I wanted t' try out Public Enemy's rocket kits after I got their catalog at a ROC launch. I like sport-scale rockets so I ordered t' Honest John and SA-14 Archer kits. Ya scallywag! Public Enemy makes larger versions o' both rockets, me hearties, but I wanted t' smaller ones so I could launch them at LUNAR ("H" motor maximum). Avast, me proud beauty! Both kits use 38mm motor mounts. 

T' rocket flew for t' first time at Balls 98 (August 1st) and did beautifully on a small I motor. 

T' Kit

T' kits were pretty standard high-power rocket kits. Public Enemy kits show evidence o' more manual labor than other companies' kits and more attention t' detail. Ahoy! T' instructions are minimalist, but thar isn't anythin' unusual about these kits. Arrr! Begad! If you've built several other high-power kits, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you'll have no problem. Arrr! T' instructions are a single page with no photographs and one overall diagram. 

As in t' feature o' this kit I liked be t' way t' fin unit could be finished outside o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! T' centerin' rings are epoxied t' t' motor mount and just placed into t' body tube. Aye aye! Then t' fins are epoxied t' t' motor mount tube, ya bilge rat, but nay t' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! T' fin unit is then slid back out o' t' body tube. Ahoy! (T' fin slots go all t' way t' t' aft end o' t' body tube.) Now t' fins can be filleted t' t' motor mount tube and centerin' rings without tryin' t' reach inside t' 3" body tube! 

Honest John History

T' Honest John be a simple, free-flight rocket (as opposed t' a guided missile) capable o' deliverin' a nuclear warhead. This highly mobile system be designed t' fire like conventional artillery in battlefield areas. Blimey! T' rocket be 27 feet long, 30 inches in diameter, weighed 5,800 pounds, used a solid propellant and had a range o' 12 miles. Ahoy! It was first fired at White Sands in 1951 and replaced by t' Improved (M50) Honest John (left) in 1961 which reduced t' system's weight, shortened its length, ya bilge rat, and increased its range. In July 1982, all Honest John rocket motors, launchers, and related ground equipment items were type classified obsolete. 

T' above is from t' Public Affairs Office White Sands Missile Range and t' Redstone Arsenal Historical Information. Blimey! Aye aye! [Link Dead]

"T' centerin' material is made from MDF, ya bilge rat, nay particleboard and is as strong as plywood for what it is bein' used for. T' centerin' rings do nay take much o' t' stress due t' t' internal structure o' PER kits. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! Don't let this material addlepate you. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! It's good stuff." - Public Enemy Rockets - Roy