Brief:
THe Honest John is a 38mm motor high power rocket single stage scale kit with parachute recovery.

Construction:
Kit arrived in good shape from Rocket Garden. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Kit had a very impressive two-piece nose cone, one large body tube, arrr, a shorter body tube (electronics bay), four pre-shaped large fins, two stout wooden centerin' rings, and a very adequate harness supplies. I chose t' upgrade t' chute t' a 60" Spherachute.

T' instructions were pretty simple and straightforward. Arrr! No problems as everythin' fit well and was prepped very nicely from t' factory. One great thin' about this and all Public Enemy kits be t' way you pre assemble t' fin and engine mount system before installin' it into t' tube. Ahoy! It allows easy access for reinforcement with fiberglass or epoxy. Begad! I glassed all o' t' joints t' t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It added a little weight but is very strong. I added t' old nut and bolt motor retention that has always worked great for me.

Finishing:
I finished me kit in t' white sands theme o' black and white. I used Krylon primer over t' entire model and put several coats on t' nose t' get it t' stick. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I painted every thin' gloss white, arrr, then added black highlights with either black Krylon or black Monokote adhesive t' finish t' scale. Well, blow me down! Lastly, me bucko, I printed out some decals on me computer t' really add scale qualities t' t' kit.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
My first flight was with a 3-grain Cesaroni Pro38. Aye aye! It really took off slow and realistic. Ya scallywag! After t' engine quit burnin' t' rocket sounded like a bomb whistling, matey, which be really cool. Ya scallywag! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' seven second delay on t' motor made for deployment just past apogee. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' 60" Spherachute deployed perfectly, bringin' t' big missile down without a scratch. Begad! Ahoy! T' flight was perfect very stable and slow.

Recovery:
Everythin' was great with recovery setup and construction. Begad! Public Enemy kits come with very heavy nylon strap along with quality chutes. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I usually put in larger chutes in all o' me kits due t' rocky area and altitude I launch from. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! (Thin air = fast fall. T' 60" chute brings t' HJ down real slow and soft.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:

Motor tube out o' t' body assembly is a real bonus for ease o' beefin' things up and alignment. All I did different be add a bigger chute. Well, blow me down! I love t' sound it makes durin' flight.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5