Brief:
T' Madcow Rocketry Honest John Style M31 is a mid t' high power fiberglass scale model o' t' 1950's vintage US Army Artillery Rocket. Ahoy! This Honest John uses a 29mm engine mount and a 2.6" diameter main body tube (it's basically t' same size/scale as t' Estes Maxi-Brute Honest John). Aye aye! I noticed this kit while puttin' together an order on t' Apogee web site. Ya scallywag! I'd lost an Estes Maxi-Brute Honest John that I'd converted t' 29mm mount at NARAM 50 (rocket eatin' tree), and I be intrigued by t' idea o' an all fiberglass rocket so I added it t' me order.

Construction:
T' kit arrived in a clear plastic bag. Blimey! Blimey! In t' bag:

• 1 Fiberglass nose cone
• 1 G10 nose cone base plate
• 1 Pre-slotted G10 main body tube
• 2 G10 centerin' rings
• 1 29mm G10 motor tube
• 4 G10 fins
• 2 Eyebolt, nut, me bucko, washer sets
• 1 Nylon shock cord
• 2 ¼" launch lugs
• 2 Plywood launch lug standoffs
• 4 Plywood nose cone rocket facade
• 1 Vinyl decal
• 1 9" x 9" chute protector
• 1 30" nylon parachute

Although nay shown on t' Apogee website, ya bilge rat, Madcow sells this kit with or without t' parachute and chute protector. Aye aye! If desired, you can save $20 by gettin' it without t' recovery components.

T' parts are all high quality and construction is pretty straightforward and typical for a through-the-wall fin rocket, shiver me timbers, however, matey, I do have a grip about t' kit, ya bilge rat, specifically t' 'fit' o' t' parts. T' through-the-wall fin tangs are intentionally too long--the idea bein' t' sand them down t' get a perfect fit against t' motor tube and t' body tube. Arrr! Aye aye! That'd be fine if we were talkin' maybe 0.01 inches, ya bilge rat, but t' fin tangs were about 1/16 inch too long. Ya scallywag! It takes a lot o' filin' and sandin' t' take 1/16" o' G10 material off four fin tangs (and keepin' everythin' square is important). Arrr! Arrr! Worse, thar be a potential gotcha: thar be a radius on t' fin tang such that, matey, even with t' tang t' correct depth, t' fin will 'bottom' on t' radius before t' fin touches t' main body tube. Well, blow me down! If you don't notice that, you can make t' tang too short tryin' t' get t' fin t' match up t' t' body tube. Begad! Aye aye! It's necessary t' either elongate t' body tube slots a bit or trim down t' radius before t' fin will sit flush with t' body tube. Similarly one o' t' centerin' rings was very loose on t' motor tube (as in a readily visible gap), me bucko, t' second centerin' was better but still a loose fit. Aye aye! It was necessary t' tack them in place with thick CA before I was able t' properly epoxy them. Ya scallywag! Lastly, t' shoulder o' that huge nose cone be too large t' fit into t' body tube--it took quite a bit o' sandin' t' obtain t' correct fit (at least now that I have a good fit, I don't have t' worry about it changin' with t' humidity). On t' plus side this thin' is impressively strong. Begad! It genuinely looks like it could lawn dart and still be flight worthy.

T' instructions are good and straightforward. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's really a pretty simple kit, matey, ya bilge rat, and if everythin' had fit properly, it could easily be built in an afternoon. Scale detail is lacking, matey, but that's nay what this rocket is about. Heck, it even lacks a boat tail. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! (If you want scale detail go with t' same size Estes Maxi-Brute Honest John, shiver me timbers, assumin' you can find one.) In fact, shiver me timbers, t' only scale 'details' outside o' t' basic size/shape are t' four 'spin motor facades' (since t' real Honest John be an unguided missile, small rocket motors on t' nose imparted a spin t' improve accuracy). Ya scallywag! Blimey! Even these are rather crude, me bucko, simply four sided pieces o' laser cut 1/4" plywood. I used a Moto-tool t' shape t' plywood pieces t' somethin' resemblin' t' real spin motors, but as I noted, this rocket isn't about scale accuracy.

I made two changes durin' assembly. First, arrr, shiver me timbers, while perhaps nay necessary, arrr, me hearties, I had a couple feet o' 1/4" Keelhaul®©™® cord lyin' around that I added betwixt t' engine mount eyebolt and t' nylon shock cord. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Second, arrr, I added an Aero Pack retainer for positive engine retention.

