Brief:
T' Der Fat Max is another Goony Retro-Bash plan set from Excelsior Rocketry. Aye aye! Blimey! While it might nay be t' typical size o' a Goony, matey, it sure looks and feels Goony t' me. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! As with t' other Goony Retro-Bash rockets available from Excelsior, this is a kit-bash where you get receive t' plan set, me bucko, decals, shiver me timbers, and fin pattern. For this rocket you need t' supply a Fat Boy kit and balsa for t' fins. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I had purchased t' now out o' production (OOP) Fat Boy kit while thar were still some on t' hooks at me local hobby store. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Since you only need t' nose cone, body tube, and motor mount, shiver me timbers, it should not be too hard t' get t' parts individually for this build. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I had also purchased t' Der Fat Max plan set materials when Fred "Phred" Talasco still owned Excelsior Rocketry. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I have always received great service from Excelsior and now that Gordon "sandman" Agnello has taken over operations, matey, ya bilge rat, I am sure that t' great service will continue. Arrr! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey!

Construction:
As stated above, you only receive t' plan set with fin patterns for t' Der Fat Max. Ahoy! Blimey! Because o' t' size o' the rocket, me bucko, t' decal sheet is much larger than t' other Goony decals which is why it cost three dollars more I suppose. About t' only thin' I would have like t' seen on t' decal sheet would have been t' use o' Goony deadlights with t' skull and crossbones. You do get plenty o' decals that include a tube wrap for a BT-80. Avast! Blimey! I do find it humorous that t' one page plan set from Excelsior states that t' builder needs t' supply a Fat Max kit instead o' a Fat Boy kit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! The builder needs t' provide a 3/32" balsa sheet for t' fins.

You construct t' rocket usin' t' Fat Boy plans. T' only difference is with t' fins. Begad! Ahoy! You use t' fin pattern supplied t' you from Excelsior and cut t' fins from t' balsa sheet. Avast! T' only other change would be t' color scheme t' keep with t' Der Red Max rocket theme. Well, blow me down! Because o' t' size o' t' fins I decided t' paper t' fins t' both strengthen them and t' save on time in t' finishin' process.

Finishing:
T' paint t' rocket, I used 2 coats o' Kilz white primer, me bucko, lightly sandin' betwixt coats. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Then I separated t' nose cone from t' rocket and painted it gloss black. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I painted t' rest o' t' rocket usin' Rustoleum Red. Begad! Each o' these received 2 coats with no sandin' due t' laziness. I am happy enough with t' finished result.

While waitin' for t' rocket t' thoroughly dry, me bucko, I coated t' decals with Testor's Gloss Coat #1261. Avast! This gives t' decals some added strength when applyin' them t' t' rocket. T' only issue I encountered was on t' full body wrap. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I mounted t' launch lug where directed on t' Fat Boy plans. T' full body wrap is at this same position. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! When I was tryin' t' cut t' decal for t' launch lug, arrr, matey, I ended up tearin' t' decal. My suggestion would be t' lower the position o' t' launch lug so that t' top is where t' bottom would normally be. Arrr! Begad! This should have no affect on launchin' t' rocket because o' t' larger fins on t' Der Fat Max. Once t' decals were on and dry, me bucko, matey, I coated the rocket with Future Floor Wax.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommend engines that listed on t' Der Fat Max plan set are a B6-4 and C6-5. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This doesn't make sense t' me since t' recommended engines for a Fat Boy are a B4-2, B6-2, me hearties, arrr, or C6-3. My Der Fat Max weighted in at 3.9 ounces which is 0.5 ounces heavier than me finished Fat Boy. Avast! Blimey! I decided t' play it safe and used a C6-3 for t' first flight. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! This was t' right choice. T' rocket came off t' launch pad in a slow and majestic way and headed straight up with trace o' wind at launch. Begad! T' ejection be near perfect at apogee. Ya scallywag! I can't imagine launchin' it with a longer ejection delay so I would recommend usin' t' Fat Boy engine recommendations.

Recovery:
T' Der Fat Max uses t' Fat Boy parachute that comes with t' kit. Begad! This is a perfect size since it returned the rocket safely without a lot o' drift. Ya scallywag! I am tempted t' replace it with a skull and crossbones parachute that can be found in t' current release o' t' Estes Der Red Max for t' added coolness durin' launch time.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is another well thought out plan set from Excelsior Rocketry. Aye aye! You get t' build a rocket that is both familiar and different in its finished state. Avast! If you are a fan o' t' Fat Boy or Der Red Max, I suggest that you add t' Der Fat Max t' your collection. Aye aye! If you want t' build a short stubby rocket now that t' Fat Boy is OOP, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' parts are common enough that they can easily be obtained through many rocket vendors. Aye aye! Just make sure that you head to Excelsior Rocketry t' pick up t' Der Fat Max decals and fin patterns t' give that short stubby rocket some real character.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5