Brief:
T' Mini Meanie is a very small plastic rocket similar t' t' RTF Mighty Mites, except that you get t' do a bit o' assembly. It uses 13mm 'Mini' motors and a very small streamer for recovery

Construction:
This kit assembles like a plastic model. Arrr! There is no body tube as such, just t' two halves o' t' rocket with fins already attached. Ya scallywag! Begad! Estes does provide a motor tube and hook along with t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, recovery system and a square o' clay for ballasting.

T' whole thin' goes together in moments. Ahoy! Instructions are pretty good, shiver me timbers, and should be easy for children t' follow. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket body is delivered in two halves, with t' fins built in. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord is attached t' one half, ya bilge rat, t' motor tube and hook are laid in place, and t' other half glued on with plastic cement.

T' only 'tricky' part concerns t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! It needs t' be filled with clay and then sealed with a bottom cap. T' amount o' clay provided actually exceeds t' space in t' nose by a small amount. Avast! Blimey! T' excess clay can interfere with t' glue for t' nose cone base, ya bilge rat, so you have t' clean up any clay from t' glue area. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! No big deal but it might trip-up a youngster. Ahoy! Blimey! T' free end o' t' shock cord is secured t' t' nose cone base unit (another reason t' make sure you have a good glue bond there), shiver me timbers, and t' streamer ties t' t' cord. That's about it. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! You can build this whole rocket while t' glue on one fin sets on your larger project!

Finishing:
T' only finishin' be t' stick-on decals. Avast! You could have your kids build this one at t' launch site and fly it as soon as t' glue dries. Aye aye! Aye aye! I'm ratin' it 4 1/2 only because it's a plastic kit and I can't brin' myself t' rate it a 5, matey, but thar be really no problem with it that I can see.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flights are actually pretty satisfying. On 1/2A power t' rocket gets 200-300 feet, I'd estimate. Arrr! Stable even in a breeze. Ahoy! T' flight is nay so fast you cannot follow it easily, matey, ya bilge rat, which adds t' t' fun. Avast! Ejection has been right at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Our one flight on an A motor be quick but still could be visually tracked. I was watchin' another rocket in t' drag race and did nay see t' apogee and separation, arrr, shiver me timbers, but I hear it was still visible.

Recovery:
T' streamer really does little t' slow t' recovery. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket does tumble down after t' nose cone pops off (no little-lawn-dart like t' Quark) and does nay eject its engine, arrr, so I find it a bit less scary t' fly than t' 'tumble' recovery kits. Aye aye! Blimey! T' streamer does make it easier t' spot on t' way down. Arrr! Blimey! You won't have t' hunt for it much though, even in winds all our flights landed very close t' t' pads.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
For what it is, it's very good. My 7 year old built it pretty much on his own, me bucko, me hearties, arrr, got a good lookin' and good flyin' rocket, me bucko, and he likes it. Blimey! It cost me less than 4 bucks. Well, blow me down! When t' shock-cord breaks I don't know how we will ever replace it, ya bilge rat, now that t' body is glued closed, ya bilge rat, but it's unlikely we'd ever find t' nose-cone if it separated, so at that point we'll just get another. It's nay much o' a buildin' project, but at least you have t' build something, me hearties, and at least it has some sort o' recovery system, matey, so I like it better than t' RTF Flyin' Saucer and other favorites o' me son's. Arrr! Begad! Comparin' it t' t' Estes Quark I thought t' Quark a more 'interesting' rocket t' build, but I prefer t' flights o' t' Meanie, ya bilge rat, with its slower lift-off and streamer recovery.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5