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Estes - Baby Bertha (1261) [2002-]

Manufacturer:Estes
Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Contributed by G. A. Dean

Brief:
The Baby Bertha is a new kit (2002) based on the venerable and popular Big Bertha kit. The rocket has the same large, V2-like fins and blunt, rounded nose cone as the Big B, but is 1/2 the length at 12 inches. Rated at "Level 1", it's an easy to construct kit using traditional, Estes-style methods that would make an excellent kit for a beginner, or young rocketeers.

Construction:
If you have ever built an Estes Alpha or similar kit, the Baby will give you a familiar construction experience without surprises. The motor mount uses an engine clip and motor block to restrain the engine, and two die-cut paper centering rings to position the mount in the body tube. The Baby uses Estes BT-60 body tube which at 1.6 in. diameter is wider than most Estes rockets, so these may be larger centering rings than you are accustomed to. The four balsa fins are relatively large and much easier to align on the tube than the small, light fins on most rockets of this size. Even new builders should have a relatively easy time with these fins.

I used my favorite technique to attach the fins. After roughing up the tube with fine sandpaper I attach each fin with medium CA glue and hold it in the perpendicular position until it sets, which takes only 15 seconds or so. I use very little glue for this step, just enough to hold the fin. Then I apply ample fillets with wood glue. The big fins and big tube on the Baby Bertha makes fin attachment very easy.

The shock cord attaches with the usual three-fold connection to the body tube. As I do on all my rockets, I used a length of Kevlarcord for the booster-side connection and tied that to the elastic shock cord. I attached a twelve in. chute to the cord.

The construction "PROs" for the Baby Bertha have to be the larger size of the components which makes things easier on an inexperienced builder. It's a great 'trainer' for balsa and paper construction techniques. No surprises or special challenges.

I can't think of any serious construction problems or issues, except the almost standard Estes problem of inadequate shock-cords. The Baby goes together easy.

Finishing:
I used thinned Elmers Wood Filler on those big slabs of balsa (the fins) and the spiral seam in the tube. I also created fillets for the launch lug. This is a pretty good rockets for learning the wood-filler technique. I wanted to duplicate the black and white paint scheme from the package art (actually, I had other ideas, but the kids wanted the package look). After two coats of grey primer, I taped off facing sides on the fins (the fin patter is tough to describe but obvious when you see the package), and applied two coats of gloss black. Once that dried I removed the masking tape and covered the black areas. This turned out to be tricky as there are several angles where paint could pass through to the black areas. I would recommend painting the white fins sides first, then mask them off and paint the whole rocket black. I also think that there are plenty of alternate paint schemes that would look great on this rocket. Try some V2-style paint schemes, for example.

The kit comes with one long decal which runs along one side. The decal actually reaches past the body tube onto the nosecone. Once the decal was placed I used a hobby knife to cut it along the seam between the nosecone and body.

The white pinstriping in the package art is not provided in the kit. I used white trim tape (get it at the hobby store), and it looks sharp (although mine is not as 'fine' a line as the one on the package). I'm giving some thought to duplicating the line in black on the white fins.

The "PRO" for finishing is the opportunity to experiment a bit with design. This rocket will look good in a variety of schemes, so have some fun with it.

One possible "CON" would be the large amount of balsa to fill if you want a real smooth finish. I didn't find that an issue, and I think this is a good rocket to practice those techniques. If you're not real concerned about filling all the grain then there is no problem at all. One could also object, I guess, to the relatively difficult "stock" paint scheme. and the single decal. The best thing to do is to ignore the package art and design your own scheme. If I were Estes I'd give the Baby it's own, fun color scheme like the Fat Boy, rather than try to duplicate the current Big Bertha look.

I'm rating it at 4 1/2, taking off a half point for the shock-cord.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
We have one flight on the Baby. We used a B6-4 to launch it in light to medium winds. The boost was straight, fast and to a greater altitude that I expected. The chute deployed close to apogee and recovery was within 100 yards of the pads. A nice, satisfying flight.This rocket is a bit heavy for A motors but does well on B's and ought to fly to 800+ feet on a C.

This is a great flyer for the smaller fields we use. I expect to have at least one Baby in our flying fleet at all times from now on. I like to have at least one 'old dependable' at a launch, for when curious kids come around and wish they could fly a rocket. I usually load a B6 into the Custom Razor and hand it to them. It never fails to give a great flight and is easy to replace if lost. I think the Baby Bertha has the same characteristics.

