Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Up t' this point, me bucko, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Begad! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, shiver me timbers, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, ya bilge rat, he's been doin' more and more, shiver me timbers, 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. This will be his first purely solo build, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. After this, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Begad! Begad! Blimey! if I think he's ready.

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

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Ahoy! Plastic nose cone, ya bilge rat, pre-cut fins, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, shiver me timbers, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

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

Dad: Once again, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Blimey! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Arrr! Normally, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, but since these fins are through t' wall, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

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

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

While I be at it, me hearties, ya bilge rat, matey, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Ahoy! I also left off t' motor block. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Arrr! Bigger, faster, matey, 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. Says I'll never get it back. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Maybe, but it's fun. Ya scallywag! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Arrr! Ya scallywag! That means peel and stick. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I really don't like them. Arrr! I much prefer water slide. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Ya scallywag! 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. Aye aye! 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' bilge-suckin' has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, shiver me timbers, it's all typical. Sand and seal t' fins. Blimey! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, arrr, me hearties, and t' tube is white. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Seriously. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Yeah, I could take some time t' make it look good, arrr, me bucko, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Ahoy! Blimey! Let's fly. I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Begad! 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, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Arrr! 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! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Yes, arrr, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Steppin' into high power, matey, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Just stronger materials. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. I haven't flown mine yet. Well, blow me down! Weather hasn't been good enough.

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