The Screamin' Mimi (EST 2185) comes with four plastic "super sonic" whistles. The face card states "Sonic Rocket" and "Whistling Sound!". As whistling sound could add some extra fun to a launch, this model rocket was quickly selected for review. This, single stage, model rocket uses 24mm engines (C & D) and requires a 3/16" (5mm) launch rod to launch. The instructions are very clear and all steps are accompanied by illustrations for added clarity. There are a total of eleven steps to building this rocket, not counting finishing. According to the face card, this model rocket "screams" to altitudes of over 500 feet (152 m) and required a field of 500 ft square to launch. The face card shows the rocket in a silver and red finish. The same color combination was used to finish the rocket kit used for review, as shown in the picture on the right.

Parts List

This Estes flying model rocket kit comes in a clear bag (with blue print) and a colorful face card.

- 4 plastic whistles with spacer rings
- 4 whistle tubes (BT20)
- body tube (BT60)
- engine mount tube
- 2 centering rings
- 8 die-cut balsa fins
- plastic nose cone (PNC 60)
- body tube marking guide (to be cut out)
- elastic shock cord and shock cord mount (to be cut out)
- engine hook and engine hook retainer
- engine block
- launch lug
- pressure-sensitive decal sheet
- instructions
- fully assembled parachute

Construction

This is a level 2 kit and can take a while to build. Not that the rocket kit is difficult to build, the eight fins add quite a bit of work.

You start by building the motor mount and sanding the fins smooth. The body tube is marked and the motor mount inserted.

Glue the spacer rings to the whistles and glue them to the whistle fins. Attach the lower fins to the airframe tube, followed by the whistle fins.

Attach the launch lugs and apply glue fillets to all eight fins. Make and install the shock cord mount. Attach the parachute and shock cord to the nose cone. The model rocket is now ready to finish.

The whistle tubes in the kit were slightly longer than shown in the illustration in the instruction booklet. Not that this posed a problem.

Finishing

Get some good quality masking tape, lots of it, you'll need it. The Mimi has 8 fins and they all need to be masked off to paint them red. This part can be tricky.

First, the whistles were masked off. Next, a coat of primer was applied, followed by a coat of Testors flat white. Just in case, the fins were masked off before the silver (Testors #1246) was applied. Once the silver paint dried, the masking tape was removed and the whistle tubes and body tube were masked off. The fins were painted gloss bright red (Testors #1231).

Remove the masking tape and hope for a good looking Mimi. The stickers come off the sheet very easily. Be careful to apply them in the correct position the first time. If a sticker touches the paint and you have to remove it, it can remove the pain and ruin the look of the sticker. Applying clear coat is optional and wasn't done in this case.

Be sure to take your time and let each color paint dry completely before moving on to the next.

Measurements

The Screamin' Mimi stands 25.5" (64.8 cm) tall and has a diameter of 1.64" (41.7 mm). Without finishing, it weighs 5.3 oz (150.3 g), according to the face card.

Flight Data

For regular flights, use a C11-3. For flights with whistling sound, use a D12-5 or D12-7.

The Mimi was launched three times on a D12-5 and no whistling was heard. There was some wind on the day in question, which may have prevented the whistling from being heard. More launches will be required on a less windy day to see if Mimi whistles.

Other than the no whisting, this rocket is great fun to watch. It flies straight and the D12's are an excellent engine for it. If you're getting bored with A-C engines, this kit may be what you need, with or without whistling. The added noise and smoke of D rocket engines alone is well worth it.

Launched again on a D12-3 and D12-5 this time, great flights, caught it by hand before it landed, no more than 20 feet from the launch pad. No whistling, will have to try on a D12-7.

Finally got around to launching the Mimi on a D12-7. Very nice flight, it was great to see the rocket coast for a while. Still no sign of any screaming.

Video : C11-3 Flight