Brief:
T' Firebird SST is a beautiful lookin' kit that has sat in me build pile for a while as I tried t' answer the question, arrr, "Can I do justice t' this?" T' answer, as usual, shiver me timbers, is "not really" but I am close enough to give it a shot. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I picked it out as t' "next victim" before Easter, shiver me timbers, opened it up, read t' directions and promptly got bogged down with work, me hearties, family and such. Avast! 7 weeks later, shiver me timbers, I actually started with just a little bit o' build time.

Construction:
T' parts were all high quality and all present and accounted for. T' instructions were well written, adequately illustrated and clear.

As is fairly common, construction begins with t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! A slit was cut for t' retainer hook. Well, blow me down! A thrust ring was glued into one end and some tape was wrapped around t' hook and tube.

T' next step called for one o' me small modifications since I don't like tri-fold shock cord mounts. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! There are 2 centerin' rings. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I like t' use Keelhaul®©™® to connect t' t' motor mount. Usually, I do this by cuttin' a groove on t' inside o' t' forward centerin' ring, passin' t' Keelhaul®©™® through and then tyin' t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' tube. Aye aye! Blimey! In a recent TRF thread, arrr, I read somethin' that made me reconsider. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! It had t' do with locatin' the Keelhaul®©™® as far towards t' outside as possible t' maximize its life. Arrr! That makes sense although thar be nay much difference in this particular case. Arrr! I cut a notch in t' outside surface o' t' forward centerin' ring.

I used a swab t' apply t' yellow glue inside t' BT. Avast, me proud beauty! I then dropped t' eye bolt and Keelhaul®©™® through and recovered them safely on t' other side. Avast! Avast! Now, matey, with t' Keelhaul®©™® aligned with t' notch, it was time t' feed t' motor mount into t' BT with gentle tension on t' Keelhaul®©™® to keep everythin' aligned. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It was a bit o' a tight fit so I needed t' apply a bit more tension on t' Keelhaul®©™®...OOPS!

I pulled too hard and t' whole thin' went in too far. Way too far. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! My finger could nay reach far enough in to grip t' motor mount and I looked desperately for somethin' t' push with from t' other side before t' glue set up. Everythin' in sight seemed t' be too short or too fat. In deepenin' desperation, I got up and looked around. Blimey! My careless wife had left a wooden kitchen spoon layin' in t' dryin' rack and that seemed t' be just t' ticket. Arrr! Ahoy! I put it in from t' forward end, but t' handle be too short. Avast! T' spoon part hit t' end o' t' BT just as t' end o' the handle made contact. Blimey! I withdrew it knowin' that I only had a few moments t' spare t' look around for somethin' else. Begad! Aye aye! I noted absently that I would need t' clean a bit o' glue off t' handle before t' wife notices it...but dried yellow glue might be passed off as hardened scrambled eggs. What did she feed t' kids that morning?

In t' race against time as I balanced domestic tranquility with t' precarious state o' me precious rocket, arrr, shiver me timbers, the rocket won o' course. Ya scallywag! Begad! Several drawers later I found a long length o' 1/4" aluminum tube Gracie had thoughtfully hidden for me when I forgot t' put it away and it just manage t' push t' motor mount back t' other way. Blimey! T' glue was fairly stiff but I got it moved.

With great satisfaction, I returned t' aluminum tube t' a place o' me choosing. Arrr! Begad! I remembered t' wipe off the yellow glue/hardened scrambled cackle fruit from t' spoon handle and sat back with a sigh.

T' next step be t' cut out t' wrap around fin guide and transfer t' lines onto t' BT. That be easy enough and t' lines were lengthened with t' help o' a door corner. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Remember t' align t' proper line with t' motor retainin' hook.

T' instruction would then have had me t' glue on t' wings t' t' BT but t' BT was otherwise occupied allowing its glue fillets with t' engine mount t' dry so I skipped ahead. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wings have drop down pods that are formed by gluin' a balsa oval t' both side o' a central balsa oval which integrate a mountin' root. Aye aye! I decided t' go ahead and assemble these so that they might be ready t' glue t' t' wings. Arrr! They went together easy enough and were o' uniform size so t' sandin' needed t' shape them was minimal. Ya scallywag! A simple layer o' yellow glue was applied and then t' oval was pressed into place. Well, blow me down! T' process was repeated on t' opposite side and then all be repeated with t' other pod. I ensured that t' edges were aligned, laid t' assemblies flat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and set them aside t' dry.

