Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Ahoy! Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, he's been doin' more and more, ya bilge rat, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Begad! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, arrr, blow me down! This will be his first purely solo build, matey, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! After this, me bucko, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Well, blow me down! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! if I think he's ready.

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

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Begad! Ya scallywag! Plastic nose cone, arrr, pre-cut fins, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Begad! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, matey, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

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

Dad: Once again, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, 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. Ya scallywag! Normally, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, TTW fins is way overkill. Well, blow me down! O' course, shiver me timbers, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I be at it, matey, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I also left off t' motor block. 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! 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. Well, blow me down! Bigger, faster, me bucko, 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. Avast! Says I'll never get it back. Aye aye! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. Ya scallywag! I much prefer water slide. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! That said, shiver me timbers, as per me usual superstitious approach, shiver me timbers, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Begad! Well, blow me down! 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. Blimey! 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, it's all typical. Arrr! Blimey! Sand and seal t' fins. Aye aye! Blimey! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Arrr! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. T' spirals actually aren't too bad, me bucko, me bucko, and t' tube is white. If you go with t' factory color scheme (white) you could probably get away without filling.

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Dad: For all our rockets larger than 1" diameter, shiver me timbers, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Aye aye! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, matey, but t' larger ones just take too much. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Besides, 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. Avast! Ahoy! Steppin' into high power, ya bilge rat, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Begad! Begad! Just stronger materials. At a certain point, ya bilge rat, 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. Ahoy! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. I haven't flown mine yet. Blimey! Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. What he said. Avast! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, it will be typical Estes. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' chute is too big, and it will float, shiver me timbers, arrr, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. As we get a chance t' fly these, me hearties, me bucko, 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. Ahoy! T' primary goal was t' give him a solo build t' validate he has t' skills necessary t' attempt his cert build.

Son: So, matey, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5