Recovery:
The Baby is heavier than most rockets in this class and does not seem overly prone to drift. It's sturdy enough to use a streamer, in my opinion, if the winds build.

The wide body tube requires plenty of wadding. I expect that burnt chutes and fried shork-cords will be a problem with this bird. I'm going to use Kevlarwadding for future flights (I get mine from Pratt Hobbies) and I have already mentioned the Kevlarcord.

I'll give it a 5 for flight and recovery. We only have the one flight on it so far, but it was a good one and the sim results indicate that this is a good, schoolyard and small field bird.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
My first thought on completing the Baby was, "what took you so long, Estes?" Downsizing the Big Bertha seems like such a natural move, and the result is a great addition to the Estes line-up. I believe that this is a great rocket for school and scout groups. The construction reminds me of the Alpha (the old style Alpha, not the plastic finned Alpha III), but its a bit more forgiving for unsteady fingers. The big fins and wide tube make a great 'canvas' for creative rocket decorating. Now that I have one Baby finished stock I'm going to have the kids build some more and do their own paint schemes.

The flight profile of the Baby is also a bit more 'forgiving'. Sure, the scouts might grin when their Alphas or Wizards zoom out-of-sight, but they're not as happy when they fail to return. A 'C' motor should take the Baby to around 800 feet, so you get all the noise and smoke but keep the rocket in sight and it's more likely to land on the school yard. Perhaps Estes can be convinced to offer the Baby in bulk packs.

There are many things the 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 to see plenty of Babies at launches in coming months.

As I mentioned above, I think this is a great rocket for beginners and kids, but as you might have guessed, even this 'old rocketeer' had some fun with it. I expect to be flying my own Baby Bertha drag races in a month or so. I want to find some 'flame' decals for a cool, 'hot rod' look, or perhaps a Tintin-like red checkerboard, or perhaps both! In other words, good, cheap rocketry fun. Enjoy!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