T' wings were ready t' be installed. Accordin' t' t' instructions, they should have actually gone on prior to the previous step but now I was ready. Avast! I decided t' install them with CA. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I figured that I had a better chance of keepin' them straight if they hardened into position quickly. Blimey! I used t' lines I had transfered onto t' BT for alignment and me deadlights t' ensure straightness. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' result was nay too shabby.

When t' wings had sufficient time t' stiffen up, t' win' pods were installed. Begad! While they would look find t' my eye hangin' at a right angle, that is nay t' way they are intended t' hang. They are intended t' have a bit o' an angle t' them. T' get t' correct angle, a paper jig is provided. It is simply cut out and set against t' win' and the pod root t' make sure everythin' is at t' correct angle. Again, matey, I used CA t' be sure everythin' set up at t' correct angle while I was still attentive t' such things.

T' kit has two smallish fins that are t' be located on t' ventral surface, arrr, spaced betwixt t' launch lug and the wings. Begad! Followin' t' instructions exactly would mean that they are installed and then have their leading, me hearties, outer, and trailin' edges rounded. That seemed t' me t' be an invitation t' disaster so I sanded t' contours in first.

I filleted t' wing/BT and Wing/pod seams with yellow glue. Avast! Then reluctantly, I put it away for t' night.

When I began work again, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' first task I tackled was t' round t' edges on t' wings. Ahoy! Begad! This be done with a combination o' sandpaper and a sandin' stick. Begad! It was more difficult than I thought it would be. Ahoy! Some o' t' dried glue from t' filletin' process made even removal o' material problematic. Well, blow me down! Also, sandin' t' narrow parts on t' forward tips o' t' wings where they attach t' t' BT was difficult. Avast, me proud beauty! I finally gave up on that part.

T' next thin' t' be done was t' attach t' two little fins on t' ventral surface. Begad! I had already rounded them and they were easily put in place with some CA.

With t' fins in place, I turned me attention t' t' tail. Ya scallywag! It comes in 2 pieces. There is a main body and a long angular fairing. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Both were glued into place with some CA. Avast! Aye aye! T' main portion be done first and checked by eyeball for the correct angle and then t' fairin' was put in place. Make sure that t' two pieces align correctly and are flush with one another.

T' kit is supplied with a wooden dowel that goes on top o' t' tail assembly. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' ends o' t' dowel need t' be rounded. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! I used sandpaper and a sandin' stick, rotatin' t' dowel with a changin' angle until it be passable. Aye aye! Blimey! If I was still practicin' structural engineering, I would call Mr. Magness and ask about t' species o' wood. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I specialized in heavy timber construction and this stuff was hard and durable. Avast! Blimey! It may have really been A36 steel with simulated wood grain. Avast! Blimey! I am nay a practicin' engineer anymore, matey, however, so I just disgraced myself as a man o' t' cloth with me strong epithets.

After t' dowel was shaped, shiver me timbers, it too be put in place on top o' t' tail fin with a bead o' CA. Make sure you get it on straight. That will be important in t' next step. I was careless. Ya scallywag! T' dowel went on straight but favors one side a bit more than t' other. Begad! Blimey! I guess it rolled t' t' side a fraction. Aye aye! I owe another act o' contrition for t' repeated strong language.

With t' dowel more or less in place, I turned t' rocket over in its cradle and filleted t' fins. Blimey! I let them dry overnight before tacklin' t' other side.

T' next step was t' work on t' horizontal stabilizers o' t' tail assembly. Avast! Begad! Unlike in previous steps, matey, the instructions here say t' round t' leading, trailin' and tip edges before installing. That was easily accomplished with a sandin' stick. Puttin' them on was a bit more difficult.

Because I had managed t' make a bit o' a blunder with t' installation o' t' rod on t' vertical stabilizer, me hearties, I had t' make some compensations. T' rod is straight, fore and aft, arrr, but is a little bit more on t' starboard side than the port. T' horizontal surfaces are mounted t' t' rod and canted a bit. Blimey! I had t' dry fit things several times to find out what t' best compromise was. Aye aye!

