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

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

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Plastic nose cone, pre-cut fins, 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, me bucko, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. For standard 18mm motors, shiver me timbers, arrr, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Begad! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, me bucko, me bucko, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

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

Dad: Once again, ya bilge rat, 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. 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. Avast! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, me bucko, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Well, blow me down! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Begad! Begad! 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, I wonder why Estes went with through t' wall fins for this kit and only an 18mm mount. For all t' Estes 18mm motors, me hearties, TTW fins is way overkill. Begad! O' course, me bucko, me hearties, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I be at it, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I also left off t' motor block. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Blimey! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Bigger, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, faster, me bucko, 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, me proud beauty! Says I'll never get it back. Aye aye! Ahoy! Maybe, but it's fun. Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Arrr! Avast! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Aye aye! That means peel and stick. Blimey! I really don't like them. Avast! I much prefer water slide. Aye aye! That said, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, it's comin' back. 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. Sand and seal t' fins. Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Begad! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, and t' tube is white. Avast! If you go with t' factory color scheme (white) you could probably get away without filling.

Son: I'm done building, me bucko, arrr, let's go fly. Seriously. Aye aye! Blimey! Yeah, shiver me timbers, I could take some time t' make it look good, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Let's fly. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Arrr! 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, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Aye aye! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, but t' larger ones just take too much. Besides, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Yes, 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. Blimey! Just stronger materials. At a certain point, matey, shiver me timbers, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

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

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

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5