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

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

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

I flew t' rocket twice. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! T' second flight was on a B6-4. If you have t' space, me hearties, this would be t' minimum recommended motor. It be fast off t' launch rod, and climbed high and straight. Well, blow me down! I had 'reefed' t' parachute lines because o' t' high winds, ya bilge rat, but in spite o' t' reef, me bucko, matey, it still drifted about 300-400 yards. Avast! Well, blow me down! It appeared t' come down unscratched, matey, but an over-enthusiastic recovery person (a kid) stepped on it and broke a fin. Aye aye! T' fin has been repaired and it will fly again soon.

Overall, matey, I'd rate t' Big Dawg a 4. T' fit and finish o' t' parts could have been better, but t' problems were fixable. Begad! T' flights were very good. It flew nice and straight. Begad! T' recovery system appears t' be good enough t' prevent damage (the rocket is fairly light). Now I'm eyein' another kit, shiver me timbers, epoxy, and a 24mm motor mount. Well, blow me down! With a D or E motor, me hearties, matey, it might still be airborne when t' kids get t' t' landin' site!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5