    Flight Log

    DateRocket NameMotor(s)AltitudeNotes
    2002-07-21Sam Eichelberger's Estes Baby BerthaB6-6- The first rocket Sam ever built. He tried to fly it to death in one day.
    2002-08-07Sam Eichelberger's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- School rocket launch. One of the few successful flights. Apparently no one taught the kids about...
    2002-08-08Sam Eichelberger's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3-
    2002-08-08Sam Eichelberger's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Not much altitude, but a decent flight for a small field.
    2002-08-12Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Maiden flight, straight quick boost, good deployment, no problems, maybe a new wind tester. 12...
    2002-08-18Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Another super straight boost, great flight with good altitude on B motor. 12 nylon chute, landed...
    2002-09-07Chan Stevens's Estes Baby BerthaC6-7- switched down to 9 chute
    2002-09-08Donald Besaw's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice first flight. Good recovery using Top Flight 9 inch nylon chute. Lands close.
    2002-09-12Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Ditto, straight flight, good recovery.
    2002-09-12Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Great flight on the little bertha, ejection seemed a little early, but all right. Nylon chute
    2002-10-04Donald Besaw's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice flight. The B6 gives this rocket a nice modest flight (maybe 350-400 feet). No damage.
    2002-11-24Donald Besaw's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Very nice flight. Short walk for recovery.
    2003-01-08MikeyR's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Excellent maiden flight. Looks nice going up.
    2003-02-01Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Winds closer to 5 than 10, Good flight and recovery, 12 nylon chute.
    2003-03-08Matt Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- First flight for BB. Very straight boost, decent height, good recovery. Nice little rocket.
    2003-03-08Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Drag race entry. Nice flight ... good enough for advancement to final round.
    2003-03-08Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaB4-2- Drag race - final round. Nice quick boost and clean flight. Earned me 3rd place.
    2003-03-08Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice clean boost. 1st launch of day, this was for parachute duration contest event. Chute failed...
    2003-03-08Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaA6-4- Rocket got hung-up on the pad. Misfire.
    2003-03-24MikeyR's Estes Baby Bertha1/2A6-2- Still too little motor.
    2003-04-06Donald Besaw's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5650 feet Great flight to about 650 feet. Recovered very close to the pad on it's 9 inch nylon chute. No...
    2003-04-11Randy Powell's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5-
    2003-04-12Randy Powell's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5-
    2003-04-13Matt Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Very high and fast flight. Caught sight at the trailing smoke, and came down about 300 yards away...
    2003-04-19MikeyR's Estes Baby BerthaA6-4- Nice Flight.
    2003-04-19MikeyR's Estes Baby Bertha1/2A6-2- Low flight. Too little motor.
    2003-04-20Gary Letcher's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- This looks to be one reliable little rocket kit. I see many flights for this one
    2003-05-25Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Perfect maiden flight.
    2003-05-26MikeyR's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Nice, high flight. Good recovery.
    2003-05-31Randy Powell's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- good flite @ old NATCO field with Grandson Caleb.It was his 1st launch.
    2003-06-08Matt Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Great flight..I think. The C motor put it into the clouds, so ejection wasn't seen, but it was a...
    2003-06-08Matt Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- As the 1st flight put it into the clouds, tried a B to keep it below the ceiling. Great flight,...
    2003-06-19Donald Besaw's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Great high flight, I lost sight of the rocket until I saw the flash from the ejection charge....
    2003-06-23MikeyR's Estes Baby Bertha1/2A6-2- No deployment, no damage, basically no motor. Why do I keep using them?
    2003-06-24MikeyR's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nicer boost. Looks good with enough power.
    2003-07-06Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaA6-4- This a very nice flying, small field rocket.
    2003-07-07Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Test of 50in contest parachute. Parachute failed to open. Rocket recovered OK.
    2003-07-07Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Second test of contest parachute. This time she opened 90%. Seems like some ejection gases fused...
    2003-07-25Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Contest parachute (50 inch mylar) used for trial run. Ended up on TV antenna. Recovered after a 24...
    2003-07-27Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- I love this rocket on small fields.
    2003-08-03Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Bonus delay on this one. This is still my favorite small field rocket.
    2003-08-10Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Another great flight. Mikki really gets excited about flying this rocket, insists on at least one...
    2003-08-14Bill Holmes's Estes Baby BerthaA8-4- This is a real GEM of a rocket!! Launched went up close to 200 ft. Chute deployed during apogee...
    2003-08-24Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Mikki's favorite rocket (at least until she built her Razor).
    2003-09-20Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5-
    2003-10-26Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Shock cord broke on ejection, nose cone kept the chute, body landed in the parking lot and dinged...
    2004-01-01Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB4-2- Daughters just built baby bertha. First try of this motor also. Good straight boost, quicker than...
    2004-01-04Donald Besaw's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Wind test. Nice flight, landed close to pad. No damage.
    2004-02-08Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaC6-3-
    2004-02-28Donald Besaw's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Nice low flight to maybe 75 feet. Close recovery due to the low altitude. No damage.
