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, "Can I do justice t' this?" T' answer, as usual, me bucko, is "not really" but I am close enough to give it a shot. Arrr! I picked it out as t' "next victim" before Easter, ya bilge rat, opened it up, shiver me timbers, read t' directions and promptly got bogged down with work, ya bilge rat, family and such. Arrr! Avast! 7 weeks later, I actually started with just a little bit o' build time.

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

As is fairly common, construction begins with t' motor mount. Begad! Begad! A slit was cut for t' retainer hook. Begad! A thrust ring was glued into one end and some tape be 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. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There are 2 centerin' rings. I like t' use Keelhaul®©™® to connect t' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Usually, me bucko, me hearties, 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. In a recent TRF thread, I read somethin' that made me reconsider. Arrr! Blimey! It had t' do with locatin' the Keelhaul®©™® as far towards t' outside as possible t' maximize its life. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! That makes sense although thar be nay much difference in this particular case. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! I then dropped t' eye bolt and Keelhaul®©™® through and recovered them safely on t' other side. Well, blow me down! Now, 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. Arrr! 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. Blimey! Way too far. Blimey! Well, blow me down! 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. Avast! In deepenin' desperation, I got up and looked around. Ahoy! My careless wife had left a wooden kitchen spoon layin' in t' dryin' rack and that seemed t' be just t' ticket. I put it in from t' forward end, ya bilge rat, but t' handle was too short. T' spoon part hit t' end o' t' BT just as t' end o' the handle made contact. Blimey! Begad! I withdrew it knowin' that I only had a few moments t' spare t' look around for somethin' else. Blimey! Ahoy! 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. Begad! 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, matey, the rocket won o' course. 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. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' glue was fairly stiff but I got it moved.

With great satisfaction, me hearties, I returned t' aluminum tube t' a place o' me choosing. 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 was t' cut out t' wrap around fin guide and transfer t' lines onto t' BT. Aye aye! That be easy enough and t' lines were lengthened with t' help o' a door corner. 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. Arrr! 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. Begad! I decided t' go ahead and assemble these so that they might be ready t' glue t' t' wings. Blimey! Begad! They went together easy enough and were o' uniform size so t' sandin' needed t' shape them be minimal. Arrr! Aye aye! A simple layer o' yellow glue was applied and then t' oval was pressed into place. Blimey! T' process be repeated on t' opposite side and then all was repeated with t' other pod. Avast! I ensured that t' edges were aligned, arrr, laid t' assemblies flat, and set them aside t' dry.

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

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

T' kit has two smallish fins that are t' be located on t' ventral surface, ya bilge rat, spaced betwixt t' launch lug and the wings. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Followin' t' instructions exactly would mean that they are installed and then have their leading, me bucko, me bucko, outer, and trailin' edges rounded. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Then reluctantly, I put it away for t' night.

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

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

With t' fins in place, arrr, I turned me attention t' t' tail. It comes in 2 pieces. Begad! There is a main body and a long angular fairing. Both were glued into place with some CA. T' main portion was 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. Aye aye! T' ends o' t' dowel need t' be rounded. I used sandpaper and a sandin' stick, ya bilge rat, rotatin' t' dowel with a changin' angle until it be passable. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! If I was still practicin' structural engineering, I would call Mr. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Magness and ask about t' species o' wood. I specialized in heavy timber construction and this stuff was hard and durable. Begad! Blimey! It may have really been A36 steel with simulated wood grain. Begad! I am nay a practicin' engineer anymore, arrr, however, ya bilge rat, so I just disgraced myself as a man o' t' cloth with me strong epithets.

After t' dowel be shaped, it too was put in place on top o' t' tail fin with a bead o' CA. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! Make sure you get it on straight. That will be important in t' next step. Aye aye! Blimey! I was careless. T' dowel went on straight but favors one side a bit more than t' other. Ya scallywag! I guess it rolled t' t' side a fraction. Well, blow me down! 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! Begad! I let them dry overnight before tacklin' t' other side.

T' next step was t' work on t' horizontal stabilizers o' t' tail assembly. Ahoy! Unlike in previous steps, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me hearties, the instructions here say t' round t' leading, trailin' and tip edges before installing. Begad! That be easily accomplished with a sandin' stick. Well, blow me down! Arrr! 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, I had t' make some compensations. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' rod is straight, fore and aft, ya bilge rat, matey, but is a little bit more on t' starboard side than the port. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' horizontal surfaces are mounted t' t' rod and canted a bit. I had t' dry fit things several times to find out what t' best compromise was. Arrr!

