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, matey, 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, matey, ‘cause this one’s mean."

That’s exactly what I did. Blimey! I got one and put it t' t' test against two other "fat" kits, matey, t' Estes’ Fat Boy and Vaughn Brother’s Blobbo. Ahoy! 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. Blimey! See me 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

T' kit comes with a 12" long, me bucko, thicker (1/16") single body tube and 9" long balsa nose cone. Begad! Blimey! It’s 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. 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, matey, me hearties, and eye-screws for attachin' t' ¼" elastic shock cord. Blimey! Blimey! It also includes two brass launch lugs and a rub-on Meanie™ decal. Avast!

CONSTRUCTION:

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

Another feature o' t' instructions, me hearties, that I liked, ya bilge rat, was t' banter contained throughout. Ya scallywag! For example, 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! 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™ be fun and employed a couple o' new techniques t' me. All o' t' parts fit, with minor sandin' as noted below, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey!

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

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. Arrr!

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

One o' t' new techniques used in t' construction o' this kit, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! They act like little rivets!

Another new technique was t' attachment o' t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone. Arrr! Arrr! This is screwed, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, arrr, glued and bridged. Arrr! T' bridgin' be a new idea t' me. Avast! Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! Then, as always, I began preppin' for paintin' with Plasti-Kote primer. T' nose cone really needed a lot o' work. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' nose cone really needed a lot o' work. Ya scallywag! This could have been reduced if I followed t' finishin' instructions. 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, me bucko, sandin' back t' a smooth surface each time.

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

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

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, me bucko, me bucko, two passer-bys stopped and introduced themselves. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Both o' them commented on t' Meanie™ askin' who manufactured it. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! One person picked it up and commented on how durable it felt and admired t' fins. Ahoy! Now, we know it looks good but that this contender fly?

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

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

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. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' flight be straight but I could nay see ejection. Aye aye! Assisted by a good wind, t' rocket be carried and good distance. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I landed in someone's driveway just outside o' t' flyin' field, arrr, me hearties, chippin' two o' t' fin bottoms and a small spot on t' top t' body tube. Aye aye! Arrr!

Still showin' t' bruises from it's second challenger, t' Meanie™ faced it's third "seasoned" challenger, Estes D12-3. Begad! Avast! 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. Begad! T' D12-3 displayed it's pleasure by throw a fire ball into t' air. Avast, me proud beauty!

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. Begad! I still think a Keelhaul®©™® leader or a protective sheath would help this kit out. Arrr!

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, 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, and one descent that took nearly 8 minutes… this rocket has been a Meanie toward t' skys. Begad! It has flown on 28 D's (D9, D10, shiver me timbers, D12, ya bilge rat, D15 and D21), 14 E's (E9, E11, ya bilge rat, E18, and E28), and 19 F's (F12, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, F24, me bucko, and F39). Blimey!