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, shiver me timbers, 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, ‘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. Begad! Avast! Bein' taller and usin' a larger motor set this kit apart from t' other two from t' get-go, however, arrr, consider all three reviews before you purchase your next 2.6" Sport kit. Begad! Well, blow me down! See me 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

T' kit comes with a 12" long, arrr, thicker (1/16") single body tube and 9" long balsa nose cone. 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. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It comes with a 19" rip-stop nylon parachute, and eye-screws for attachin' t' ¼" elastic shock cord. Ya scallywag! It also includes two brass launch lugs and a rub-on Meanie™ decal. Begad!

CONSTRUCTION:

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

Another feature o' t' instructions, arrr, that I liked, was t' banter contained throughout. Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Also after a warnin' 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. All o' t' parts fit, me hearties, with minor sandin' as noted below, and allowed for quick assembly. Aye aye!

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. Begad! Ya scallywag!

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

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. Blimey!

T' fin’s unique shape merited a picture showin' which edges t' taper and round. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! There are actually four edges on each fin that need sanding. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, 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. They act like little rivets!

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

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

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

A week later, ya bilge rat, I painted t' one fin with a blue t' match t' decal. Begad! Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, I be able t' successfully apply t' decal. Once complete, matey, me bucko, matey, I hit t' entire rocket with two light coats o' Walmart Clear paint. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Done!

Overall, me bucko, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Blimey! Other than t' single instruction suggestion and t' extra work o' havin' t' deal with a balsa nose cone, shiver me timbers, it was excellent!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: 

While gettin' ready for flight, ya bilge rat, two passer-bys stopped and introduced themselves. Well, blow me down! Both o' them commented on t' Meanie™ askin' who manufactured it. One person picked it up and commented on how durable it felt and admired t' fins. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! 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, 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. Ahoy! Avast! T' t' referee (launch controller) announced t' fight (I mean flight) and began t' count down for t' main event. Avast! 5, matey, 4, shiver me timbers, 3, me bucko, 2, 1 . Ahoy! . . ding, me hearties, ding! Meanie™ was out o' it's corner quickly, ya bilge rat, delivered an explosive punch that left t' launch rod vibratin' and jerkin' t' heads o' all observers upward. Begad! After a line o' smoke, me hearties, and at what seemed t' be Meanie's™ slowest point, arrr, me bucko, pow, t' last punch! It be all down(hill) from here as it floated safely back t' t' ground. Begad! Thus concluded t' matter.

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

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

Still showin' t' bruises from it's second challenger, ya bilge rat, matey, t' Meanie™ faced it's third "seasoned" challenger, matey, ya bilge rat, arrr, Estes D12-3. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 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. Ya scallywag!

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. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I still think a Keelhaul®©™® leader or a protective sheath would help this kit out. Aye aye!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, shiver me timbers, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Aye aye! Aye aye!

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

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. Rather, matey, quite t' opposite. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' body tube is paper (1/16" thick cardboard), arrr, its fins and centerin' rings are 1/16" laser-cut plywood, and its nose cone is balsa. T' fins are surface mounted t' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

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

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

T' other technique be t' attachment o' t' eye-screw t' t' nose cone. Arrr! This is screwed, glued and bridged. Arrr! Bridgin' where t' glue is "bridged" through t' eye-screw t' increase its hold t' t' nose cone. Begad!

So, ya bilge rat, despite a CATO o' an Estes D12 on t' 3rd launch (which required t' nose cone t' be filled and re-painted), matey, several other parachute deployment issues, me hearties, me hearties, 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, shiver me timbers, D10, D12, D15 and D21), 14 E's (E9, E11, E18, shiver me timbers, and E28), shiver me timbers, and 19 F's (F12, F24, and F39). Begad!