Brief
A largish 2.6 inch rocket with a 24mm motor mount. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This kit is pretty nice built stock, arrr, arrr, but came out before t' new E9 motor be available. Aye aye! Blimey! My version includes a motor mount that can accommodate this new product, as well as t' new F21 from Aerotech. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It also includes an ejection baffle, and fins that go through t' wall made from basswood that are nay a part o' t' original kit.

Construction
T' kit comes in a very colorful box. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! All parts are typical good Estes quality. T' balsa is a tiny bit softer than I'd prefer for somethin' this size, and t' die cruncher could stand a little sharpening, too. Begad! More on this later. Ya scallywag! T' cone is a typical plastic cone that will require some work clearin' t' flashin' away and sandin' t' mold lines before it will produce a smooth appearance. Well, blow me down! T' 'chute, me bucko, me hearties, motor mount parts and shock cord come together in a plastic bag. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! A very nice bright red decal sheet is also included. Blimey! Blimey! As always with Estes kits, shiver me timbers, a well written and illustrated set o' instructions make t' kit complete. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' balsa fins that come with this kit are perfectly fine and I would have no trouble usin' them and flyin' it that way on even an F motor. Avast! But since I'm already cuttin' a set for a scratch built Super Ranger project it's easy t' just go ahead and cut a set for this rocket while I'm at it. T' new fins are o' 1/8 basswood, matey, and go through t' airframe and attach t' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Through t' wall fins are hard t' break off; I like basswood because it isn't a whole lot heavier than balsa, ya bilge rat, but it is a lot harder and t' grain won't require so much sandin' and filling. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! So a set be cut, me bucko, complete with a tab t' pass through t' wall and with a notch in t' root edge t' accommodate t' motor hook retainin' tube. Ahoy! T' fins were sanded round on all edges except for t' root and tab.

T' two centerin' rings at t' motor end were glued on per t' instructions except that t' forward motor rin' be a little bit farther forward t' allow for t' fin tab. Since t' new E9 motors are a bit longer than t' D's I located t' motor block 90mm in and set t' hook so that it hangs over t' end 5mm. A 95mm motor will now fit perfectly. T' hook was nay passed through t' wall o' t' motor tube as shown in t' instructions because it would get in t' way o' t' longer motor. Blimey! It was bent back on itself instead, matey, me hearties, and hooks on t' retainer tube. Well, blow me down! A spacer will be required when usin' normal D size motors. Begad! Well, blow me down! This spacer is cut from an expended D12 and goes into t' motor mount ahead o' t' new motor, and is removed when usin' t' longer E9.

T' rocket also uses a pair o' centerin' rings at t' front o' t' stuffer tube t' add strength t' t' two piece airframe. Well, blow me down! This arrangement can be used t' make an ejection baffle with just two additional parts and very little weight gain. Ahoy! Arrr! First, arrr, ya bilge rat, matey, t' third centerin' rin' be glued onto t' tube 5" from t' top. Then a plug was glued into t' top o' t' motor tube; this plug is simply a stack o' balsa disks glued together. Aye aye! Begad! A BT-50 size balsa block would also have worked. T' block be soaked with CA t' help protect it from t' hot ejection charge. Avast, me proud beauty! Next, a group o' holes was cut in t' tube betwixt t' plug and t' centerin' ring. Avast! I'll normally cut t' holes in three rows evenly spaced around t' tube, each row havin' three or four 1/4 inch holes. Next, arrr, a 5" piece o' BT-60 was cut from stock and a similar set o' holes was cut in it. T' edges o' t' holes were touched with thin CA on both parts. T' BT-60 was glued t' t' last o' t' rings. Aye aye! Three equally sized and spaced notches were cut out o' t' edge o' t' rin' - t' remainin' tabs are centered over t' rows o' holes. I wrapped one end t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord around t' top o' t' BT-60 and glued it thar where t' two parts meet. A loop was tied in t' Keelhaul®©™ a couple o' inches above t' baffle and one end o' t' elastic that came with t' kit was tied off there. Avast! T' other ends o' both t' elastic and t' Keelhaul®©™ will be tied t' t' nose cone.

