Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. 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. Ahoy! Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, me bucko, he's been doin' more and more, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Begad! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, 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, matey, here, arrr, just a solid design with classic lines.

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

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

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

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

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

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. I much prefer water slide. Well, blow me down! That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, me hearties, 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! Well, blow me down! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, matey, it's comin' back. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, shiver me timbers, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

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

Son: I'm done building, ya bilge rat, let's go fly. Seriously. Aye aye! Yeah, I could take some time t' make it look good, me bucko, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Begad! Let's fly. Aye aye! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 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, me hearties, but t' larger ones just take too much. Avast! Besides, ya bilge rat, me hearties, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Avast! 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Steppin' into high power, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Just stronger materials. Well, blow me down! At a certain point, shiver me timbers, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, me bucko, arrr, matey, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

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

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. What he said. Begad! Blimey! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Blimey! Ahoy! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, me hearties, it will be typical Estes. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' chute is too big, and it will float, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Blimey! As we get a chance t' fly these, I'll be postin' t' flight logs, me hearties, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5