T' kit provided a cardstock alignment jig t' cut out and use t' get t' proper angle. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I am indebted t' Squirrel Works for this. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It made t' process go easier than otherwise would have been t' case. Begad! I put some CA on t' root edge and eyeballed it into place on t' rod. Ahoy! While it still had some play, matey, I used t' jig t' get t' angle right. Well, me hearties, blow me down! When it had set up, 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, shiver me timbers, trailing, and tip edges were rounded, and they were glued into place with CA along t' lines extended from t' wings. Arrr! Ahoy! 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. 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. Ya scallywag! This be done with yellow glue. Ya scallywag! 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. Arrr! A single 1/8" lug is provided. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! T' instructions directed me t' cut it in half and glue t' pieces along t' line I had marked on t' ventral surface. Ahoy! This be 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 be t' fillet t' undersides o' t' canards and horizontal stabilizers. Aye aye! This be 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. Ya scallywag! Based upon me experience and things I have read, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I suspect that I may nay have been thinnin' it with enough water. Begad! Blimey! T' application I used on t' Firebird was 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. If I had a few more tools with which t' reach t' hard places, me hearties, arrr, and this model has many, I think it would have been even better. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! As it stands now though, matey, I am well pleased.

I sprayed on a coat o' Kilz primer and let it dry. Begad! A few hours later, I sprayed on another coat. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! In doin' so, I was able t' see some sandin' imperfections that escaped me before. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Still, shiver me timbers, it is one o' me better attempts. Aye aye! Blimey!

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

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

I am nay a big fan o' yellow but I sure like t' way it looked on t' facecard. Nay havin' any on hand, shiver me timbers, I went back t' Home Depot t' discover that t' yellow selection was limited. Arrr! There were plenty o' designer shades, shiver me timbers, usually pastel, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, goin' for 8 or 9 dollars a can. Besides that, matey, thar was just a single can o' House Brand, me bucko, bargain basement gloss yellow for $1.99 a can. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! It is expensive but I am now a believer and will never go back. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It went on easily and t' edges seemed t' know they were supposed t' stay down. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It aligned easily and had an uncanny knack for knowin' when I wanted it t' stick and when I didn't. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' top half was masked off and a bit o' aluminum foil be used t' cover t' tail assembly. Aye aye! Blimey! I then gave t' yellow a try.

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

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

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

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

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

T' NC line on t' port side went fine. Begad! Then tragedy struck in t' form o' me evil cat, Jezebel. Well, blow me down! Without going into details, me hearties, first o' t' big window sections was destroyed.

At that point, me hearties, I bewailed me fate on TRF and tried t' buy another set o' decals. In this I was unsuccessful. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Don Magness, t' proprietor o' Squirrel Works be sympathetic t' t' depredations o' satanic cats and would nay sell me a replacement. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Instead, me hearties, me bucko, he gave them t' me. Well, matey, blow me down! More than that, ya bilge rat, matey, he sent 2 sets. Begad! Little did I know how much I would need them.

When I got back t' work, arrr, I warmed up by puttin' on t' aileron decals first. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Then it be time t' get down to business with t' striping. Avast! Ya scallywag! 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, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I realized me mistake. Well, blow me down! T' black line has t' sit right on t' line betwixt t' yellow and white paint. Avast! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Also sittin' on that line are wings and t' forward canards. Begad! Ya scallywag! I had left too much material on t' decal for it t' fit. Avast, me proud beauty! I tried correctin' things but wound up ruinin' t' decal.

I was horrified. Luckily, ya bilge rat, Don Magness had a premonition o' me meager skills and sent an extra set. Begad! Blimey! I now only had one set left. Well, blow me down! 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, me hearties, especially on t' starboard side which looks pretty good. T' port side looks less good, me bucko, particularly over t' forward canard. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! At this point, t' decal "gripped" before I was finished placin' it. Begad! T' result is a slightly curved set o' windows over t' canard. Begad! Ya scallywag!

Let me emphasize 2 things. T' problems I had were entirely due t' me and an evil cat. Arrr! Ahoy! Also, me bucko, me hearties, Squirrel Works rose above t' call o' duty in customer relations.

T' end result looks good, me bucko, me bucko, especially when viewed from t' "good side".

I decided that I wanted t' do one more thin' before applyin' t' Future Floor Polish. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor tube looked kind of sad with t' top bein' a cloudy white and t' bottom bein' a splotchy yellow. Begad! I decided t' paint it a metallic bronze. With that done and dry, ya bilge rat, t' whole thin' got a couple coats o' future and it be 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, but nothin' was goin' t' deprive me o' my first launch window in a long while. Ya scallywag! My first rocket be t' Firebird conservatively powered with an A8-3. Ahoy! It looked pretty good sittin' on t' pad and it looked even better headin' up. Aye aye! It got up a fair ways and t' chute deployed perfectly. Comin' down was nay too shabby either. Avast! In fact, I thought things had gone perfectly until I took a closer look. 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