A set o' fin slots be cut in t' body tube t' width o' t' fins. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' motor tube was then glued into t' bottom o' t' rocket, t' joiner rin' added t' that, and t' top part o' t' baffle be glued in and oriented such that t' rows o' holes in t' stuffer tube are centered betwixt t' rows o' t' BT-60. Arrr! After all that dried t' top part o' t' airframe be glued t' t' joiner. I had a bit o' trouble with t' two halves nay matchin' perfectly at t' joint. Begad! T' top half is a tiny bit larger in circumference than t' lower half producin' a sort o' hump in one spot. Aye aye! I spent a good deal o' time workin' on this t' minimize t' potential hump back appearance it might cause. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Finally, t' fins were glued in. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I used yellow glue for everythin' on this kit, matey, me hearties, except for t' fin fillets wherein I used epoxy. Epoxy produces perfectly smooth fillets but it adds a lot o' weight so it's important t' avoid gettin' carried away.

Rating: 4 This was an easy but fun t' build kit.

Finishing
Finishin' wasn't difficult; I started by sandin' t' mold lines out o' t' nose. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Next t' spiral groove in t' body tube and t' tube joint line was filled with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish Wood Filler and sanded. Well, blow me down! T' spiral sometimes takes two layers o' filler in places and I already mentioned t' problems with t' joint. Arrr! T' whole thin' was lightly sanded and wiped clean before bein' sprayed with a coat o' Rustoleum white primer. T' fingerprints and other minor blemishes could now be seen and were sanded away or filled as needed. Begad! Arrr! T' whole thin' be then sanded with 400grit paper until all t' parts could just be seen through t' primer. Aye aye! Arrr! After bein' wiped clean carefully, me hearties, a second coat o' primer was sprayed on and when dry lightly sanded again. Arrr! T' base finish coat be applied and a nice smooth finish was produced. T' rocket stood around for a week or two and then be masked off for a highlight coat. T' standard color scheme was used, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, except I masked off t' stripes rather than usin' t' stripe decal supplied. Aye aye! I did this for two reasons, me bucko, t' first was that t' paint may nay match precisely, ya bilge rat, and also I wanted t' rocket t' match its sister Super Ranger. Begad! T' red highlight coat was then sprayed on in two light coats. Avast, me proud beauty! T' mask was removed as soon as t' paint be dry. Unfortunately, me maskin' skills are nay t' greatest and t' edges aren't too sharp. Ahoy! T' name decal was then added. Avast! I've always really disliked t' self-adhesive decals. Begad! I've never been particularly good at gettin' them on without a bunch o' fingerprints, and after they are on they are thick and t' edges can be clearly seen. Begad! I be pleasantly surprised with these, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' substrate is very thin, me hearties, and I somehow managed t' get it on straight and I didn't have any real trouble with gettin' bubbles under it or anything.

Overall, it came out OK. Aye aye! It looks great if you are a couple o' feet away, matey, but if you get close you can see t' trouble I had with t' maskin' tape.

Rating: 3 An easy model t' finish - t' decals are OK, me masks didn't produce a nice crisp edge.

Flight
T' finished weight is in t' 9oz neighborhood. T' motor listed for this rocket is a D12-3. Ahoy! Avast! That's a good one, just be sure t' use a spacer above it before flyin' if you make mods t' t' motor mount. Arrr! Avast! Add t' that list t' E9-4 or 6, also t' D15-4, E18-4, E28-7, F12-5, me bucko, F24-7, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, and F39-6 reloads (again usin' t' spacer). It will be a little slow off t' rod on t' D12 and F12 so you may wish t' use a longer rod. Blimey! Avast! It should be a kick on t' new AT F21 when it becomes available.

It be flown t' first time at t' club polar bear launch on January 12, 2002. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' flight was OK, arrr, despite high winds. Begad! T' motor be a D12-3 and it left t' rod with an impressive amount o' speed and smoke. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It did weathervane some, shiver me timbers, matey, and ejection was just after apogee with t' nose cone down. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Because o' t' wind, me bucko, I used an 18" 'chute rather than t' supplied 24" one. Blimey! I misjudged t' angle o' t' wind and it drifted over t' hard top parkin' lot. Aye aye! With a smallish 'chute t' rate o' fall was pretty fast and it hit hard. Avast! One o' t' fins shattered along t' grain and it lost a half inch square chip out o' t' bottom, but t' fin did nay break off. T' wind also dragged it across t' lot so it has a fair amount o' hanger rash under t' nose cone. Begad! T' fin was easily repaired by runnin' CA down t' cracks and gluin' in a plug t' replace t' missin' chip. Begad! After sandin' and touchin' up t' paint one can hardly tell.

