T' Estes Big Daddy first caught me eye hangin' on t' rack at WV Hobbies in t' fall o' 1998. Arrr! It looked t' me t' be a good candidate for conversion t' 29mm power, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so I put it on me Christmas list. Ahoy! My request was granted, and away I went.

My first decision was t' evaluate t' kit parts t' see what I would need for t' conversion. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I ended up keepin' only t' fins, ya bilge rat, me hearties, body tube, nose cone, and main decals. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I ordered a LOC 29mm stuffer tube from Magnum, and usin' fly cutters in me drill press, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I made new centerin' rings from 1/8" birch ply. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' motor retainin' rods are 4/40 threaded rods, matey, me hearties, on opposite sides o' t' stuffer tube. I used a small round file t' cut notches in t' centerin' rings for t' threaded rods, ya bilge rat, then everythin' was epoxied together and set aside t' dry. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A special note here is that I used t' fins t' position t' centerin' rings, as I wanted t' fin tabs t' be a snug fit betwixt t' fore and aft rings. Although Dark Star motors have a lip on them, matey, and many people use maskin' tape t' make a thrust rin' on other 29mm motors, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I also glued a motor rin' on t' inside o' t' stuffer tube, just t' be sure.

I glued t' motor assembly in place usin' t' fins for alignment. Begad! Aye aye! I cut 3/32" off t' edge o' each fin tab t' get a tight fit against t' body and stuffer tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Before gluin' t' fins in place, arrr, I saturated each one with thin CA, and let them set overnight before sandin' them t' remove t' raised grain. Arrr! Blimey! I glued t' fins in place with Pica Gluit - at which point, me bucko, I hear you all gasping. Ahoy! Pica claims Gluit is stronger than epoxy ("Yeah, right!!" you say.) Gluit is thinner than epoxy, and wicks into wood grain and paper very well. I have complete confidence in its strength. Well, blow me down! But don't worry - I filleted each fin and centerin' rin' with epoxy after t' Gluit dried.

T' entire rocket (except t' NC, me bucko, ya bilge rat, o' course) was covered with .75 ounce glass cloth. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A light mist o' 3M 77 was used t' hold t' cloth in place, and Gluit was rubbed generously through t' weave. Ahoy! Blimey! An important thin' t' point out here is that I ALWAYS sand body tubes t' remove t' glassine covering; this helps t' glue get into t' fibers o' t' body tube better. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Each set o' ribs be covered with a single piece o' glass cloth: from t' tip o' t' rib, down across t' fillets and body tube, shiver me timbers, and up t' t' tip o' t' adjacent rib. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' top o' t' BT was covered with a single wrap o' fiberglass. Gluit also sands well, without gumming, which left a smooth finish for t' primer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I glued 1/4" launch lugs into one o' t' fin joints, me bucko, and filleted them with epoxy and microballoons. Arrr! Blimey! After t' minor imperfections that t' primer revealed were filled and sanded, arrr, t' entire rocket was painted with Krylon Hamm-r Tough Hunter Green, me bucko, which gave a nice hammered metal finish. I also had several sets o' Estes Wildfire decals, me bucko, me hearties, and I sliced these apart t' create what I feel is a strikin' color scheme.

I added 3+ ounces o' clay in t' nose cone, me bucko, held in place with another couple ounces o' epoxy. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' shock cord mount is a 3/16" eye bolt held in place by two nuts epoxied t' either side o' t' top centerin' ring, and t' shock cord is attached by a heavy-duty Swivel Eye Sprin' Snap from K-Mart's hardware section. Aye aye! Recovery is by a bright orange 30" Top Flite X-Form chute from Magnum.

Empty weight o' t' rocket is 17 ounces, and as those o' you who were at t' June 12 launch can attest, Big Wild Daddy gets airborne in a hurry on either an F62 Dark Star or G35 Econojet. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! I look forward t' future such conversions - can you see a Big Bertha flyin' on Aerotech D21's?