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

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

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

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

Dad: Once again, ya bilge rat, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. Arrr! 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! Blimey! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, arrr, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Aye aye! Blimey! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Normally, matey, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, but since these fins are through t' wall, me hearties, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

Speakin' o' which, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I wonder why Estes went with through t' wall fins for this kit and only an 18mm mount. Avast! Blimey! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, arrr, TTW fins is way overkill. Blimey! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I be at it, arrr, 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. 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, me proud beauty! Begad! 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, arrr, 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, me proud beauty! Says I'll never get it back. Maybe, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but it's fun. Begad! Besides, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, 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. Begad! That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. Arrr! Begad! I much prefer water slide. Aye aye! That said, matey, arrr, as per me usual superstitious approach, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. 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. Begad! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, ya bilge rat, it's comin' back. Avast! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, me bucko, arrr, somethin' bad has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, ya bilge rat, it's all typical. Blimey! Sand and seal t' fins. Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Begad! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. T' spirals actually aren't too bad, shiver me timbers, and t' tube is white. 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, let's go fly. Blimey! Seriously. Begad! Yeah, I could take some time t' make it look good, shiver me timbers, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Let's fly. Ahoy! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Begad! Ahoy! I'll take more time on that one.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Dad: For all our rockets larger than 1" diameter, me hearties, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Arrr! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, matey, but t' larger ones just take too much. Arrr! Besides, arrr, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

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

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! What he said. Begad! Ahoy! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Blimey! Blimey! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, it will be typical Estes. Arrr! T' chute is too big, ya bilge rat, and it will float, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! As we get a chance t' fly these, 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. 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, 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