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

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

As a former model airplane builder from t' 60's, ya bilge rat, I be impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' only problem thar was that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, ya bilge rat, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I did deviate from t' instructions when gluin' t' motor tube in. I didn't glue t' aft centerin' rin' in until after t' motor tube had been glued. Well, blow me down! 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! When these were done, arrr, me hearties, I glued t' aft centerin' rin' in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! 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, me bucko, me bucko, but didn't have time t' paint it in t' black/gold finish that I had planned. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! This worked out well, I liked t' flat gray finish, me bucko, matey, it gave t' rocket a sort o' 'militarized' look. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! Someone at t' launch came up and asked me if it was a scale model. Well, blow me down! 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. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It doesn't go very high (100-150 feet), but will let you know if everything's workin' O.K. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' second flight was on a B6-4. Blimey! Begad! If you have t' space, this would be t' minimum recommended motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It was fast off t' launch rod, arrr, and climbed high and straight. Aye aye! I had 'reefed' t' parachute lines because o' t' high winds, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but in spite o' t' reef, it still drifted about 300-400 yards. Avast, me proud beauty! It appeared t' come down unscratched, but an over-enthusiastic recovery person (a kid) stepped on it and broke a fin. Blimey! Arrr! T' fin has been repaired and it will fly again soon.

Overall, I'd rate t' Big Dawg a 4. T' fit and finish o' t' parts could have been better, me hearties, me bucko, but t' problems were fixable. T' flights were very good. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It flew nice and straight. Begad! Blimey! T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Aye aye! Blimey! Now I'm eyein' another kit, epoxy, arrr, and a 24mm motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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