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, me hearties, 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, arrr, ‘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, t' Estes’ Fat Boy and Vaughn Brother’s Blobbo. Well, blow me down! Bein' taller and usin' a larger motor set this kit apart from t' other two from t' get-go, matey, however, consider all three reviews before you purchase your next 2.6" Sport kit. Blimey! See me 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

T' kit comes with a 12" long, shiver me timbers, thicker (1/16") single body tube and 9" long balsa nose cone. Avast! Blimey! It’s 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. Ya scallywag! 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. It also includes two brass launch lugs and a rub-on Meanie™ decal. Ya scallywag! Arrr!

CONSTRUCTION:

There are six pages o' construction instructions and a single page o' operatin' instructions. 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. Avast! T' kit is rated skill level 3, however, I think it falls betwixt 2 and 3. Ya scallywag! T' introduction does indicate that Nordic Rocketry kits are designed "for those with some experience building" model rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast!

Another feature o' t' instructions, matey, that I liked, was t' banter contained throughout. Avast! 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. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! Also after a batten down t' hatches t' ensure straight fin alignment t' banter reinforces this by reading, "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. Begad! All o' t' parts fit, with minor sandin' as noted below, 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.

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

One suggestion that is nay made in t' instructions, matey, 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. Well, blow me down!

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

One o' t' new techniques used in t' construction o' this kit, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, was t' use a T-pin t' poke holes along both sides o' t' centerline where t' fins attach. Well, 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. Avast! Avast! They act like little rivets!

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

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

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

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

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down! Begad! Other than t' single instruction suggestion and t' extra work o' havin' t' deal with a balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, it was excellent!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: 

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

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

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

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

Still showin' t' bruises from it's second challenger, arrr, t' Meanie™ faced it's third "seasoned" challenger, Estes D12-3. This old timer delivered a devastatin' blow that CATO'd t' rocket t' t' ground with a hole shipshape through t' chute and multiple points o' damage on t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! 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), 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. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

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

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

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. Ahoy! Blimey! Rather, me bucko, ya bilge rat, quite t' opposite. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! T' body tube is paper (1/16" thick cardboard), ya bilge rat, its fins and centerin' rings are 1/16" laser-cut plywood, and its nose cone is balsa. Avast! T' fins are surface mounted t' t' body tube. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey!

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

One be t' use a T-pin t' poke holes along both sides o' t' centerline where t' fins attach. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! This is done t' allow t' glue t' seep into these holes makin' t' attachment o' t' fins t' t' body tube stronger. Well, blow me down! They act like little rivets!

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

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