Brief:
The Vega is and was the Semroc answer to the Big Bertha, something that Carl McLawhorn freely admits in the instructions. The Vega's design is closer to the EIRP Big Bertha plan than to the actual kit that was later introduced, but as a result of the "mistake" the Vega has a character of its own and resembles the standard-bearer Big Bertha kit less than the Quest Big Betty.

Construction:
The kit includes:

• 1 ST-16180 Body Tube
• 1 ST-730E Body Tubes
• 1 BC-1631 Balsa Nose Cone
• 1 FV-25 Laser Cut Fin Set
• 1 CR-KV-25 Centering Ring Set
• 1 TR-7 Thrust Ring
• 1 LL-122 Launch Lug
• 1 EH-28 Engine Hook
• 1 SE-10 Screw Eye
• 1 EC-124 Elastic Cord
• 1 SCK-24 Kevlar® Thread
• 1 RC-12 Plastic Parachute
• 1 TD-6 Tape Disc
• 1 SLT-6 Shroud Lines
• 1 DKV-25 Decal

While it has roots in the '60s, the Vega is all 21st century, making it the most satisfying building experience between the four kits in this comparison. The instructions are done in the typical Semroc style, a well illustrated, nicely detailed booklet that doubles as a face card and includes a color picture of the finished Vega.

The Vega benefits from the use of laser cut fins and in the generous use of Kevlar® in anchoring the shock cord, making it the most up-to-date of the rockets in the comparison. Construction is typical of most skill level 1 kits with nothing resembling a "gotcha" anywhere in the process. The instruction booklet is thorough and well explained. I'd prefer a fin placement wrap to the "circle on a page" method that Semroc uses, but this might not bother most builders. After sanding and shaping the laser cut fins, I tacked them into place with LocTite Gel CA, then used Elmer's Wood Glue for the fillets and installation of the motor mount.

Finishing:
The body tube, fins and nose cone were all treated with two coats of thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and the requisite sanding. The rocket was sprayed with Valspar primer, then gloss white. I attempted to mask off the fins to obtain the paint scheme shown on the kit card, but I could tell that my masking skills weren't up to the task before I sprayed even the first light coat of paint. Instead I masked off the body tube and sprayed all four fins, the nose cone, and a stripe on the body tube with Valspar Cherry Red Gloss. From here it was a simple matter of affixing the small Vega decal. The finished product looks great, and I like it better than the actual suggested paint scheme.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The nice thing about this comparison was the similarity of the flights of all four rockets. This isn't much of a surprise because all four are large and stable with plenty of fin area to catch the slightest breeze. The Vega on the C6-5 cocked into the wind as it left the pad but still recovered well downrange, probably the farthest walk that I had during the whole comparison. The B6-4 flight was as expected: a great flight for a calm day on a small field, while the B4-2 flight was another of the flights that seemed to hang in midair for a moment as it left the rod before the thrust kicked in. (No matter how many times I see a rocket do this, it causes a sharp intake of breath.)

Recovery:
Recovery was an area where the Vega did exceptionally well in this comparison because of the weather conditions of the day I chose and the 12" chute included with the kit. The 12" chute was more than enough to bring the rocket down safely and at the same time, small enough that it didn't create any added hang time with the wind. Since less hang time equals less of a recovery walk, I'm all for the smaller chute. (I might even consider reefing it.)

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
PROs: Impressive performance. Most up-to-date rocket in the comparison.

CONs: Decals could be more expansive. (Maybe a Semroc logo for a fin?)

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Brief:
Semroc has reintroduced their 1969 design that takes its design from the Estes Big Bertha. This was also the forerunner to their Goliath. This is a fairly easy 4FNC build with classic styling and flies great.

Construction:
Semroc's components are excellent quality with virtually spiral free tubes, good balsa, and a Kevlar® and elastic shock cord. Their kits are always a good value.

The parts list include:

• BT-60 body tube
• Balsa nose cone
• 4 Laser-cut balsa fins
• 18mm motor mount assembly (metal hook, motor block)
• 20/60 centering rings
• Kevlar®/elastic shock cord
• 12" Plastic chute
• Waterslide decal

As Bill noted in his review, the instructions are clearly written and packed with good notes and tips. I agree with Bill's peeve concerning the tube marking template--I prefer a wrap although in this case, I pulled out my trusty Estes plastic tube marking tool.

The construction is a basic 4 fins and a nose cone and not worth elaborating in a second review. I deviated a little bit though, mounting the lug a bit forward of the fins to make masking a bit easier.

Finishing:
I'm a pretty decent masker/painter and will admit I too found the standard paint scheme a bit intimidating. Rather than try to mask off trim lines around all fin edges, I opted for solid color fins. I'd conservatively say this saved me about 90 minutes of work plus avoided the unpleasant language that would surely have spewed from my mouth when noticing slight inconsistencies in the size of my trim lines.

I wound up using two coats of Plastikote primer, sanding between coats with 200 grit paper. This was enough to completely mask what little spirals on the body tube. I followed up with two coats of Rustoleum gloss white then masked to trim the cherry red nose cone, fins, and body stripe.

There was also a waterslide Vega logo decal, which was great quality as well as easy to apply and the clear is completely invisible.

I was a little surprised though, that there was no decal for the body stripe. Given that there is a decal sheet, I would have thought the stripe would be a cheap/easy addition, compared to the nuisance of painting it.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
For the first flight, I went with a fairly wimpy B4-4. It flew straight then slightly weathercocked to only about 200-300 feet altitude. The 4 second delay was fine and it made it safely back for a repeat flight attempt. I followed up with a C6-5, which was a much better choice. The delay was right on the money and the flight was perfect. You really can't go wrong with this kit.

Recovery:
The 12" plastic chute was fine, but the first flight landed a bit rough right on the tip of the fins. That flight was on soft ground so there was no damage, but on dry, firm ground I'd consider sliding up to 15" chute on this.

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out of 5