I built a Big Dawg recently, matey, ya bilge rat, and flew it when me son's Cub Scout pack was invited t' Tripoli Nebraska's October launch.

Construction be straight-forward for a through-the-tube rocket. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Estes' instructions were very good, however, me bucko, it appears that t' motor tube has been shortened since t' illustrations were drawn. They show a three inch tube. T' included tube measured 2 3/4 inches, me bucko, and as a consequence, me bucko, you may be misled by t' drawin' illustratin' t' position o' t' forward centerin' ring. Begad! Blimey! Contrary t' t' illustration, me bucko, almost no motor tube extends beyond t' front o' t' tube. Blimey! Blimey! Go by t' measurements, nay t' pictures! Blimey! T' nose cone came with flashin' that needed t' be trimmed and sanded before finishing, ya bilge rat, also t' centerin' rings would nay fit in t' body tube unless they were turned sideways. Begad! Blimey! They required much sandin' before they fit properly. Blimey! Blimey! As with any construction project, you need t' do a test fit before gluing. Other than that, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, construction went fine.

As a former model airplane builder from t' 60's, ya bilge rat, arrr, I was impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. T' only problem thar was that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, me bucko, me hearties, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. Begad! 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! 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, me bucko, arrr, 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, me hearties, but didn't have time t' paint it in t' black/gold finish that I had planned. Arrr! This worked out well, me hearties, I liked t' flat gray finish, it gave t' rocket a sort o' 'militarized' look. Arrr! Someone at t' launch came up and asked me if it was a scale model. Blimey! It does have sort o' V-2 proportions.

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

Overall, I'd rate t' Big Dawg a 4. Arrr! T' fit and finish o' t' parts could have been better, shiver me timbers, but t' problems were fixable. T' flights were very good. Arrr! It flew nice and straight. Blimey! T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Avast! Now I'm eyein' another kit, epoxy, matey, and a 24mm motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! 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