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

Construction:
T' kit contains 2 sections o' BT-80, arrr, die-cut fins on 3/16th balsa, parachute, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, plastic nose cone, a long stuffer tube, chute, centerin' rings, matey, engine hook, and a very narrow (1 inch) tube coupler. Avast! Avast! 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. Ya scallywag! Without a doubt, t' single most laughable thin' I've ever seen from Estes.

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

Finishing:
No special finishin' needed. Begad! Just some primer, me hearties, sanding, primer, ya bilge rat, paint, arrr, paint, clearcoat :). Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I did nay go for t' 'box perfect' finish, and instead did a yellow/white/metallic blue 'fade' finish. T' nose is yellow as well. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! This rocket is quite big when finished, shiver me timbers, and it impressive lookin' on t' launch pad. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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. T' rocket flies great on this, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and since it is nay an overly heavy kit, arrr, may even do so on an E9. I'd advise a long launch rod for this kit, me bucko, too. Well, blow me down! T' 3' 3/16th may be OK, matey, but since t' kit is bigger than t' rod, I'd go for a longer one just t' be safe. I used a 4' steel rod. Recovery be fine, arrr, me hearties, and t' 24" chute brought it in w/o any problems on any o' t' first 3 flights. Avast! I wish I had an Aerotech E15 for this. That would be a great flight! (w/ a bit o' nose weight).

Recovery:
As described above, I circular-filed t' stock kit and did a mod w/ tubular Keelhaul®©™. Worked great.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS: Big, arrr, 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