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

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

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Well, blow me down! Plastic nose cone, pre-cut fins, shiver me timbers, arrr, shiver me timbers, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Ahoy! T' body tube is a good length o' BT-55 1.325" tubing, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Blimey! Ahoy! For standard 18mm motors, everythin' is sufficiently strong. For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, shiver me timbers, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

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

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

Speakin' o' which, me hearties, I wonder why Estes went with through t' wall fins for this kit and only an 18mm mount. Ahoy! Aye aye! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, me hearties, TTW fins is way overkill. Ahoy! O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

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

While I was at it, me bucko, matey, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Aye aye! I also left off t' motor block. Arrr! 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! Aye aye! Bigger, faster, 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. Begad! Says I'll never get it back. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Maybe, matey, but it's fun. Avast, me proud beauty! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Well, blow me down! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Blimey! That means peel and stick. Begad! I really don't like them. I much prefer water slide. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! That said, matey, as per me usual superstitious approach, ya bilge rat, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Ahoy! 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. If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, ya bilge rat, it's comin' back. Arrr! 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. Blimey! Begad! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, me bucko, and t' tube is white. Well, blow me down! If you go with t' factory color scheme (white) you could probably get away without filling.

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

Other prep is standard. Blimey! Yes, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Avast! Steppin' into high power, arrr, matey, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Just stronger materials. Arrr! Blimey! At a certain point, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, me hearties, me bucko, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

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

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. Begad! What he said. Aye aye! 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, it will be typical Estes. T' chute is too big, ya bilge rat, and it will float, 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, arrr, arrr, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Arrr! Aye aye! Actual flight is just t' last validation o' t' build in this case. 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