T' Big Daddy is a 3" dia. Ahoy! kit that stands 19" tall. Arrr! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I figured that if I got an extra nose cone, cut off t' end and stuck it onto t' back o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, it would work as a nice tail cone. All I would need t' do is slot t' cone for t' four fins and modify t' engine mount.

Although I didn’t set out t' make a perfect scale model o' a V-2, arrr, arrr, I wanted t' come as close as practically possible. Begad! Ahoy! I found a set o' scale plans for t' old Estes Maxi-Brute V-2 on JimZ’s website. Blimey! Avast! (kit# 1267) These plans also included t' actual dimensions o' t' real V-2 rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Since t' body tube diameter is fixed at 3", arrr, I divided t' actual V-2 Diameter o' 65" by 3 and came up with a factor o' 21.67:1. Dividin' t' length by that factor, I came up with 25.5".

In order t' get a template for t' fin shape, shiver me timbers, I took t' plans I got from JimZ and blew them up on a copier until t' body tube diameter was 3". I then traced t' fin shape from t' photocopy. Begad! Blimey! I added a fin tab on t' root edge o' t' fin that would pass through t' side o' t' tail cone and attach t' t' engine mount.

I also measured t' body diameter at t' tail from t' photocopy and got 1.75". Blimey! I eye-balled t' cone and decided that cuttin' it about 3.25" from t' tip would give me a 1.75" diameter. Blimey! This makes t' exposed part o' t' tail cone 5.75" long. Begad! Since t' nose cone is 9" and t' tail is 1.25" off t' ground, matey, t' body tube would need t' be 9.5"

I purchased a Big Daddy kit on eBay for $14.95, shiver me timbers, matey, and started checkin' hobby shops for an extra nose cone. Blimey! Apparently, arrr, ya bilge rat, that particular nose cone isn’t available by itself. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I called Estes intendin' t' purchase t' nose cone. Blimey! Avast! They ended up mailin' me two nose cones free o' charge. Ya scallywag! (What a great company!) I also bought a sheet o' 3/16x4x36 balsa ($2.99) and three 18" BT-50's for ($5.99). I wanted a longer engine mount t' go through t' length o' t' tail cone and into t' body. Begad! T' mount that comes with t' Big Daddy is pretty short.

While waitin' for t' Big Daddy t' arrive, matey, I cut out t' fins, ya bilge rat, leavin' t' tang on t' root edge extra long, and sanded them t' t' proper shape.

When t' Big Daddy arrived in t' mail I be disappointed t' see t' four huge slots in t' body tube for t' Big Daddy’s fins. Blimey! I have already built a Big Daddy but had forgotten about those slots. Blimey! I went ahead and started workin' on t' tail cone anyway.

I first marked t' lines I wanted t' cut for t' fins t' go through t' tail cone. I used t' mold marks on t' cone as guides for two o' t' fins and measured halfway betwixt for t' other two. Suddenly, t' slots in t' body tube weren’t as bad as I originally thought. Begad! I used them t' help line up t' lines on t' tail cone. Avast, me proud beauty! In order t' keep t' construction simple, me bucko, I cut 1/8" slots in t' cone and then shaved t' edges with a sharp exacto knife while sightin' along them t' t' four slots in t' body tube. Ahoy! I widened them until I had a nice friction fit when insertin' t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! I made t' slots about 3.25" long, leavin' about 1.25" o' tail cone in front and back t' give it strength. Well, blow me down! I cut t' slots before cuttin' off either end o' t' cone so t' ends would add strength t' t' structure as I worked with it. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' slots were done I cut 3.25" off t' tip o' t' cone and then cut off t' back o' t' cone leavin' about 0.5" t' glue inside t' body tube.

T' tube supplied with t' Big Daddy is 10" long. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! Since t' body tube is slotted and I was more interested in ease o' construction than t' build a model perfectly t' scale, shiver me timbers, I decided nay t' cut t' body tube back t' 9.5". I epoxied a strip o' 1/16 balsa about 3/8" wide behind each o' t' fin slots. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then I cut a thin strip o' balsa and epoxied that inside each slot. Avast! Blimey! After t' epoxy cured I sanded t' balsa flush with t' body tube. I then applied a coat o' CA t' give t' balsa some strength. Blimey! I finished fillin' t' gaps with Bondo Spot Putty.

Thinkin' I wanted t' do a really good job filletin' betwixt t' fins and t' engine mount I decided t' glue t' engine mount and fins into t' tail cone before I glued on t' body tube. Avast! I cut a BT-50 t' 11" long and attached t' engine mount hardware. Begad! Blimey! Then I glued one o' t' centerin' rings into t' body tube, matey, just in front o' t' balsa I had used t' cover t' fin holes. Well, blow me down! T' other centerin' rin' I cut down and glued it inside t' tail cone about 3/8" in from t' bottom. After it cured I glued t' engine mount into t' tail cone centerin' rin' and friction fit t' body tube onto t' other end o' t' engine mount t' keep it centered. Begad! Blimey! After that cured, me hearties, matey, I took t' body tube back off and trimmed t' fin tangs and glued them t' t' engine mount. When I had finished gluin' and filletin' t' fins, I glued on t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! Then I put a bead o' epoxy around t' engine mount at t' front centerin' ring.

Havin' done it this way, I wouldn’t recommend puttin' t' fins on before t' body tube. After fittin' t' fins, I had moved t' engine mount off center slightly and when I put t' body tube back on, thar was a gap betwixt t' body tube and t' tail cone o' about 1/32 o' an inch on one side. Arrr! Avast! It's no big deal, t' rocket is still straight, but it is another gap t' fill and I don't think I gained much fin strength over just stickin' them in from outside t' body tube.

All other construction details pretty much mirror what is in t' Big Daddy’s directions. Avast! I finished it usin' a camouflage color scheme. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Includin' paint and glue, arrr, I have less than $40.00 invested in this rocket, arrr, and that’s about what t' out o' production kits cost, just for t' kit. I have another Big Daddy kit that I am also goin' t' make into a V-2, matey, matey, only I’m goin' t' use a 29mm engine mount and Basswood fins, ya bilge rat, so I can try flyin' it on larger engines. Aye aye! Arrr! If anyone has any better ideas on how t' fill those pesky slots in t' body tube, please let me know.