Brief:
T' Firebird SST is a beautiful lookin' kit that has sat in me build pile for a while as I tried t' answer the question, arrr, ya bilge rat, "Can I do justice t' this?" T' answer, as usual, is "not really" but I am close enough to give it a shot. Avast, me proud beauty! I picked it out as t' "next victim" before Easter, opened it up, read t' directions and promptly got bogged down with work, family and such. Blimey! 7 weeks later, ya bilge rat, I actually started with just a little bit o' build time.

Construction:
T' parts were all high quality and all present and accounted for. Avast! T' instructions were well written, me bucko, adequately illustrated and clear.

As is fairly common, construction begins with t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! A slit was cut for t' retainer hook. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A thrust ring was glued into one end and some tape be wrapped around t' hook and tube.

T' next step called for one o' me small modifications since I don't like tri-fold shock cord mounts. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! There are 2 centerin' rings. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I like t' use Keelhaul®©™® to connect t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! Usually, me bucko, arrr, ya bilge rat, I do this by cuttin' a groove on t' inside o' t' forward centerin' ring, passin' t' Keelhaul®©™® through and then tyin' t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' tube. Well, blow me down! In a recent TRF thread, I read somethin' that made me reconsider. Ya scallywag! It had t' do with locatin' the Keelhaul®©™® as far towards t' outside as possible t' maximize its life. Begad! That makes sense although thar be nay much difference in this particular case. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I cut a notch in t' outside surface o' t' forward centerin' ring.

I used a swab t' apply t' yellow glue inside t' BT. Well, blow me down! I then dropped t' eye bolt and Keelhaul®©™® through and recovered them safely on t' other side. Now, shiver me timbers, with t' Keelhaul®©™® aligned with t' notch, matey, it was time t' feed t' motor mount into t' BT with gentle tension on t' Keelhaul®©™® to keep everythin' aligned. Begad! It be a bit o' a tight fit so I needed t' apply a bit more tension on t' Keelhaul®©™®...OOPS!

I pulled too hard and t' whole thin' went in too far. Ahoy! Way too far. Ahoy! Arrr! My finger could nay reach far enough in to grip t' motor mount and I looked desperately for somethin' t' push with from t' other side before t' glue set up. Everythin' in sight seemed t' be too short or too fat. Aye aye! In deepenin' desperation, arrr, ya bilge rat, I got up and looked around. My careless wife had left a wooden kitchen spoon layin' in t' dryin' rack and that seemed t' be just t' ticket. Aye aye! I put it in from t' forward end, arrr, but t' handle be too short. T' spoon part hit t' end o' t' BT just as t' end o' the handle made contact. Ahoy! I withdrew it knowin' that I only had a few moments t' spare t' look around for somethin' else. I noted absently that I would need t' shipshape a bit o' glue off t' handle before t' wife notices it...but dried yellow glue might be passed off as hardened scrambled eggs. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! What did she feed t' kids that morning?

In t' race against time as I balanced domestic tranquility with t' precarious state o' me precious rocket, me hearties, the rocket won o' course. Several drawers later I found a long length o' 1/4" aluminum tube Gracie had thoughtfully hidden for me when I forgot t' put it away and it just manage t' push t' motor mount back t' other way. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' glue was fairly stiff but I got it moved.

With great satisfaction, ya bilge rat, I returned t' aluminum tube t' a place o' me choosing. Ya scallywag! I remembered t' wipe off the yellow glue/hardened scrambled cackle fruit from t' spoon handle and sat back with a sigh.

T' next step was t' cut out t' wrap around fin guide and transfer t' lines onto t' BT. Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! That was easy enough and t' lines were lengthened with t' help o' a door corner. Arrr! Remember t' align t' proper line with t' motor retainin' hook.

T' instruction would then have had me t' glue on t' wings t' t' BT but t' BT was otherwise occupied allowing its glue fillets with t' engine mount t' dry so I skipped ahead. Begad! T' wings have drop down pods that are formed by gluin' a balsa oval t' both side o' a central balsa oval which integrate a mountin' root. Aye aye! I decided t' go ahead and assemble these so that they might be ready t' glue t' t' wings. Avast, me proud beauty! They went together easy enough and were o' uniform size so t' sandin' needed t' shape them be minimal. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! A simple layer o' yellow glue be applied and then t' oval was pressed into place. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' process was repeated on t' opposite side and then all was repeated with t' other pod. Begad! I ensured that t' edges were aligned, laid t' assemblies flat, and set them aside t' dry.