Overall
This was a very fun rocket t' build and performs much like its little sister. Ya scallywag! It would be perfectly fine built stock. Begad! My additions simply make a good rocket that much better. Ya scallywag! A good bang for t' buck.

Rating: 4

Brief:
Rebuildin' a Super Bertha.

Forward:
Most o' me rockets are made with longevity in mind, t' t' point o' makin' even t' shock cord easily replaceable. T' relatively new Super Big Bertha seemed t' be experiencin' deployment problems. After two embarrassments in a row it be time t' investigate. Shinin' a light down t' motor tube revealed quite a mess. Well, blow me down! T' motor tube itself was all twisted, matey, apparently durin' construction, shiver me timbers, and was badly burned. Begad! Ya scallywag! There be a red ejection charge cap from t' last Aerotech reload used in it still knockin' around up in thar and trapped past an obstruction.

So it’s obvious that it will never fly again, shiver me timbers, and nay wantin' t' waste fins and nose cone a rebuild was undertaken (undertaker, shiver me timbers, please drive slow).. Since t' motor mount is sort o' t' core o' t' model, and since it is locked in with t' fins, and also since it is integral t' t' baffle, shiver me timbers, it would be nearly impossible t' get it out o' t' airframe and replace it with another. Ya scallywag! Avast! Also, shiver me timbers, t' top section o' t' airframe is severely damaged anyway. So a complete overhaul be t' best and worst I can do. T' first order o' business was t' untie t' shock-cord from both t' nose cone and at t' mount end (the replaceable Keelhaul®©™cord was anchored at t' motor mount). Begad! Blimey! Now t' airframe was cut away t' reveal t' badly twisted and charred motor tube. Aha! T' motor tube be damaged durin' construction; it had probably seized when bein' inserted and was damaged by too much force. Begad! OK, arrr, now that we have that out o' t' way, shiver me timbers, t' fins were removed from t' tattered remains o' t' motor tube. So now I have a nose cone, me bucko, shock-cord, matey, arrr, and a set o' basswood fins. Arrr! So I need t' add some centerin' rings, a motor tube, an airframe tube, matey, and launch lugs! T' airframe came from Totally Tubular as did t' motor tube. Since I’m rebuilding, matey, matey, I might as well make some “improvements.” How about a 29mm mount so it can be flown with Econojets and some reloads? Sounds good! Rail buttons sound like a good idea, ya bilge rat, too.

Construction:
Centerin' rings were cut from some 1/8-inch birch aircraft ply from t' local hobby shop usin' a fly cutter and t' drill press. Begad! I wanted t' add a baffle so I cut four rings; one o' which had six 1/4-inch holes spaced evenly around t' center hole. T' rough edges were sanded and test fit with t' tubing. T' glue and remnants o' t' tubin' still clingin' t' t' fins sanded off until they were more or less smooth. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' rail buttons were already on hand, arrr, havin' purchased extras from Magnum with me last order. I also just happened t' have an Aero-Pack retainer.

T' centerin' rings were epoxied t' t' motor tube, arrr, arrr, with t' many-holed one at t' very top, and t' others spaced properly t' match t' fin tabs. Arrr! Eight 1/4-inch holes were cut betwixt t' top two rings t' form a baffle. Next, a hard wood plug — one-inch long and 1 1/8-inches in diameter — drilled and fitted with an eye-bolt and matchin' nylon insert nut be epoxied into t' top. Blimey! Begad! Finally, me bucko, t' aft part o' t' motor tube be roughed up with coarse sandpaper and t' motor retainer fixed in place usin' t' recommended JB Weld.