T' kit provided a cardstock alignment jig t' cut out and use t' get t' proper angle. Begad! I am indebted t' Squirrel Works for this. It made t' process go easier than otherwise would have been t' case. Blimey! I put some CA on t' root edge and eyeballed it into place on t' rod. Aye aye! While it still had some play, I used t' jig t' get t' angle right. Arrr! When it had set up, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I did t' same with t' other side.

T' forward canards were handled in much t' same way as t' horizontal stabilizers but were much simpler. They were cut from t' balsa, t' leading, me hearties, arrr, trailing, and tip edges were rounded, me hearties, and they were glued into place with CA along t' lines extended from t' wings. Well, blow me down! Alignment was by eyeball.

While t' canards were settin' up, I tied t' elastic shock cord off t' t' Keelhaul®©™® and tied t' other end t' t' screw eye inserted into t' nosecone. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' screw was held in place with a dab o' yellow glue.

I then judged that things had progressed far enough for me t' fillet t' dorsal surfaces o' t' canards and horizontal stabilizers. This was done with yellow glue. I put t' model back into its cradle and t' waitin' game began again before can do any more work on it.

I began t' next build session by rememberin' that I had completely forgotten about t' launch lug. Begad! Ya scallywag! A single 1/8" lug is provided. Ahoy! Avast! T' instructions directed me t' cut it in half and glue t' pieces along t' line I had marked on t' ventral surface. This was accomplished with t' expedient o' a short piece o' 1/8" rod t' keep the pieces aligned.

T' only other thin' accomplished in this build session was t' fillet t' undersides o' t' canards and horizontal stabilizers. Ya scallywag! This was done with yellow glue. Ya scallywag! Givin' that a chance t' set up paves t' way t' begin finishing.

Finishing:
Finishin' began with t' application o' a layer o' Elmer's filler. Based upon me experience and things I have read, me bucko, I suspect that I may nay have been thinnin' it with enough water. Arrr! T' application I used on t' Firebird be much wetter than is usual for me.

I liked t' thinner Elmer's. I devoted an evenin' t' sandin' it down as best I can and am rather pleased at the results. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! If I had a few more tools with which t' reach t' hard places, and this model has many, arrr, I think it would have been even better. Well, blow me down! As it stands now though, arrr, I am well pleased.

I sprayed on a coat o' Kilz primer and let it dry. Ahoy! A few hours later, I sprayed on another coat. Begad! Avast! In doin' so, I was able t' see some sandin' imperfections that escaped me before. Arrr! Still, me bucko, it is one o' me better attempts. Well, blow me down!

After sprayin' in t' mornin' and just before noon, I brought t' Firebird inside for another round o' sandin' in the evening. Begad! I wet sanded with 320 grit sandpaper and that removed most o' t' blemishes that had bothered me earlier. I was satisfied enough t' be ready t' paint t' next day.

After t' primer was dry, matey, I sprayed t' entire model with Krylon gloss white. Begad! That made it look white, only more so than before. Arrr! It was an improvement over t' mottled primer/sealer/fingerprints but it did nay really stand out. For that, I needed t' yellow.

I am nay a big fan o' yellow but I sure like t' way it looked on t' facecard. Aye aye! Nay havin' any on hand, shiver me timbers, I went back t' Home Depot t' discover that t' yellow selection was limited. Begad! Aye aye! There were plenty o' designer shades, arrr, usually pastel, goin' for 8 or 9 dollars a can. Begad! Besides that, ya bilge rat, thar was just a single can o' House Brand, me bucko, bargain basement gloss yellow for $1.99 a can. Since I liked t' looks o' t' bargain basement lid better than any o' t' designer ones, I went with that.

I also decided t' try t' Frog maskin' tape mentioned earlier in this thread. Begad! It is expensive but I am now a believer and will never go back. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! It went on easily and t' edges seemed t' know they were supposed t' stay down. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! It aligned easily and had an uncanny knack for knowin' when I wanted it t' stick and when I didn't. Ahoy! Blimey! T' top half was masked off and a bit o' aluminum foil was used t' cover t' tail assembly. Well, blow me down! I then gave t' yellow a try.

A few hours later I peeled off t' tape was was flabbergasted. T' lines were perfect. Avast, me proud beauty! That usually means I peeled up some o' t' underlyin' paint but that be nay t' case this time. Ya scallywag! Arrr! From now on, I'm usin' Frog tape.

