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

Construction:
T' Estes Blue Bird Zero was me first model rocket. Arrr! Arrr! Naturally, when I became a BAR, me hearties, me hearties, I wanted t' clone one. A quick check o' Jim Z’s site revealed that thar were no plans available. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Nay one t' be deterred, me bucko, me hearties, I searched on. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' make a long story short, I found someone through t' internet who would provide me t' plans and fin tracings. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! I installed a 24mm motor mount and glued both sets o' fins t' t' lower body tube. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! I then proceeded t' join t' body tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Everythin' be glued with 30min epoxy. (author’s note: BBZ plans are available on Jim Z’s website, thanks in part t' yours truly.)

When all t' gluin' be complete, me hearties, t' entire rocket be skim-coated with thinned Fill ’N’ Finish and sanded smooth. Arrr! I then proceeded t' prime, and paint t' blue section o' t' rocket first. Ahoy! After drying, I masked t' blue section and painted t' white section, matey, matey, me hearties, then clear coat over t' entire rocket. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' decals for this rocket were a challenge. I ended up drawin' them myself and printin' them on self-adhesive stock. Begad! T' decals turned out good, 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. Blimey! I installed t' wadding, motor, parachute, arrr, ya bilge rat, and set her on t' pad. Blimey! Blimey! This rocket gives a nice, matey, matey, semi-slow, shiver me timbers, smokey, takeoff. She went up straight as an arrow — a very stable rocket.. Well, blow me down! Ejection be near apogee, me hearties, and it recovered with no damage. Blimey! After a perfect third flight, matey, matey, matey, it landed on t' neighbors’ roof and slid about halfway down t' roof t' t' gutter. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' BBZ was OK, except for some bilge-suckin' shingle rash on t' edges o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Flight number six would prove t' be fatal. After a perfect boost and ejection, t' chute did nay open due t' bein' tangled on t' shroud lines. Aye aye! Begad! 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. Ahoy! Avast! Construction was fairly easy, ya bilge rat, and t' rocket flies very well.