Finishing:
Finishin' is relatively easy if you decide t' paint it. Begad! Avast! I flew it 'naked' for its first flight and no one even commented. It looks OK unpainted, and t' semi-translucent G10 main body tube means that you can make out t' primary components (parachute, engine mount, me bucko, and chute protector) through t' unpainted body. Well, blow me down! Blimey! However after that flight I did go ahead and give it a proper paint job. Two coats o' primer with just a light sandin' after each coat, then a coat o' Krylon Olive Drab did t' trick. Begad! T' only areas that required any particular attention t' get a first rate finish are t' plywood parts (spin motors and launch lug standoff) and t' epoxy fin fillets. T' kit includes a pre-cut vinyl "US ARMY" appliqué that went on easily and is a nice touch.

While overall this is a good build, me hearties, I have t' downgrade it t' four stars. While I'm big into scale, I don't mind t' lack o' details--that's nay what this rocket is about. Avast! What I do mind be t' mediocre fit o' t' parts. Begad! I expected better. Avast! Aye aye! On t' plus side everythin' is high quality, and t' fiberglass and G10 components make this an impressively strong rocket.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Since t' first flight be goin' t' be on a relatively small field, matey, I selected an F40W-4 RMS for first flight. Blimey! Interestingly, ya bilge rat, this motor isn't included on t' list o' recommended motors. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! However, RockSim said it would be fine. Well, blow me down! Begad! I was usin' a six foot launch rod, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, so stable velocity nay occurrin' until 60" wasn't a concern. (T' Apogee website has a downloadable RockSim file for t' Honest John, arrr, a nice bonus.)

Although t' rocket has a chute protector, matey, I like t' add a little dog barf waddin' betwixt t' motor and chute protector for t' extra protection. (Plus it protects t' chute protector from t' worst o' t' hot gases, so it lasts longer as well.)

Liftoff with t' F40W was impressive and noisy. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' boost be near perfect. Begad! RockSim had predicted 675 ft and that appeared t' be about right. Well, blow me down! Begad! Motor ejection be within a few feet o' apogee and t' chute opened moments later.

Recovery:
Although t' chute was fully deployed, I noticed t' descent be fairly rapid and when it landed t' rocket bounced several feet in t' air. Ya scallywag! There was no damage t' t' G10 body or fins, but thar were obvious cracks in t' epoxy fillets on two fins and one o' those fins was loose. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' damage be readily repairable, me bucko, but I was rather disappointed that a seemingly indestructible rocket suffered enough damage landin' on a grass field that it needed repairs before it could be flown again. Begad! Madcow lists t' rocket as 28 ounces. Mine came out a little heavier at just a touch under 30 ounces. Ya scallywag! Begad! Either way, shiver me timbers, flight ready weight is goin' t' be on t' plus side o' two pounds so a 30 inch parachute seems a little small. Blimey! There is always t' trade off o' touchdown velocity vs wind drift and I expect that I'll normally fly this on G or H motors, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so t' smaller chute would help prevent excessive drift. Blimey! (This kit is nay provisioned for dual deploy so implementin' dual deploy would require some creativity.) Dependin' on where and how you plan t' fly this Honest John, you may want t' consider usin' a larger parachute.

It flies very nice, but I'm givin' it a one star demerit for t' rapid descent/touchdown damage - 4 stars.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a nice kit, but I'm a little disappointed. Ya scallywag! Avast! I'd recently built a Madcow Jayhawk and everythin' fit like t' proverbial glove, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, so I was more than a little surprised at t' mediocre fit o' some o' t' Honest John parts. Similarly I was surprised when, in spite o' t' incredibly strong components, it suffered enough damage after a nominal recovery that it needed repairs before it could be flown again. Avast! Well, blow me down! On t' plus side, this rocket is stout. Begad! I suspect it can handle any engine that'll fit, even if you modify it with a larger engine mount. It's also a relatively quick, me bucko, easy build--even with t' ill-fittin' parts--and is a breeze t' finish. Well, blow me down! Avast! It does lack scale details, but I didn't downgrade for that as I don't think that is what this rocket is about (as noted earlier, if you're lookin' for a nicely detailed scale model Honest John, go find t' Estes Maxi-Brute kit).

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5