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

Construction
This is an impressive-lookin' kit! Big box, big, heavy tubes and nose, me hearties, ya bilge rat, thick, solid plywood fins. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Lookin' into t' box (which be solid as well!) for t' first time, I was impressed by how solid everythin' looked. Arrr! A quick inventory confirmed that all t' parts were present, and in good shape.

T' instructions were clear and well laid out. Begad! I did deviate from them a bit- I glued t' upper section o' BT t' t' nose, and made a cargo bay (a suggestion I read from Bob Kaplow- thanks, Bob!). Begad! I ditched t' Gorilla-Lock retainin' system in favor o' Kaplow Klips- this was pretty much a necessity, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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, with no problems encountered. T' fins are mounted TTW, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There is some shapin' (streamlining) required on t' strakes and fins- just a bit o' work with some sandpaper, nothin' drastic. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I was considerin' this for me HPR cert. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! bird, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' final product is heavy, but solid. Blimey! Blimey! Looks impressive, too!

Finishing
Finishin' is pretty routine. Aye aye! T' BT spirals are pretty shallow and can be hard t' get filled, shiver me timbers, but that's t' toughest part. Avast! Paintin' is all-white (gloss), 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. Avast, me proud beauty! They don't cover with clear-coatin' as well, me hearties, they tend t' be very thick, etc. Aye aye! Because o' t' decals, 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, I finally had a chance t' fly me Archer this weekend. Avast! I was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Begad! Ya scallywag! With perfect weather (no wind, matey, me hearties, and clear blue sky), ya bilge rat, arrr, me bucko, I had no excuse t' delay.

What followed was t' most beautiful flight I've ever had. T' Archer be fast off t' pad, matey, shiver me timbers, but climbed slowly enough t' watch and appreciate. Well, blow me down! 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, ya bilge rat, which is secured t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! T' 3/4 inch wide shock cord could, but I added an extra length t' mine (it's about double now). Aye aye! Recovery is via a 36" nylon chute, and it seems adequate, even for me 42 ounce (empty) version.

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

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

T' problems with t' kit are few. Blimey! Aye aye! There is o' course t' non-standard motor mount tube t' contend with, ya bilge rat, 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