Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Avast! Up t' this point, arrr, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Blimey! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, matey, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Ya scallywag! Begad! Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, he's been doin' more and more, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Avast, me proud beauty! This will be his first purely solo build, me hearties, me bucko, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! After this, me hearties, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Plastic nose cone, pre-cut fins, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Avast! Ahoy! T' body tube is a good length o' BT-55 1.325" tubing, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Aye aye! For standard 18mm motors, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Arrr! Begad! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

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

Dad: Once again, me hearties, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Begad! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Normally, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, but since these fins are through t' wall, ya bilge rat, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

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

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

While I be at it, me hearties, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Begad! Blimey! I also left off t' motor block. Arrr! 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. 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! Arrr! Bigger, faster, me bucko, matey, 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! Begad! Says I'll never get it back. Avast, me proud beauty! Maybe, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but it's fun. Arrr! Besides, me bucko, I don't pay for t' motors. Aye aye! (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! Well, blow me down! That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. Blimey! Ahoy! I much prefer water slide. Ya scallywag! That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! Begad! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, it's comin' back. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! Sand and seal t' fins. Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Ahoy! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, and t' tube is white. Begad! 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! Seriously. Blimey! Yeah, me bucko, I could take some time t' make it look good, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Blimey! Let's fly. Begad! Well, blow me down! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, 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, shiver me timbers, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Ahoy! Ahoy! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, ya bilge rat, matey, but t' larger ones just take too much. Begad! Besides, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Begad! Yes, shiver me timbers, arrr, ya bilge rat, 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, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Just stronger materials. Avast! At a certain point, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, matey, matey, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

Son: What he said. I'm gettin' tired o' typing. Well, blow me down! I haven't flown mine yet. Arrr! Weather hasn't been good enough.

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