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

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

Otherwise, assembly be straightforward, shiver me timbers, with no problems encountered. T' fins are mounted TTW, while t' strakes are only bonded t' t' BT surface. Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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. bird, so I built it strong- I used 4 hour epoxy pretty much everywhere. Well, blow me down! T' final product is heavy, but solid. Aye aye! Avast! Looks impressive, matey, me bucko, too!

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

About t' decals: I *hate* stick-on decals! I despise them with a passion. Begad! Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, they tend t' be very thick, ya bilge rat, etc. 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 was worried t' delay on t' G80-7 would be too long, so I doubled t' length o' t' shock cord. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! With perfect weather (no wind, and clear blue sky), shiver me timbers, I had no excuse t' delay.

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

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

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5