Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Well, blow me down! 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, ya bilge rat, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Ya scallywag! This will be his first purely solo build, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Arrr! 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. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Nothin' dramatic or fancy, here, me bucko, just a solid design with classic lines.

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Plastic nose cone, arrr, arrr, pre-cut fins, ya bilge rat, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. 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! For standard 18mm motors, everythin' is sufficiently strong. For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, matey, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

Son: Yeah, ya bilge rat, yeah...what he said. What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. Aye aye! Blimey! I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Let's see. Ahoy! Blimey! 24mm motor mount, shiver me timbers, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. Ahoy! Blimey! OK. Ya scallywag! I'm good t' go. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! 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, shiver me timbers, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Normally, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, matey, but since these fins are through t' wall, arrr, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

Speakin' o' which, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, matey, he taught me, so, matey, yeah, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Since I'm doin' t' 24mm thing, I get t' choose me engine tube size, shiver me timbers, matey, shiver me timbers, so I went with a longer tube, ya bilge rat, and a third centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, and put t' third rin' on top. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Hah! 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. Ya scallywag! Avast! I also left off t' motor block. 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. 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, 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. Aye aye! Says I'll never get it back. Maybe, arrr, but it's fun. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Besides, me bucko, I don't pay for t' motors. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Blimey! Well, blow me down! That means peel and stick. Avast! Begad! I really don't like them. Blimey! Blimey! I much prefer water slide. Begad! Begad! That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, ya bilge rat, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Ahoy! 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. Ya scallywag! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, it's comin' back. 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. Avast! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Sand and seal t' fins. Blimey! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Begad! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. T' spirals actually aren't too bad, shiver me timbers, and t' tube is white. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Seriously. Arrr! Blimey! Yeah, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, I could take some time t' make it look good, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Arrr! Blimey! Let's fly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. 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! Arrr! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, matey, me bucko, but t' larger ones just take too much. Aye aye! Besides, shiver me timbers, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. 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, me hearties, shiver me timbers, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Well, blow me down! Just stronger materials. Avast! 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! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. Ahoy! I haven't flown mine yet. Blimey! Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. What he said. Begad! Arrr! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Avast! Blimey! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, me bucko, it will be typical Estes. Blimey! Begad! T' chute is too big, and it will float, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! As we get a chance t' fly these, me bucko, I'll be postin' t' flight logs, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Ya scallywag! Actual flight is just t' last validation o' t' build in this case. T' primary goal was t' give him a solo build t' validate he has t' skills necessary t' attempt his cert build.

Son: So, matey, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5