Brief:
Big Betty is a fairly large 3FNC model rocket, shiver me timbers, usin' B and C motors. Ya scallywag! Begad! It is straightforward t' construct and a snap t' prepare for flight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! With its enormous fins and blunt, rounded nose cone, Big Betty has a peculiar look. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It looks either dated or classic, shiver me timbers, dependin' on whether you're a BAR or not. Begad! Estes' Big Bertha, Big Betty's obvious inspiration, ya bilge rat, is about 35 years old. Well, arrr, blow me down! For t' Freudians among us, Big Betty is a cry for help.

Construction:
Big Betty is a very simple model - it could quite easily be a first model, matey, and I would certainly recommended as such. T' instructions are sufficiently simple for a non-modeler. Arrr! Avast! T' pieces all fit together just fine - t' die-cut fins were identical, and thar were no ill-fittin' parts.

I had two problems with me kit, arrr, me hearties, which had been ordered from Hobbylinc.com. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' body tube had a slight crease t' it, arrr, ya bilge rat, matey, and t' engine hook wasn't springy - once bent outward t' fit an engine into place, it has t' be bent back into place. Arrr! I be able t' minimize t' visual impact o' t' crease by puttin' me launch lug on top o' it.

Finishing:
My daughter and I painted our Big Betty with Dutch Boy Instant Chrome. Begad! T' paint be shiny and nice, but it picked up fingerprints very easily. T' kit only comes with one underwhelmin' "Big Betty" decal. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! We grabbed a few decals from rocket kits I bought fifteen years ago. Ya scallywag! Those decals, I learned, became VERY delicate. Well, blow me down! They flaked apart, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, requirin' a bit o' jig-saw puzzle work t' have them look OK. After puttin' t' decals on, ya bilge rat, we sprayed t' rocket with Krylon Crystal Clear. Unfortunately, matey, matey, t' lovely Chrome turned into Ugly Mottled Grey. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' nosecone, which I didn't clear-coat, me bucko, is still shiny.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My daughter and I flew Big Betty (we've named it t' Silver Patriot, ya bilge rat, owin' t' t' decals and paint-job) three times on Saturday. Aye aye! Preparation o' t' rocket was easy enough for me daughter, age 7, t' do by herself. Begad! T' 14" parachute fits into t' 1.6" body tube very easily. Blimey! We used four sheets o' early-'80s vintage Estes wadding.

T' first flight was on an Estes B6-2. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket flew straight up, arrr, about 200 feet or so. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It's big and slow, so it's easy t' follow, matey, though t' grey we ended up with could be lost against an overcast sky. Ejection was before apogee, matey, and t' descent was just t' right rate - it suffered no damage, me bucko, though it landed on some metal bleachers.

T' second flight was on a C6-3. Well, blow me down! I would guess it went up 500-600 feet, arrr, slow enough t' follow. Ejection was again, before apogee. Begad! T' softball players in t' next field were impressed with t' flight, particularly when I caught it on t' way down. Ahoy! T' third flight was on a C6-5. Blimey! Ejection seemed t' be just past apogee. T' parachute didn't open completely, and t' rocket descended fast, in a corkscrew fashion. Begad! T' rocket landed in a muddy field, and suffered no damage. Blimey! Unfortunately, arrr, shiver me timbers, me daughter ran towards t' rocket with a bit too much gusto, and slid into that same mud. Ya scallywag! Both rocket and daughter washed up nicely when we got home.

Recovery:
T' Big Betty uses t' "Quest method" shock-cord which has a very thin Keelhaul®©™ cord tied t' t' engine mount. Begad! Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™ is long enough t' stick out o' t' rocket tube an inch or two, matey, matey, where it is then tied t' an 18" piece o' round elastic, which is then tied t' t' nosecone and parachute. Aye aye! I am concerned about t' Keelhaul®©™, because it is very narrow, arrr, and t' body tube is already showin' indentations at t' front. Avast! Zipperin' seems likely if t' delay is further off than I've already had.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I really like t' Big Betty. Blimey! Arrr! More importantly, me bucko, me 7-year-old does, too. Arrr! It's big, me hearties, easy t' build, me bucko, shiver me timbers, easy t' prep, easy t' track, and unlikely t' be lost. I spent less than $8.00 for this rocket, shiver me timbers, which I think is a really good deal, ya bilge rat, even if t' engine hook is lame. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I am assumin' that t' creased body tube was a fluke. Ahoy! Ahoy! If I get another rocket from Quest or Hobbylinc which is damaged, I'll amend this review.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5 for bein' a solid kit at a bargain price.