T' wings were ready t' be installed. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Accordin' t' t' instructions, they should have actually gone on prior to the previous step but now I was ready. Aye aye! I decided t' install them with CA. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I figured that I had a better chance of keepin' them straight if they hardened into position quickly. I used t' lines I had transfered onto t' BT for alignment and me deadlights t' ensure straightness. T' result be nay too shabby.

When t' wings had sufficient time t' stiffen up, t' win' pods were installed. Avast! Aye aye! While they would look find t' my eye hangin' at a right angle, ya bilge rat, that is nay t' way they are intended t' hang. Begad! They are intended t' have a bit o' an angle t' them. T' get t' correct angle, matey, a paper jig is provided. Begad! Begad! It is simply cut out and set against t' win' and the pod root t' make sure everythin' is at t' correct angle. Well, blow me down! Again, I used CA t' be sure everythin' set up at t' correct angle while I was still attentive t' such things.

T' kit has two smallish fins that are t' be located on t' ventral surface, spaced betwixt t' launch lug and the wings. Ahoy! Followin' t' instructions exactly would mean that they are installed and then have their leading, outer, and trailin' edges rounded. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! That seemed t' me t' be an invitation t' disaster so I sanded t' contours in first.

I filleted t' wing/BT and Wing/pod seams with yellow glue. Begad! Then reluctantly, I put it away for t' night.

When I began work again, ya bilge rat, t' first task I tackled was t' round t' edges on t' wings. Avast, me proud beauty! This be done with a combination o' sandpaper and a sandin' stick. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. Aye aye! Some o' t' dried glue from t' filletin' process made even removal o' material problematic. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Also, shiver me timbers, sandin' t' narrow parts on t' forward tips o' t' wings where they attach t' t' BT was difficult. Blimey! Aye aye! I finally gave up on that part.

T' next thin' t' be done was t' attach t' two little fins on t' ventral surface. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I had already rounded them and they were easily put in place with some CA.

With t' fins in place, I turned me attention t' t' tail. Blimey! It comes in 2 pieces. Begad! There is a main body and a long angular fairing. Both were glued into place with some CA. T' main portion was done first and checked by eyeball for the correct angle and then t' fairin' was put in place. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Make sure that t' two pieces align correctly and are flush with one another.

T' kit is supplied with a wooden dowel that goes on top o' t' tail assembly. Blimey! Avast! T' ends o' t' dowel need t' be rounded. I used sandpaper and a sandin' stick, matey, arrr, rotatin' t' dowel with a changin' angle until it be passable. Well, matey, blow me down! If I was still practicin' structural engineering, I would call Mr. Avast, me proud beauty! Magness and ask about t' species o' wood. Blimey! Aye aye! I specialized in heavy timber construction and this stuff be hard and durable. Ya scallywag! Avast! It may have really been A36 steel with simulated wood grain. Aye aye! Avast! I am nay a practicin' engineer anymore, however, so I just disgraced myself as a man o' t' cloth with me strong epithets.

After t' dowel was shaped, arrr, matey, it too was put in place on top o' t' tail fin with a bead o' CA. Well, blow me down! Make sure you get it on straight. Arrr! Begad! That will be important in t' next step. Aye aye! Aye aye! I was careless. T' dowel went on straight but favors one side a bit more than t' other. Aye aye! Arrr! I guess it rolled t' t' side a fraction. Ahoy! I owe another act o' contrition for t' repeated strong language.

With t' dowel more or less in place, matey, matey, arrr, I turned t' rocket over in its cradle and filleted t' fins. Aye aye! I let them dry overnight before tacklin' t' other side.

T' next step was t' work on t' horizontal stabilizers o' t' tail assembly. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Unlike in previous steps, me bucko, the instructions here say t' round t' leading, trailin' and tip edges before installing. Begad! That be easily accomplished with a sandin' stick. Aye aye! Puttin' them on was a bit more difficult.

Because I had managed t' make a bit o' a blunder with t' installation o' t' rod on t' vertical stabilizer, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I had t' make some compensations. Begad! T' rod is straight, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, fore and aft, but is a little bit more on t' starboard side than the port. Avast! T' horizontal surfaces are mounted t' t' rod and canted a bit. Ahoy! I had t' dry fit things several times to find out what t' best compromise was. Avast!

