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

Otherwise, matey, assembly was straightforward, shiver me timbers, with no problems encountered. Avast! Begad! 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, nothin' drastic. Blimey! I was considerin' this for me HPR cert. Avast, me proud beauty! bird, ya bilge rat, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Well, blow me down! T' final product is heavy, but solid. Looks impressive, ya bilge rat, too!

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Aye aye! Begad! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, arrr, but that's t' toughest part. Ahoy! 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. Begad! Blimey! 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, etc. Blimey! 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, me bucko, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Arrr! I be worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, matey, me bucko, matey, 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 be t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Well, blow me down! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' Archer was fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Ahoy! We also had a chance t' really appreciate t' roar o' that Blue Thunder motor, too!

Recovery
T' "waist-band" type elastic shock cord is attached t' a length o' steel cable, me hearties, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Begad! No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Avast! 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, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Avast! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, but that is an easy (but annoying) fix. Avast, me proud beauty! 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