Brief:
Big Betty is a fairly large 3FNC model rocket, using B and C motors. It is straightforward to construct and a snap to prepare for flight. With its enormous fins and blunt, rounded nose cone, Big Betty has a peculiar look. It looks either dated or classic, depending on whether you're a BAR or not. Estes' Big Bertha, Big Betty's obvious inspiration, is about 35 years old. For the Freudians among us, Big Betty is a cry for help.

Construction:
Big Betty is a very simple model - it could quite easily be a first model, and I would certainly recommended as such. The instructions are sufficiently simple for a non-modeler. The pieces all fit together just fine - the die-cut fins were identical, and there were no ill-fitting parts.

I had two problems with my kit, which had been ordered from Hobbylinc.com. The body tube had a slight crease to it, and the engine hook wasn't springy - once bent outward to fit an engine into place, it has to be bent back into place. I was able to minimize the visual impact of the crease by putting my launch lug on top of it.

Finishing:
My daughter and I painted our Big Betty with Dutch Boy Instant Chrome. The paint was shiny and nice, but it picked up fingerprints very easily. The kit only comes with one underwhelming "Big Betty" decal. We grabbed a few decals from rocket kits I bought fifteen years ago. Those decals, I learned, became VERY delicate. They flaked apart, requiring a bit of jig-saw puzzle work to have them look OK. After putting the decals on, we sprayed the rocket with Krylon Crystal Clear. Unfortunately, the lovely Chrome turned into Ugly Mottled Grey. The nosecone, which I didn't clear-coat, is still shiny.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
My daughter and I flew Big Betty (we've named it the Silver Patriot, owing to the decals and paint-job) three times on Saturday. Preparation of the rocket was easy enough for my daughter, age 7, to do by herself. The 14" parachute fits into the 1.6" body tube very easily. We used four sheets of early-'80s vintage Estes wadding.

The first flight was on an Estes B6-2. The rocket flew straight up, about 200 feet or so. It's big and slow, so it's easy to follow, though the grey we ended up with could be lost against an overcast sky. Ejection was before apogee, and the descent was just the right rate - it suffered no damage, though it landed on some metal bleachers.

The second flight was on a C6-3. I would guess it went up 500-600 feet, slow enough to follow. Ejection was again, before apogee. The softball players in the next field were impressed with the flight, particularly when I caught it on the way down. The third flight was on a C6-5. Ejection seemed to be just past apogee. The parachute didn't open completely, and the rocket descended fast, in a corkscrew fashion. The rocket landed in a muddy field, and suffered no damage. Unfortunately, my daughter ran towards the rocket with a bit too much gusto, and slid into that same mud. Both rocket and daughter washed up nicely when we got home.

Recovery:
The Big Betty uses the "Quest method" shock-cord which has a very thin Kevlar® cord tied to the engine mount. The Kevlar® is long enough to stick out of the rocket tube an inch or two, where it is then tied to an 18" piece of round elastic, which is then tied to the nosecone and parachute. I am concerned about the Kevlar®, because it is very narrow, and the body tube is already showing indentations at the front. Zippering seems likely if the delay is further off than I've already had.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
I really like the Big Betty. More importantly, my 7-year-old does, too. It's big, easy to build, easy to prep, easy to track, and unlikely to be lost. I spent less than $8.00 for this rocket, which I think is a really good deal, even if the engine hook is lame. I am assuming that the creased body tube was a fluke. If I get another rocket from Quest or Hobbylinc which is damaged, I'll amend this review.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 for being a solid kit at a bargain price.

Background:

This spring I ran a build session for faculty kids at the school where I teach. I ended up using the Quest Bright Hawk for the 7-9 year olds and the Quest Big Betty for the 10-12 year olds. After the build session, I began thinking about the types of rockets that would make great first builds for a budding rocketeer. I wanted to select rockets to compare that had the following in common:

• BT-60 body tube
• Parachute recovery
• Balsa fins
• Engine hook motor retention
• Reasonable Price
• Stable flight performance
• A rocket that can fly on small athletic fields and can be viewed in all aspects of flight. In other words, no Alphas, Wizards, or Vikings.

I ended up selecting 3 rockets that fit these criteria. The Estes Big Bertha, the Quest Big Betty, and the Fliskits Rhino.

Click Here for the Comparison Article.

