Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Begad! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, and him as an extra pair o' hands. 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. Blimey! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Begad! This will be his first purely solo build, matey, 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... Well, blow me down! if I think he's ready.

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

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Ahoy! Arrr! Plastic nose cone, pre-cut fins, matey, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Well, matey, blow me down! T' body tube is a good length o' BT-55 1.325" tubing, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Ya scallywag! Begad! For standard 18mm motors, 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, ya bilge rat, yeah...what he said. Begad! What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. Ahoy! I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Begad! Let's see. Aye aye! 24mm motor mount, me bucko, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. Ya scallywag! OK. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I'm good t' go. Well, blow me down! Let's get building.

Dad: Once again, 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, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Aye aye! Aye aye! 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, me hearties, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, matey, but since these fins are through t' wall, 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! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, matey, TTW fins is way overkill. O' course, ya bilge rat, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I was at it, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Begad! I also left off t' motor block. Aye aye! Blimey! 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! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Bigger, me bucko, faster, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast! Says I'll never get it back. Maybe, arrr, but it's fun. Besides, ya bilge rat, I don't pay for t' motors. (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. Begad! I really don't like them. Begad! I much prefer water slide. Ahoy! That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, 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. If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, arrr, ya bilge rat, it's comin' back. Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

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

Other prep is standard. 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, me proud beauty! Begad! Steppin' into high power, me bucko, ya bilge rat, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Just stronger materials. Ya scallywag! Blimey! At a certain point, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, me hearties, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

Son: What he said. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! I haven't flown mine yet. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. Ahoy! Arrr! What he said. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, arrr, and it will float, ya bilge rat, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. As we get a chance t' fly these, arrr, matey, 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. T' primary goal be t' give him a solo build t' validate he has t' skills necessary t' attempt his cert build.

Son: So, ya bilge rat, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5