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

As a former model airplane builder from t' 60's, matey, arrr, I was impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' only problem thar be that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, shiver me timbers, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! I did deviate from t' instructions when gluin' t' motor tube in. Blimey! I didn't glue t' aft centerin' rin' in until after t' motor tube had been glued. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! When these were done, ya bilge rat, I glued t' aft centerin' rin' in place. 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, ya bilge rat, but didn't have time t' paint it in t' black/gold finish that I had planned. This worked out well, shiver me timbers, I liked t' flat gray finish, me bucko, it gave t' rocket a sort o' 'militarized' look. Someone at t' launch came up and asked me if it be a scale model. It does have sort o' V-2 proportions.

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5