Construction:

The Big Betty is a pretty simple build. The only trick to the Big Betty is also a positive: construction of the motor mount with the Kevlar recovery system attached. There is also an engine hook, although not as beefy as the Estes type. The motor mount is not as long as the Big Bertha motor mount, but it fits nicely into the Quest BT-60 body tube. The Big Betty only has 3 fins, shaped very similar to the Big Bertha design. I simply shaped the fins and then rounded the edges. Using the double glue method, they are easy to attach. I added fillets to the fins, then worked on the parachute (attached shroud lines), and then attached the nose cone. Now I was ready for finishing.

Finishing:

Finishing was done with primer and Fill-N-Finish. After all was said and done, I gave it a couple coats of orange, and then put on the self-stick decals. The body wrap "Big Betty" actually went on easily. The self-stick decals for the fins are difficult, because after sanding the fins may be slightly shorter than the actual decal. The decals may require a little trimming. On my rocket, the decals are starting to peel off the fins. This is usually my experience with self-stick decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:

I think the Big Betty puts in a higher performance than the Big Bertha. It, too, is a very stable design and is easy to see in all aspects of flight. Since the body tube is nice and wide, young racketeers have less conflicts in prepping the bird for flight. Due to its lighter weight (nose cone is light, centering rings are thin, motor mount is not as long as the Big Bertha), it is a higher flyer than the Big Bertha.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Brief:
While nearly identical to the Estes Big Bertha, the Quest Big Betty has still managed to carve out a niche in the entry level market with her upgraded recovery system and lower price. While she is a pretty close copy, she does feature three fins instead of the Bertha's four, making construction marginally simpler while keeping performance right in line with her sister kit.

Construction:
The parts list:

• 18" body tube
• plastic nose cone
• motor mount tube
• engine clip
• thrust ring
• 2 centering rings
• die cut fin sheet
• 2" launch lug
• 24" elastic shock cord
• 24" Kevlar® shock cord
• 14" parachute
• decal

Like her fraternal twin, the Estes Big Bertha, the Big Betty is an almost completely agreeable skill level one kit. Construction is as basic as it gets and possibly even easier since the large size of the rocket allows easier access to both internal and external parts. The only thing about the construction process that vaguely resembles a "gotcha" is the loose fit of the nose cone, easily countered with a bit of masking tape. I chose the quick route on this project, affixing the fins first with LocTite Gel CA, then more securely anchoring them into place with heavy glue fillets using Elmer's Wood Glue. I also used wood glue in attaching the motor mount and recovery system. (Speaking of the recovery system, I continue to laud Quest for including a length of Kevlar® as a part of the shock cord anchor.) Construction was finished with the addition of a medium snap swivel to attach the nose cone to the shock cord, something I did on all of the kits in this comparison except for the Tangent, which had its recovery system fully functional right from the box.

Finishing:
I also went the simple route on finishing for the Big Betty. Tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated with a couple of coats of thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and a brisk sanding. The rocket was then sprayed with Valspar white primer, which was allowed to dry overnight. The rocket was then sprayed with two coats of Valspar Harvest Orange, (only because I happened to be out of Valspar Bumblebee gloss.) The large, simple sticker decals were then affixed (horrid things), and the whole rocket sprayed with a coat of clear acrylic. Despite the ugly decals, Big Betty turned out to be a pretty decent looking girl.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Flight:
For purposes of this comparison, I decided to fly each of the rockets on a C6-5, a B6-4, and a B4-2. The Big Betty is most clearly at home with the C6-5, posting a high, arcing flight that wouldn't be out of place on a small field if you were flying on a windless day. As it was, I wasn't and Betty took me on a merry chase across the field, finally allowing me to catch her on a neighboring soccer field. Impressive flight, but the stock 14" parachute could be reefed without worry.

The B6-4 flight wasn't nearly as high, but followed almost the exact flight path as the wind caused the rocket to cock away from the pad. This time the recovery walk wasn't quite as bad, but my legs aren't what they used to be. I was really looking forward to the B4-2 round of flights.

On a B4-2, the Big Betty flew exactly like the other three rockets in the comparison. The B4-2 barely seemed to be enough to get her off the pad, and her near stop and sudden kick to the right almost made it seem like she was posing for me so I could get the best possible launch shot. I still missed it.

Recovery:
The 14" chute is a pretty good fit for a rocket of this size, but the gripper tabs, while not a problem on a kit with a body tube the size of the Big Betty, are going to be difficult to work with on smaller models. As it is, the stock chute does its job quite well and could even be reefed without surrendering any of its ability to bring the rocket down safely.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
PROs: Easy to build. Kevlar® shock cord included. Reliable small field performance. Price.

CONs: Ill fitting nose cone. Sticker decals are unimaginative and way too thick.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out of 5