LOC/Precision - Minie-Magg {Kit} (PK-5) [1985-]

LOC/Precision Minie-Magg

LOC/Precision - Minie-Magg {Kit} (PK-5) [1985-]

Contributed by Bryan M. Chuck

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Manufacturer:

LOC/Precision

Rocket Pic Brief:
LOC's Minie-Magg is a single-staged HP rocket popular with many fliers. Blimey! Its stubby profile combined with a basic build make it a fun flier for larger motors, as well as smaller H motors for a lesser field.

Construction:
T' parts were contained in a durable plastic bag. Arrr! T' inventory o' parts are as follows:

1 nosecone, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, plastic
1 kraft paper airframe 5.54" diameter (fin slots pre-cut)
1 kraft paper 38mm motor tube
2 birch ply centerin' rings
3 birch ply fins
1 elastic shock cord
1 braided nylon shock cord mount
1 nylon parachute (mine is bright orange)
1 launch lug (1/2" diameter)

I felt t' components t' be a fine quality, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and found no warpin' o' t' fins.

Outside o' t' Minie Magg's size, arrr, it is a basic build. I used 15 minute epoxy for t' assembly and 30 minute on fillets. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions are simple t' follow and are included on t' back-side o' t' info/picture card. Blimey! Blimey! I would speculate that a person should have no problems assemblin' this rocket from t' instructions LOC supplies.

Nose Cone All t' parts fit together well and required minimal, if any sanding. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I decided t' deviate slightly from t' instructions, arrr, though, in order t' add a few things t' improve t' longevity o' me Minie-Magg. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' supplied shock cord mount is epoxied on t' inside side o' t' airframe, and uses elastic for shock cord material. I did nay feel confident usin' this arrangement, arrr, so I put an eyebolt in t' forward centerin' rin' t' anchor t' shock cord. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I also opted t' use 20' o' tubular nylon in lieu o' t' elastic. Begad! Blimey! Attachin' t' cord t' t' eyebolt was done via quick link. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I also felt t' plastic eyelet on t' nosecone would prove weak on this larger rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! T' remedy this, me bucko, I drilled a 1/2 hole in t' base o' t' nosecone, passed me shockcord through it, and passed it back through t' hole pre-existin' at t' bottom center o' t' nosecone. Thus far, matey, it has held up well.

Another minor "CON" t' this rocket be t' fins do nay go all t' way t' t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! T' make amends, shiver me timbers, I decided t' keep t' aft centerin' rin' off until after I put t' fins on. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! On t' inside o' t' airframe where t' fin tabs came barely through, I put 2 inch wide fiberglass bandaids t' length o' t' fin root.

Lastly, me hearties, I added t-nut & brass strip Kaplow-style motor retention before addin' t' aft centerin' ring.

As for building, here are me thoughts: PROS 1. Ahoy! Arrr! Quality o' airframe, shiver me timbers, wood components, and nosecone. Arrr! 2. Blimey! Exceptional fittin' o' parts. 3. Begad! Simplicity o' build/instructions, me bucko, even if built "stock."

CONS 1. Aye aye! Shock cord attachment and shock cord material. Begad! Blimey! 2. Fins are nay t' t' motor tube. Blimey! 3. Blimey! Lack o' motor retention, which is fairly common in mid-power and HP rockets.

Finishing:
T' finish off me Minie-Magg, I filled t' tube spirals with 3M Spot Putty. Begad! On t' fins, me hearties, I used a couple coats o' SIG sandin' sealer from t' local R/C plane store. Ya scallywag! After sandin' things smooth, matey, I employed two light coats o' white Krylon primer, me bucko, ya bilge rat, sandin' betwixt coats. For me color coat, shiver me timbers, I chose Glossy Krylon Grape. Aye aye! I chose this color in honor o' me friends' daughter, whose name is Violet and likes rockets.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Rocket Pic Flight:
Flight prep for this rocket is easy. It's wide enough t' fit all recovery items with no hassle. Arrr! Instead o' t' large amount o' waddin' t' Minie Magg would require, a 18"x18" piece o' Top Flight Nomex was used. Arrr! I also added one o' their Nomex sleeves for good measure. Avast, me proud beauty! T' LOC catalog notes that one could fly this rocket with a G80 SU motor.

T' maiden flight o' me Minie-Magg was at Black Rock XII in Nevada. Ahoy! Avast! I chose an I161 medium for t' ice breaker. Arrr! Arrr! It be a good choice and recovery happened without a hitch. Ya scallywag! At this point, I've gone as large as an I211. Well, blow me down! All flights have been arrow straight, and exceptional "rock & roll" motors for this rocket seem t' be t' I300, I357, me bucko, and o' course, matey, t' I211. For good measure, me breakdown o' motors used in t' Minie-Magg are thus:

H123
H242
I161
I300
I357
I211

I've had only one incident when t' fin popped loose. Begad! Ahoy! In light o' that, I would rate t' Minie-Magg's flyin' and prep at a top notch 5.

