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, ya bilge rat, big, arrr, heavy tubes and nose, thick, arrr, solid plywood fins. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Lookin' into t' box (which was solid as well!) for t' first time, ya bilge rat, I be impressed by how solid everythin' looked. A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, ya bilge rat, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Well, arrr, blow me down! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, matey, as I replaced t' NCR motor mount tube with a Loc tube, matey, ya bilge rat, 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, shiver me timbers, but that was all.

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

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Arrr! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, arrr, but that's t' toughest part. Ya scallywag! Avast! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), me bucko, with t' included decals providin' t' final touch.

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Ahoy! I find them much harder t' work with than good 'ol wet-transfer decals. Blimey! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Ahoy! 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, arrr, matey, and clear blue sky), ya bilge rat, I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. Arrr! T' Archer be fast off t' pad, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! 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 bucko, which is secured t' t' motor mount. No way that's comin' out! T' cable does nay protrude from t' body tube, so no worries about it causin' a zipper. Aye aye! Arrr! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Arrr! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, me hearties, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

Recovery was text-book, although one fin sustained minor damage on landing. Begad! Ahoy! 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, and I'm impressed with t' ruggedness o' t' components, matey, and t' finished product. Begad! This is one brawny-lookin' beast!

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

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