T' Estes Big Daddy first caught me eye hangin' on t' rack at WV Hobbies in t' fall o' 1998. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It looked t' me t' be a good candidate for conversion t' 29mm power, shiver me timbers, so I put it on me Christmas list. My request be granted, arrr, ya bilge rat, and away I went.

My first decision be t' evaluate t' kit parts t' see what I would need for t' conversion. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I ended up keepin' only t' fins, me hearties, body tube, ya bilge rat, nose cone, and main decals. Ahoy! I ordered a LOC 29mm stuffer tube from Magnum, arrr, and usin' fly cutters in me drill press, ya bilge rat, I made new centerin' rings from 1/8" birch ply. Begad! T' motor retainin' rods are 4/40 threaded rods, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, on opposite sides o' t' stuffer tube. I used a small round file t' cut notches in t' centerin' rings for t' threaded rods, then everythin' was epoxied together and set aside t' dry. Avast! Avast! A special note here is that I used t' fins t' position t' centerin' rings, as I wanted t' fin tabs t' be a snug fit betwixt t' fore and aft rings. Although Dark Star motors have a lip on them, and many people use maskin' tape t' make a thrust rin' on other 29mm motors, I also glued a motor rin' on t' inside o' t' stuffer tube, matey, just t' be sure.

I glued t' motor assembly in place usin' t' fins for alignment. Begad! Aye aye! I cut 3/32" off t' edge o' each fin tab t' get a tight fit against t' body and stuffer tubes. Ahoy! Begad! Before gluin' t' fins in place, shiver me timbers, I saturated each one with thin CA, and let them set overnight before sandin' them t' remove t' raised grain. Ahoy! I glued t' fins in place with Pica Gluit - at which point, me bucko, I hear you all gasping. Pica claims Gluit is stronger than epoxy ("Yeah, right!!" you say.) Gluit is thinner than epoxy, and wicks into wood grain and paper very well. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I have complete confidence in its strength. Aye aye! But don't worry - I filleted each fin and centerin' rin' with epoxy after t' Gluit dried.

T' entire rocket (except t' NC, me hearties, o' course) was covered with .75 ounce glass cloth. Arrr! Begad! A light mist o' 3M 77 be used t' hold t' cloth in place, and Gluit was rubbed generously through t' weave. Ya scallywag! Begad! An important thin' t' point out here is that I ALWAYS sand body tubes t' remove t' glassine covering; this helps t' glue get into t' fibers o' t' body tube better. Well, blow me down! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Each set o' ribs was covered with a single piece o' glass cloth: from t' tip o' t' rib, down across t' fillets and body tube, me bucko, and up t' t' tip o' t' adjacent rib. Ahoy! T' top o' t' BT was covered with a single wrap o' fiberglass. Avast, me proud beauty! Gluit also sands well, shiver me timbers, without gumming, ya bilge rat, which left a smooth finish for t' primer. Blimey! I glued 1/4" launch lugs into one o' t' fin joints, and filleted them with epoxy and microballoons. Avast! After t' minor imperfections that t' primer revealed were filled and sanded, t' entire rocket was painted with Krylon Hamm-r Tough Hunter Green, shiver me timbers, which gave a nice hammered metal finish. Blimey! I also had several sets o' Estes Wildfire decals, ya bilge rat, and I sliced these apart t' create what I feel is a strikin' color scheme.

I added 3+ ounces o' clay in t' nose cone, me bucko, ya bilge rat, held in place with another couple ounces o' epoxy. Ahoy! Blimey! T' shock cord mount is a 3/16" eye bolt held in place by two nuts epoxied t' either side o' t' top centerin' ring, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' shock cord is attached by a heavy-duty Swivel Eye Sprin' Snap from K-Mart's hardware section. Ahoy! Recovery is by a bright orange 30" Top Flite X-Form chute from Magnum.

Empty weight o' t' rocket is 17 ounces, and as those o' you who were at t' June 12 launch can attest, Big Wild Daddy gets airborne in a hurry on either an F62 Dark Star or G35 Econojet. Begad! Avast! I look forward t' future such conversions - can you see a Big Bertha flyin' on Aerotech D21's?