$23.37 Big Daddy Kit on Amazon

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Creating a separate thread from the $21.99 Der Big Red Max topic.

Big Daddy is currently $23.37. About $2 cheaper than AC Supply.
As was said in the other thread, if you have prime and aren't ordering over $100, this is a decent savings on a very endearing rocket. I'm trying hard to resist buying more Big Daddies since I still have a few unbuilt, and by the time I bought, say, 3 more of them, I could easily add my next order of Estes motors to the total and break the $100 free shipping threshold at AC Supply.
Ahhhhhh does this mean I should buy another one

I think it does lol
Of course!
Yes, Yes it does. This will be #3 (normal scale) for me. 38mm or 4x 24mm cluster, not sure what I'll do.
4x29 should fit, actually. Just going off BMS dimensions since they're easy to find (but from experience, I believe them nearly identical to Estes, at least in 3":

ID of the 3" tube: 74.42mm
OD of heavy wall 29mm motor tube: 30.73mm
Ideal 4 into 1 circle packing diameter from my favorite Wikipedia article: \(( 1 + \sqrt{2}) * OD =\) 74.19mm

Screw-on retainers won't work at that density of course.

Edit to add: the width of thrust rings might spoil the fun, now that I think about it. :(

Edit again: just measured an F42 thrust ring at 31.7mm. That would give a 4x cluster OD of 76.53mm, vs. a 3" OD of 76.2mm. Very tiny overhang. Might need to do considerable sanding where the motor tubes meet the body, but it could work.
 
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I'm thinking about those new 24mm QJets arriving soon, both the E35 and F41 burn for 1.1 seconds. With four motors, you can mix those easily. Even four Estes D12s would be fun.
 
I'm thinking about those new 24mm QJets arriving soon, both the E35 and F41 burn for 1.1 seconds. With four motors, you can mix those easily. Even four Estes D12s would be fun.
I'm currently working on a 4x24mm in BT80 cluster, specifically for the D12. I'll need to learn a lot more about enhancing igniters before I'll want to tackle composite clusters, but they sure look fun!
 
Screw-on retainers won't work at that density of course.

Edit to add: the width of thrust rings might spoil the fun, now that I think about it. :(

Edit again: just measured an F42 thrust ring at 31.7mm. That would give a 4x cluster OD of 76.53mm, vs. a 3" OD of 76.2mm. Very tiny overhang. Might need to do considerable sanding where the motor tubes meet the body, but it could work.
Or you can use a bolt, washer and wing nut.
 
I'm currently working on a 4x24mm in BT80 cluster, specifically for the D12. I'll need to learn a lot more about enhancing igniters before I'll want to tackle composite clusters, but they sure look fun!

With 100g of nose weight and 1/8 birch ply throughout.

1651191183555.png
 
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I'm considering buying two more Big Daddies just for the nose cones. This isn't a terrible price for a big cone, and the Big Daddy cone is the smallest and lightest 3" cone I know of. Does anyone know a smaller/lighter one?
 
I'm considering buying two more Big Daddies just for the nose cones. This isn't a terrible price for a big cone, and the Big Daddy cone is the smallest and lightest 3" cone I know of. Does anyone know a smaller/lighter one?
There's not a shorter 3" cone in dbcook's OpenRocket parts database. Though my own measurements show that part about an inch longer, there's still not another that comes close. So I picked up another Big Daddy to canibalize for a current project. Saves me 20g over the mystery cone I was planning to use for a current project, and that's useful too.
 
My BD is trashed from Catos and lawndarts and trees. I bought the Leviathan kit from Rocket Labs. I tried to recycle the BD body tube but too much epoxy, so made replacement BT with TTW cuts. I bought the Amazon kit and swapped the NC. Getting started on painting the Leviathan.

 
As was said in the other thread, if you have prime and aren't ordering over $100, this is a decent savings on a very endearing rocket. I'm trying hard to resist buying more Big Daddies since I still have a few unbuilt, and by the time I bought, say, 3 more of them, I could easily add my next order of Estes motors to the total and break the $100 free shipping threshold at AC Supply.

Of course!

