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. Ahoy! Estes' instructions were very good, shiver me timbers, however, it appears that t' motor tube has been shortened since t' illustrations were drawn. Well, blow me down! They show a three inch tube. Well, matey, blow me down! T' included tube measured 2 3/4 inches, ya bilge rat, and as a consequence, you may be misled by t' drawin' illustratin' t' position o' t' forward centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Contrary t' t' illustration, matey, almost no motor tube extends beyond t' front o' t' tube. Go by t' measurements, nay t' pictures! T' nose cone came with flashin' that needed t' be trimmed and sanded before finishing, shiver me timbers, also t' centerin' rings would nay fit in t' body tube unless they were turned sideways. Ya scallywag! Begad! They required much sandin' before they fit properly. Ahoy! As with any construction project, ya bilge rat, 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, me hearties, I be impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. Avast, me proud beauty! T' only problem thar be that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. Avast! I did deviate from t' instructions when gluin' t' motor tube in. Begad! I didn't glue t' aft centerin' rin' in until after t' motor tube had been glued. Begad! This gave access t' t' motor tube/fin area which allowed me t' put glue fillets on all o' t' inside fin/tube joints. When these were done, 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, matey, but didn't have time t' paint it in t' black/gold finish that I had planned. Arrr! Avast! This worked out well, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I liked t' flat gray finish, it gave t' rocket a sort o' 'militarized' look. Ya scallywag! Someone at t' launch came up and asked me if it was a scale model. Begad! It does have sort o' V-2 proportions.

I flew t' rocket twice. T' first flight be on an A8-3, which is a good shake-down motor for a first flight. It doesn't go very high (100-150 feet), shiver me timbers, but will let you know if everything's workin' O.K. Aye aye! T' second flight was on a B6-4. If you have t' space, matey, this would be t' minimum recommended motor. Ya scallywag! It was fast off t' launch rod, and climbed high and straight. Arrr! I had 'reefed' t' parachute lines because o' t' high winds, me hearties, arrr, matey, but in spite o' t' reef, it still drifted about 300-400 yards. Well, blow me down! It appeared t' come down unscratched, 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, I'd rate t' Big Dawg a 4. Well, blow me down! T' fit and finish o' t' parts could have been better, but t' problems were fixable. Well, blow me down! T' flights were very good. Blimey! It flew nice and straight. T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Now I'm eyein' another kit, me hearties, me hearties, matey, epoxy, and a 24mm motor mount. Begad! With a D or E motor, arrr, it might still be airborne when t' kids get t' t' landin' site!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5