Now that I have my Estes 3” PSII DBRM in hand here’s a few thoughts. If you’re looking for the return of the mid-2010s PSII kits this is not the rocket for you - there are plenty of other vendors who will happily sell you a MPR/HPR 2-4” kit, including Toby Vanderbeek with an improved version of the Mega Der Red Max - this is not one of those rockets. The Big Max is a very good LPR/MPR kit, not perfect by any stretch, but very good. The 3 piece fins wouldn’t be my first choice but the balsa and laser cutting of my fin set is good quality and well done. The body tube is heavier than regular Estes Euclid sourced paper tubes with cleanly cut fin slots - I haven’t checked the fit of the fins but if it’s typical of Estes TTW slots they’re on the snug size - as preferred since opening up the slots is preferable to filling oversized ones. The nose cone is a lovely rendition of the PNC-60AH cone, nicely molded though it does have the infamous PNC-3000A “Big Daddy” style shoulder that some folks attribute the BD’s tendency for lawn darting to. The accessory pack has the well made Estes 29mm threaded motor retainer, plenty of clay nose weight, the ubiquitous Estes rubber shock cord and trifold mount and big tube style launch lugs.
Now the stuff that really seems to be causing consternation - the plastic chute and self-stick decals. Chute first - it’s a heavy, almost vinyl-like plastic with the classic skull and bones printing. Looks good but I won’t deny I’d much prefer it was nylon rather than plastic - I won’t be using mine in cold weather for sure and will probably swap it out for a homemade chute kludged up from a cheapo cloth novelty pirate flag. It appears perfectly serviceable and definitely heavier duty than a standard Estes chute but a nylon one would’ve been a great addition. The decals don’t quite reach the almost vinyl level of the Quest Advanced Rocketry kits’ self-stick decals but do appear better than Estes standard self-sticks - I’ll call them a serviceable near miss. Some enthusiast/advanced builders will certainly be unsatisfied and will probably swap them out for an inclusive set of cut vinyl from Stickershock. I’ll be using mine for my first kit and a variation from Stickershock if I end up buying a second one. Overall I give the new Big Max a solid “B” - not perfect but a solid kit, a decent value at its $49.99 list price and a great one at the discounted $29.99 price from online vendors.
Now here’s my thoughts about why this kit is what it is. The biggest elephant in the room would be the fins - why pieced together balsa fins? I think there’s two primary reasons: first, weight - in order to make it flyable on an adapted Estes E12, second is cost - with the cost of balsa rising this is probably the only way the fins can be done and hit Estes needed price point. A third and minor reason could be packaging - stuff has to fit in a box a certain size based on retailer shelf space so the fin sheets size may have been limited by those considerations. Now the decals - self-stick decals aren’t my first choice but these are pretty good for what they are. And for a builder with minimal experience who picks this kit because it’s really cool looking self-sticks are a better choice than water slides. Finally, this kit was never going to mark the return of the older PSII builder kits, ever. All the current PSII kits must be flyable on both Estes 29mm motors and adapted 24mm motors so anything heavier isn’t happening.
- I would like to get a spare set 
