T' Big Daddy is a 3" dia. kit that stands 19" tall. I figured that if I got an extra nose cone, ya bilge rat, cut off t' end and stuck it onto t' back o' t' rocket, it would work as a nice tail cone. All I would need t' do is slot t' cone for t' four fins and modify t' engine mount.

Although I didn’t set out t' make a perfect scale model o' a V-2, shiver me timbers, I wanted t' come as close as practically possible. Blimey! I found a set o' scale plans for t' old Estes Maxi-Brute V-2 on JimZ’s website. Arrr! Begad! (kit# 1267) These plans also included t' actual dimensions o' t' real V-2 rocket. Aye aye! Since t' body tube diameter is fixed at 3", I divided t' actual V-2 Diameter o' 65" by 3 and came up with a factor o' 21.67:1. Aye aye! Dividin' t' length by that factor, me bucko, I came up with 25.5".

In order t' get a template for t' fin shape, I took t' plans I got from JimZ and blew them up on a copier until t' body tube diameter was 3". I then traced t' fin shape from t' photocopy. I added a fin tab on t' root edge o' t' fin that would pass through t' side o' t' tail cone and attach t' t' engine mount.

I also measured t' body diameter at t' tail from t' photocopy and got 1.75". Avast, me proud beauty! I eye-balled t' cone and decided that cuttin' it about 3.25" from t' tip would give me a 1.75" diameter. Begad! Blimey! This makes t' exposed part o' t' tail cone 5.75" long. Well, blow me down! Avast! Since t' nose cone is 9" and t' tail is 1.25" off t' ground, arrr, t' body tube would need t' be 9.5"

I purchased a Big Daddy kit on eBay for $14.95, me hearties, and started checkin' hobby shops for an extra nose cone. Begad! Well, blow me down! Apparently, me hearties, that particular nose cone isn’t available by itself. Aye aye! I called Estes intendin' t' purchase t' nose cone. Blimey! They ended up mailin' me two nose cones free o' charge. Ahoy! Begad! (What a great company!) I also bought a sheet o' 3/16x4x36 balsa ($2.99) and three 18" BT-50's for ($5.99). Well, blow me down! I wanted a longer engine mount t' go through t' length o' t' tail cone and into t' body. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' mount that comes with t' Big Daddy is pretty short.

While waitin' for t' Big Daddy t' arrive, I cut out t' fins, matey, leavin' t' tang on t' root edge extra long, and sanded them t' t' proper shape.

When t' Big Daddy arrived in t' mail I was disappointed t' see t' four huge slots in t' body tube for t' Big Daddy’s fins. Well, blow me down! I have already built a Big Daddy but had forgotten about those slots. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I went ahead and started workin' on t' tail cone anyway.

I first marked t' lines I wanted t' cut for t' fins t' go through t' tail cone. Begad! I used t' mold marks on t' cone as guides for two o' t' fins and measured halfway betwixt for t' other two. Arrr! Ahoy! Suddenly, me bucko, t' slots in t' body tube weren’t as bad as I originally thought. Well, blow me down! I used them t' help line up t' lines on t' tail cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! In order t' keep t' construction simple, shiver me timbers, I cut 1/8" slots in t' cone and then shaved t' edges with a sharp exacto knife while sightin' along them t' t' four slots in t' body tube. Ahoy! Avast! I widened them until I had a nice friction fit when insertin' t' fins. Aye aye! Avast! I made t' slots about 3.25" long, shiver me timbers, leavin' about 1.25" o' tail cone in front and back t' give it strength. Ya scallywag! I cut t' slots before cuttin' off either end o' t' cone so t' ends would add strength t' t' structure as I worked with it. Blimey! Begad! After t' slots were done I cut 3.25" off t' tip o' t' cone and then cut off t' back o' t' cone leavin' about 0.5" t' glue inside t' body tube.

T' tube supplied with t' Big Daddy is 10" long. Since t' body tube is slotted and I was more interested in ease o' construction than t' build a model perfectly t' scale, ya bilge rat, I decided nay t' cut t' body tube back t' 9.5". Begad! Blimey! I epoxied a strip o' 1/16 balsa about 3/8" wide behind each o' t' fin slots. Begad! Then I cut a thin strip o' balsa and epoxied that inside each slot. Ya scallywag! After t' epoxy cured I sanded t' balsa flush with t' body tube. Aye aye! I then applied a coat o' CA t' give t' balsa some strength. I finished fillin' t' gaps with Bondo Spot Putty.

Thinkin' I wanted t' do a really good job filletin' betwixt t' fins and t' engine mount I decided t' glue t' engine mount and fins into t' tail cone before I glued on t' body tube. I cut a BT-50 t' 11" long and attached t' engine mount hardware. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I glued one o' t' centerin' rings into t' body tube, me bucko, just in front o' t' balsa I had used t' cover t' fin holes. T' other centerin' rin' I cut down and glued it inside t' tail cone about 3/8" in from t' bottom. Blimey! Arrr! After it cured I glued t' engine mount into t' tail cone centerin' rin' and friction fit t' body tube onto t' other end o' t' engine mount t' keep it centered. Ya scallywag! After that cured, I took t' body tube back off and trimmed t' fin tangs and glued them t' t' engine mount. Begad! When I had finished gluin' and filletin' t' fins, I glued on t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Then I put a bead o' epoxy around t' engine mount at t' front centerin' ring.

Havin' done it this way, matey, me hearties, arrr, I wouldn’t recommend puttin' t' fins on before t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Arrr! After fittin' t' fins, I had moved t' engine mount off center slightly and when I put t' body tube back on, ya bilge rat, matey, ya bilge rat, thar be a gap betwixt t' body tube and t' tail cone o' about 1/32 o' an inch on one side. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! It's no big deal, arrr, me hearties, t' rocket is still straight, arrr, me hearties, but it is another gap t' fill and I don't think I gained much fin strength over just stickin' them in from outside t' body tube.

All other construction details pretty much mirror what is in t' Big Daddy’s directions. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I finished it usin' a camouflage color scheme. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Includin' paint and glue, I have less than $40.00 invested in this rocket, and that’s about what t' out o' production kits cost, me hearties, ya bilge rat, just for t' kit. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I have another Big Daddy kit that I am also goin' t' make into a V-2, me bucko, ya bilge rat, only I’m goin' t' use a 29mm engine mount and Basswood fins, me bucko, me bucko, so I can try flyin' it on larger engines. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If anyone has any better ideas on how t' fill those pesky slots in t' body tube, please let me know.