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, me hearties, big, heavy tubes and nose, thick, matey, solid plywood fins. Begad! Aye aye! Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, ya bilge rat, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Avast! 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 bucko, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Blimey! Ahoy! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this be pretty much a necessity, me hearties, 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, me hearties, matey, but that be all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Avast, me proud beauty! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, me hearties, 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. I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Begad! Blimey! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, shiver me timbers, they tend t' be very thick, me hearties, etc. Because o' t' decals, ya bilge rat, 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, me bucko, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Well, blow me down! I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Ahoy! Blimey! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, shiver me timbers, me bucko, too!

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

Recovery was text-book, matey, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Begad! I may replace t' 36" chute with two 24" ones, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, just t' be safe.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5