What is it about t' Fat Boy, me hearties, ya bilge rat, matey, Onyx, Minie Magg, etc, ya bilge rat, that makes grown men's knees weak? I don't know, but t' Big Daddy has it - and lots o' it.

I swung by Commonwealth Displays a couple o' times, but they were out o' t' kit. Arrr! Begad! T' second time I was beat out by a telephone order by an hour or so. Avast! I be orderin' a few things from A t' Z hobbies, and they had them in stock, so.....Two days later a box arrived. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Inside were all sorts o' goodies, but best o' all, shiver me timbers, TWO BIG DADDIES!

I opened one up immediately, and test fit t' fins, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, nose cone, shiver me timbers, me hearties, etc. Begad! Begad! together. Arrr! 3" diameter isn't all that much larger than 2.6" until you put it side by side with a Fat Boy. Arrr! Arrr! I be plannin' t' make it stock, but after some thought, I sliced off about 1.75" o' t' BT t' use on a scratch built Aries - which needed a 3" bit on t' bottom. Avast, me proud beauty! After lookin' at it again, me bucko, me hearties, I decided t' slice off some more - by this time I had taken off 3.5" - and it looked even better than before! I decided nay t' push me luck, as I was already lookin' at some nose cone mods.

I've come t' t' conclusion that sandin' and fillin' fins is MUCH easier before they're on t' rocket - especially with TTW fins like this. Begad! Ahoy! Die-cut balsa quality is typical, t' balsa be nice and sturdy. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Typical prep - sand BT, matey, CA t' end o' t' BT and t' MMT, build per instructions. Arrr! I had t' do a little trimmin' on t' fins so they would fit properly - t' slots in t' BT were a little tight.

T' NC modification be straight forward - cut off t' back 1", me hearties, ya bilge rat, epoxy and tape t' shock cord onto t' inside o' t' NC and extended t' MMT up into t' nose - this will eliminate t' need for any wadding, since t' ejection will never hit t' chute, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, etc directly - it will bounce off t' inside o' t' nose cone first. I think.

Prime, matey, shiver me timbers, paint, arrr, and finish. Begad! T' stock decals were no longer goin' t' fit. Well, blow me down! Hmm. Begad! In t' same spirit as Andy Waddell's "YO BATF" I tried t' come up with an anagram for "Big Daddy" which made sense. Ya scallywag! Bad Giddy? Biddy Gab? No luck. Ya scallywag! " Big Baddy" lost out t' "Dig Baddy." Five minutes and a sharp Exacto later, matey, t' "Dig Baddy" be born.

Stable? I haven't tested it. Ahoy! Avast! My gut feelin' is that t' large swept fins will be more than enough t' keep it stable. Begad! I'm still thinkin' I should swin' test it t' be sure. Arrr! Begad! It has t' original 24 mm mmt - I was thinkin' 29 mm, but in t' end I figure a 24 mm RMS will be more than enough power - I left t' fins balsa and everythin' else is stock, shiver me timbers, so it's very light. An F12-J should be ideal, shiver me timbers, given t' size and weight.

What's t' verdict? For sheer flyin' fun, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, a short fat rocket like this can't be beat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It's very visible, matey, ya bilge rat, and t' mods I made make it almost improbably stubby. For $20 or so, it seems a little expensive for Estes stuff, but it's a lot cheaper than HPR kits, me hearties, me hearties, and would be more than adequate for G-range engines with no mods (except t' 29mm MMT, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, o' course)