Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Avast! Ahoy! Up t' this point, ya bilge rat, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, he's been doin' more and more, matey, me hearties, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Ahoy! Begad! This will be his first purely solo build, ya bilge rat, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Arrr! 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. Nothin' dramatic or fancy, me hearties, here, just a solid design with classic lines.

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Blimey! Plastic nose cone, matey, ya bilge rat, pre-cut fins, matey, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Begad! Blimey! T' body tube is a good length o' BT-55 1.325" tubing, me hearties, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Begad! Ya scallywag! For standard 18mm motors, me bucko, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Ahoy! Begad! 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. Blimey! What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. Arrr! I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Aye aye! Let's see. Arrr! 24mm motor mount, ya bilge rat, me bucko, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. Well, blow me down! OK. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm good t' go. Let's get building.

Dad: Once again, ya bilge rat, 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. There are a couple minor changes that I make t' all Estes kits.

Namely t' recovery section.

I always toss t' 3-fold concept. Blimey! Arrr! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Arrr! Blimey! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, matey, matey, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Avast! 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, me bucko, I wonder why Estes went with through t' wall fins for this kit and only an 18mm mount. Arrr! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, arrr, TTW fins is way overkill. O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, he taught me, arrr, so, shiver me timbers, yeah, 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. Well, blow me down! T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. Arrr! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, and put t' third rin' on top. Avast! Hah! Mines stronger.

While I was at it, arrr, shiver me timbers, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Begad! I also left off t' motor block. Aye aye! 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. Blimey! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Ya scallywag! Bigger, ya bilge rat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey! Begad! Says I'll never get it back. Arrr! Maybe, shiver me timbers, but it's fun. Ahoy! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Begad! That means peel and stick. Blimey! I really don't like them. Avast, me proud beauty! I much prefer water slide. Ahoy! That said, arrr, as per me usual superstitious approach, arrr, shiver me timbers, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Arrr! 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. If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, it's comin' back. Avast! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, matey, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

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

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

Other prep is standard. Aye aye! Begad! Yes, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Aye aye! Aye aye! Steppin' into high power, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Just stronger materials. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! At a certain point, me hearties, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, me bucko, shiver me timbers, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

Son: What he said. Arrr! Blimey! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. I haven't flown mine yet. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! Weather hasn't been good enough.

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

Son: So, arrr, ya bilge rat, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5