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Estes Big Bertha

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Estes Big Bertha

(14 customer reviews)

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Our Price:	$27.13
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SKU:

309414

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WARNING:

CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.

Description

Burly, big and beautiful! Over the decades this is the first big (two feet tall) rocket for many modelers! Slow, realistic lift offs from this true classic! Estes model rockets range from "ready-to-fly" in just minutes, to kits that provide many enjoyable hours of building fun. Estes kits are classified into five categories. READY TO FLY (RTF) No paint, glue or modeling skills required. Rocket comes assembled and is ready for liftoff in just minutes. E2X No paint or special tools needed. E2X kits contain parts that are colored and easy to assemble. Simply glue the parts together as per the instructions, apply the self-adhesive decals, attach the recovery system and you are ready to blast off! Assembly takes 1 hour or less. SKILL LEVEL 1 Requires some painting, gluing and sanding. Features laser-cut balsa fins, slotted body tubes, plastic nose cones and self-adhesive decals. Step by step instructions make building very easy. Assembly takes at least an afternoon. SKILL LEVEL 2 First tier of more advanced kits. Requires beginner skills in model rocket construction and finishing. Features laser-cut balsa or plastic fins, plastic nose cones and unfinished body tubes. Assembly may take a complete day. SKILL LEVEL 3 Second tier of more advanced kits. Requires moderate skills in model rocket construction and finishing. Features multiple laser-cut balsa fins and parts, unfinished body tubes, complex designs and plastic nose cones. Assembly may take a couple of days.

Product Details

Product Length:	6.5 inches
Product Width:	2.5 inches
Product Height:	23.5 inches
Package Length:	19.8 inches
Package Width:	4.0 inches
Package Height:	2.0 inches
Package Weight:	0.1 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 14 reviews

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: 4.5

( 14 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 found the following review helpful:

Big Bertha Equals Big Fun Mar 18, 2007 By kone "kone"
The Estes Big Bertha rocket is one of the most simple, yet satisfying rockets to build and fly.

First, the design is simple - easy to construct, even for the beginner.

Second, the rocket is impressively big. Kids like to launch big rockets, and the Big Bertha fills the bill. Because of its large size, the Big Bertha has a slower take-off, one you can actually see, instead of the "zip and gone" take-offs of the smaller rockets. Also, because of its size, this is a rocket you will not likely lose. It won't go so high, even with a C6-5 engine, that you will lose sight of it. I have flown some rockets that went so high I lost sight of them and lost them to the wind drift. This will not happen with the Big Bertha. It is a great rocket to launch in a somewhat confined lauch field, as it will not drift that far downfield.

Third, this is a simple rocket to operate, and it is durable and dependable. You can launch it over and over with consistent performance.

Finally, it has a large parachute which is easy to spot in the sky and floats the rocket to earth safely.

I highly recommened the Big Bertha rocket to all beginner rocketeers. It will provide hours of fun and it a great way to learn the basics about model rocketry.

Jim Konedog Koenig

17 of 17 found the following review helpful:

Everyones favorite large lass Jan 18, 2006 By William J. Eichelberger "I will not go quietly"
The Big Bertha is likely to be the first "Big" rocket that most people own as kids, and with good reason. The classic design is easy to build and fly, and large enough to make a great small field bird. As with all Estes models, the internals could stand some upgrading, but the Bertha overcomes Estes resistance to 21st century rocketry and belongs in your fleet.

23 of 25 found the following review helpful:

Big Bertha has come a long way May 11, 2008 By L. M. Fuke
Estes Big Bertha traces its lineage to 1963, and it has evolved over the years to a non-frustrating afternoon fun in rocketry. It wasn't always that way.

First off, Estes has re-designed propulsion to single engine simplicity.
For many years, Big Bertha was cluster-powered; it sported three-engine
power. It required a "whip", a network of multiple engine clips for ignition - when things went right.

Cluster power offered a huge advantage; three C.8 engines legitimately yielded more than 20 nt-sec of impulse. Even the D-series, when it was introduced, was rated at 13.5 nt-sec. A cluster of three C.8's cost less than a dollar. Those were the good old days.

If you were a power-freak, clustered C.8's were the only way to go. Big Bertha however, almost never co-operated. First, there is the inherent 15% variation from engine to engine, which affected thrust, duration, and delay train. Then, that whip colluded to stimy simultaneous engine ignition. Even the ignitors were different back then, plain nichrome and not the squib.

Lift-off frequently involved only a single or if you were lucky, twin-engine power. Big Bertha would veer wildly off the pad. The older version of BB freqently had a payload compartment. Heaven help you if there were live animals on board. Big Bertha also exhibited another advantage - it could bounce back from prangs with minimal damage.

However, there were rare occasions when everything went right, and BB was a thing of beauty. It was worth the trouble.

I appreciate this opportunity to walk down memory lane. Big Bertha is still simple to build, and is readily customizable at small additional expense, to two-stage configuration, payload compartments, even single-engine D or E power, whatever. Maintain the fin size as specified, though. It is primed for terrific fun and the basis of new memories, but new rocketeers have no idea what they've missed.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Fantastic Jul 08, 2010 By S.B. "S. Brokov"
Easily the best flying rocket of my fleet. It goes straight up levels off into a graceful arch. Just as it starts to fall the parachute deploys. Beautiful every time. Also it is very durable. The first launch i stuffed too much wadding and the cap failed to come off. It crashed right into the ground at great speed and with a good thump, but suffered no damage. A great Rocket and a great buy.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

A classic rocket that withstands the test of time. Mar 29, 2009 By David of Crystal Bay
You can't go wrong with an Estes rocket kit. The Big Bertha is one of the longstanding entires from their lineup. The only differences between this Big Bertha kit and those that I built in the 70s are the decal package and the fact that the fins are now laser cut. Other than that it's precisely the same.

* A joy to build
* A riot to fly
* Dynamite learning experience -- building and launching the rocket
* Good quality materials

See all 14 customer reviews on Amazon.com

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