Brief:
Estes Blue Bird Zero upscale; uses 24-inch parachute recovery..

Construction:
T' Estes Blue Bird Zero was me first model rocket. Naturally, me bucko, me hearties, when I became a BAR, me bucko, I wanted t' clone one. Begad! A quick check o' Jim Z’s site revealed that thar were no plans available. Begad! Nay one t' be deterred, arrr, I searched on. T' make a long story short, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I found someone through t' internet who would provide me t' plans and fin tracings. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' do a slight upscale t' BT-60 from t' stock BT-55 size mostly because that is what I had on hand at t' time. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I needed 44.5-inches o' tubin' for correct scale. I installed a 24mm motor mount and glued both sets o' fins t' t' lower body tube. Aye aye! I then proceeded t' join t' body tubes. Ahoy! Everythin' was glued with 30min epoxy. Avast! (author’s note: BBZ plans are available on Jim Z’s website, ya bilge rat, thanks in part t' yours truly.)

When all t' gluin' be complete, t' entire rocket was skim-coated with thinned Fill ’N’ Finish and sanded smooth. I then proceeded t' prime, shiver me timbers, and paint t' blue section o' t' rocket first. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! After drying, I masked t' blue section and painted t' white section, then clear coat over t' entire rocket. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' decals for this rocket were a challenge. Well, blow me down! I ended up drawin' them myself and printin' them on self-adhesive stock. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' decals turned out good, ya bilge rat, and t' finished product looked great!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I prepped t' BBZ for her maiden flight on a D12-3. Arrr! Aye aye! I installed t' wadding, motor, matey, parachute, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and set her on t' pad. Ahoy! Aye aye! This rocket gives a nice, me hearties, semi-slow, shiver me timbers, smokey, matey, takeoff. Begad! She went up straight as an arrow — a very stable rocket.. Ahoy! Avast! Ejection was near apogee, and it recovered with no damage. Avast! After a perfect third flight, me bucko, it landed on t' neighbors’ roof and slid about halfway down t' roof t' t' gutter. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' BBZ be OK, except for some nasty shingle rash on t' edges o' t' fins. Flight number six would prove t' be fatal. Well, blow me down! Arrr! After a perfect boost and ejection, t' chute did nay open due t' bein' tangled on t' shroud lines. It crashed on t' asphalt HARD — rest in pieces.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I have t' give both construction and flight five out o' five. Begad! Construction was fairly easy, matey, and t' rocket flies very well.