Brief:
T' Baby Bertha is a new kit (2002) based on t' venerable and popular Big Bertha kit. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket has t' same large, V2-like fins and blunt, arrr, rounded nose cone as t' Big B, but is 1/2 t' length at 12 inches. Rated at "Level 1", arrr, it's an easy t' construct kit usin' traditional, Estes-style methods that would make an excellent kit for a beginner, arrr, me hearties, or young rocketeers.

Construction:
If you have ever built an Estes Alpha or similar kit, me hearties, t' Baby will give you a familiar construction experience without surprises. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' motor mount uses an engine clip and motor block t' restrain t' engine, me bucko, and two die-cut paper centerin' rings t' position t' mount in t' body tube. Avast! T' Baby uses Estes BT-60 body tube which at 1.6 in. diameter is wider than most Estes rockets, so these may be larger centerin' rings than you are accustomed to. Arrr! T' four balsa fins are relatively large and much easier t' align on t' tube than t' small, shiver me timbers, light fins on most rockets o' this size. Avast! Ya scallywag! Even new builders should have a relatively easy time with these fins.

I used me favorite technique t' attach t' fins. Ahoy! Arrr! After roughin' up t' tube with fine sandpaper I attach each fin with medium CA glue and hold it in t' perpendicular position until it sets, which takes only 15 seconds or so. I use very little glue for this step, just enough t' hold t' fin. Then I apply ample fillets with wood glue. Begad! Begad! T' big fins and big tube on t' Baby Bertha makes fin attachment very easy.

T' shock cord attaches with t' usual three-fold connection t' t' body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! As I do on all me rockets, I used a length o' Keelhaul®©™cord for t' booster-side connection and tied that t' t' elastic shock cord. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I attached a twelve in. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! chute t' t' cord.

T' construction "PROs" for t' Baby Bertha have t' be t' larger size o' t' components which makes things easier on an inexperienced builder. Aye aye! Blimey! It's a great 'trainer' for balsa and paper construction techniques. Ahoy! No surprises or special challenges.

I can't think o' any serious construction problems or issues, me hearties, except t' almost standard Estes problem o' inadequate shock-cords. T' Baby goes together easy.

Finishing:
I used thinned Elmers Wood Filler on those big slabs o' balsa (the fins) and t' spiral seam in t' tube. Arrr! I also created fillets for t' launch lug. Avast! This is a pretty good rockets for learnin' t' wood-filler technique. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I wanted t' duplicate t' black and white paint scheme from t' package art (actually, shiver me timbers, I had other ideas, but t' kids wanted t' package look). After two coats o' grey primer, arrr, I taped off facin' sides on t' fins (the fin patter is tough t' describe but obvious when you see t' package), me hearties, and applied two coats o' gloss black. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Once that dried I removed t' maskin' tape and covered t' black areas. This turned out t' be tricky as thar are several angles where paint could pass through t' t' black areas. Ahoy! Aye aye! I would recommend paintin' t' white fins sides first, then mask them off and paint t' whole rocket black. Arrr! I also think that thar are plenty o' alternate paint schemes that would look great on this rocket. Try some V2-style paint schemes, for example.

T' kit comes with one long decal which runs along one side. T' decal actually reaches past t' body tube onto t' nosecone. Blimey! Once t' decal was placed I used a hobby knife t' cut it along t' seam betwixt t' nosecone and body.

T' white pinstripin' in t' package art is nay provided in t' kit. I used white trim tape (get it at t' hobby store), and it looks sharp (although mine is nay as 'fine' a line as t' one on t' package). Arrr! I'm givin' some thought t' duplicatin' t' line in black on t' white fins.

T' "PRO" for finishin' be t' opportunity t' experiment a bit with design. This rocket will look good in a variety o' schemes, me hearties, so have some fun with it.

