Brief:
Madcow Rocketry's Little John is a very nice 1:4.8 scale version o' t' U.S. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Army's old Little John unguided artillery rocket with a number o' thoughtful design features--especially t' nose cone "ballast box" design. Loaded with top notch components, me bucko, it is worth every cent one will ever pay.

Construction:
T' Little John's components consist of:

• 1 custom balsa nose cone (made from a solid high-density balsa)
• 1 heavy-duty pre-slotted (laser-cut) body tube
• 2 laser-cut light plywood centerin' rings
• 1 29mm motor tube
• 4 laser-cut 1/8" light plywood TTW fins
• 1 eyebolt, me bucko, nut, and washer
• 1 nose cone shoulder coupler
• 1 nose cone shoulder (plywood) bulkhead
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• nylon shock cord
• 1 Nomex® chute protector
• 18" rip-stop nylon chute
• 2 1/4" launch lugs
• 1 "U.S. Avast! Ya scallywag! Army" vinyl decal

T' Little John proved t' be a most simple rocket t' put together and was nay really any different t' constructin' any basic 3FNC or 4FNC rocket. Avast! Begad! T' instructions were very easy t' understand with basic but clear pictorial diagrams t' aid in construction which ultimately made for a quick and very accurate build. Aye aye! Component quality is absolutely superb with all t' wooden components bein' laser-cut t' perfection and t' other components equally awesome. Arrr! T' crownin' glory bein' t' huge solid balsa nose cone.

NHP 12-minute epoxy be used durin' construction instead o' t' recommended 5-minute epoxy.

T' motor mount was constructed like any other conventional rocket with two centerin' rings attached t' t' motor tube although no thrust rin' is supplied so as t' allow for greater choice o' 29mm motors. Arrr! Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is then tied around t' motor tube against t' front centerin' rin' and secured in place with epoxy with the free end then run through a laser-cut notch in t' front centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! After havin' initially slightly roughened up the body tube exterior with 240 grit sandpaper, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' completed motor mount assembly is then epoxied into place at the rear o' t' body tube with t' aft o' t' motor tube bein' aligned with t' end aft o' t' body tube (one does need to be careful t' ensure that t' centerin' rings are clear o' t' fin slots). Well, matey, blow me down! T' nylon shock cord be then tied off to the Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Once that be done, arrr, arrr, I penciled a launch lug line betwixt two o' t' fin slots usin' t' trusty door jam method.

T' TTW fins needed very little sandin' along their tabs. Ahoy! I secured each fin in place and followed up with small epoxy fin fillets. Begad! No mention be made in t' instructions as t' airfoilin' or roundin' t' fin leading/trailin' edges so I opted t' leave them square.

I then marked t' CG point at t' prescribed 21.25" from t' tip o' t' nose cone usin' a large piece of angle iron and as per t' instructions, arrr, me hearties, epoxied a launch lug at t' CG point and epoxied t' aft launch lug 1/2" from t' end aft o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Small epoxy fillets were added t' both launch lugs.

T' last step consisted o' makin' up t' simple and unique "ballast box", which allows for easy addition o' nose weight t' satisfy t' urges o' super-insane high fliers. An eye bolt is secured with a nut and washer to a plywood bulkhead with a small blob o' epoxy then smeared along t' eye bolt thread and nut t' prevent t' nut from comin' loose later. T' bulkhead is then epoxied into place t' t' supplied nose cone shoulder coupler with an epoxy fillet then applied t' t' bulkhead/coupler joint. Ya scallywag! With t' nose cone friction-taped into t' coupler, t' shock cord and chute tied off t' t' coupler eye bolt and t' largest motor I intended for use in t' Little John inserted into place, arrr, t' Little John is then balanced with weight added if t' balance is behind t' CG point.

Once t' balance is at or ahead o' t' CG point, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, t' instructions state t' then epoxy t' nose cone into the coupler,however, me hearties, I opted t' do that later once I had painted t' nose cone.

Finishing:
I sealed t' nose cone and fins with six applications o' NHP Micro-Fill balsa sealer and three applications of Aeroflyte Acetone Dope with light sandin' in betwixt after which both t' nose cone and body were primed with two applications o' Tamiya Grey spray primer. Begad! Well, blow me down! Two applications o' Tamiya TS-5 Flat Olive Drab spray lacquer were used for the final color coating. Begad! T' painted nose cone be then epoxied into t' coupler and t' coupler itself colored black with a Sharpie marker.

T' vinyl decal was then carefully applied with t' decal itself bein' high quality and adherin' well t' the paint.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first two flights were made with an Aerotech E15-4 (usin' a 24/29mm motor adapter purchased separately from Madcow). T' weather was relatively mild and sunny although wind speeds were startin' t' pick up by t' time I got around t' launching.

Preppin' t' rocket for flight was a cinch with t' Nomex® chute protector and three handfuls o' dog barf. After tapin' t' motor and motor adapter into t' rocket, I loaded the Little John on t' me trusty NCR Modular launch pad and upon hittin' t' launch button, t' Little John took off slowly and majestically with a roar into t' sunny skies trackin' with a slight weathercock t' a respectable 650-700ft.

T' third flight be conducted on another day which was windier usin' an Aerotech E30-4. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! That motor propelled the Little John so smartly off t' launch pad that it simply seemed t' vaporize upon motor ignition. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Very impressive straight flight!

Ejection for all three flights was just past apogee by a second or two.

Recovery:
No problems were experienced durin' recovery with t' rocket recoverin' nicely on t' supplied 18" nylon chute. There was no scorchin' o' t' chute and nylon shock cord. Begad! Arrr! Addin' dog barf also helped at protectin' t' Nomex® chute protector which be only slightly blackened by t' motor ejection charges.

On t' third flight due t' t' windy conditions, ya bilge rat, t' Little John landed quite hard on a patch o' hard ground but the only damage was a tiny scratch on t' nose cone. Arrr! T' nose cone bein' made o' solid high-density balsa undoubtedly helped minimize damage!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is a truly exceptional product from Madcow. Begad! I simply can't think o' any CONs and is worth every cent of its $49.95 price tag considerin' t' very high quality o' its components. T' customer service from Madcow's proprietor, shiver me timbers, Mike Stoop, shiver me timbers, is also fabulous. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Dealin' with Mike was, without doubt, one o' me best rocket purchasing experiences.

T' blurb at t' end o' t' instructions state t' "Now go have so fun!" Fun is exactly what I had with t' Little John. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This rocket is in a league o' its own, I say no more.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5