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

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

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

Overall, me bucko, I'd rate t' Big Dawg a 4. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! It flew nice and straight. Arrr! T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Ahoy! Arrr! Now I'm eyein' another kit, matey, me hearties, epoxy, shiver me timbers, and a 24mm motor mount. Begad! Aye aye! 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