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

T' Firebird is a fairly basic single stage Estes offering. Avast, me proud beauty! Nothin' dramatic or fancy, me bucko, arrr, here, just a solid design with classic lines.

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

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

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

Namely t' recovery section.

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

Speakin' o' which, arrr, 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, ya bilge rat, TTW fins is way overkill. O' course, shiver me timbers, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, me bucko, arrr, matey, he taught me, me bucko, so, me hearties, me bucko, yeah, me hearties, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. 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. Ya scallywag! T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, and put t' third rin' on top. Begad! 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, me proud beauty! I also left off t' motor block. 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. Avast! Aye aye! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Blimey! Arrr! 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. Ahoy! Says I'll never get it back. Blimey! Begad! Maybe, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but it's fun. Begad! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Begad! Arrr! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Blimey! That means peel and stick. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I really don't like them. Begad! I much prefer water slide. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, me hearties, arrr, it's comin' back. Aye aye! Begad! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, me hearties, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

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

Son: I'm done building, shiver me timbers, let's go fly. Seriously. Ya scallywag! Yeah, ya bilge rat, matey, I could take some time t' make it look good, matey, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Aye aye! Let's fly. I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Well, blow me down! I'll take more time on that one.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Dad: For all our rockets larger than 1" diameter, arrr, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, ya bilge rat, but t' larger ones just take too much. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Besides, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

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

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

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