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

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

As a former model airplane builder from t' 60's, I was impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. Avast! T' only problem thar was that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. I did deviate from t' instructions when gluin' t' motor tube in. Ahoy! I didn't glue t' aft centerin' rin' in until after t' motor tube had been glued. Avast, me proud beauty! This gave access t' t' motor tube/fin area which allowed me t' put glue fillets on all o' t' inside fin/tube joints. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! When these were done, I glued t' aft centerin' rin' in place. Arrr! 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, but didn't have time t' paint it in t' black/gold finish that I had planned. This worked out well, ya bilge rat, I liked t' flat gray finish, ya bilge rat, it gave t' rocket a sort o' 'militarized' look. Ya scallywag! Someone at t' launch came up and asked me if it be a scale model. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. It doesn't go very high (100-150 feet), arrr, but will let you know if everything's workin' O.K. T' second flight be on a B6-4. Well, blow me down! If you have t' space, this would be t' minimum recommended motor. It was fast off t' launch rod, and climbed high and straight. Blimey! I had 'reefed' t' parachute lines because o' t' high winds, but in spite o' t' reef, me hearties, it still drifted about 300-400 yards. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! It appeared t' come down unscratched, ya bilge rat, 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, me bucko, I'd rate t' Big Dawg a 4. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' fit and finish o' t' parts could have been better, but t' problems were fixable. Aye aye! T' flights were very good. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It flew nice and straight. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Now I'm eyein' another kit, matey, epoxy, me bucko, and a 24mm motor mount. Avast! 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