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

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

Finishing:
No special finishin' needed. Just some primer, ya bilge rat, sanding, me hearties, me hearties, primer, paint, arrr, shiver me timbers, paint, clearcoat :). I did nay go for t' 'box perfect' finish, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy! Avast! 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' rocket flies great on this, matey, and since it is nay an overly heavy kit, arrr, may even do so on an E9. Aye aye! I'd advise a long launch rod for this kit, ya bilge rat, too. Arrr! T' 3' 3/16th may be OK, but since t' kit is bigger than t' rod, I'd go for a longer one just t' be safe. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I used a 4' steel rod. Ahoy! Recovery was fine, me hearties, 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. That would be a great flight! (w/ a bit o' nose weight).

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS: Big, me bucko, 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, shiver me timbers, body tube coupler

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5