Weighin' in at 7.5 ounces with a reach o' 23 1/8" and sportin' a 2.6" thick body with punchin' power from a 24mm motor, t' Meanie is a contender! Nordic Rocketry packages this "stout, arrr, shiver me timbers, tough and extremely cool" rocket with t' tauntin' message nay t' take their word for it but t' get one and "warn your friends t' keep their wimpy rockets at a safe distance, ‘cause this one’s mean."

That’s exactly what I did. I got one and put it t' t' test against two other "fat" kits, ya bilge rat, t' Estes’ Fat Boy and Vaughn Brother’s Blobbo. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Bein' taller and usin' a larger motor set this kit apart from t' other two from t' get-go, however, me bucko, consider all three reviews before you purchase your next 2.6" Sport kit. Aye aye! See me 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

T' kit comes with a 12" long, thicker (1/16") single body tube and 9" long balsa nose cone. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It’s 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. Arrr! Begad! It’s most unique feature are t' three laser-cut 1/16" plywood fins which are shaped so as t' set this kit apart from any other. Blimey! It comes with a 19" rip-stop nylon parachute, and eye-screws for attachin' t' ¼" elastic shock cord. Well, blow me down! It also includes two brass launch lugs and a rub-on Meanie™ decal. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty!

CONSTRUCTION:

There are six pages o' construction instructions and a single page o' operatin' instructions. Ahoy! There are plenty o' clear, instrumental illustrations for ensurin' accurate alignment and build. Arrr! T' instructions are in logical order and if followed can ensure a successful build. T' kit is rated skill level 3, arrr, however, matey, I think it falls betwixt 2 and 3. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' introduction does indicate that Nordic Rocketry kits are designed "for those with some experience building" model rockets. Well, blow me down!

Another feature o' t' instructions, that I liked, was t' banter contained throughout. Blimey! For example, comments like, me hearties, "when you have epoxy settin' up is nay t' time t' discover mistakes" after t' suggestion o' readin' all instructions before you begin. Begad! Also after a warnin' t' ensure straight fin alignment t' banter reinforces this by reading, ya bilge rat, "A misaligned part in this step could make your Meanie a little meaner than planned!"

Assembly o' t' Meanie™ was fun and employed a couple o' new techniques t' me. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! All o' t' parts fit, with minor sandin' as noted below, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and allowed for quick assembly.

T' motor mount assembly requires notchin' o' t' lower centerin' rin' t' allow clearance for t' motor hook and also an eye-screw is attached t' t' upper centerin' rin' as t' anchor for t' shock cord. Avast! Blimey!

When installin' t' motor mount, t' instructions suggest checkin' for fit and nay t' force t' mount into t' body tube. I found that t' fit seemed very tight, however two things remedied this. First, although discovered second for me, me hearties, was that thar be a small ridge around t' end o' t' body tube. Arrr! Sand this off first, then check for fit. Avast, me proud beauty! If still tight then a light sandin' o' t' centerin' rings will resolve it. Begad! I sanded t' centerin' rings first, me bucko, which probably wasn’t necessary.

One suggestion that is nay made in t' instructions, is t' tuck t' shock cord back through t' motor tube t' avoid gettin' glue on it when installin' t' motor mount into t' body tube. Well, matey, blow me down!

T' fin’s unique shape merited a picture showin' which edges t' taper and round. Begad! Arrr! There are actually four edges on each fin that need sanding. Arrr! Ahoy! I used me Dremel t' get started and then sand paper t' do t' finishing.

One o' t' new techniques used in t' construction o' this kit, me hearties, was t' use a T-pin t' poke holes along both sides o' t' centerline where t' fins attach. This is done t' allow t' glue t' seep into these holes makin' t' attachment o' t' fins t' t' body tube stronger. Ahoy! Begad! They act like little rivets!

Another new technique be t' attachment o' t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! This is screwed, me hearties, glued and bridged. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' bridgin' be a new idea t' me. This is where t' glue is "bridged" through t' eye-screw t' increase its hold t' t' nose cone. Begad!

To start t' finishin' process I used sandin' sealer on t' large balsa nose cone. Then, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, as always, I began preppin' for paintin' with Plasti-Kote primer. Blimey! T' nose cone really needed a lot o' work. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' nose cone really needed a lot o' work. Avast! This could have been reduced if I followed t' finishin' instructions. Begad! They suggest usin' wood putty and sandin' sealer t' fill t' spiral seam in t' body tubin' and nose cone. I simply used multiple coats o' primer, me hearties, matey, sandin' back t' a smooth surface each time. Begad! Begad!

Next, while walkin' through t' Walmart, I discovered their brand o' paint for $0. 98/can. Aye aye! Begad! I couldn't resist. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I got a can o' yellow, clear and primer. Ahoy! T' made me final coat o' primer with t' Walmart brand. Ya scallywag! Then 2 coats o' bright yellow. T' recommendations on t' Walmart can is t' do additional coats within 4 hours or after 1 week. Ya scallywag! Small price t' pay for t' paint costin' so little. Aye aye! (additional comments about Walmart paint)

A week later, I painted t' one fin with a blue t' match t' decal. Ahoy! I also applied t' single decal which is a self-adhesive vinyl decal spellin' out Meanie™. Avast! Blimey! Followin' t' instructions carefully and only applyin' pressure on t' letters, I was able t' successfully apply t' decal. Ahoy! Blimey! Once complete, matey, I hit t' entire rocket with two light coats o' Walmart Clear paint. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Done!