Recovery:
No cons regardin' flight recovery after swappin' out t' shock cord and usin' a different anchorin' system. Well, blow me down! Pros: Stock 'chute seems adequate.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I'm quite pleased with this rocket. Aye aye! Begad! In me opinion, it only needs a couple o' things added t' improve it: Shock cord and shock cord attachment. Also fin root strengthenin' is probably a good idea. Begad! Arrr! Even if built stock, ya bilge rat, t' parts are outstandin' in their fit and quality, and t' build is straightforward. Overall, it's a fun flier. I'm constantly amazed at how many Minie-Magg's I see at launches. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! I believe it's a fine L1 rocket on t' H123, also.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews

Loc Precision Minie-Magg By Theresa Pantoja (August 19, 2020)
This kit is great for people who want a fun high powered rocket. The size is not cumbersome and the build is not complicated. Components Model: 07653 Skill Level 3: Average Skills Needed Length: 37.000" (93.98 cm) Weight: 53.000 oz (1502.52 g) Diameter (Max): 5.540" (14.07 cm) Fin Count: 3 Motor Size: ...
LOC/Precision Minnie-Mag By David Hunt (January 18, 2017)
This was my first High Power Rocket. I certified L1 and L2 with this same rocket. It is very easy to build. LOC"s "LOC-N-Fin" method of using fin tabs inside to air frame worked very well. With the tabs installed the fins naturally fell into the proper perpendicular orientation. With the big 5.5" air frame applying epoxy to all the interior parts was very ...

Flights

Comments:

D.G. (August 1, 2001)

I like to fly my Minie Magg on Quick burning motors. So far I have flown it on an H220-10T, and a H242-10T. I choose the medium delay because I have an magnetic apogee sensor in the nose cone to deploy the parachute. Next time I fly it, I think I'll use an H210-10 Redline motor. I also plan to try it with an I357 in the near future.

J.T. (September 19, 2001)

I have built and launched my Minie Magg on H180,H210R,H242,and the I218R. All with med. delays all perfect flights. Changes made to kit are as follows: shock cord 9/16 tube nylon, I-bolts in top center ring + in nose cone{20 ft. shock cord),pulled out rear centering ring and ran 30 min. epoxy down fin root to body tube on inside, let motor tube stick out 1/2" and installed slimline motor retainer. the I218 Redline is a killer looking rock and roll motor for this rocket, use a med. delay.

J.J. (January 1, 2002)

I thought that this kit was of great quality and was very easy to build. One con is that I did not care for the way that LOC said to attach the shock cord to the airframe. To solve this problem I drilled a hole in the forward centering ring and put a screw eye through it. I then added a 15' section of nylon strapping to act as the shock cord. A second MAJOR con was the fact that the fins did not go all the way to the motor mount tube (I think that all manufactures of how power rockets should take a good look at how much people hate this and fix the fins so they will go all the way to the MMT tube). I decided to do the same thing as the first reviewer and add a small strip of fiberglass cloth to the inside of the tube to help secure the fins. Next, I covered the tube and fins with wood glue to fill in the grooves and cover the fins (check out my tip about filling in spirals with wood glue on the "TIPS" page). Finally, the last thing that I did was cut the launch lug in half and angle the forward end of each. I do not have any flight logged with this rocket yet but I hope to use a PRO38 engine at my next local launch. In all this is a fairly good kit except for the fact that the fins do not go all the way to the motor mount tube.

S.M. (February 15, 2002)

A nice stout kit for the money with a couple things to improve upon. I ended up peeling off the entire "glassine" coating, which seems to be some type of plastic film which sands poorly and refuses to really bond with any type of adhesive. I also made new fins which go through to a 54mm motor mount, with internal and external fillets as well as generous fillets of high temp epoxy (like PC-7) on the MM tube. I learned my lesson on a Graduator by trying to strengthen the stock fin system, which added weight, and is it still developing cracks in the fillets as I fly it more. This time, the rocket feels bulletproof, with fins you can bend significantly with no danger of cracking or failure. This rocket will be extended with another length of body tube and hopefully will be my L2 cert unit this spring. In short, peel the plastic, use sandable primer or 'glass to seal the tube, make new fins that reach the MM tube, and replace the elastic with Nylon or Kevlar, and it's a 1st class rocket that will live through many flights with no damage. Hope this helps someone!

M.L. (February 7, 2007)

The Minie Mag kit I purchased in 2007 has a different fin mounting system than the models mentioned here. The fin tabs have a slot cut through them and once placed inside the body tube there is plank piece that slides into the slot on the fin. The plank touches the body on each side of the fin. It was a very snug and secure fit. Whish all my kits came with this method.

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