Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Avast! Up t' this point, me bucko, arrr, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Well, blow me down! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, he's been doin' more and more, me hearties, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Ahoy! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, shiver me timbers, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! This will be his first purely solo build, ya bilge rat, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! Nothin' dramatic or fancy, me bucko, here, just a solid design with classic lines.

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

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

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

Son: Well, matey, he taught me, so, matey, ya bilge rat, yeah, me bucko, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. Ya scallywag! Begad! Since I'm doin' t' 24mm thing, I get t' choose me engine tube size, matey, arrr, so I went with a longer tube, ya bilge rat, and a third centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. Avast, me proud beauty! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, and put t' third rin' on top. Aye aye! Hah! 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. 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. Ahoy! Begad! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Bigger, faster, me hearties, 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. Maybe, but it's fun. Arrr! Begad! Besides, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I don't pay for t' motors. Begad! Avast! (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. Aye aye! I really don't like them. Begad! I much prefer water slide. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! That said, ya bilge rat, as per me usual superstitious approach, arrr, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Begad! 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, arrr, matey, it's comin' back. Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, somethin' bad has happened.

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

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

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

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5