Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Avast! Arrr! 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, shiver me timbers, 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, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Blimey! This will be his first purely solo build, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Begad! After this, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 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. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Nothin' dramatic or fancy, here, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, just a solid design with classic lines.

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

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

Dad: Once again, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Begad! Ahoy! Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. 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, shiver me timbers, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Normally, matey, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, me hearties, matey, matey, TTW fins is way overkill. Aye aye! Avast! O' course, ya bilge rat, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I be at it, shiver me timbers, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Arrr! 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. Begad! Says I'll never get it back. Blimey! Blimey! Maybe, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but it's fun. Begad! Besides, 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. Begad! Aye aye! That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. I much prefer water slide. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! 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, it's comin' back. Blimey! Begad! 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, it's all typical. Sand and seal t' fins. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Begad! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, and t' tube is white. Ya scallywag! 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. Seriously. Ya scallywag! Yeah, I could take some time t' make it look good, me hearties, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Let's fly. Ahoy! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Ya scallywag! 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. Ahoy! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, ya bilge rat, but t' larger ones just take too much. Besides, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Aye aye! Aye aye! Yes, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Arrr! Steppin' into high power, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Ahoy! Arrr! Just stronger materials. Begad! At a certain point, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, shiver me timbers, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

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

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! What he said. Well, blow me down! Begad! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Avast! Begad! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, it will be typical Estes. Arrr! Begad! T' chute is too big, me hearties, and it will float, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Begad! As we get a chance t' fly these, shiver me timbers, 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 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