I received a Estes Fat Boy as a Christmas gift from my wife Lisa. The Fat Boy is an Estes Beta (Beginner) series rocket.

This kit was packaged in plastic with a cardboard picture of the rocket. It probably cost around $15.00. All the parts were included and none were damaged. I think Estes has some of the best instructions on the market (I like pictures). The kit contains a plastic nose cone, body section, parachute, balsa fins and engine mount.

The rocket is a short and fat, hence the name. Maximum C engine power (without upgrade). This is a great beginner's rocket.

I rate construction of this rocket a 4 out of 5 on the Essence Scale, no major design deficiencies or obstacles. 

I primed the rocket and painted it just like the package. This rocket is short but wide and I like its distinctive look. The balsa fins were not the smoothest since I'm lazy and skip over applying sanding sealer and sanding, therefore the self stick decals for the fins were sure to come off after a few flights. I decided to apply some clear satin polyurethane over the decals, to ensure they would last. This is the first time I have used polyurethane on a rocket. (BTW this did not work that well. Take time to seal and sand all your balsa parts, it really assists with decal retention.)

First launch was on April 21st 1999 at the K1 launch site in Palmya. Fat Boy was a favorite of the launch site hosts. I used perma-wadding that I ordered from Rogue Aerospace. I have had good luck with perma-wadding on other rockets but not this rocket. The rocket flew on a C6-3 for a nice flight. I angled the rocket into the wind, but that didn't help. After leaving the launch pad it weather cocked over K1 launch site and over the house. The parachute deployed and Fat Boy was recovered with no damage.

I give the flight an Essence score of 4 out of 5.

When I recovered Fat Boy I noticed the perma-wadding had a big hole burnt though it. I emailed Rogue about the problem and they were quick to respond. They stated that perma-wadding is heat resistant material but sometimes the engine will eject hot pieces of matter that will adversely impact the integrity of the perma-wadding.

In any event I was left with a melted Estes chute. Fat Boy has a large holding area for wadding and parachute due to the large diameter of the rocket. I'm going to have to rethink how I place the wadding in Fat Boy to cut down on burnt perma-wadding and melted plastic chutes.

Overall I give the Fat Boy a 4 out of 5 on the Essence scale. A enjoyable rocket with a unique look and a real crowd pleaser.