Brief:
T' Mini Mike IX is a downscale o' t' Thrustline Aerospace Mike IX. Avast, me proud beauty! Aside from bein' proportionately smaller, me bucko, arrr, t' most significant difference betwixt t' mini version and t' original is that t' mini version flies on a single 13mm motor.

Construction:
T' box arrived at me door 2 days after it had been shipped. I like that Thrustline emailed me t' USPS shippin' confirmation t' let me know that the kit had been shipped. T' box had apparently taken a bit o' a rough trip by the time it arrived on me doorstep, but t' kit was very safely packaged and sustained no damage inside t' box. Bein' a beta version o' t' kit, it was packaged inside o' a large plastic bag that had been stapled. Aye aye! Upon openin' the bag, me hearties, here's what came out:

• 1 balsa nose cone
• 1 BT-20 body tube
• 1 BT-5 motor tube
• 1 motor block for BT-5
• 2 CR520-P paper centerin' rings
• 1 laser cut balsa fin set
• 2 launch lugs
• 1 streamer kit
• 1 elastic shock cord
• 1 tri-fold paper mount
• 1 TADS-BT20 waterslide decal sheet
• 1 wraparound fin markin' guide
• 1 instruction manual

What first caught me eye was t' instructions. Begad! They were printed on several 8.5x11" pages and contained plenty o' color pictures and diagrams for each step. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Readin' through t' instructions, arrr, I didn't see any potential "gotchas" nor any errors. Ya scallywag! Begad! I used Elmer's ProBond wood glue for the entire build.

Like any good LPR build, it all starts with t' motor mount. Avast! T' BT-5 tube gets a small paper motor block glued in one end followed by a centerin' ring flush with t' same end and then another centerin' rin' 1/4" from the other (aft) end. Avast! Arrr! T' entire assembly is glued flush into one end o' t' BT-20 body tube.

After t' mount has had a chance t' dry, ya bilge rat, I cut out t' wraparound fin markin' guide. Arrr! Unfortunately I was unable t' use it because it fit BT-50, shiver me timbers, not BT-20. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I put it aside, me hearties, pulled out me Estes Fin Markin' guide, and marched on through t' rest o' t' build. I marked 4 lines 90 degrees apart runnin' the full length o' t' tube. Marks are then made for t' placement o' t' mid and forward canard fins.

T' fins are 1/16" thick balsa but were impressively tough when cut out o' t' sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I be frankly thrilled t' have all 12 fins laser cut! Blimey! The fins were placed very close together on t' sheet. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It would have taken forever to cut those out by hand, nay t' mention that I certainly would have needed a lot more balsa t' cut them out! Blimey! I cut t' fins from t' sheet with a X-Acto knife and new blade. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Only minor sandin' was required t' get t' fins matched and smooth. I chose t' nay bevel t' (tiny!) edges o' t' fins.

I used t' "double glue" method t' apply all fins. Aye aye! I started by applyin' t' main aft fins first and worked me way forward, makin' sure to carefully align t' fins. Ahoy! Aye aye! Small fillets were applied once t' fins were dry.

Next t' tri-fold mount be cut out and glued t' one end o' t' elastic shock cord. Ya scallywag! T' elastic was about 24" long and I think that should be more than adequate for this small o' a kit. Aye aye! That mount be glued in an inch or so from t' forward end o' t' rocket. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I twisted t' screw eye into t' base of the nose cone, removed t' screw eye, put glue on t' threads o' t' screw eye, and twisted t' screw eye back into t' nose cone. T' other end o' t' shock cord was tied onto t' screw eye.

T' last things were gluin' t' launch lugs on and attachin' t' streamer. They are glued into t' joint o' t' aft and middle fins against t' body tube. T' streamer came in its own plastic baggie and contained a piece o' neon green plastic, arrr, Keelhaul®©™® string, matey, and a snap swivel. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instruction manual says t' build t' streamer accordin' t' t' instructions included with t' streamer. Avast! My streamer did not come with anythin' other than t' 3 parts. Begad! There be a picture in t' kit's instruction manual that had a picture o' t' completed streamer so that was more than adequate for me t' build t' streamer.

Finishing:
Thanks t' t' impressive decal sheet that was included with t' kit, arrr, I chose to paint t' rocket all white so that it would show off t' decals best. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! First though, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I used some diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' seal t' fins and nose cone. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I sanded them smooth with 320 grit and then 400 grit sandpaper. The rocket was coated with Krylon white primer and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper again. Avast! Ya scallywag! Lastly, me hearties, a coat o' gloss white finished t' rocket. Blimey! I applied a few of the waterslide decals t' give it a real military missile look.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Any 13mm motor with an ejection charge are recommended for t' Mini-Mike IX. A10-3Ts were t' easiest acceptable 13mm motor I could get me hands on so that's what I used for both flights. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! A 4 or 5 sheets o' Estes waddin' were placed inside t' rocket followed by t' streamer and shock cord. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' body tube was too small for me t' push t' waddin' down far enough with me finger t' have room for t' streamer so I employed t' service o' a small wood dowel. Ya scallywag! The motor is retained by friction fit.

T' Mini Mike IX wasted no time in gettin' off t' pad but be easy to track throughout t' entire flight. Begad! Blimey! Apogee was at what I guess t' be nearly 400 feet and t' nose cone be definitely still pointed up in both flights.

Recovery:
T' plastic streamer took a little heat on t' first flight and burned slightly, arrr, me hearties, however it still recovered safely and within 10 yards o' t' pad. A small piece o' clear tape over t' damage along with an extra piece o' wadding had t' Mini Mike IX ready for flight #2. Ya scallywag! There was no damage on t' second flight, matey, otherwise it was an exact repeat o' t' first flight.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
With its military-esque looks and great flights, ya bilge rat, t' Mini Mike IX would be a welcome addition t' any low power flier's fleet. It's a great choice for those days when you really want t' launch a rocket but perhaps don't have t' time or large field for an organized launch although I'm sure it'll get plenty of attention then too!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5