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, shiver me timbers, t' Meanie is a contender! Nordic Rocketry packages this "stout, 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. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! I got one and put it t' t' test against two other "fat" kits, t' Estes’ Fat Boy and Vaughn Brother’s Blobbo. Bein' taller and usin' a larger motor set this kit apart from t' other two from t' get-go, however, consider all three reviews before you purchase your next 2.6" Sport kit. 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. Arrr! It’s 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. It comes with a 19" rip-stop nylon parachute, me bucko, and eye-screws for attachin' t' ¼" elastic shock cord. Avast! Blimey! It also includes two brass launch lugs and a rub-on Meanie™ decal. Arrr!

CONSTRUCTION:

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

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

Assembly o' t' Meanie™ be fun and employed a couple o' new techniques t' me. Well, blow me down! All o' t' parts fit, arrr, with minor sandin' as noted below, and allowed for quick assembly. Blimey!

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.

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

One suggestion that is nay made in t' instructions, shiver me timbers, 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.

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

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

Another new technique be t' attachment o' t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! This is screwed, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, glued and bridged. Well, blow me down! T' bridgin' be a new idea t' me. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! This is where t' glue is "bridged" through t' eye-screw t' increase its hold t' t' nose cone.

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

Next, arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, while walkin' through t' Walmart, shiver me timbers, I discovered their brand o' paint for $0. Blimey! 98/can. Begad! I couldn't resist. I got a can o' yellow, shiver me timbers, clear and primer. Begad! Blimey! T' made me final coat o' primer with t' Walmart brand. Avast! Then 2 coats o' bright yellow. Begad! 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. Blimey! (additional comments about Walmart paint)

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

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

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: 

While gettin' ready for flight, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, two passer-bys stopped and introduced themselves. Avast! Both o' them commented on t' Meanie™ askin' who manufactured it. Begad! One person picked it up and commented on how durable it felt and admired t' fins. 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. It be 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. Begad! Avast! 5, matey, shiver me timbers, 4, matey, ya bilge rat, 3, arrr, 2, 1 . . Ya scallywag! . Begad! ding, ding! Meanie™ was out o' it's corner quickly, delivered an explosive punch that left t' launch rod vibratin' and jerkin' t' heads o' all observers upward. After a line o' smoke, and at what seemed t' be Meanie's™ slowest point, pow, matey, t' last punch! It be all down(hill) from here as it floated safely back t' t' ground. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Thus concluded t' matter. Ahoy! Begad!

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

T' second challenger that Meanie™ had t' face be an Aerotech E28-7. Well, blow me down! I removed half o' t' ejection charge before attachin' it t' t' RMS casing. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' flight was straight but I could nay see ejection. Blimey! Assisted by a good wind, t' rocket was carried and good distance. I landed in someone's driveway just outside o' t' flyin' field, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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, t' Meanie™ faced it's third "seasoned" challenger, arrr, arrr, Estes D12-3. 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. Avast! Blimey! T' D12-3 displayed it's pleasure by throw a fire ball into t' air.

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

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, ya bilge rat, matey, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

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

Update 9/23/08: After over 10 years o' flying, 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. Begad! Avast! Rather, quite t' opposite. T' body tube is paper (1/16" thick cardboard), arrr, ya bilge rat, its fins and centerin' rings are 1/16" laser-cut plywood, me bucko, matey, and its nose cone is balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins are surface mounted t' t' body tube.

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

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

T' other technique was t' attachment o' t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone. Begad! Aye aye! This is screwed, glued and bridged. Ya scallywag! Bridgin' where t' glue is "bridged" through t' eye-screw t' increase its hold t' t' nose cone. Arrr!

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