T' paint results were t' be considered a miracle until t' real miracle occurred. Avast, me proud beauty! She who must be obeyed, otherwise known as me lovin' wife, Gracie, me hearties, actually said it looked good. Blimey! She had never done that before.

Where this model falls down for me is in t' decals. Avast! This is nay Squirrel Works' fault. Avast! It is strictly me own.

Some very nice waterslides are provided and things started off well. Begad! Avast! I just had t' get t' tail logo on so that went on first. Blimey! So far, arrr, so good. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Addin' t' cockpit was also easy. Blimey! Feelin' cocky, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I decided t' do t' hard part next.

T' hard part consists o' t' stripin' along t' sides. Arrr! On t' nosecone, this consists merely o' a black line that is superimposed on t' line betwixt yellow and white. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Aft o' t' NC, t' same black line is present but thar is the added complication o' windows and hatches. Ahoy! Each side o' t' rocket is intended t' be done with three decals.

T' NC line on t' port side went fine. Well, blow me down! Then tragedy struck in t' form o' me evil cat, Jezebel. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Without going into details, me bucko, matey, first o' t' big window sections be destroyed.

At that point, I bewailed me fate on TRF and tried t' buy another set o' decals. Aye aye! Begad! In this I was unsuccessful. Blimey! Avast! Don Magness, matey, t' proprietor o' Squirrel Works was sympathetic t' t' depredations o' satanic cats and would nay sell me a replacement. Instead, arrr, arrr, me hearties, he gave them t' me. More than that, he sent 2 sets. Aye aye! Ahoy! Little did I know how much I would need them.

When I got back t' work, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I warmed up by puttin' on t' aileron decals first. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then it was time t' get down to business with t' striping. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I cut out t' middle section o' t' port side and placed it in t' water without thinking. When I removed t' decal from t' water and tried t' place it, I realized me mistake. Blimey! Blimey! T' black line has t' sit right on t' line betwixt t' yellow and white paint. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Also sittin' on that line are wings and t' forward canards. Arrr! Blimey! I had left too much material on t' decal for it t' fit. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I tried correctin' things but wound up ruinin' t' decal.

I was horrified. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Luckily, shiver me timbers, Don Magness had a premonition o' me meager skills and sent an extra set. Begad! I now only had one set left. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I decided t' cut t' decal into several shorter and more manageable pieces, me bucko, rememberin' t' trim as close as possible t' t' black line.

By and large, this process worked for me, shiver me timbers, me bucko, especially on t' starboard side which looks pretty good. Begad! T' port side looks less good, particularly over t' forward canard. Avast! At this point, ya bilge rat, t' decal "gripped" before I was finished placin' it. Begad! T' result is a slightly curved set o' windows over t' canard. Avast!

Let me emphasize 2 things. Blimey! T' problems I had were entirely due t' me and an evil cat. Also, Squirrel Works rose above t' call o' duty in customer relations. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' end result looks good, ya bilge rat, especially when viewed from t' "good side".

I decided that I wanted t' do one more thin' before applyin' t' Future Floor Polish. Avast! T' motor tube looked kind of sad with t' top bein' a cloudy white and t' bottom bein' a splotchy yellow. Ahoy! I decided t' paint it a metallic bronze. Begad! Blimey! With that done and dry, shiver me timbers, t' whole thin' got a couple coats o' future and it was deemed ready t' fly.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' day o' t' maiden flight dawned hot...as in hellfire and brimstone, me hearties, but nothin' was goin' t' deprive me o' my first launch window in a long while. Avast! My first rocket was t' Firebird conservatively powered with an A8-3. Avast! It looked pretty good sittin' on t' pad and it looked even better headin' up. Arrr! It got up a fair ways and t' chute deployed perfectly. Comin' down was nay too shabby either. Begad! Aye aye! In fact, I thought things had gone perfectly until I took a closer look. Begad! I had broken off one o' t' horizontal stabilizers on landing.

T' part was found and it is an easy fix but it prevented me from launching this one any more today.

PROs: good flier

CONs: none

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I think this is one o' t' best lookin' rockets Squirrel Works has t' offer. It is a bit challengin' but well within the capabilities o' anyone who has built a few already. I am lookin' forward t' keepin' this one around for a while.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5