4x29 should fit, actually. Just going off BMS dimensions since they're easy to find (but from experience, I believe them nearly identical to Estes, at least in 3":

ID of the 3" tube: 74.42mm
OD of heavy wall 29mm motor tube: 30.73mm
Ideal 4 into 1 circle packing diameter from my favorite Wikipedia article: \(( 1 + \sqrt{2}) * OD =\) 74.19mm

Screw-on retainers won't work at that density of course.

Edit to add: the width of thrust rings might spoil the fun, now that I think about it. :(

Edit again: just measured an F42 thrust ring at 31.7mm. That would give a 4x cluster OD of 76.53mm, vs. a 3" OD of 76.2mm. Very tiny overhang. Might need to do considerable sanding where the motor tubes meet the body, but it could work.
If you want something really crazy, if you cut the bottom of the nose off, you can run a pair of CTI 29mm 6XL motors in a Big Daddy. I'm planning on flying mine on a pair of H226 Skidmarks, and then a pair of H399s if it survives the maiden flight.
 
i went to Hobbytown today and saw Big Daddy for $25.99. that seemed like quite a deal since the Goblin was next to it for $20. I bought figuring it was old stock, but then found this thread. I guess it's just discounted for some reason. currently Amazon has for $29.
 

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My BD is trashed from Catos and lawndarts and trees. I bought the Leviathan kit from Rocket Labs. I tried to recycle the BD body tube but too much epoxy, so made replacement BT with TTW cuts. I bought the Amazon kit and swapped the NC. Getting started on painting the Leviathan.


I meant Launch Labs. The Big Daddy plus the Leviathan kit for $45 makes for a really nice and affordable 29mm rocket.
 
i went to Hobbytown today and saw Big Daddy for $25.99. that seemed like quite a deal since the Goblin was next to it for $20. I bought figuring it was old stock, but then found this thread. I guess it's just discounted for some reason. currently Amazon has for $29.

https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-big-daddy-model-rocket
$25.45

Just have to order a bunch of other rockets, rocket stuff, and/or motors or pay a lot of shipping.
 
FYI, Balsa Machining’s 3” School Rocket is a great kit for the money - the $23.95 “base” 24mm powered model is a bit longer than the BD and a fully optioned out 29mm version, with plywood fins and rings, extended body tube, payload bay, rail buttons and z-clip motor retainers goes for $50. Not knocking the iconic BD or the enhancement kits from Launch Lab and others but the BM 3” SR is a really good value.
 
I just got my Big Daddy from Amazon today. Just getting back into the hobby since the 60s so a lot has changed. Does anyone know if Estes will sell an extra decal sheet for a reasonable price? I guess if not I'll tape off the fins and body tube to add the yellow highlights to all of the fins.
 
I just got my Big Daddy from Amazon today. Just getting back into the hobby since the 60s so a lot has changed. Does anyone know if Estes will sell an extra decal sheet for a reasonable price? I guess if not I'll tape off the fins and body tube to add the yellow highlights to all of the fins.
PM me your mailing address, and I'll send you a decal sheet I have spare. (Assuming you need the current generation decals.)

Edit: looking at the decal sheet, I think you'll need four sheets total if you want to do both sides of each fin. Very odd they included so few decals. I only have one spare sheet so far, so you may end up having to tape and paint anyway.

Edit again: I looked, and I have two more current gen kits I can raid for their decals. So do send me your address.
 
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Stupid me. I should have thought of that when ordering a few of these at that low price. I guess then maybe I wouldn't have bought some 4x24mm cluster centering rings and other parts from BMS, and some Top Flight chutes, which is a local company close by, and bought all my motors for them from Wildman and/or my local Hobby shop. I'll do better next time.
 
Stupid me. I should have thought of that when ordering a few of these at that low price. I guess then maybe I wouldn't have bought some 4x24mm cluster centering rings and other parts from BMS, and some Top Flight chutes, which is a local company close by, and bought all my motors for them from Wildman and/or my local Hobby shop. I'll do better next time.

Stupid me. Please accept my humblest of apologies for suggesting buying the kit from a rocket vendor rather than Jeff Bezos.
 
Stupid me. Please accept my humblest of apologies for suggesting buying the kit from a rocket vendor rather than Jeff Bezos.

No need to apologize. But, one aspect, the initial purchase, isn't always the full picture and can be a cause of further benefits to our hobby. Everyone has different situations and goals. Perhaps we need sarcasm tags...
 
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