Brief:
FlisKits recently added another new kit t' their line o' Micromaxx kits. Begad! Blimey! This be t' first scale kit by FlisKits and a notable addition t' t' line. I have previously built a number o' Micromaxx scale kits from Aerospace Specialty Products and when I saw this new scale kit from FlisKits at NARAM this year I knew I had t' have it. Blimey! Blimey! It makes a neat addition t' t' display o' micro-scale kits I have on me desk at work at KSC. Avast! Blimey! There have been numerous Honest John kits over t' years startin' with t' BT-50 size Estes kits from t' late 60s, t' Maxi-Brute Estes kit, matey, me hearties, and a couple of others. Ahoy! Blimey! And now thar be t' FlisKits version t' cover t' small end o' t' scale.

Construction:
T' Honest John was packaged in a small plastic bag with a folded 8.5" by 11" instruction sheet. In the package were:

• Body tube
• Engine tube
• Balsa nose cone
• Laser cut basswood fins and launch lug standoffs
• Centerin' rings
• Engine block
• Launch lug
• Keelhaul®©™® shock line
• Plastic streamer
• Small nail for attachin' shock line t' t' nose cone
• Decal sheet

T' first step was t' assemble t' engine mount. Arrr! There is a pair o' centerin' rings laser cut from basswood which makes buildin' up t' mount very easy. Begad! First, shiver me timbers, t' engine block is glued into t' engine tube and then t' centering rings are glued on at each end. T' finish up t' engine mount, t' Keelhaul®©™® shock line is tied around t' engine tube behind t' upper centerin' rin' and glued into place. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Now t' body tube has to be cut t' t' proper length per t' instructions. Begad! My previous FlisKit required t' tube t' be cut as well which is odd nowadays but very simple t' do. However, matey, don't make a mistake or you are out o' luck. Nay too many rocketeers keep these small diameter tubes in spare stock. Begad! Once t' engine mount has dried, me bucko, me hearties, it can be glued into t' aft o' t' rocket makin' sure t' feed t' shock line out t' front. Ya scallywag! FlisKits' instructions show t' engine mount extendin' slightly from the aft o' t' rocket but I glued mine in flush.

Next up be t' fins. Begad! They are also laser cut from a thin piece o' basswood. Well, blow me down! I punched them out and then, shiver me timbers, as much as possible on fins so small and thin, shiver me timbers, sanded in t' trapezoidal diamond airfoil. Ahoy! Ahoy! I then filled t' fins with two coats of Coverite Balsarite balsa surfacer sandin' lightly betwixt each coat. When t' fins had dried completely from the Balsarite, I carefully aligned them and attached them with a drop o' CA glue that I drew along t' joint with a scrap stick. Begad! Avast! A shot o' accelerator hardened t' glue and locked t' fins in place. Begad! T' finish up t' body I then attached the launch lugs after cuttin' them t' length t' match t' standoff which is required due t' t' large diameter o' t' nose cone. I used CA glue again for this and also sealed t' surfaces o' t' basswood standoffs with t' CA.

T' final step was t' finish t' installation o' t' recovery system by pushin' a small nail into t' nose cone and gluin' it into place with CA glue. Blimey! T' shock line previously attached t' t' engine mount be pulled out t' front of t' rocket and tied around t' nail and CA glue was used t' glue t' line and knot securely t' t' nail. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! The streamer be then attached t' t' line with a piece o' chrome mylar tape.

Finishing:
T' now completely assembled model be then given two coats o' Rustoleum gray auto primer. Ya scallywag! I sanded lightly between coats t' get a smooth finish o' t' rocket. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I then gave t' model two coats o' Tamiya acrylic olive green paint. Ahoy! The decals include Army logo and markings. There are also four decals t' simulate t' spin motors on t' nose o' the rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After allowin' t' decals t' dry overnight I coated t' entire model with Testors semi-gloss lacquer clear to seal t' decals.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
This model be only finished for a week or so before I went out t' fly it. Avast, me proud beauty! Because this is a Micromaxx model, I had no choice but t' use t' Micromaxx 1/8A engine. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! You are also basically locked into usin' their integrated launch system as insertin' any type o' normal igniter into t' "lady finger" size engines would be difficult if not impossible. I took t' rocket along with two others t' a local park on a Sunday mornin' and with assistance from my wife launched t' rocket usin' t' Quest launcher. Arrr! T' launch process is a bit different and starts with unfoldin' and assemblin' t' launcher. T' igniter is a nichrome wire that is part o' a plastic igniter assembly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' igniter is firmly pushed into a socket in t' base o' t' launcher and t' rocket is positioned on t' launch rod so t' igniter wire is in t' nozzle. Begad! T' integrated controller is strung out on t' wire extension cord and t' safety pin is inserted. Aye aye! Begad! This results in a red continuity light and a continuous beep t' verify continuity and warn you prior to launch. Ahoy! At ignition t' rocket took off and flew 120 t' 150 feet into t' sky. T' performance was impressive for so small an engine and it went somewhat higher then t' FlisKits Stinger I also flew that day.

Recovery:
T' streamer popped out at what seemed t' be maximum altitude and t' rocket, bein' so light, fell slowly t' the ground in t' parkin' lot. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Fortunately bein' so light, me hearties, thar was no damage at all.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This Micromaxx rocket adds another scale kit t' me collection o' these kits that I display on me desk at work. Begad! Blimey! It was an easy build and captured t' clean lines o' t' actual Honest John missile. Blimey! Aye aye! T' parts are o' high quality which also aids in t' assembly, arrr, thar be really no trimmin' or fixes required. Arrr! And as Jim told me when I bought these Micromaxx kits from him at NARAM, t' performance would be impressive, me hearties, especially when compared t' t' Quest plastic Micromaxx rockets. Begad! I am hopin' that FlisKits will produce more in their line, particularly scale models or even miniature versions o' well known kits. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! They fly nicely and make great display rockets while takin' up little room.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5