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

As a former model airplane builder from t' 60's, I was impressed with t' precision o' t' die-cut fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' only problem thar be that they were thicker than t' slots in t' body tube, matey, matey, and needed t' be sanded t' fit. Well, blow me down! I did deviate from t' instructions when gluin' t' motor tube in. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! Blimey! When these were done, I glued t' aft centerin' rin' in place. Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This worked out well, I liked t' flat gray finish, arrr, matey, it gave t' rocket a sort o' 'militarized' look. Begad! Blimey! Someone at t' launch came up and asked me if it was a scale model. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It does have sort o' V-2 proportions.

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

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