What is it about t' Fat Boy, me bucko, Onyx, Minie Magg, ya bilge rat, etc, that makes grown men's knees weak? I don't know, me hearties, me hearties, but t' Big Daddy has it - and lots o' it.

I swung by Commonwealth Displays a couple o' times, arrr, ya bilge rat, but they were out o' t' kit. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! T' second time I be beat out by a telephone order by an hour or so. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I was orderin' a few things from A t' Z hobbies, and they had them in stock, matey, so.....Two days later a box arrived. Blimey! Blimey! Inside were all sorts o' goodies, but best o' all, me bucko, TWO BIG DADDIES!

I opened one up immediately, and test fit t' fins, me bucko, nose cone, ya bilge rat, etc. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! together. 3" diameter isn't all that much larger than 2.6" until you put it side by side with a Fat Boy. Aye aye! I was plannin' t' make it stock, matey, matey, but after some thought, I sliced off about 1.75" o' t' BT t' use on a scratch built Aries - which needed a 3" bit on t' bottom. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! After lookin' at it again, I decided t' slice off some more - by this time I had taken off 3.5" - and it looked even better than before! I decided nay t' push me luck, as I be already lookin' at some nose cone mods.

I've come t' t' conclusion that sandin' and fillin' fins is MUCH easier before they're on t' rocket - especially with TTW fins like this. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Die-cut balsa quality is typical, me bucko, t' balsa was nice and sturdy. Blimey! Blimey! Typical prep - sand BT, ya bilge rat, CA t' end o' t' BT and t' MMT, me bucko, arrr, build per instructions. Begad! Blimey! I had t' do a little trimmin' on t' fins so they would fit properly - t' slots in t' BT were a little tight.

T' NC modification was straight forward - cut off t' back 1", shiver me timbers, epoxy and tape t' shock cord onto t' inside o' t' NC and extended t' MMT up into t' nose - this will eliminate t' need for any wadding, shiver me timbers, since t' ejection will never hit t' chute, etc directly - it will bounce off t' inside o' t' nose cone first. Begad! Ya scallywag! I think.

Prime, paint, matey, and finish. Ya scallywag! T' stock decals were no longer goin' t' fit. Hmm. Arrr! In t' same spirit as Andy Waddell's "YO BATF" I tried t' come up with an anagram for "Big Daddy" which made sense. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Bad Giddy? Biddy Gab? No luck. " Big Baddy" lost out t' "Dig Baddy." Five minutes and a sharp Exacto later, t' "Dig Baddy" was born.

Stable? I haven't tested it. Well, blow me down! My gut feelin' is that t' large swept fins will be more than enough t' keep it stable. Begad! I'm still thinkin' I should swin' test it t' be sure. Aye aye! Begad! It has t' original 24 mm mmt - I be thinkin' 29 mm, but in t' end I figure a 24 mm RMS will be more than enough power - I left t' fins balsa and everythin' else is stock, arrr, so it's very light. Begad! An F12-J should be ideal, shiver me timbers, given t' size and weight.

What's t' verdict? For sheer flyin' fun, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, a short fat rocket like this can't be beat. Begad! It's very visible, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, and t' mods I made make it almost improbably stubby. Aye aye! For $20 or so, it seems a little expensive for Estes stuff, but it's a lot cheaper than HPR kits, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and would be more than adequate for G-range engines with no mods (except t' 29mm MMT, o' course)