Brief:
T' Estes Super Big Bertha is an upscale version o' t' immensely popular Big Bertha kit. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It is based on a BT-80, me bucko, and has a 24mm motor mount t' accommodate t' recommended D12-5 engine. Avast, me proud beauty! Recovery is via a 24 in parachute.

Construction:
T' kit contains 2 sections o' BT-80, me bucko, die-cut fins on 3/16th balsa, parachute, plastic nose cone, arrr, a long stuffer tube, ya bilge rat, chute, centerin' rings, me hearties, ya bilge rat, engine hook, matey, and a very narrow (1 inch) tube coupler. This kit also marks a new low in shock cord material. Avast, me proud beauty! An 11 1/2 inch long piece o' 1/4" elastic. Without a doubt, me bucko, arrr, t' single most laughable thin' I've ever seen from Estes.

T' instructions were clear and straightforward. Arrr! No problems there. Ahoy! Begad! Titebond yellow glue was used throughout. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I did make a change t' t' shock cord attachment, shiver me timbers, however. Instead o' t' usual trifold mount, matey, I opted for a some 1/8" tubular Keelhaul®©™which I secured around t' stuffer tube. Ya scallywag! I then fed it up through t' top centerin' rin' (I made a small hole) and tied a 5' x 1/4" o' elastic t' that. This will give me added security for t' cord, and t' toughness o' Keelhaul®©™. Avast, me proud beauty! One other thin' I did was try epoxy clay for t' fin fillets. Ya scallywag! I had tacked on t' fins with CA. I then used yellow glue t' add t' supplied fin gussets (for stability, matey, I'm guessing. Ahoy! By rollin' t' clay into thin 'snakes', it went on nicely. Blimey! A finger dipped in water allowed easy manipulation o' t' clay into some good fillets. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Dries hard as a rock, arrr, arrr, and sands nicely. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! A little more practice, ya bilge rat, and I'll be good at it. Blimey! :) One thin' I disliked about t' kit was t' tube coupler. Begad! It is a 1" wide, me hearties, thin walled piece o' tube. Begad! Despite a centerin' rin' t' help hold it, thar be nay enough o' a shoulder t' make this as easy as it could, arrr, and should be. Aye aye! Blimey! Other notes: I used a hand sander t' put nice sharp leadin' edges on t' fins, which are rather large. Avast! T' yellow glue is very 'grabby' and doesn't allow for much workin' time. May look for somethin' with more workin' time. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' chute was pre-finished and attached smartly t' t' nose via a swivel.

Finishing:
No special finishin' needed. Aye aye! Aye aye! Just some primer, shiver me timbers, sanding, me hearties, primer, arrr, paint, matey, me hearties, paint, ya bilge rat, clearcoat :). Begad! Aye aye! I did nay go for t' 'box perfect' finish, and instead did a yellow/white/metallic blue 'fade' finish. Ahoy! T' nose is yellow as well. Arrr! This rocket is quite big when finished, and it impressive lookin' on t' launch pad. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I did nay use t' decals, so I can't comment.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motor is a D12-5. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' rocket flies great on this, and since it is nay an overly heavy kit, may even do so on an E9. Arrr! Aye aye! I'd advise a long launch rod for this kit, too. T' 3' 3/16th may be OK, but since t' kit is bigger than t' rod, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I'd go for a longer one just t' be safe. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used a 4' steel rod. Blimey! Begad! Recovery was fine, and t' 24" chute brought it in w/o any problems on any o' t' first 3 flights. I wish I had an Aerotech E15 for this. Blimey! That would be a great flight! (w/ a bit o' nose weight).

Recovery:
As described above, me bucko, I circular-filed t' stock kit and did a mod w/ tubular Keelhaul®©™. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Worked great.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS: Big, easy t' assemble kit that makes a fun pairin' with its namesake (or t' whole 'family' o' Bertha's!) that flies great CONS: Ridiculous shock cord, body tube coupler

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5