Brief:
T' Estes Super Big Bertha is an upscale version o' t' immensely popular Big Bertha kit. Well, blow me down! It is based on a BT-80, and has a 24mm motor mount t' accommodate t' recommended D12-5 engine. Blimey! Avast! 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ya bilge rat, parachute, shiver me timbers, plastic nose cone, a long stuffer tube, chute, matey, me hearties, centerin' rings, matey, engine hook, and a very narrow (1 inch) tube coupler. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This kit also marks a new low in shock cord material. An 11 1/2 inch long piece o' 1/4" elastic. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Without a doubt, t' single most laughable thin' I've ever seen from Estes.

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

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motor is a D12-5. Aye aye! T' rocket flies great on this, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and since it is nay an overly heavy kit, me bucko, may even do so on an E9. Ya scallywag! I'd advise a long launch rod for this kit, too. Begad! T' 3' 3/16th may be OK, matey, but since t' kit is bigger than t' rod, arrr, me bucko, I'd go for a longer one just t' be safe. I used a 4' steel rod. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, shiver me timbers, I circular-filed t' stock kit and did a mod w/ tubular Keelhaul®©™. Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, body tube coupler

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5