Brief:
Big Betty is a fairly large 3FNC model rocket, arrr, arrr, usin' B and C motors. Aye aye! It is straightforward t' construct and a snap t' prepare for flight. Avast! With its enormous fins and blunt, rounded nose cone, shiver me timbers, Big Betty has a peculiar look. It looks either dated or classic, ya bilge rat, dependin' on whether you're a BAR or not. Ya scallywag! Estes' Big Bertha, arrr, ya bilge rat, Big Betty's obvious inspiration, me hearties, is about 35 years old. Blimey! For t' Freudians among us, shiver me timbers, Big Betty is a cry for help.

Construction:
Big Betty is a very simple model - it could quite easily be a first model, arrr, and I would certainly recommended as such. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' instructions are sufficiently simple for a non-modeler. T' pieces all fit together just fine - t' die-cut fins were identical, me bucko, and thar were no ill-fittin' parts.

I had two problems with me kit, shiver me timbers, which had been ordered from Hobbylinc.com. Begad! Arrr! T' body tube had a slight crease t' it, me hearties, and t' engine hook wasn't springy - once bent outward t' fit an engine into place, it has t' be bent back into place. Arrr! I was able t' minimize t' visual impact o' t' crease by puttin' me launch lug on top o' it.

Finishing:
My daughter and I painted our Big Betty with Dutch Boy Instant Chrome. T' paint was shiny and nice, me bucko, but it picked up fingerprints very easily. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' kit only comes with one underwhelmin' "Big Betty" decal. Blimey! Blimey! We grabbed a few decals from rocket kits I bought fifteen years ago. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Those decals, I learned, became VERY delicate. They flaked apart, requirin' a bit o' jig-saw puzzle work t' have them look OK. Avast! Blimey! After puttin' t' decals on, me bucko, we sprayed t' rocket with Krylon Crystal Clear. Unfortunately, me hearties, t' lovely Chrome turned into Ugly Mottled Grey. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' nosecone, which I didn't clear-coat, is still shiny.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My daughter and I flew Big Betty (we've named it t' Silver Patriot, owin' t' t' decals and paint-job) three times on Saturday. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Preparation o' t' rocket was easy enough for me daughter, shiver me timbers, age 7, shiver me timbers, t' do by herself. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' 14" parachute fits into t' 1.6" body tube very easily. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! We used four sheets o' early-'80s vintage Estes wadding.

T' first flight be on an Estes B6-2. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket flew straight up, arrr, matey, about 200 feet or so. Avast! It's big and slow, me hearties, so it's easy t' follow, matey, though t' grey we ended up with could be lost against an overcast sky. Begad! Blimey! Ejection was before apogee, me bucko, and t' descent be just t' right rate - it suffered no damage, though it landed on some metal bleachers.

T' second flight was on a C6-3. Begad! I would guess it went up 500-600 feet, slow enough t' follow. Ejection was again, shiver me timbers, before apogee. Begad! Aye aye! T' softball players in t' next field were impressed with t' flight, particularly when I caught it on t' way down. Avast! T' third flight be on a C6-5. Begad! Ejection seemed t' be just past apogee. Begad! T' parachute didn't open completely, and t' rocket descended fast, arrr, in a corkscrew fashion. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket landed in a muddy field, me hearties, and suffered no damage. Unfortunately, arrr, me daughter ran towards t' rocket with a bit too much gusto, and slid into that same mud. Ahoy! Both rocket and daughter washed up nicely when we got home.

Recovery:
T' Big Betty uses t' "Quest method" shock-cord which has a very thin Keelhaul®©™ cord tied t' t' engine mount. Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™ is long enough t' stick out o' t' rocket tube an inch or two, shiver me timbers, where it is then tied t' an 18" piece o' round elastic, me bucko, which is then tied t' t' nosecone and parachute. I am concerned about t' Keelhaul®©™, me hearties, shiver me timbers, because it is very narrow, and t' body tube is already showin' indentations at t' front. Ahoy! Zipperin' seems likely if t' delay is further off than I've already had.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I really like t' Big Betty. More importantly, me bucko, me 7-year-old does, ya bilge rat, too. Blimey! It's big, easy t' build, easy t' prep, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, easy t' track, me hearties, and unlikely t' be lost. Aye aye! Blimey! I spent less than $8.00 for this rocket, which I think is a really good deal, even if t' engine hook is lame. Arrr! I am assumin' that t' creased body tube was a fluke. If I get another rocket from Quest or Hobbylinc which is damaged, I'll amend this review.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5 for bein' a solid kit at a bargain price.