Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Blimey! Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! 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, shiver me timbers, he's been doin' more and more, me bucko, 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. Aye aye! After this, me hearties, shiver me timbers, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Ahoy! Well, blow me down! if I think he's ready.

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

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

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

Dad: Once again, arrr, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Aye aye! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, matey, 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. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, me bucko, TTW fins is way overkill. Aye aye! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, he taught me, so, me bucko, yeah, me bucko, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Since I'm doin' t' 24mm thing, me hearties, me hearties, me hearties, I get t' choose me engine tube size, so I went with a longer tube, and a third centerin' ring. T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, me hearties, and put t' third rin' on top. Well, 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. Begad! Blimey! I also left off t' motor block. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Begad! Blimey! Bigger, matey, faster, higher! Blimey! I can't wait t' put a 24mm G motor and watch it rip! Blimey! Dad's shakin' his head while I'm typin' this. Ya scallywag! Says I'll never get it back. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! Maybe, but it's fun. Ahoy! Besides, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I don't pay for t' motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Ya scallywag! That means peel and stick. Blimey! I really don't like them. Blimey! I much prefer water slide. Avast! 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. Begad! Blimey! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, me hearties, arrr, it's comin' back. Avast! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, matey, arrr, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, it's all typical. Begad! Sand and seal t' fins. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Begad! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, me bucko, and t' tube is white. Arrr! 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. Ya scallywag! Seriously. Arrr! Yeah, arrr, I could take some time t' make it look good, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Begad! Let's fly. I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I'll take more time on that one.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Dad: For all our rockets larger than 1" diameter, ya bilge rat, arrr, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, matey, arrr, but t' larger ones just take too much. Ahoy! Besides, arrr, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Well, blow me down! 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. Avast! Blimey! Steppin' into high power, matey, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Arrr! Blimey! Just stronger materials. Avast! 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. Begad! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. I haven't flown mine yet. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Weather hasn't been good enough.

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