Reviews : Estes Baby Bertha Model Rocket Kit

As a teacher of Electronics and Aerospace Technologies at a Technology Center I am always looking for exciting ways to get my students involved in activities that will challenge them but, at the same time provide them with a rewarding sense of accomplishment, increased self esteem and most importantly an opportunity to have some fun while learning. The Estes Baby Bertha is one of the rockets I really like to use as an entry level kit within my curriculum (in fact I recently ordered 30 kits). It provides an esay build for the students, has awesome and reliable flight characteristics and make a great looking rocket a student can be proud of!! I highly recommend the Baby Bertha to anyone looking for an entry level rocket that certainly doesn't look like an entry level rocket and gives excellent performance at a reduced cost compared to the larger scale model. The materials of construction will allow for many flights and the straight forward assembly instructions make the Estes Baby Bertha a definate win,win! Clear Skies!

This is a good kit to take your next step from E2X series of Estes Rockets. Provides all the principles of starting from parts to finished rocket in a kit. Will get you started to hone you skills on balsa, spiral paper body tubes and plastic nose cones. Making and mounting engine mounts, priming and finishing skills. The decal is now a self adhesive which I prefer water slide decals. Once the rocket is finished it fly's great with slow lift offs and gently recover on any size 18mm mother. So it's easy to launch from any size field they you may choose. And if something goes wrong during the process, parts are easy to obtain to correct the problem. Or if you decide to scrap it, or it lawn darts for some reason, you're not out much. This has maintained presence in my show collection as well as my flying collection for decades. It's always a crowd pleaser, especially when followed by the Big Bertha. Highly Recommend this kit for the young and those getting started out.

I have built both the Big Bertha and Super Big Bertha and they are both excellent rockets to build and fly, but when I saw the Baby Bertha my mind said, It's time for more power and size. So I purchased the Baby Bertha, along with some BT-80 tubes and the blunt BT-80 nose cone, for upscaling to a Super Baby Bertha. I never have been satisfied by the limited thrust of 18mm motors, so I bought a Pro Series 24mm engine retainer, for the Baby Bertha and 29mm engine retainer for the Super Baby Bertha, along with some BT-50 and 29mm motor tubes and appropriate centering rings. I redrew the fin pattern for through wall mounting. The Baby Bertha should be a very impressive launch with at least 5 times as much power, from C motors to F motors . The Super Baby Bertha will fly on G motors and another Pro Series for Estes, or like me, scratch build it yourself .

After completing some Estes Easy to Assemble (E2X) series kits my 6-year-old daughter was ready to try a big kid kit. We selected this one because of it's simplicity and small size for small hands while having maximum potential for decorating. For Dad this first rocket project to teach sanding, gluing and finishing. This kit goes together in a snap with and was easy to help coach her along on her first Skill Lv 1 kit. Of course, the hardest part was getting assembling the fins to the airframe aligned properly but with use of a fin alignment guide they came out pretty straight. Overall a rewarding first build for her, and minimal frustration for dad. We cannot wait for next calm Sunday for a launch.

I have built more of these than I can remember. It is a basic, old-school style, balsa 4FNC bird that retains some of the cooler traits of it's larger sister (The Big Bertha). The overlarge, swept fins, short stature and blunt nosecone combine to provide enough drag for slow, realistic looking take-offs that are easier to photograph. Altitudes approaching '1000 or higher are possible on C motors but the Baby Bertha flies just as well on Bs and As. One of my personal favorites, I currently have one built and one waiting to be built. Converts successfully to 24mm motors with a little extra nose weight.

I built a Big Bertha many years ago, and recently discovered the Baby Bertha. When I opened the Baby Bertha kit I was a little let down. The balsa sheet looked like it was joined from two different pieces of balsa, half the sheet was a light color, the other half was darker, with a ridge in the middle. A little sanding took care of it just fine, and the fins appeared stronger at the joint. Also, I really prefer waterslide decals as opposed to peel and stick. In the end, it didn't matter much because I didn't use the decals anyhow. I do believe I like the Baby Bertha better than her big sister.

Balsa fin rocket with unique proportions that look impressive on the shelf or on the launch-pad. Easy build that would make a good introduction to model rocketry or taking the step from ready to fly or almost ready to fly. Rocket is well balanced and flies straight however the recommended motors do not deploy the chute at apogee or near apogee which makes for some pretty tense recoveries with the chute deploying at about 50-75 feet and filling just in time to catch the rocket before it touches down. Makes for a short walk to recover the rocket, so I guess it's a plus ;)

Like a lot of old rocket guys, I went through a Goony phase at one point, and for a while it was unusual for me to come home from a shopping expedition without at least one Baby Bertha. I still have the plans and decals for an Excelsior GoonyDent, which I believe takes three kits to complete, so there's a fair chance that I'll eventually return to my bad old ways and buy more. Great small field flyer all to itself, as well. A8-3 or B6-4 depending on proximity to the trees and personal bravery.

Just as stable as the Big Bertha, and just as easy to build. Stable flight, soft recovery within feet of the launch pad. My first flight had the nose separate from the body. The body did a header into the turf (no damage) and the cone landed 100 yards downwind. There's a lot of force from the C engine ejection charge and it's confined to a short body. Double check your knot and add a dab of glue to the knot...

A great rocket on any B or C motor... the A's make me think is it really going to leave the pad but on any motor i have stuffed in her she has had a great flight... This kit is truly a must have in any collection... One thing i highly recommend is using epoxy fillets or LOTS of glue if you are going to be landing on a hard surface...

Slow and low launch on A8 was great for a windy day on small field. On a C6 it really took off. Switched out the chute for a streamer to keep it close.

This is great fun to build. Great rocket overall. If you want a reliable launcher get this rocket.

I used to fire off the Big Bertha over 20 years ago. Was a great rocket then, still fun!

Fun build. Flies great. Built and flown with grandson who is getting into rockets.

I got this kit for my 8-year-old son, and he loves it! Fun to build and fly.

This rocket flies high and straight, would definitely buy again.