T' kit provided a cardstock alignment jig t' cut out and use t' get t' proper angle. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I am indebted t' Squirrel Works for this. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It made t' process go easier than otherwise would have been t' case. Begad! Blimey! I put some CA on t' root edge and eyeballed it into place on t' rod. Arrr! Blimey! While it still had some play, me bucko, I used t' jig t' get t' angle right. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! When it had set up, ya bilge rat, arrr, I did t' same with t' other side.

T' forward canards were handled in much t' same way as t' horizontal stabilizers but were much simpler. They were cut from t' balsa, t' leading, matey, trailing, arrr, and tip edges were rounded, matey, and they were glued into place with CA along t' lines extended from t' wings. Begad! Alignment be by eyeball.

While t' canards were settin' up, me hearties, I tied t' elastic shock cord off t' t' Keelhaul®©™® and tied t' other end t' t' screw eye inserted into t' nosecone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' screw was held in place with a dab o' yellow glue.

I then judged that things had progressed far enough for me t' fillet t' dorsal surfaces o' t' canards and horizontal stabilizers. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! This be done with yellow glue. I put t' model back into its cradle and t' waitin' game began again before can do any more work on it.

I began t' next build session by rememberin' that I had completely forgotten about t' launch lug. Aye aye! A single 1/8" lug is provided. Well, matey, blow me down! T' instructions directed me t' cut it in half and glue t' pieces along t' line I had marked on t' ventral surface. Ya scallywag! This was accomplished with t' expedient o' a short piece o' 1/8" rod t' keep the pieces aligned.

T' only other thin' accomplished in this build session was t' fillet t' undersides o' t' canards and horizontal stabilizers. This be done with yellow glue. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Givin' that a chance t' set up paves t' way t' begin finishing.

Finishing:
Finishin' began with t' application o' a layer o' Elmer's filler. Based upon me experience and things I have read, I suspect that I may nay have been thinnin' it with enough water. T' application I used on t' Firebird be much wetter than is usual for me.

I liked t' thinner Elmer's. Ahoy! I devoted an evenin' t' sandin' it down as best I can and am rather pleased at the results. If I had a few more tools with which t' reach t' hard places, arrr, and this model has many, me bucko, I think it would have been even better. Begad! As it stands now though, me hearties, I am well pleased.

I sprayed on a coat o' Kilz primer and let it dry. Avast! A few hours later, shiver me timbers, I sprayed on another coat. In doin' so, I was able t' see some sandin' imperfections that escaped me before. Avast! Still, arrr, it is one o' me better attempts.

After sprayin' in t' mornin' and just before noon, I brought t' Firebird inside for another round o' sandin' in the evening. Arrr! I wet sanded with 320 grit sandpaper and that removed most o' t' blemishes that had bothered me earlier. I was satisfied enough t' be ready t' paint t' next day.

After t' primer was dry, I sprayed t' entire model with Krylon gloss white. That made it look white, shiver me timbers, only more so than before. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It be an improvement over t' mottled primer/sealer/fingerprints but it did nay really stand out. Well, blow me down! Blimey! For that, shiver me timbers, matey, I needed t' yellow.

I am nay a big fan o' yellow but I sure like t' way it looked on t' facecard. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Nay havin' any on hand, ya bilge rat, arrr, I went back t' Home Depot t' discover that t' yellow selection be limited. Blimey! There were plenty o' designer shades, ya bilge rat, usually pastel, goin' for 8 or 9 dollars a can. Avast! Besides that, thar be just a single can o' House Brand, bargain basement gloss yellow for $1.99 a can. Arrr! Blimey! Since I liked t' looks o' t' bargain basement lid better than any o' t' designer ones, I went with that.

I also decided t' try t' Frog maskin' tape mentioned earlier in this thread. Blimey! Blimey! It is expensive but I am now a believer and will never go back. Begad! Blimey! It went on easily and t' edges seemed t' know they were supposed t' stay down. Ya scallywag! It aligned easily and had an uncanny knack for knowin' when I wanted it t' stick and when I didn't. T' top half was masked off and a bit o' aluminum foil was used t' cover t' tail assembly. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! I then gave t' yellow a try.

A few hours later I peeled off t' tape was was flabbergasted. Ahoy! T' lines were perfect. Well, blow me down! That usually means I peeled up some o' t' underlyin' paint but that was nay t' case this time. Blimey! Ahoy! From now on, I'm usin' Frog tape.

