part. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), me bucko, ya bilge rat, with t' included decals providin' t' final touch.

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! Blimey! I despise them with a passion. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Ya scallywag! Blimey! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, me bucko, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Because o' t' decals, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Aye aye! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, matey, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, me bucko, too!

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

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

This is an awesome kit, arrr, for high-end mid power, or low end HPR. It be t' beefiest rocket I've seen, ya bilge rat, yet it is also sleek. Aye aye! Flight performance is solid. Avast! Arrr! It looks great, and flies great.

T' problems with t' kit are few. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. 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