    2004-03-20Carlos Santos's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Launched into the wind, but not enough...Flight was perfect but wind carried it over a 6ft. fence...
    2004-04-01Saunassa's Estes Baby BerthaC6-7- ejected later than expected, wind had picked up so the partially melted chute caused less drift...
    2004-04-01Saunassa's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4400 feet Beautiful first flight, not enough wadding, partial melt of chute
    2004-04-04Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Another nice flight on this old standby, Meesha's green version. Good straight boost, recovery...
    2004-05-07Stephen Kiss's Estes Baby BerthaC6-7- Good straight flight to about 900ft, chute out just past apogee, landed about 150yds from pad, no...
    2004-05-11Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Another awesome flight with lots of people watching. The liftoff sound is great and recovery is...
    2004-05-11Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Another good flight and recovery close to the pad. This is a good setup for smaller fields. I...
    2004-05-11Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Nice flight but not much altitude. This is a good combination to test the winds. My chute melted...
    2004-05-16Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB4-2- Beautiful straight flight, parachute carried some in the wind, but landed undamaged.
    2004-05-20Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Nice flight and quite a crowd pleaser, rocket drifted about 300 feet downwind before being...
    2004-05-20Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice flight, streamer failed to deploy, rocket came down fast and landed within 2 feet of the...
    2004-05-20Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Routine low atlitude flight, was trying for a nice photo on this launch and got a good one.
    2004-05-22Jason Vennard's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Nice quick boost on C power, nice and straight. Didn't see apogee, chute deployed fine 12 nylon.
    2004-06-05Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Awesome flight, very straight boost, easy to see in the sky. Recovered on a streamer close to the...
    2004-06-05Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice launch on the B6-4. Good first flyer for testing winds, easily recovered.
    2004-06-05Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Boring flight for large fields, not much altitude, noise, or smoke.
    2004-06-17Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB4-2- Good flight, but the chute lines got wound together, and the chute didn't really open. The tangled...
    2004-06-26John Mintalar's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Windcocked on this one. Altitude higher than B6-4 but not as much as expected. On recovery...
    2004-06-26John Mintalar's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Another good flight. Narrowly misses landing in a swamp.
    2004-06-26David Logan's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Recovered about 50 feet from pads with a 9 inch Top Flight chute.
    2004-07-01Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- This is the 19th time I have flown this rocket. It can do no wrong! I would reccomend one of these...
    2004-07-01Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Low flight, easy recovery.
    2004-07-01Brian Riendeau's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Another good flight. This rocket is getting close to 20 flights and it still flying great.
    2004-07-04Clive Davis's Estes Baby BerthaB6-2- This little rocket really zooms. Probably shouldn't have used the short delay, but I really wanted...
    2004-07-11Rocky Firth's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Mikki's favorite, we used a streamer for recovery because of the winds.
    2004-07-19Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Really shot off the pad on this motor. Good deployment, drifted a fair ways in the breeze, but a...
    2004-08-22Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Nice high flight, this rocket was loaded with streamer recovery and landed just on the clear side...
    2004-10-10Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Low and slow for a short walk. Nice small field flight.
    2004-10-10Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice boost. Drifted downrange for a short hike.
    2004-11-13Stephen Kiss's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Nice easy flight to about 600 feet, ejection at apogee, landed about 100 feet from pad, no damage
    2004-12-18Scott Hauff's Estes Baby BerthaC11-3800 feet WHOA, this BABY ROCKS on a C11. Very fast launch! Delay was too short, need at least a 5. Drifted...
    2004-12-30Ed Scientist's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Pretty high flight of 25 seconds. This rocket seems to come down fast with the provided parachute....
    2004-12-30Ed Scientist's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Perfectly straight maiden flight. Not real high but it came down pretty fast.
    2005-01-28Stephen Kiss's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Good flight to agout 500 ft, donated to first child to retrieve rocket, will fly again but will be...
    2005-02-06Scott Hauff's Estes Baby BerthaD12-5- Very high and fast flight. Perfect Delay and close recovery with 9 Top Flight Nylon chute. Great...
    2005-02-13Christian Rupp's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Great launch. Not very high in altitude, but it came down within 3 feet of the launch pad. No...
    2005-02-13Christian Rupp's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Went for a smaller delay, and this one worked good, too, except that it was downrange for the...
    2005-02-13Scott Hauff's Estes Baby BerthaD12-5- My 2 year old sumed it up well FAST, HIGH......
    2005-04-16Christian Rupp's Estes Baby BerthaB6-2- Chute stripped off on first launch of the day. Recovered fine - no damage except for burnt shroud...
    2005-04-21Linux203's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Perfect flight. Spill hole would have reduced walk to recover rocket.
    2005-06-05Christian Rupp's Estes Baby BerthaC6-7- Another great flight. After watching it fly in the B6, the C6 really takes it up. Chute deployed...
    2005-06-05Christian Rupp's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- After some fin repair, went up with a pleasing corkscrew. Parachute was tangled on the way down.
    2005-06-12Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaC6-3- Textbook Beauty flight.
    2005-07-04Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4-