One possible "CON" would be t' large amount o' balsa t' fill if you want a real smooth finish. I didn't find that an issue, shiver me timbers, and I think this is a good rocket t' practice those techniques. Avast, me proud beauty! If you're nay real concerned about fillin' all t' grain then thar be no problem at all. Ya scallywag! One could also object, I guess, t' t' relatively difficult "stock" paint scheme. and t' single decal. Arrr! T' best thin' t' do is t' ignore t' package art and design your own scheme. Blimey! If I were Estes I'd give t' Baby it's own, fun color scheme like t' Fat Boy, rather than try t' duplicate t' current Big Bertha look.

I'm ratin' it at 4 1/2, me bucko, arrr, takin' off a half point for t' shock-cord.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
We have one flight on t' Baby. Begad! We used a B6-4 t' launch it in light t' medium winds. Begad! T' boost be straight, fast and t' a greater altitude that I expected. T' chute deployed close t' apogee and recovery be within 100 yards o' t' pads. A nice, arrr, satisfyin' flight.This rocket is a bit heavy for A motors but does well on B's and ought t' fly t' 800+ feet on a C.

This is a great flyer for t' smaller fields we use. Ahoy! I expect t' have at least one Baby in our flyin' fleet at all times from now on. I like t' have at least one 'old dependable' at a launch, me hearties, shiver me timbers, for when curious kids come around and wish they could fly a rocket. Begad! I usually load a B6 into t' Custom Razor and hand it t' them. Avast, me proud beauty! It never fails t' give a great flight and is easy t' replace if lost. Avast! I think t' Baby Bertha has t' same characteristics.

Recovery:
T' Baby is heavier than most rockets in this class and does nay seem overly prone t' drift. It's sturdy enough t' use a streamer, arrr, in me opinion, if t' winds build.

T' wide body tube requires plenty o' wadding. I expect that burnt chutes and fried shork-cords will be a problem with this bird. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm goin' t' use Keelhaul®©™waddin' for future flights (I get mine from Pratt Hobbies) and I have already mentioned t' Keelhaul®©™cord.

I'll give it a 5 for flight and recovery. Arrr! We only have t' one flight on it so far, me hearties, but it was a good one and t' sim results indicate that this is a good, shiver me timbers, matey, schoolyard and small field bird.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
My first thought on completin' t' Baby was, "what took you so long, Estes?" Downsizin' t' Big Bertha seems like such a natural move, arrr, arrr, and t' result is a great addition t' t' Estes line-up. Avast! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! I believe that this is a great rocket for school and scout groups. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' construction reminds me o' t' Alpha (the old style Alpha, ya bilge rat, nay t' plastic finned Alpha III), shiver me timbers, but its a bit more forgivin' for unsteady fingers. T' big fins and wide tube make a great 'canvas' for creative rocket decorating. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Now that I have one Baby finished stock I'm goin' t' have t' kids build some more and do their own paint schemes.

T' flight profile o' t' Baby is also a bit more 'forgiving'. Ya scallywag! Sure, t' scouts might grin when their Alphas or Wizards zoom out-of-sight, but they're nay as happy when they fail t' return. A 'C' motor should take t' Baby t' around 800 feet, so you get all t' noise and smoke but keep t' rocket in sight and it's more likely t' land on t' school yard. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Perhaps Estes can be convinced t' offer t' Baby in bulk packs.

There are many things t' Baby Bertha is not, but what it does it does very well. It's a great family rocket that will give you more 'fun per dollar' than most. I expect t' see plenty o' Babies at launches in comin' months.

As I mentioned above, matey, I think this is a great rocket for beginners and kids, shiver me timbers, but as you might have guessed, even this 'old rocketeer' had some fun with it. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I expect t' be flyin' me own Baby Bertha drag races in a month or so. Avast, me proud beauty! I want t' find some 'flame' decals for a cool, me hearties, 'hot rod' look, shiver me timbers, or perhaps a Tintin-like red checkerboard, matey, or perhaps both! In other words, shiver me timbers, good, ya bilge rat, matey, cheap rocketry fun. Aye aye! Aye aye! Enjoy!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5