I built a Big Dawg recently, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, and flew it when me son's Cub Scout pack was invited t' Tripoli Nebraska's October launch.

Construction was straight-forward for a through-the-tube rocket. Ya scallywag! Begad! Estes' instructions were very good, however, arrr, it appears that t' motor tube has been shortened since t' illustrations were drawn. Blimey! Avast! They show a three inch tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' included tube measured 2 3/4 inches, me bucko, and as a consequence, me hearties, you may be misled by t' drawin' illustratin' t' position o' t' forward centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Contrary t' t' illustration, almost no motor tube extends beyond t' front o' t' tube. Arrr! Go by t' measurements, me bucko, nay t' pictures! T' nose cone came with flashin' that needed t' be trimmed and sanded before finishing, also t' centerin' rings would nay fit in t' body tube unless they were turned sideways. Blimey! Arrr! They required much sandin' before they fit properly. Begad! As with any construction project, matey, you need t' do a test fit before gluing. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Other than that, matey, construction went fine.

As a former model airplane builder from t' 60's, I be impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' only problem thar be that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. Arrr! Blimey! I did deviate from t' instructions when gluin' t' motor tube in. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I didn't glue t' aft centerin' rin' in until after t' motor tube had been glued. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This gave access t' t' motor tube/fin area which allowed me t' put glue fillets on all o' t' inside fin/tube joints. Ya scallywag! Blimey! When these were done, matey, I glued t' aft centerin' rin' in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Aero-Tech uses a similar technique on their mid t' high powered rockets.

I gave t' rocket two coats o' gray primer shortly before t' launch, arrr, but didn't have time t' paint it in t' black/gold finish that I had planned. Well, blow me down! This worked out well, ya bilge rat, I liked t' flat gray finish, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, it gave t' rocket a sort o' 'militarized' look. Ahoy! Someone at t' launch came up and asked me if it be a scale model. Begad! It does have sort o' V-2 proportions.

I flew t' rocket twice. T' first flight was on an A8-3, which is a good shake-down motor for a first flight. Begad! It doesn't go very high (100-150 feet), but will let you know if everything's workin' O.K. T' second flight be on a B6-4. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! If you have t' space, this would be t' minimum recommended motor. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It was fast off t' launch rod, and climbed high and straight. I had 'reefed' t' parachute lines because o' t' high winds, but in spite o' t' reef, ya bilge rat, it still drifted about 300-400 yards. Blimey! It appeared t' come down unscratched, but an over-enthusiastic recovery person (a kid) stepped on it and broke a fin. T' fin has been repaired and it will fly again soon.

Overall, shiver me timbers, I'd rate t' Big Dawg a 4. Begad! T' fit and finish o' t' parts could have been better, arrr, but t' problems were fixable. Ahoy! T' flights were very good. It flew nice and straight. Ya scallywag! T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Now I'm eyein' another kit, ya bilge rat, epoxy, shiver me timbers, and a 24mm motor mount. Begad! Begad! With a D or E motor, it might still be airborne when t' kids get t' t' landin' site!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5