    2005-07-23Michael Mangieri's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Used a 6ft streamer instead of parachute since I was using a C motor. Landed about 300 ft to the...
    2005-09-11Daniel Griswold's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5-
    2005-10-01David Logan's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice flight, close recovery with spill hole cut in chute.
    2005-12-07Matt Gillard's Estes Baby BerthaB4-2- straight up, parachute fried on opening, half tumble half streamer recovery. no damage
    2005-12-29David Allen's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Great motor for this rocket. And of course, it flies a lot like the Big Bertha.
    2006-01-09Mark Carpenter's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- This rocked , wind had picked up , angled into wind 15 degrees out over the sea. perfect...
    2006-01-09Mark Carpenter's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- very fast liftoff lost track untill deployment, Drifted 150 m on 12 chute landed in sand dunes no...
    2006-01-15Dave Brunsting's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3-
    2006-03-08Richie Brunjes's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Great flight , close recovery
    2006-03-09Dave Bishop's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Wobbled a bit in the gusty wind, but good flight & recovery
    2006-03-12Dave Brunsting's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3-
    2006-03-30Richie Brunjes's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Landed hard , no damage !!
    2006-04-02Richie Brunjes's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- excellent flight
    2006-04-09Ron McFerren's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- 1st flight for this rocket. Flew great! Used a mylar streamer for recovery.
    2006-04-09Ron McFerren's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- 2nd flight on a smaller motor. Nice quick flight. Had to walk a whole 10 feet to recover it!
    2006-04-09Richie Brunjes's Estes Baby BerthaC6-3- Fixed fin after last crash. Motor mount gave out....Another Big Bertha bites the dust
    2006-04-09Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB4-2- Perfect flight.
    2006-04-09Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Excellent flight, but wadding was packed too tightly, and parachute never deployed (nose cone did...
    2006-04-22Mark Carpenter's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Wind Tester, went about 100ft,nearly landed on my head.will not use such a small motor again. Nice...
    2006-04-24Richie Brunjes's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4-
    2006-05-29Christian Rupp's Estes Baby BerthaC6-7- Interesting flight, with quite the wobble and spin. Need to get the fins aligned better next...
    2006-05-29Christian Rupp's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- This one launched right when a breezy front moved in. Drifted about 200 meters away and just...
    2006-06-18Richie Brunjes's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- I love this rocket , perfect flight
    2006-06-24David Logan's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Rocket seemed to really be struggling to gain altitude. Low arched flight path, but ejected fine,...
    2006-07-01Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3-
    2006-07-01Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3-
    2006-07-08Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4-
    2006-07-09George Beever's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- NIce boost - chute tangled. Shock cord too short.
    2006-07-09George Beever's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Again, chute tangled due to shock cord being too short.
    2006-07-13Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Low flight, but straight. Good deployment, good recovery.
    2006-07-13Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB4-2- Very nice flight. Good deployment, floated in the wind for a while, but good landing.
    2006-07-23Richie Brunjes's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4-
    2006-07-29Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaA3-3- Part of the Alphabet Launch - (something from a,b,c,d,etc)
    2006-09-08Matt Gillard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- good straight flight recovered fine, parachute starting to show ware.
    2006-09-24Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Inagural launch of this rocket. Performed great.
    2006-12-26Mark Carpenter's Estes Baby BerthaC6-3- Fast away again, delay was a bit short maybe a 5 next, chute got tangled in shock cord so a fast...
    2007-01-27Rick Lindsey's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- 4th flight for my daughter's bertha. It leaned over into the wind a bit during boost/coast, but...
    2007-02-22Rick Lindsey's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Little squirrely on the way up (as usual) but good 'chute deployment. This is my daughter's...
    2007-02-22Rick Lindsey's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Good on the way up, a little weather-cocking, but Wad recovery -- dad's fault, since I was the one...
    2007-03-24Rick Lindsey's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Sadly I didn't pay enough attention to launch rod tilt and wind direction. This one drifted into...
    2007-03-24Rick Lindsey's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Nice flight on a B4, drifted into the adjacent baseball field, good recovery.
    2007-03-31Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Oops. Wadded chute recovery mode. Some spot welding of chute folds. No damage to rocket.
    2007-03-31Jesse Harris's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- It lawm darted with enough force that the round nose cone blasted 2 inches into dirt, through...
    2007-04-13Edward Chess's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Good flight even in strong wind.
    2007-04-13Edward Chess's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Second flight of this bird landed in the top of a large tree.
    2007-04-29 Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaB6-2- Another nice flight of this winner.
    2007-05-20Scott Turnbull's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4-
    2007-05-20Chris Gonnerman's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- A fairly decent flight and a good but not remarkable recovery.
    2007-05-20Chris Gonnerman's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- The rocket weathercocked badly, and I thought it would go into the neighbor's pond. Then it...
    2007-05-25Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Very nice flight. Caught a breeze after deployment, and drifted a ways, but landed safely.
