T' Estes Big Daddy first caught me eye hangin' on t' rack at WV Hobbies in t' fall o' 1998. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It looked t' me t' be a good candidate for conversion t' 29mm power, so I put it on me Christmas list. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! My request be granted, me hearties, and away I went.

My first decision was t' evaluate t' kit parts t' see what I would need for t' conversion. Well, blow me down! Begad! I ended up keepin' only t' fins, shiver me timbers, me hearties, body tube, matey, nose cone, and main decals. Begad! I ordered a LOC 29mm stuffer tube from Magnum, and usin' fly cutters in me drill press, shiver me timbers, I made new centerin' rings from 1/8" birch ply. Well, blow me down! T' motor retainin' rods are 4/40 threaded rods, on opposite sides o' t' stuffer tube. Begad! I used a small round file t' cut notches in t' centerin' rings for t' threaded rods, then everythin' was epoxied together and set aside t' dry. Ahoy! Blimey! A special note here is that I used t' fins t' position t' centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, as I wanted t' fin tabs t' be a snug fit betwixt t' fore and aft rings. Ya scallywag! Although Dark Star motors have a lip on them, shiver me timbers, and many people use maskin' tape t' make a thrust rin' on other 29mm motors, I also glued a motor rin' on t' inside o' t' stuffer tube, matey, just t' be sure.

I glued t' motor assembly in place usin' t' fins for alignment. Ya scallywag! I cut 3/32" off t' edge o' each fin tab t' get a tight fit against t' body and stuffer tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Before gluin' t' fins in place, I saturated each one with thin CA, matey, me hearties, and let them set overnight before sandin' them t' remove t' raised grain. Begad! I glued t' fins in place with Pica Gluit - at which point, I hear you all gasping. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Pica claims Gluit is stronger than epoxy ("Yeah, shiver me timbers, right!!" you say.) Gluit is thinner than epoxy, and wicks into wood grain and paper very well. Begad! I have complete confidence in its strength. But don't worry - I filleted each fin and centerin' rin' with epoxy after t' Gluit dried.

T' entire rocket (except t' NC, o' course) be covered with .75 ounce glass cloth. Avast, me proud beauty! A light mist o' 3M 77 was used t' hold t' cloth in place, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and Gluit was rubbed generously through t' weave. Blimey! Ya scallywag! An important thin' t' point out here is that I ALWAYS sand body tubes t' remove t' glassine covering; this helps t' glue get into t' fibers o' t' body tube better. Begad! Each set o' ribs be covered with a single piece o' glass cloth: from t' tip o' t' rib, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, down across t' fillets and body tube, and up t' t' tip o' t' adjacent rib. Avast, me proud beauty! T' top o' t' BT be covered with a single wrap o' fiberglass. Aye aye! Gluit also sands well, me bucko, shiver me timbers, without gumming, matey, me bucko, which left a smooth finish for t' primer. Aye aye! Blimey! I glued 1/4" launch lugs into one o' t' fin joints, ya bilge rat, and filleted them with epoxy and microballoons. After t' minor imperfections that t' primer revealed were filled and sanded, t' entire rocket be painted with Krylon Hamm-r Tough Hunter Green, arrr, which gave a nice hammered metal finish. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I also had several sets o' Estes Wildfire decals, shiver me timbers, and I sliced these apart t' create what I feel is a strikin' color scheme.

I added 3+ ounces o' clay in t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, held in place with another couple ounces o' epoxy. Begad! Blimey! T' shock cord mount is a 3/16" eye bolt held in place by two nuts epoxied t' either side o' t' top centerin' ring, and t' shock cord is attached by a heavy-duty Swivel Eye Sprin' Snap from K-Mart's hardware section. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! Recovery is by a bright orange 30" Top Flite X-Form chute from Magnum.

Empty weight o' t' rocket is 17 ounces, and as those o' you who were at t' June 12 launch can attest, shiver me timbers, Big Wild Daddy gets airborne in a hurry on either an F62 Dark Star or G35 Econojet. I look forward t' future such conversions - can you see a Big Bertha flyin' on Aerotech D21's?