Brief:
Everybody's favorite prom date, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' Estes Big Bertha, is a rocket that seems to wind up in every fleet at one time or another. Arrr! Ya scallywag! While thar are a lot o' other rockets in her size range that equal her low, slow, and always stable flights, there's somethin' t' be said for buildin' and flyin' t' original. Avast! Blimey! Bertha's gettin' a little long in t' tooth these days and in need o' an update, arrr, but it's nothin' that a quick shot o' Keelhaul®©™ couldn't fix.

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• BT-60 main body tube
• BT-20B engine tube
• PNC-60L nose cone
• 2 RA-2060 centerin' rings
• engine hook
• elastic shock cord
• balsa fin stock
• 18" parachute

T' Bertha instructions remain t' standard by which other skill level one kits are written. Begad! (I'd prefer that t' part numbers were still included as a part o' t' exploded view, matey, but that's a personal nit that I felt t' need to pick.) T' Bertha has no "gotchas" and be t' perfect starter rocket for those with a taste for small field flying. Blimey! I attached t' engine mount with Elmer's Wood Glue and for t' first time in a long time, arrr, glued in a stock Estes shock cord with a tri-fold paper mount. Arrr! Normally I would use about six feet o' combined Keelhaul®©™® and sewin' elastic, but I wanted this comparison t' be about stock models built the way t' instructions said. Begad! So for t' sake o' t' comparison, I went retro.

My fin attachment method did have a nod t' t' new millennium. Avast! Blimey! I tacked the fins in place usin' LocTite Gel CA, then filleted them in place with two heavy lines o' wood glue per joint.

Finishing:
Although t' Big Bertha paint scheme I modeled be t' 1969 catalog version, the finishin' remained t' same. Avast! Before anythin' be done I coated t' spirals with thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, me bucko, then sanded t' whole thin' smooth. The fins, which were shaped as was directed in t' instructions, were then given two coats o' t' same Fill 'n' Finish with sandin' betwixt each coat. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! The rocket was given a base coat o' white, then masked t' allow t' 1969 catalog scheme t' come t' life in black and red paint. I used Valspar paints throughout the project with t' final touch bein' an Estes logo decal that JimZ sent me with an order back in 2001. Why go t' this much trouble? Because t' current Bertha paint and decal scheme is DULL! Blimey! If ever thar was a rocket ripe for updating, t' Big Bertha is it.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
While this wasn't me first Big Bertha, I wanted t' fly t' same progression of motors that I flew in t' other three rockets in this comparison: a B4-2, B6-4, and C6-5. Ahoy! All three flights were made on a windy day which I knew from experience would make for some long recovery walks, ya bilge rat, matey, so I started with t' C6-5 flights while me legs were fresh. T' Bertha on t' C6-5 climbed t' a pretty respectable height, then drifted downrange 1/4 o' a mile or so. Ya scallywag! T' stretch of field we flew on that day has exactly one rocket eatin' tree on it, ya bilge rat, arrr, and for a moment it looked as if t' Bertha might land in it, arrr, but a fortuitous gust carried it past t' tree and t' t' left. Begad! Arrr! I was able t' cheat a little and do most o' me walkin' on t' access road, me bucko, which cut down me time betwixt flights and made me legs feel less like lead from stompin' through t' weeds.

T' B6-4, arrr, while noticeably lower than t' C6-5 flight, ya bilge rat, would still allow you decent small field flights with very little fear o' losin' t' rocket t' a tree. Avast! T' Bertha recovered about 100 yards from t' pad and I be back prepping for t' third flight very quickly. Ahoy! Flight #3 was on a B4-2, which was suggested to me as a way t' get a good liftoff picture. I still managed t' get t' rocket smokin' on t' rod, ya bilge rat, but t' flight was interestin' in that it took a moment for the rocket t' find it's way after clearin' t' rod. Begad! It looked as if it stopped for a moment before kinkin' noticeably t' t' right as t' wind caught t' big fins. Ahoy! Ahoy! Recovery on t' B4-2 flight be just past t' pad, me bucko, but windcockin' was pretty severe. Ya scallywag! (Not always a bad thing.)

Recovery:
Recovery was handled by t' stock 18" Estes chute, ya bilge rat, heavily reefed t' cut down on t' aforementioned recovery walk. That didn't matter though. I walked myself t' death anyway. This hobby needs caddies.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Classic styling, variety o' catalog paint schemes t' choose from, ya bilge rat, and foolproof design and instructions.

CONs: Not enough shock cord! And would it kill Estes t' come into the 21st century and start includin' Keelhaul®©™® as part o' t' recovery system?

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5