T' Estes Mean Machine(TM) kit be one I remember wanting, but nay bein' able t' afford t' first time in this hobby. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! So now, me hearties, as a B.A.R., arrr, shiver me timbers, I can have it easily. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! (Also, ya bilge rat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' kit cover picture is priceless.) 

I decided t' high-power it by adaptin' it for 29mm motors so its name is now t' "Meaner Machine." Addin' a 29mm motor mount, me hearties, fiberglassed tubes and fins and altimeter dual deployment be t' final irony. Arrr! Ya scallywag! $23 for t' kit, $200 for t' accessories. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Actually, I ended up buyin' two Mean  Machine kits (because I needed more couplers) so perhaps it should be t' "Mean Machine²." (Or "Mean² Machine?"). 

T' kit still has a priceless cover picture. Dig that kid with t' Farrah Fawcett layered hairdo and t' trippy "Model Rocketry is Fun" T-shirt! This is probably t' same cover it had when I was a child. Ahoy! Blimey! (Yes, me hearties, I'm a Gen-Xer, me bucko, nay a boomer.) 

I used t' Estes body tubes and nose cone, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but nay much else. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I wanted t' keep t' overall dimensions t' same while makin' t' rocket use dual-deployment recovery and an altimeter (just t' complete t' irony). Aye aye! Because I was usin' a 29mm motor mount and wanted t' use through-the-wall fin mounting, me bucko, I re-cut t' fins from 1/16" plywood and fiberglassed them (double 2oz. Arrr! Ahoy! wrap plus .56oz. veil). Arrr! T' three body tube sections were built usin' t' Estes tubin' and then fiberglassed as well (also double 2oz. Avast, me proud beauty! wrap plus .56oz. Begad! Blimey! veil). Aye aye! I noticed later that t' Estes tubin' has almost t' same O.D. Ahoy! as LOC/Precision 38mm motor mount tubing, matey, so that would have been a stronger replacement. Well, blow me down! Blimey! But, me bucko, I had t' use some parts from t' kit! 

T' couplers from t' Estes kit were pretty weak looking: thin cardboard and only 1 1/2" long. Arrr! So, me hearties, I lengthened and strengthened t' couplers by puttin' two end-to-end (requirin' t' second kit) and fiberglassin' them inside (strips o' 4oz. cloth). Well, me bucko, blow me down! Now we've got a high-power rocket! 

I really like t' look o' this rocket. Ahoy! I managed t' keep t' appearance o' t' original Estes rocket by usin' t' same overall body tube length, me bucko, arrr, nose cone and same size fins. O' course, shiver me timbers, t' entire rocket is built with epoxy instead o' white glue. Ahoy! T' airframe is cut into three parts t' accomodate t' altimeter section in t' middle. Two o' t' original body tubes make t' tail section, me hearties, slightly less than one make makes t' altimeter bay section and slightly more than ones makes up t' front section. T' end result is that t' rocket maintains t' same finished dimensions as t' original kit. 

Aside from t' body tubes and nose cone, me hearties, t' rocket is scratchbuilt.

T' altimeter needs t' fit inside t' small tubing. Ahoy! Aye aye! I used a Transolve P2 since it's narrow and this rocket, o' all o' them, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, can accomodate t' extra length. This involved even more couplers and a custom altimeter plate and end bulkheads t' fit in them.

I finished t' rocket with t' kit specified paint scheme. T' only modification I made was t' remove t' Estes logo from t' rocket name. I probably should have kept it, but I thought it was a bit tacky for them t' put their name on me rocket so it went.