Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Ya scallywag! Up t' this point, me bucko, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. We started with me doin' most o' t' building, ya bilge rat, and him as an extra pair o' hands. 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, arrr, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Well, me hearties, blow me down! This will be his first purely solo build, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. After this, me bucko, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Begad! 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. Avast! Plastic nose cone, matey, pre-cut fins, 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, ya bilge rat, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Ahoy! Begad! For standard 18mm motors, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. Avast! I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Let's see. 24mm motor mount, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. Begad! OK. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I'm good t' go. Avast! Let's get building.

Dad: Once again, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, me hearties, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Normally, ya bilge rat, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, but since these fins are through t' wall, shiver me timbers, arrr, me bucko, 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. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, ya bilge rat, TTW fins is way overkill. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I was at it, me bucko, me hearties, me bucko, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Arrr! 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. 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! Arrr! Bigger, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, matey, faster, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! Says I'll never get it back. Blimey! Maybe, but it's fun. Arrr! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

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

As for t' pre-paint finish work, shiver me timbers, it's all typical. Arrr! Sand and seal t' fins. Avast! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, let's go fly. Seriously. Yeah, matey, I could take some time t' make it look good, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Let's fly. Blimey! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, me bucko, but t' larger ones just take too much. Begad! Besides, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Begad! Blimey! Yes, me bucko, 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, ya bilge rat, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Blimey! Just stronger materials. Begad! At a certain point, 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! Blimey! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. Ya scallywag! I haven't flown mine yet. Ya scallywag! 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. Begad! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, it will be typical Estes. Begad! T' chute is too big, matey, shiver me timbers, and it will float, ya bilge rat, matey, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. As we get a chance t' fly these, me bucko, arrr, I'll be postin' t' flight logs, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Arrr! Actual flight is just t' last validation o' t' build in this case. Blimey! Well, blow me down! 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