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

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

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

Son: Yeah, ya bilge rat, yeah...what he said. What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Begad! Let's see. Arrr! 24mm motor mount, ya bilge rat, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! OK. Ya scallywag! I'm good t' go. Well, blow me down! Let's get building.

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

Namely t' recovery section.

I always toss t' 3-fold concept. Begad! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Ahoy! Avast! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Ahoy! Normally, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, 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. Blimey! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, TTW fins is way overkill. Aye aye! Arrr! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I was at it, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I also left off t' motor block. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! 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! Blimey! I can't wait t' put a 24mm G motor and watch it rip! Blimey! Dad's shakin' his head while I'm typin' this. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Says I'll never get it back. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Maybe, but it's fun. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Ya scallywag! Blimey! (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. I really don't like them. I much prefer water slide. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. 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. Ya scallywag! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, it's comin' back. Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it's all typical. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Sand and seal t' fins. Ahoy! Blimey! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Fill t' spirals in t' tube. T' spirals actually aren't too bad, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and t' tube is white. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! If you go with t' factory color scheme (white) you could probably get away without filling.

Son: I'm done building, arrr, arrr, let's go fly. Avast! Seriously. Well, blow me down! Yeah, arrr, I could take some time t' make it look good, me bucko, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Well, blow me down! Let's fly. Blimey! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. 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. Begad! Blimey! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, but t' larger ones just take too much. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Besides, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

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

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

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