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Begad! Other than t' single instruction suggestion and t' extra work o' havin' t' deal with a balsa nose cone, arrr, it be excellent!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: 

While gettin' ready for flight, arrr, arrr, me bucko, two passer-bys stopped and introduced themselves. Both o' them commented on t' Meanie™ askin' who manufactured it. One person picked it up and commented on how durable it felt and admired t' fins. Avast! Now, we know it looks good but that this contender fly?

Usin' an Aerotech 24mm RMS casin' loaded with a D15-4, t' Meanie™ was ready for it's premiere. Well, blow me down! It was placed into t' rin' (launch order) on rod number 9 (3/16 launch rod) durin' t' NOVAAR Vacuum-22 event. T' t' referee (launch controller) announced t' fight (I mean flight) and began t' count down for t' main event. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! 5, matey, 4, ya bilge rat, 3, arrr, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 2, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 1 . . . Avast, me proud beauty! ding, ding! Meanie™ be out o' it's corner quickly, me hearties, matey, delivered an explosive punch that left t' launch rod vibratin' and jerkin' t' heads o' all observers upward. Arrr! Begad! After a line o' smoke, me hearties, and at what seemed t' be Meanie's™ slowest point, arrr, me hearties, pow, arrr, t' last punch! It be all down(hill) from here as it floated safely back t' t' ground. Blimey! Begad! Thus concluded t' matter. Begad! Ahoy!

Upon inspection, t' piece o' Rogue Aerospace's Perma-Wadding™ had a hole punched through it. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! However, it did it's job and protected t' 18" rip-stop nylon parachute. T' recovery system did it's job. A light blackenin' o' t' shock cord near t' motor mount was noticed. I'm concerned about how durable this system will be in t' long run. Begad! Aye aye! Only time and flights will tell. Ahoy!

T' second challenger that Meanie™ had t' face was an Aerotech E28-7. I removed half o' t' ejection charge before attachin' it t' t' RMS casing. T' flight be straight but I could nay see ejection. Ahoy! Assisted by a good wind, t' rocket was carried and good distance. Arrr! I landed in someone's driveway just outside o' t' flyin' field, matey, chippin' two o' t' fin bottoms and a small spot on t' top t' body tube. Begad!

Still showin' t' bruises from it's second challenger, arrr, t' Meanie™ faced it's third "seasoned" challenger, me hearties, Estes D12-3. Avast! This old timer delivered a devastatin' blow that CATO'd t' rocket t' t' ground with a hole clean through t' chute and multiple points o' damage on t' nose cone. Blimey! T' D12-3 displayed it's pleasure by throw a fire ball into t' air. Aye aye!

After t' three flights (if you count t' last event), t' shock cord is showin' some crackin' on t' edges but it still solid and intact. I still think a Keelhaul®©™® leader or a protective sheath would help this kit out. Avast!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, me hearties, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points.

Overall, for t' combination o' toughness and uniqueness and ease o' build, ya bilge rat, this kit should be a qualified contender for anyone's next 2.6", me bucko, short, sport flyer. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Nordic Rocketry's catalog only contains 5 kits, ya bilge rat, but after buildin' this one, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I'm lookin' forward t' future releases! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points.

Update 9/23/08: After over 10 years o' flying, ya bilge rat, this rocket has now reached it's 60th flight (captured below).

What's interestin' about t' Meanie is that it is nay some super-duper high strength rocket that is built t' be indestructible. Ahoy! Begad! Rather, me hearties, quite t' opposite. T' body tube is paper (1/16" thick cardboard), shiver me timbers, its fins and centerin' rings are 1/16" laser-cut plywood, and its nose cone is balsa. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' fins are surface mounted t' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty!

There were two techniques used durin' t' build that improved t' strength. Avast!

One was t' use a T-pin t' poke holes along both sides o' t' centerline where t' fins attach. Aye aye! This is done t' allow t' glue t' seep into these holes makin' t' attachment o' t' fins t' t' body tube stronger. Begad! They act like little rivets!

T' other technique was t' attachment o' t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone. Avast! Blimey! This is screwed, shiver me timbers, glued and bridged. Begad! Blimey! Bridgin' where t' glue is "bridged" through t' eye-screw t' increase its hold t' t' nose cone. Ahoy! Blimey!

So, arrr, despite a CATO o' an Estes D12 on t' 3rd launch (which required t' nose cone t' be filled and re-painted), shiver me timbers, arrr, several other parachute deployment issues, me bucko, me hearties, and one descent that took nearly 8 minutes… this rocket has been a Meanie toward t' skys. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It has flown on 28 D's (D9, ya bilge rat, arrr, D10, D12, me hearties, D15 and D21), 14 E's (E9, arrr, E11, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, E18, and E28), and 19 F's (F12, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, F24, and F39). Well, blow me down!