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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ‘cause this one’s mean."

That’s exactly what I did. Avast, me proud beauty! I got one and put it t' t' test against two other "fat" kits, t' Estes’ Fat Boy and Vaughn Brother’s Blobbo. Bein' taller and usin' a larger motor set this kit apart from t' other two from t' get-go, arrr, arrr, however, me bucko, consider all three reviews before you purchase your next 2.6" Sport kit. Ahoy! See me 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

T' kit comes with a 12" long, 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. Ahoy! 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. Arrr! It comes with a 19" rip-stop nylon parachute, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and eye-screws for attachin' t' ¼" elastic shock cord. Ahoy! Begad! It also includes two brass launch lugs and a rub-on Meanie™ decal.

CONSTRUCTION:

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

Another feature o' t' instructions, shiver me timbers, arrr, that I liked, was t' banter contained throughout. Arrr! Blimey! For example, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 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! Blimey! Also after a batten down t' hatches t' ensure straight fin alignment t' banter reinforces this by reading, ya bilge rat, me bucko, "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. Arrr! Avast! All o' t' parts fit, with minor sandin' as noted below, me bucko, and allowed for quick assembly. Ya scallywag!

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. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down!

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

One suggestion that is nay made in t' instructions, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag! Begad!

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

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

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

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

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

Overall, 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it was excellent!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: 

While gettin' ready for flight, two passer-bys stopped and introduced themselves. Ya scallywag! Arrr! 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. Now, matey, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down! It was placed into t' rin' (launch order) on rod number 9 (3/16 launch rod) durin' t' NOVAAR Vacuum-22 event. Well, blow me down! T' t' referee (launch controller) announced t' fight (I mean flight) and began t' count down for t' main event. Aye aye! Ahoy! 5, shiver me timbers, 4, ya bilge rat, 3, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, 2, ya bilge rat, 1 . . Avast! . ding, ding! Meanie™ was out o' it's corner quickly, 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, and at what seemed t' be Meanie's™ slowest point, pow, t' last punch! It be all down(hill) from here as it floated safely back t' t' ground. Begad! Thus concluded t' matter. Avast!

Upon inspection, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' piece o' Rogue Aerospace's Perma-Wadding™ had a hole punched through it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! However, me bucko, it did it's job and protected t' 18" rip-stop nylon parachute. Blimey! Blimey! T' recovery system did it's job. Ahoy! Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Only time and flights will tell. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey!

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. Aye aye! Blimey! T' flight was straight but I could nay see ejection. Blimey! Blimey! Assisted by a good wind, arrr, t' rocket be carried and good distance. Begad! Blimey! I landed in someone's driveway just outside o' t' flyin' field, me bucko, chippin' two o' t' fin bottoms and a small spot on t' top t' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

Still showin' t' bruises from it's second challenger, t' Meanie™ faced it's third "seasoned" challenger, Estes D12-3. Begad! This old timer delivered a devastatin' blow that CATO'd t' rocket t' t' ground with a hole clean through t' chute and multiple points o' damage on t' nose cone. Aye aye! T' D12-3 displayed it's pleasure by throw a fire ball into t' air. Ahoy! Begad!

After t' three flights (if you count t' last event), me bucko, t' shock cord is showin' some crackin' on t' edges but it still solid and intact. Blimey! Arrr! I still think a Keelhaul®©™® leader or a protective sheath would help this kit out. Arrr! Blimey!

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

Overall, matey, shiver me timbers, 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, matey, me hearties, sport flyer. Ya scallywag! Nordic Rocketry's catalog only contains 5 kits, but after buildin' this one, arrr, I'm lookin' forward t' future releases! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down!

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

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

One was t' use a T-pin t' poke holes along both sides o' t' centerline where t' fins attach. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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!

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

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