Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Ya scallywag! Begad! Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. 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, he's been doin' more and more, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Aye aye! Avast! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Begad! Arrr! This will be his first purely solo build, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Ahoy! After this, arrr, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Blimey! if I think he's ready.

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

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

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

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

Namely t' recovery section.

I always toss t' 3-fold concept. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, me hearties, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, matey, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Begad! Begad! Normally, ya bilge rat, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, arrr, but since these fins are through t' wall, me bucko, 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. Begad! Ya scallywag! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, shiver me timbers, TTW fins is way overkill. Blimey! O' course, matey, ya bilge rat, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, matey, he taught me, so, ya bilge rat, yeah, ya bilge rat, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Since I'm doin' t' 24mm thing, I get t' choose me engine tube size, so I went with a longer tube, arrr, and a third centerin' ring. T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. Ya scallywag! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, and put t' third rin' on top. Avast! 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. I also left off t' motor block. Ya scallywag! 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. Ahoy! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Begad! Bigger, faster, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! Says I'll never get it back. Begad! Maybe, but it's fun. Blimey! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. (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. Ahoy! I really don't like them. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I much prefer water slide. Avast! Blimey! That said, shiver me timbers, as per me usual superstitious approach, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Arrr! Begad! 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. Arrr! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, me hearties, it's comin' back. Aye aye! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, somethin' bad has happened.

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

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

Other prep is standard. Aye aye! Yes, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Steppin' into high power, shiver me timbers, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Just stronger materials. Arrr! Ahoy! At a certain point, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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. Begad! Begad! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. I haven't flown mine yet. Avast, me proud beauty! Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. 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, like everythin' about this kit, arrr, ya bilge rat, it will be typical Estes. Ahoy! T' chute is too big, and it will float, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Blimey! As we get a chance t' fly these, me bucko, me bucko, arrr, I'll be postin' t' flight logs, arrr, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Begad! Actual flight is just t' last validation o' t' build in this case. Avast, me proud beauty! 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