T' new body tube was measured and cut t' size, then cut again at t' 11-inch line. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor tube was test fit into t' airframe with a coupler t' verify t' size. Ya scallywag! T' new version will eject at t' center t' form a (hopefully) zipperless design. Begad! Ahoy! T' lower half was marked up for fins, and t' slots were cut. Begad! T' parts were again test fit, and findin' them satisfactory t' motor tube and coupler were epoxied into t' lower airframe. T' fins followed in pairs: t' opposin' fins were epoxied at t' same time and a straight edge placed across t' pair ensured they were square with t' airframe (assumin' me slot cuttin' is done well.) Fin fillets followed, matey, and I noted that t' airframe tube grabbed one o' t' fins a little and was indented at t' root edge. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Nuts! Wish I’d seen that while t' epoxy be still wet! Oh well, it turns out that it isn’t too noticeable once t' fillets cured. Ya scallywag! T' rail buttons were placed carefully such that t' screw is driven into t' wood rings. T' holes were carefully predrilled. Aye aye! Ahoy! I also opted t' add a set o' 1/4" lugs since a rail isn’t always readily available.

I had some problems with t' coupler. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! It be truly snug on t' upper section which would cause deployment problems later. It be also pretty “fuzzy”. Aye aye! T' correct this, me bucko, I coated t' whole thin' down t' t' lower airframe with thin CA. It was sanded as soon as t' CA cured until smooth. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! I continued workin' on it until t' upper section fit snuggly, but nay tightly and would slide smoothly. Avast, me proud beauty! T' coupler is now very hard and smooth.

Finishing:
Several layers o' Rustoleum white primer was laid on and allowed t' cure for a couple o' days. That was then sanded heavily. Aye aye! Blimey! T' blemishes that were revealed were filled and another layer o' primer be put on. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! That be sanded with 400 grit paper and t' dust tacked off. Ahoy! A layer o' Rustoleum Satin White was added and allowed t' cure for several days. Begad! T' highlight was then taped off with blue maskin' tape and sprayed. I must have been standin' on me head when I masked off t' rings, matey, since t' pattern is upside down! A logo be created usin' t' computer, me hearties, cut into maskin' tape by hand, me hearties, then transferred t' t' model and sprayed usin' Rustoleum Flat Black. Since this “new” model is sportin' a 29mm mount I decided t' call it Magnum Big Bertha; that’s reflected in t' new logo. Begad! A gloss coat o' clear was planned, but never done.

Flying:
T' weight is kind o' hefty: 12oz. Blimey! Avast! T' original version be about 9oz. Begad! Arrr! T' shock cord is arranged such that t' ’chute will be pulled out by t' shock cord — it’s very near t' eye-bolt on t' lower end. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' cord itself is stuffed into t' upper airframe followed by t' ’chute t' ensure that it gets yanked out.

T' first flight was with an Estes D12-3 usin' an Estes plastic ’chute.. I figured it wouldn’t be too spectacular o' a flight since t' maximum liftin' weight o' t' D12-3 is 13oz. Ahoy! Ahoy! It’s actually a tad over. Arrr! Ahoy! T' me surprise, me bucko, it was an excellent flight and went a good deal higher than I expected. Cool!

It was flown again at t' club launch usin' an E28-4 reload and a hemispherical nylon ’chute (hand made by me young lovely). Ya scallywag! A very nice flight indeed, matey, but t' shock cord roughed up t' edge o' t' upper section. This be smoothed out, arrr, and t' inside o' t' tube coated with thin CA for about an inch or so. That be sanded shortly after it stopped smokin' until smooth and until it fit on t' coupler smoothly.

My nephew and I flew it at LDRS XXII in Argonia on an F22-5 reload. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It was a bit slow off t' rail and arced into t' wind a bit. Ahoy! T' delay could have been shorter, arrr, but it came out OK. Ya scallywag! More motor, be t' cry! We had plans t' slap an F20 in it, me bucko, but were so busy with all o' t' things t' be seen at LDRS that we simply didn’t get t' it.

When t' wind is cooperatin' we’ll give an F20-7 or an F23-7 a whirl. Ya scallywag! It should fly well on F40-7 reloads, and 24mm F21-6 Econojets, me bucko, arrr, too, me bucko, nay t' mention a variety o' G’s.

This is a pretty fun model t' fly. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It’s good for relatively low power motors, arrr, but can accommodate some mid-power motors, too. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It could handle H motors, me bucko, too, ’cept it would probably never be seen again!