Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Ya scallywag! Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Well, blow me down! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, arrr, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, he's been doin' more and more, matey, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Well, blow me down! Begad! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, matey, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This will be his first purely solo build, matey, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. After this, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Begad! Begad! if I think he's ready.

T' Firebird is a fairly basic single stage Estes offering. Nothin' dramatic or fancy, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, here, just a solid design with classic lines.

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Avast! Plastic nose cone, me bucko, pre-cut fins, ya bilge rat, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' body tube is a good length o' BT-55 1.325" tubing, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Blimey! For standard 18mm motors, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Blimey! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

Son: Yeah, shiver me timbers, yeah...what he said. Aye aye! Ahoy! What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Let's see. Ahoy! 24mm motor mount, matey, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. OK. Ya scallywag! I'm good t' go. Avast! Let's get building.

Dad: Once again, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. There are a couple minor changes that I make t' all Estes kits.

Namely t' recovery section.

I always toss t' 3-fold concept. I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Ahoy! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Begad! Arrr! Normally, arrr, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, arrr, but since these fins are through t' wall, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

Speakin' o' which, I wonder why Estes went with through t' wall fins for this kit and only an 18mm mount. Aye aye! Blimey! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, TTW fins is way overkill. Begad! Blimey! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, he taught me, so, yeah, shiver me timbers, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. Avast! Since I'm doin' t' 24mm thing, matey, matey, I get t' choose me engine tube size, me hearties, me bucko, so I went with a longer tube, and a third centerin' ring. Aye aye! T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and put t' third rin' on top. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Hah! Mines stronger.

While I be at it, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Avast! I also left off t' motor block. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' down side is I'll need t' use tape t' make "thrust rings" on t' bottom o' Estes engines t' keep them from goin' through t' rocket. Begad! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Bigger, faster, higher! I can't wait t' put a 24mm G motor and watch it rip! Dad's shakin' his head while I'm typin' this. Avast! Says I'll never get it back. Ahoy! Maybe, but it's fun. Well, blow me down! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Arrr! Ahoy! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. That means peel and stick. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I really don't like them. Ahoy! I much prefer water slide. Avast! That said, arrr, as per me usual superstitious approach, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Avast! Ahoy! Why? Because I've found that t' odds o' me losin' a rocket increase exponentially with t' amount o' time I spend on it prior t' it's first flight. If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, arrr, it's comin' back. Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, shiver me timbers, somethin' bad has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, arrr, it's all typical. Avast! Sand and seal t' fins. Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Begad! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, and t' tube is white. If you go with t' factory color scheme (white) you could probably get away without filling.

Son: I'm done building, matey, let's go fly. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Seriously. Blimey! Blimey! Yeah, matey, I could take some time t' make it look good, arrr, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Blimey! Blimey! Let's fly. Avast! Blimey! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Avast! Blimey! I'll take more time on that one.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Dad: For all our rockets larger than 1" diameter, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Well, blow me down! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, but t' larger ones just take too much. Begad! Besides, arrr, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Arrr! Yes, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Aye aye! Steppin' into high power, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Just stronger materials. Ya scallywag! Arrr! At a certain point, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, matey, shiver me timbers, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

Son: What he said. Ahoy! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. I haven't flown mine yet. Begad! Arrr! Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! What he said. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, it will be typical Estes. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' chute is too big, and it will float, me bucko, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! As we get a chance t' fly these, I'll be postin' t' flight logs, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Actual flight is just t' last validation o' t' build in this case. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' primary goal be t' give him a solo build t' validate he has t' skills necessary t' attempt his cert build.

Son: So, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5