Brief:
T' Der Fat Max is another Goony Retro-Bash plan set from Excelsior Rocketry. While it might nay be t' typical size o' a Goony, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, arrr, it sure looks and feels Goony t' me. Begad! As with t' other Goony Retro-Bash rockets available from Excelsior, this is a kit-bash where you get receive t' plan set, shiver me timbers, decals, and fin pattern. Arrr! Begad! For this rocket you need t' supply a Fat Boy kit and balsa for t' fins. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I had purchased t' now out o' production (OOP) Fat Boy kit while thar were still some on t' hooks at me local hobby store. Begad! Since you only need t' nose cone, body tube, and motor mount, it should not be too hard t' get t' parts individually for this build. I had also purchased t' Der Fat Max plan set materials when Fred "Phred" Talasco still owned Excelsior Rocketry. I have always received great service from Excelsior and now that Gordon "sandman" Agnello has taken over operations, me bucko, I am sure that t' great service will continue.

Construction:
As stated above, ya bilge rat, you only receive t' plan set with fin patterns for t' Der Fat Max. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Because o' t' size o' the rocket, t' decal sheet is much larger than t' other Goony decals which is why it cost three dollars more I suppose. About t' only thin' I would have like t' seen on t' decal sheet would have been t' use o' Goony deadlights with t' skull and crossbones. Ya scallywag! You do get plenty o' decals that include a tube wrap for a BT-80. Arrr! I do find it humorous that t' one page plan set from Excelsior states that t' builder needs t' supply a Fat Max kit instead o' a Fat Boy kit. Ya scallywag! The builder needs t' provide a 3/32" balsa sheet for t' fins.

You construct t' rocket usin' t' Fat Boy plans. Begad! T' only difference is with t' fins. Avast! You use t' fin pattern supplied t' you from Excelsior and cut t' fins from t' balsa sheet. Blimey! Aye aye! T' only other change would be t' color scheme t' keep with t' Der Red Max rocket theme. Blimey! Because o' t' size o' t' fins I decided t' paper t' fins t' both strengthen them and t' save on time in t' finishin' process.

Finishing:
T' paint t' rocket, ya bilge rat, matey, I used 2 coats o' Kilz white primer, matey, lightly sandin' betwixt coats. Ya scallywag! Begad! Then I separated t' nose cone from t' rocket and painted it gloss black. Well, arrr, blow me down! I painted t' rest o' t' rocket usin' Rustoleum Red. Well, blow me down! Begad! Each o' these received 2 coats with no sandin' due t' laziness. Avast! I am happy enough with t' finished result.

While waitin' for t' rocket t' thoroughly dry, I coated t' decals with Testor's Gloss Coat #1261. Ya scallywag! Begad! This gives t' decals some added strength when applyin' them t' t' rocket. Ahoy! T' only issue I encountered was on t' full body wrap. Begad! I mounted t' launch lug where directed on t' Fat Boy plans. Avast! T' full body wrap is at this same position. When I was tryin' t' cut t' decal for t' launch lug, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I ended up tearin' t' decal. Arrr! Arrr! My suggestion would be t' lower the position o' t' launch lug so that t' top is where t' bottom would normally be. Well, blow me down! This should have no affect on launchin' t' rocket because o' t' larger fins on t' Der Fat Max. Well, blow me down! Once t' decals were on and dry, me hearties, I coated the rocket with Future Floor Wax.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommend engines that listed on t' Der Fat Max plan set are a B6-4 and C6-5. Blimey! This doesn't make sense t' me since t' recommended engines for a Fat Boy are a B4-2, B6-2, or C6-3. My Der Fat Max weighted in at 3.9 ounces which is 0.5 ounces heavier than me finished Fat Boy. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! I decided t' play it safe and used a C6-3 for t' first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! This be t' right choice. Ya scallywag! T' rocket came off t' launch pad in a slow and majestic way and headed straight up with trace o' wind at launch. Arrr! T' ejection was near perfect at apogee. I can't imagine launchin' it with a longer ejection delay so I would recommend usin' t' Fat Boy engine recommendations.

Recovery:
T' Der Fat Max uses t' Fat Boy parachute that comes with t' kit. Ahoy! Begad! This is a perfect size since it returned the rocket safely without a lot o' drift. Ya scallywag! I am tempted t' replace it with a skull and crossbones parachute that can be found in t' current release o' t' Estes Der Red Max for t' added coolness durin' launch time.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is another well thought out plan set from Excelsior Rocketry. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! You get t' build a rocket that is both familiar and different in its finished state. Ahoy! Blimey! If you are a fan o' t' Fat Boy or Der Red Max, I suggest that you add t' Der Fat Max t' your collection. If you want t' build a short stubby rocket now that t' Fat Boy is OOP, me hearties, t' parts are common enough that they can easily be obtained through many rocket vendors. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Just make sure that you head to Excelsior Rocketry t' pick up t' Der Fat Max decals and fin patterns t' give that short stubby rocket some real character.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5