    2007-05-26Mark Rine's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Great small field rocket. Perfect boost to ~450ft. Ejection just after apogee. Long drift on...
    2007-06-02Dwayne Shmel's Baby BerthaC6-5- The Baby flies again. Great flight and recovery.
    2007-06-16George Beever's Estes Baby BerthaB8-5- Parachute did not deploy - no damage
    2007-06-21Dwayne Shmel's Baby BerthaB6-3- Nice Flight. The Baby rocks on.
    2007-07-21Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Good flight.
    2007-07-21Dwayne Shmel's Baby BerthaC6-3- Elizabeth's baby flies again. MRC motor.
    2007-08-05Matt Gillard's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- great flight
    2007-09-03Chris Gonnerman's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Excellent flight, good recovery about 40 yards from the stand.
    2007-10-07Matt Gillard's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- night launch with glow sticks, parachute failed to open properly.
    2007-11-03Jeremy Ball's Estes Baby BerthaC6-4-
    2007-11-03Jeremy Ball's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4-
    2007-11-03Jeremy Ball's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3-
    2008-02-03George Beever's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Perfect boost into a bright blue sky. Great flight. short walk to recover due to calm conditions....
    2008-04-06George Beever's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Good flight despite strong breeze.
    2008-04-17Mark Grisco's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- this goes well on a C. my 'chute is more spillhole than 'chute but it works great.
    2008-04-17Mark Grisco's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- first flight. slow and low. i need a larger spillhole.
    2008-04-17Mark Grisco's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- it goes well on B. nice and straight+ BIG spillhole works well.
    2008-04-19Ron McFerren's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Great flight considering the wind conditions. Used a long mylar streamer for recovery.
    2008-04-20Jason Orosco's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Great flight. Landed about 50 feet from the pad.
    2008-05-31Dwayne Shmel's Baby BerthaC6-6- Chute melted on ejection - no damage on impact.
    2008-06-18Scott Oblander's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4-
    2008-08-31Jason Orosco's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Good flight.
    2008-09-07 Chris Gonnerman's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- A beautiful flight, arcing slightly to the west and then drifting back to the east on its chute....
    2008-09-07Chris Gonnerman's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Nice flight, moderate drift, no damage other than some dirt.
    2008-10-04Keith Hamel's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- First flight, straight boost good launch. Nice rocket, glad I built it as it was intended.
    2008-11-26Mark Grisco's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- nice flight. drifted some even though my chute is more spillhole than chute!
    2008-11-26Mark Grisco's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- nice flight. landed 200 feet from pad.
    2008-12-07Sascha Grant's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Good straight flight despite wind
    2008-12-27Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaC6-7- Good flight of my Baby Bertha. 7 seconds is a bit long on the delay but it worked out OK.
    2009-01-31Tim Bearden's Estes Baby BerthaA8-5-
    2009-02-21John Venable's Estes Baby BerthaC6-7- Nice little Rocket. Straight flight to 700'. Perfect recovery on a Top Flite 8 X-Chute. Landed in...
    2009-02-23Mark Grisco's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- baby bertha is perfect with a c-6-5. mine has about 20 flights. it is time for a new shock cord.
    2009-03-08 Jason Orosco's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Chute deployed a little late on this flight.
    2009-03-08 Jason Orosco's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Nice smoke trail all the way up to ejection point.
    2009-03-28 Joseph Olexa's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- First flight for my Baby Bertha. Good stable flight, parachute ejection and soft landing. Great...
    2009-05-05Eric Grisco's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- straight up. little drift. nice flight
    2009-05-16 Jason Orosco's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Good flight.
    2009-06-06Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Nice flight of the little Bertha...popped a fin on landing due to stuck chute. It's repairable.
    2009-06-18IBCleary's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4250 feet 5* angle into wind. Swift lift-off, ejection right before stall. Hand catch 50' down wind of...
    2009-06-18IBCleary's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3100 feet 5* tilt into the wind. The A8 punts this one about 100', turns into wind a apogee, ejection a...
    2009-07-28Jason Orosco's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Nice flight.
    2009-08-03Tim Tyler's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- A late delay is not the end of the world for this rocket because it is so light that zippering or...
    2009-08-12 Steve Lindeman's '57 GoonyB6-4- Another great lift-off and a beautiful flight with rocket popping chute just after apogee. Gentle...
    2009-08-22Dwayne Shmel's Baby BerthaC6-5- Elizabeth's rocket.
    2009-10-17 Alan Kaiser's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Great flight. The wind switched around so I had to climb through some cattails to recover it. Got...
    2009-11-07John Bergsmith's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Great flyer.
    2009-11-27Alan Kaiser's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Really nice flight. About a 15 degree launch angle due to the increase in the wind. And it still...
    2009-12-12Joseph Olexa's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Good flight but when parachute ejected, it refused to open and rocket landed a little hard. ...
    2009-12-13 Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaA6-4- Cool flight if a bit wimpy on the Quest A6-4. Streamer brought it in safely with no damage.
    2009-12-26 Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Another cool flight of my beat-up Baby Bertha. Still a great performer.
    2010-02-13 Bernard Cawley's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Good first flight. Deploy just past apogee. Good 'chute (no melting - the Semroc baffle works!)....
    2010-02-20Moe Bertrand's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- PRM-21 Parachute Duration Event. 35 seconds target: 22 seconds actual duration.
