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

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

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

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

Dad: Once again, matey, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Begad! Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. Begad! 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! Ya scallywag! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Well, 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. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Normally, ya bilge rat, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, but since these fins are through t' wall, arrr, 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. Blimey! Ahoy! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, TTW fins is way overkill. Begad! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

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

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Blimey! Blimey! That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. I much prefer water slide. Ya scallywag! Blimey! That said, ya bilge rat, as per me usual superstitious approach, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, arrr, it's comin' back. Avast! Blimey! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, ya bilge rat, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Other prep is standard. 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. Steppin' into high power, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Well, blow me down! Just stronger materials. Arrr! At a certain point, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I haven't flown mine yet. Ahoy! Weather hasn't been good enough.

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