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. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Estes' instructions were very good, however, ya bilge rat, it appears that t' motor tube has been shortened since t' illustrations were drawn. Blimey! They show a three inch tube. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, almost no motor tube extends beyond t' front o' t' tube. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Go by t' measurements, shiver me timbers, nay t' pictures! T' nose cone came with flashin' that needed t' be trimmed and sanded before finishing, me bucko, also t' centerin' rings would nay fit in t' body tube unless they were turned sideways. Avast! Aye aye! They required much sandin' before they fit properly. Avast! Arrr! As with any construction project, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me bucko, you need t' do a test fit before gluing. Other than that, matey, construction went fine.

As a former model airplane builder from t' 60's, me bucko, I was impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. Blimey! T' only problem thar was that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. Ahoy! I did deviate from t' instructions when gluin' t' motor tube in. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! 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. Begad! Begad! 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, but didn't have time t' paint it in t' black/gold finish that I had planned. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This worked out well, I liked t' flat gray finish, matey, 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. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It doesn't go very high (100-150 feet), arrr, but will let you know if everything's workin' O.K. Begad! Begad! T' second flight was on a B6-4. If you have t' space, this would be t' minimum recommended motor. It be fast off t' launch rod, me hearties, and climbed high and straight. I had 'reefed' t' parachute lines because o' t' high winds, but in spite o' t' reef, arrr, shiver me timbers, it still drifted about 300-400 yards. Begad! 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. Begad! T' fit and finish o' t' parts could have been better, ya bilge rat, but t' problems were fixable. Ya scallywag! T' flights were very good. Avast, me proud beauty! It flew nice and straight. Aye aye! T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Now I'm eyein' another kit, epoxy, arrr, and a 24mm motor mount. Well, arrr, blow me down! 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