T' paint results were t' be considered a miracle until t' real miracle occurred. Aye aye! She who must be obeyed, otherwise known as me lovin' wife, Gracie, shiver me timbers, actually said it looked good. Arrr! She had never done that before.

Where this model falls down for me is in t' decals. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! This is nay Squirrel Works' fault. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is strictly me own.

Some very nice waterslides are provided and things started off well. Blimey! I just had t' get t' tail logo on so that went on first. Ya scallywag! So far, so good. Well, blow me down! Begad! Addin' t' cockpit was also easy. Feelin' cocky, I decided t' do t' hard part next.

T' hard part consists o' t' stripin' along t' sides. Ahoy! On t' nosecone, this consists merely o' a black line that is superimposed on t' line betwixt yellow and white. Avast! Aft o' t' NC, ya bilge rat, t' same black line is present but thar is the added complication o' windows and hatches. Each side o' t' rocket is intended t' be done with three decals.

T' NC line on t' port side went fine. Begad! Blimey! Then tragedy struck in t' form o' me evil cat, me hearties, Jezebel. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Without going into details, first o' t' big window sections be destroyed.

At that point, ya bilge rat, I bewailed me fate on TRF and tried t' buy another set o' decals. Arrr! Avast! In this I be unsuccessful. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Don Magness, matey, t' proprietor o' Squirrel Works was sympathetic t' t' depredations o' satanic cats and would nay sell me a replacement. Instead, he gave them t' me. Well, blow me down! More than that, he sent 2 sets. Aye aye! Little did I know how much I would need them.

When I got back t' work, matey, shiver me timbers, I warmed up by puttin' on t' aileron decals first. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Then it be time t' get down to business with t' striping. Avast! Blimey! I cut out t' middle section o' t' port side and placed it in t' water without thinking. When I removed t' decal from t' water and tried t' place it, matey, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I realized me mistake. Avast! Blimey! T' black line has t' sit right on t' line betwixt t' yellow and white paint. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Also sittin' on that line are wings and t' forward canards. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I had left too much material on t' decal for it t' fit. I tried correctin' things but wound up ruinin' t' decal.

I was horrified. Well, blow me down! Begad! Luckily, shiver me timbers, Don Magness had a premonition o' me meager skills and sent an extra set. Aye aye! I now only had one set left. Begad! Avast! I decided t' cut t' decal into several shorter and more manageable pieces, rememberin' t' trim as close as possible t' t' black line.

By and large, me hearties, shiver me timbers, this process worked for me, ya bilge rat, me bucko, especially on t' starboard side which looks pretty good. Ya scallywag! T' port side looks less good, arrr, particularly over t' forward canard. Blimey! At this point, t' decal "gripped" before I was finished placin' it. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' result is a slightly curved set o' windows over t' canard.

Let me emphasize 2 things. Arrr! T' problems I had were entirely due t' me and an evil cat. Also, matey, arrr, me bucko, Squirrel Works rose above t' call o' duty in customer relations.

T' end result looks good, especially when viewed from t' "good side".

I decided that I wanted t' do one more thin' before applyin' t' Future Floor Polish. Arrr! Begad! T' motor tube looked kind of sad with t' top bein' a cloudy white and t' bottom bein' a splotchy yellow. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I decided t' paint it a metallic bronze. Ahoy! With that done and dry, me bucko, t' whole thin' got a couple coats o' future and it was deemed ready t' fly.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' day o' t' maiden flight dawned hot...as in hellfire and brimstone, but nothin' was goin' t' deprive me o' my first launch window in a long while. My first rocket was t' Firebird conservatively powered with an A8-3. It looked pretty good sittin' on t' pad and it looked even better headin' up. Well, blow me down! It got up a fair ways and t' chute deployed perfectly. Blimey! Blimey! Comin' down was nay too shabby either. Arrr! Blimey! In fact, me bucko, arrr, I thought things had gone perfectly until I took a closer look. Well, blow me down! I had broken off one o' t' horizontal stabilizers on landing.

T' part was found and it is an easy fix but it prevented me from launching this one any more today.

PROs: good flier

CONs: none

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I think this is one o' t' best lookin' rockets Squirrel Works has t' offer. It is a bit challengin' but well within the capabilities o' anyone who has built a few already. Avast! Ya scallywag! I am lookin' forward t' keepin' this one around for a while.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5