Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Well, blow me down! Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Ya scallywag! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Avast! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, arrr, 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. Blimey! After this, shiver me timbers, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Aye aye! if I think he's ready.

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

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. 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, arrr, me bucko, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. For standard 18mm motors, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Arrr! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

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

Dad: Once again, shiver me timbers, matey, 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. Ahoy! There are a couple minor changes that I make t' all Estes kits.

Namely t' recovery section.

I always toss t' 3-fold concept. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Begad! Blimey! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Normally, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, me hearties, but since these fins are through t' wall, me hearties, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

Speakin' o' which, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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, ya bilge rat, TTW fins is way overkill. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! O' course, me bucko, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I be at it, ya bilge rat, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I also left off t' motor block. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! Bigger, faster, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Says I'll never get it back. Avast! Begad! Maybe, but it's fun. Arrr! Begad! Besides, me bucko, I don't pay for t' motors. 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. Blimey! Ya scallywag! That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. Blimey! I much prefer water slide. Avast, me proud beauty! That said, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, as per me usual superstitious approach, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, matey, it's comin' back. Blimey! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, matey, somethin' bilge-suckin' has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, me bucko, it's all typical. Aye aye! Sand and seal t' fins. Aye aye! Arrr! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. T' spirals actually aren't too bad, and t' tube is white. Ahoy! Aye aye! 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. Avast! Yeah, me bucko, I could take some time t' make it look good, me bucko, me hearties, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Let's fly. I want t' get started on me cert rocket. 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. Aye aye! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, but t' larger ones just take too much. Ahoy! Besides, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

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

Son: What he said. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. Begad! Avast! I haven't flown mine yet. Arrr! Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. Blimey! Arrr! What he said. Avast! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! My expectation is that, like everythin' about this kit, it will be typical Estes. Aye aye! T' chute is too big, and it will float, matey, 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, matey, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! 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, ya bilge rat, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5