Brief:
T' Animal Motor Works (AMW), shiver me timbers, which has recently merged with Cesaroni Technologies, arrr, M2500 Green Gorilla is a high power rocket motor reload for AMW's giant 75-7600 motor casin' . This 40.9 inch motor casin' fits 3 inch motor mounts and t' reload be t' most powerful commercial 3-inch motor reload in our hobby. Blimey! You must be Level 3 certified (as recognized by NARRRRR and Tripoli, arrr, shiver me timbers, Level 4 for CAR) t' purchase and use one o' these reloads. T' motor isn't cheap. Blimey! For t' entire case assembly, t' list price is $375. Begad! Arrr! T' reload costs $400. Begad! However, me hearties, this motor (266oz total weight, me hearties, 150oz propellant weight) provides impressive performance and gives even hot research loads a run for their money.

Construction:
T' reload includes t' followin' parts:

• 1 phenolic liner
• 5 propellant grains
• 2 aft O-rings
• 2 forward O-rings
• 1 trackin' smoke grain

Other items needed:

• AMW 75-7600casin' with t' forward closure, graphite nozzle, ya bilge rat, fore and aft internal snap rings, me hearties, a metal nozzle washer, matey, and an external snap rin' used as a thrust ring
• Synthetic grease
• paper towels
• clean work area

Perhaps t' most important thin' t' do when assemblin' t' motor is t' have t' right tools and a dirt free workspace t' avoid contamination o' your O-rings. T' insert t' internal snap rings durin' assembly, I would highly recommend that you follow AMW's suggestion and purchase snap rin' pliers from McMaster Carr. Blimey! For t' AMW 75mm cases, me bucko, order PN 7131A21 with 0.108 inch tips. Arrr! Avast! As for t' kind o' lubricant t' use, AMW suggests high service temperature synthetic grease. Ahoy! I use Amsoil Multi-Purpose Synthetic Grease #2 Lithium Complex. Blimey! It has a service temperature o' 500 degrees Fahrenheit, is easy t' clean, and protects t' casin' and your linin' as well as your O-rings. Blimey! None o' me liners have burned through after I used this stuff so I heartily recommend it.

Assemblin' t' reload is fairly straightforward. Begad! Grease two o' t' O-rings and place them into t' grooves o' t' graphite nozzle. Blimey! Aye aye! Lightly grease t' inner diameter o' t' case on both ends. With a twistin' motion, install t' nozzle assembly in t' end o' t' case with t' external snap ring. Begad! T' nozzle is oriented where t' flat face faces out t' aft t' accept t' nozzle washer. Avast! Install t' greased steel nozzle washer against t' nozzle then use your snap rin' pliers t' install one o' t' internal snap rings in front o' t' nozzle washer. Begad! Ya scallywag! Be sure t' wear eye protection whenever you use t' snap rin' pliers t' protect from t' rin' hittin' you in t' face.

Now install t' five propellant grains and t' trackin' smoke grain into t' phenolic liner. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' order o' t' grains is important t' ensure that t' motor performs properly. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' longest grain should be marked as #5 and placed next t' t' nozzle. T' smallest grain should be marked as #1 and placed just below t' trackin' smoke grain. Arrr! Avast! Disregard t' instruction diagram that indicates t' trackin' smoke grain fits into a cavity in t' forward closure. Ahoy! Begad! In reality, t' forward closure does nay possess such a cavity. Instead, me bucko, t' trackin' smoke grain is placed at t' top o' t' grain stack with t' white end facin' out. Lightly grease t' outside o' t' liner tube and install t' entire assembly with grain #5 down into t' motor casin' from t' top and seat t' assembly against t' nozzle. Avast! Then place two greased O-rings into t' slots on t' forward closure and use a twistin' motion t' install t' forward closure assembly into t' casin' until it's seated against t' liner. Aye aye! Finally, matey, insert t' final internal snap rin' t' lock t' forward closure in place.

Now, arrr, don't be too surprised when you try t' heft t' assembled motor and nearly keel over. Blimey! Begad! T' entire assembly weighs nearly 17 pounds so you know that you've got your hands on a real motor!

Finishing:
Due t' t' error in t' instructions concernin' t' trackin' smoke delay/forward closure diagram, me hearties, I would take off half a point in me construction rating.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
A 12V launcher is required t' ensure that thar be a strong enough charge t' fire t' igniter. Ya scallywag! However, me hearties, once it's lit, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, watch out! T' Green Gorilla motor produces an impressive green flame for its exhaust that, matey, for t' life o' me, called t' mind t' "Flame o' Life" from H. Well, blow me down! Rider Haggard's classic novel, She, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, as well as fabulous white trackin' smoke. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor sent me 14 pound rocket hurtlin' into t' sky at better than Mach 1.6 as evidenced by t' awesome sonic boom it left in its wake. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket flew t' 18,313 feet and returned safely from its fabulous flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Although RockSim had t' flight pegged at 16,800 feet, me hearties, t' motor easily outperformed expectations. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Indeed, after discussin' its performance with t' manufacturer, ya bilge rat, he admitted that he tends t' underrate his motor's performance characteristics t' ensure t' consumer gets a bigger bang for t' buck.

Recovery:
T' forward closure is plugged on this motor so thar be no delay time for this reload. Well, blow me down! You must use a timer or an altimeter t' fire your ejection charges. Begad! Begad! Since this is a M motor, me hearties, most people will use dual-deployment for recovery, particularly considerin' t' awesome performance o' this motor. Blimey! I can vouch for t' fact that if anything, me hearties, t' manufacturer has understated t' performance o' this reload and you'll need a large recovery field or a very heavy rocket t' keep t' rocket close t' t' launch pad.

After recovery, wait for t' motor t' cool down before you disassemble it. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Remove both internal snap rings then remove t' forward closure. Ya scallywag! Once that's done, put on some latex gloves t' keep your hands clean and use a long rod or stick t' carefully push t' nozzle up through t' casin' until you can grasp t' liner and twist it carefully out o' t' casing. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Once t' casin' is clear o' t' liner and t' nozzle, shiver me timbers, matey, use white vinegar t' clean t' exhaust off o' all your metal parts and t' clean t' interior o' t' motor casing.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' AMW M2500 Green Gorilla is a wonderful 3-inch motor that performs as well as a lot o' t' best research motors out there. Avast! Blimey! However, shiver me timbers, it isn't cheap, arrr, and if you fly a lot o' M or N motors, me bucko, you may decide that t' prohibitive cost forces you t' choose t' make your own reloads. However, for anyone lookin' for a motor t' achieve their Level 3 certification or for those who only fly M motors once or twice a year, this reload is an excellent choice for anyone who wants t' go high or fly a big, heavy rocket on top o' a really cool green flame.

PROs:

• It's t' most powerful 3-inch commercial motor you can buy.
• It has a fantastic green flame for an exhaust. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty!
• It has straightforward construction o' t' reload. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!
• Its performance exceeds its specifications. Arrr! Aye aye!

CONs:

• T' motor hardware and reload are expensive (MSRP is $375 for t' motor hardware and $400 for t' reload).
• It takes about a half an hour each t' assemble t' motor and t' clean up after use. Well, blow me down!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5