Weighing in at 7.5 ounces with a reach of 23 1/8" and sporting a 2.6" thick body with punching power from a 24mm motor, the Meanie is a contender! Nordic Rocketry packages this "stout, tough and extremely cool" rocket with the taunting message not to take their word for it but to get one and "warn your friends to 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 to the test against two other "fat" kits, the Estes’ Fat Boy and Vaughn Brother’s Blobbo. Being taller and using a larger motor set this kit apart from the other two from the get-go, however, consider all three reviews before you purchase your next 2.6" Sport kit. See my 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

The 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 centering rings and a motor retention clip. It’s most unique feature are the three laser-cut 1/16" plywood fins which are shaped so as to set this kit apart from any other. It comes with a 19" rip-stop nylon parachute, and eye-screws for attaching the ¼" elastic shock cord. It also includes two brass launch lugs and a rub-on Meanie™ decal.

CONSTRUCTION:

There are six pages of construction instructions and a single page of operating instructions. There are plenty of clear, instrumental illustrations for ensuring accurate alignment and build. The instructions are in logical order and if followed can ensure a successful build. The kit is rated skill level 3, however, I think it falls between 2 and 3. The introduction does indicate that Nordic Rocketry kits are designed "for those with some experience building" model rockets.

Another feature of the instructions, that I liked, was the banter contained throughout. For example, comments like, "when you have epoxy setting up is not the time to discover mistakes" after the suggestion of reading all instructions before you begin. Also after a warning to ensure straight fin alignment the banter reinforces this by reading, "A misaligned part in this step could make your Meanie a little meaner than planned!"

Assembly of the Meanie™ was fun and employed a couple of new techniques to me. All of the parts fit, with minor sanding as noted below, and allowed for quick assembly.

The motor mount assembly requires notching of the lower centering ring to allow clearance for the motor hook and also an eye-screw is attached to the upper centering ring as the anchor for the shock cord.

When installing the motor mount, the instructions suggest checking for fit and not to force the mount into the body tube. I found that the fit seemed very tight, however two things remedied this. First, although discovered second for me, was that there was a small ridge around the end of the body tube. Sand this off first, then check for fit. If still tight then a light sanding of the centering rings will resolve it. I sanded the centering rings first, which probably wasn’t necessary.

One suggestion that is not made in the instructions, is to tuck the shock cord back through the motor tube to avoid getting glue on it when installing the motor mount into the body tube.

The fin’s unique shape merited a picture showing which edges to taper and round. There are actually four edges on each fin that need sanding. I used my Dremel to get started and then sand paper to do the finishing.

One of the new techniques used in the construction of this kit, was to use a T-pin to poke holes along both sides of the centerline where the fins attach. This is done to allow the glue to seep into these holes making the attachment of the fins to the body tube stronger. They act like little rivets!

Another new technique was the attachment of the eye-screw to the nose cone. This is screwed, glued and bridged. The bridging was a new idea to me. This is where the glue is "bridged" through the eye-screw to increase its hold to the nose cone.

To start the finishing process I used sanding sealer on the large balsa nose cone. Then, as always, I began prepping for painting with Plasti-Kote primer. The nose cone really needed a lot of work. The nose cone really needed a lot of work. This could have been reduced if I followed the finishing instructions. They suggest using wood putty and sanding sealer to fill the spiral seam in the body tubing and nose cone. I simply used multiple coats of primer, sanding back to a smooth surface each time.

Next, while walking through the Walmart, I discovered their brand of paint for $0. 98/can. I couldn't resist. I got a can of yellow, clear and primer. The made my final coat of primer with the Walmart brand. Then 2 coats of bright yellow. The recommendations on the Walmart can is to do additional coats within 4 hours or after 1 week. Small price to pay for the paint costing so little. (additional comments about Walmart paint)

A week later, I painted the one fin with a blue to match the decal. I also applied the single decal which is a self-adhesive vinyl decal spelling out Meanie™. Following the instructions carefully and only applying pressure on the letters, I was able to successfully apply the decal. Once complete, I hit the entire rocket with two light coats of Walmart Clear paint. Done!

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Other than the single instruction suggestion and the extra work of having to deal with a balsa nose cone, it was excellent!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: 

While getting ready for flight, two passer-bys stopped and introduced themselves. Both of them commented on the Meanie™ asking who manufactured it. One person picked it up and commented on how durable it felt and admired the fins. Now, we know it looks good but that this contender fly?

Using an Aerotech 24mm RMS casing loaded with a D15-4, the Meanie™ was ready for it's premiere. It was placed into the ring (launch order) on rod number 9 (3/16 launch rod) during the NOVAAR Vacuum-22 event. The the referee (launch controller) announced the fight (I mean flight) and began the count down for the main event. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . ding, ding! Meanie™ was out of it's corner quickly, delivered an explosive punch that left the launch rod vibrating and jerking the heads of all observers upward. After a line of smoke, and at what seemed to be Meanie's™ slowest point, pow, the last punch! It was all down(hill) from here as it floated safely back to the ground. Thus concluded the matter.

Upon inspection, the piece of Rogue Aerospace's Perma-Wadding™ had a hole punched through it. However, it did it's job and protected the 18" rip-stop nylon parachute. The recovery system did it's job. A light blackening of the shock cord near the motor mount was noticed. I'm concerned about how durable this system will be in the long run. Only time and flights will tell.

The second challenger that Meanie™ had to face was an Aerotech E28-7. I removed half of the ejection charge before attaching it to the RMS casing. The flight was straight but I could not see ejection. Assisted by a good wind, the rocket was carried and good distance. I landed in someone's driveway just outside of the flying field, chipping two of the fin bottoms and a small spot on the top the body tube.

Still showing the bruises from it's second challenger, the Meanie™ faced it's third "seasoned" challenger, Estes D12-3. This old timer delivered a devastating blow that CATO'd the rocket to the ground with a hole clean through the chute and multiple points of damage on the nose cone. The D12-3 displayed it's pleasure by throw a fire ball into the air.

After the three flights (if you count the last event), the shock cord is showing some cracking on the edges but it still solid and intact. I still think a Kevlar® leader or a protective sheath would help this kit out.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points.

Overall, for the combination of toughness and uniqueness and ease of build, 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 building this one, I'm looking forward to future releases! I give the kit an OVERALL rating of 4 1/2 points.

Update 9/23/08: After over 10 years of flying, this rocket has now reached it's 60th flight (captured below).

What's interesting about the Meanie is that it is not some super-duper high strength rocket that is built to be indestructible. Rather, quite the opposite. The body tube is paper (1/16" thick cardboard), its fins and centering rings are 1/16" laser-cut plywood, and its nose cone is balsa. The fins are surface mounted to the body tube.

There were two techniques used during the build that improved the strength.

One was to use a T-pin to poke holes along both sides of the centerline where the fins attach. This is done to allow the glue to seep into these holes making the attachment of the fins to the body tube stronger. They act like little rivets!

The other technique was the attachment of the eye-screw to the nose cone. This is screwed, glued and bridged. Bridging where the glue is "bridged" through the eye-screw to increase its hold to the nose cone.

So, despite a CATO of an Estes D12 on the 3rd launch (which required the nose cone to be filled and re-painted), several other parachute deployment issues, and one descent that took nearly 8 minutes… this rocket has been a Meanie toward the skys. It has flown on 28 D's (D9, D10, D12, D15 and D21), 14 E's (E9, E11, E18, and E28), and 19 F's (F12, F24, and F39).