    2010-02-21Bernard Cawley's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Slight arc to boost. Ejection a little late. Good 'chute with no burning (no wadding at all this...
    2010-02-21Bernard Cawley's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Got greedy and tried a C. One wiggle about six feet off pad, then straight, high flight. Good...
    2010-03-07John Bergsmith's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Great flight, nice and straight.
    2010-03-07Jason Orosco's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Nice flight,
    2010-03-20Jeff Ybarra's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Thought it was going to be a lawn dart. It's Ok.
    2010-03-20Jeff Ybarra's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- What more could you ask for three great shots in the backyard.
    2010-03-20Jeff Ybarra's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Backyard shot.Landed 5' from the pad. My kids love it.
    2010-05-08Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Satisfying first flight on new Baby Bertha. Good boost, deploy, 'chute and recovery. I like this...
    2010-05-08Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Satisfying first flight on new Baby Bertha. Good boost, deploy, 'chute and recovery. I like this...
    2010-05-14Bernard Cawley's BB#2C6-5- Beautiful straight high flight. Good deploy at the right time. Lots of hang time, so a long walk....
    2010-05-15Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Much better - more typical. A bit of an arc. Good deployment and landing.
    2010-05-15Bernard Cawley's BB#2C6-5- Arced well over to the west and I lost sight of it. Was guided to finding it by sharper pair of...
    2010-05-31Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Good boost. Parachute didn't fully deploy (tangles). Landed on runway (grass). No damage.
    2010-06-19Steve Lindeman's QuasimodoA10-3+A10-PT- Fast lift off the pad with rocket cocking and spinning. Should have checked it over better before...
    2010-06-24Chris Gonnerman's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- It flew nicely up, but was coming in ballistic when it ejected at about three feet. No damage,...
    2010-06-25Chris Gonnerman's Estes Baby BerthaA8-3- Was coming in ballistic, ejected about 3' above the ground; no damage, thankfully.
    2010-08-20Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Great flight, but, after deployment, drifted several hundred yards, out of the park. Barely...
    2010-08-27Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Another typical Baby Bertha flight. Good stuff all around.
    2010-08-27Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Very nice. Deploy at apogee. Good 'chute and landing.
    2010-08-27Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Drag race with another Baby Bertha. Did the two of them hit on the way up? Otherwise typical...
    2010-08-27Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Payed a little north so long walk to recover. But all else was fine.
    2010-09-09Brian Hoover's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Stable first flight, easy to track and not too high. normal ejection, floated a long time on...
    2010-09-11Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Nice overall flight. Fairly typical flight profile. Landed behind sand pile but well on our side...
    2010-09-18Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Great last flight of the day. All nominal. Almost landed on vendor's table.
    2010-09-18Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Usual excellent flight for this rocket.
    2010-09-19Brian Hoover's Estes Baby BerthaB4-4- Great flight, liked this better than the B6-4. The standard go-to model that is always fun to...
    2010-10-09Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Light rain. Took off as part of unplanned group of five (launch system malfunction). What was...
    2010-10-17Brian Hoover's Estes Baby BerthaC6-5- Much better flight on C after weak B shot. Wind got it and went into tree beyond reach.
    2010-10-17Brian Hoover's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- delay too long
    2010-11-06Mike Mistele's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- Good flight, but parachute shroud lines and shock cord got tangled. Chute never deployed. Came...
    2010-11-13Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Fairly typical BB flight - all pretty much as it should be. Landed on a little high spot between...
    2010-12-28Alan Kaiser's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- I was in a hurry packing this one since it was getting late. I must have jammed the wadding in a...
    2011-01-01Bernard Cawley's BB#2C6-5- Another fairly typical Baby Bertha flight. Straight boost. Good deployment albeit about 1-2s late....
    2011-01-29Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Quest motor on new controller. Picture perfect flight in just about every respect. Deploy shortly...
    2011-01-29Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Another nearly picture perfect flight. Again deployment a bit past apogee. Landed about 50 yards...
    2011-02-12Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Arced a little bit but otherwise a good flight profile. Deployment just a touch late. 'Chute...
    2011-02-13Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- A typical nice flight....all pretty much as it should be.
    2011-02-13Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Very nice flight. Deployment just as was horizontal after apogee. Good 'chute and landing.
    2011-03-19Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Fairly typical flight for the trusty Baby Bertha. Good 'chute and landing just to the north of...
    2011-03-20Andrew's Baby BerthaC6-5- Simple
    2011-03-26Bernard Cawley's BB#2B6-4- Picture perfect flight and landed (after good deploy) only about 20 feet from the pad. :)
    2011-03-26Bernard Cawley's BB#2C6-5- Another great flight. Headed east a bit but came almost all the way back. Good deploy. Moderate...
    2011-04-23Bernard Cawley's BB#2C6-5- Weathercocked a bit, so late deployment. Treed in Bob's brother's yard. *sigh*
    2011-04-30Andrew's Baby BerthaB6-4- Again, Simple.
    2011-05-28 Luis Vazquez's Estes Baby BerthaB6-4- With the B6-4, the Baby Bertha flew straight up and reached appogee rather quickly. Ejection...
    2011-05-29 Steve Lindeman's '57 GoonyB6-4- Great flight straight up with parachute just past apogee. Recovery in neighbors field about 60-70'...
    2011-05-29 Steve Lindeman's Snarky Jr.B6-4- Love the way it flies now that I swapped nose cones. Looks great on the pad and took off straight...

