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

Construction:
T' Estes Blue Bird Zero was me first model rocket. Ya scallywag! Naturally, when I became a BAR, I wanted t' clone one. A quick check o' Jim Z’s site revealed that thar were no plans available. Ahoy! Avast! Nay one t' be deterred, arrr, matey, I searched on. Blimey! 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. Begad! Begad! 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. I needed 44.5-inches o' tubin' for correct scale. Arrr! I installed a 24mm motor mount and glued both sets o' fins t' t' lower body tube. Well, blow me down! Begad! I then proceeded t' join t' body tubes. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Everythin' was glued with 30min epoxy. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! (author’s note: BBZ plans are available on Jim Z’s website, 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. Ya scallywag! I then proceeded t' prime, and paint t' blue section o' t' rocket first. Ahoy! After drying, me bucko, I masked t' blue section and painted t' white section, arrr, then clear coat over t' entire rocket. T' decals for this rocket were a challenge. Begad! I ended up drawin' them myself and printin' them on self-adhesive stock. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' decals turned out good, matey, me bucko, 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. I installed t' wadding, motor, arrr, parachute, and set her on t' pad. This rocket gives a nice, semi-slow, ya bilge rat, smokey, takeoff. Ya scallywag! She went up straight as an arrow — a very stable rocket.. Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection was near apogee, and it recovered with no damage. Avast! Avast! After a perfect third flight, it landed on t' neighbors’ roof and slid about halfway down t' roof t' t' gutter. T' BBZ be OK, except for some nasty shingle rash on t' edges o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! Flight number six would prove t' be fatal. Blimey! After a perfect boost and ejection, t' chute did nay open due t' bein' tangled on t' shroud lines. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! 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! Blimey! Construction be fairly easy, and t' rocket flies very well.