    Comments:

    B.E. (August 5, 2002)

    I bought a Baby Bertha for my son to build as his first rocket. He loved it and couldn't have been more proud when he first took it to the pad at a club launch. He wound up flying it five times that day, completely bankrupting my supply of B6-6 engines. This is another great first rocket in a long line of them from Estes. BTW, I believe this one has been done earlier. Wasn't it once the Estes Rascal?

    K.R.E. (June 4, 2003)

    The Estes Baby Bertha was a pleasant surprise. I had expected a kit that sold for less than ten dollars to have a least one flaw or two, but this kit far exceeded my expectations. Assembly was a no-brainer. If you have ever put together any other level one kits, the Baby Bertha will be no problem. The balsa was a little soft but certainly acceptable and the body and nosecone took paint very well. My daughter and I finished the kit with a gloss royal blue body tube and fins and a chrome silver nose cone. Although I liked the classic black on the package insert, the blue silver combination is a looker as well. First flight was on a B6-4. The day was gusty and not quite ideal but the Baby B did not disappoint. 500 feet, straight up. The chute deployed but gusty winds took the baby 300 yards away into a lake. (sound familiar?) Recovery was not possible and the Baby Bertha sank quickly. BUT, at its low cost and fine performance there is sure to be another in the stable in the future. Highly recommended.

    W.D. (October 15, 2003)

    This rocket is now my favorite. The flight was straight up and landed 10 steps away from the pad! If you are hesitating to buy this rocket, go for it and you will have a great time.

    J.I. (December 21, 2003)

    I really like this rocket. I've launched it at least a dozen times, and always have had excellent results. Nice straight flight and always a very nice chute deployment and landing. I'm not really fond of the Estes Shock cord attachment (or the shock cord for that matter), but this baby has always come through for me in any condition.

    K.W. (July 26, 2004)

    I've now built about 50 of these kits with both high school and elementary school students. They are a great first kit, with large parts that are easy to align and correspondingly large glue surface area for strong construction. I find that even elementary students can assemble the kit in a three hour workshop. Flights are a little underpowered on an A8, but just right for small fields on a B6. I've seen this kit for <$5 online, so it is still a reasonable choice for groups even though there is no bulk pack available. Try it, you'll definitely like it!

    A.M. (October 4, 2004)

    I built this kit stock, accept, I swapped a 24 inch chute in it. I used it for my Nartrek bronze chute duration, I got 145 seconds, only needed 60 seconds. This little rocket really rocks, and on a C6-5 will get way up there. Highly recommended for beginners, or even high power folks who just wanna have fun.

    D.S.C. (October 24, 2004)

    I did a lot of research before settling on this kit for my cub scout rocket derby. I've been running these derbies annually where scouts build, launch and try to land their rockets as close as possible to a target pole. I've used Vikings, Alphas and even Mach 12s in the past but this year I've selected the Baby. The pros are the large size which makes it easy to build, easy to see and suitability for a small field with a B6 engine. I field tested one today and with an A8 engine, flies too low but just right with a B6, gaining about 300 ft altitude straight up but only 200 feet when angled 20 degrees from vertical making it perfect for this event.

    G.B. (July 9, 2006)

    What's not to like about the Big Bertha's little sister? Nothing.....except that the shock cord supplied with my kit was way too short, and I should have recognized this and swapped in a longer one. The effect of the short shock cord in that the chute and nose cone snap back over the fins and tangle.

    R.W.L. (January 9, 2007)

    This was my daughter's first rocket, and she loved it! She was able to do most of the construction herself (I did the cutting and tube marking), though she asked me to stick the fins on the bodytube once she had applied glue. The "apply glue and let it dry, then reapply" trick is really handy for getting the fins to stick. It's still in primer (we've got some pink spraypaint for it) but it flew beautifully -- my daughter used up a whole pack of B4-4 engines at the january SOAR launch. One flight arc'd into the wind a fair ways, but the other 2 were picture perfect!

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