Brief:
Madcow Rocketry's Honest John Basic Style 31 is a premium priced mid power rocket kit. Aye aye! Blimey! If you are lookin' for an excellent scale Honest John kit at any price, then look no further.

Construction:
Madcow obviously lives by t' "you get what you pay for" saying because from t' moment t' box arrived, ya bilge rat, it shows that they want t' produce some seriously high quality kits. Blimey! T' kit arrived comfortably and generously packed in foam peanuts. Begad! T' kit itself was sealed in heavy gauge clear plastic with many o' t' smaller components sealed in smaller bags and t' large two-piece balsa nose cone bundled inside o' a paper wrapper. Ya scallywag! T' body tubes were laser cut t' t' proper lengths as well as laser cut slots in the main body tube. Begad! Avast! T' most amazin' aspects o' t' kit were:

• T' precision, quality, and attention t' detail o' all t' components and instructions
• T' overall light weight o' t' kit
• No (mechanical) motor retention included^**

^** -- Personally, me hearties, usin' friction fit retention is an acceptable motor retention method/technique t' me. However, matey, I'm sure that other builders might be less than impressed with t' kit's offerin' here. Arrr! Blimey! I can understand this potential gripe as it is surprisin' t' find a kit that is so completely thorough in every other aspect as this one, me bucko, nay t' mention when you factor in the kit's cost.

Specifically, here is what was in t' packaging:

• Two-piece balsa nose cone
• 1 pre-slotted (laser cut) 1.9" diameter body tube
• 2 laser cut 1/8" thick light plywood centerin' rings
• 1 29mm motor tube
• 4 laser cut 1/8" thick light plywood fins
• Nose cone coupler, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, bulkhead, eyebolt, washer, matey, and nut
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Nomex® heat shield
• 18" Top Flite chute
• 2 1/4" launch lugs with mountin' spacers
• 4 balsa nose cone detail pieces
• 1 decal
• 1 six page instruction manual

Believe it or not, I really do read through t' instructions before starting to build a new kit. Madcow scored some serious points in me book by havin' a level o' detail that made it smartly apparent that their kits would definitely make them a very good recommendation for someone lookin' t' get into mid power rockets.

Over 6 steps, I was carefully guided through t' build and left with no questions as t' how and when t' parts should be joined together. This was no more obvious when in Step 1 I be instructed t' mark t' motor tube 1/2" from t' aft end and place t' centerin' rin' with t' line on t' forward edge of t' CR. Avast! I mean how many times have you built a MPR or HPR kit and wondered if t' CRs should be forward, aft or right on t' mark?! If anythin' (and if it's even possible), Madcow takes it a little too far by sayin' that t' CRs should be an uncommon 3.35" apart. Well, blow me down! That's a slight problem as most rulers are graduated in 1/16ths o' an inch. Arrr! Blimey! (5/16 = 0.3125 and 3/8 = .375) All is forgiven though when in large bold print it tells you t' test fit t' fins between t' centerin' rings.

Other than that minor issue, t' assembly went without any problems thanks to t' explicit instructions and well fittin' components. Arrr! Arrr! Also, ya bilge rat, anyone who has built a kit with laser cut parts knows that everythin' fits like it ought to. There is no exception here.

5-minute epoxy is recommended throughout t' entire build although aliphaetic resin (yellow wood glue) should work at least as well for the attachment and fillets o' all wood and paper parts except for attachin' the Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' t' motor tube and securin' t' eyebolt t' t' bulkhead. I went the route o' usin' Elmer's ProBond for t' bulk o' construction while breaking out t' epoxy only when really needed as previously mentioned.

While I certainly appreciated t' precise fin slots, ya bilge rat, I have t' admit that slottin' a body tube is arguably me favorite part o' buildin' a rocket that has through t' wall fins. Aye aye! I suppose havin' t' put in t' effort o' slottin' the tube myself makes me feel like I am buildin' a kit instead o' just assembling one. Blimey! That said, t' folks who aren't so keen on cuttin' slots will reap t' benefits o' such well made openings. Well, matey, blow me down! And no mention is made in the instructions as far as whether t' leadin' and/or trailin' edges o' the fins should be rounded or bevelled so I simply opted t' leave t' edges square.

The most unusual part o' this build is puttin' t' nose cone together. Blimey! There are 2 large balsa pieces--and I should add that t' balsa is quite dense and hard--that join end t' end t' form t' telltale feature o' t' Honest John. This step could be quite messy if done with epoxy but I used t' double glue method and a wrap o' maskin' tape t' keep both balsa pieces lined up until dry. A noticeable seam was left behind t' fill although t' parts matched up wonderfully. Begad! Then thar are t' 4 balsa façade pieces that are glued onto t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Be sure when gettin' ready t' glue these pieces on that they all have t' same shape--they are uncannily similar in size/shape t' t' 2 launch lug standoffs. Begad! Aye aye! While t' builder must mark t' lines on t' base o' the nose cone for attachin' t' façades, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I chose t' accomplish this by extendin' t' lines o' t' fin slots along t' tube and onto t' nose cone to ensure that everythin' would line up.

Perhaps t' biggest surprise is that thar be no mechanical form o' motor retention included with t' kit. While thar isn't a lot o' room for blind nuts, anyone with a little creative ingenuity could come up with a way t' hold their motors in place with a clip. Well, blow me down! I, however, ya bilge rat, am quite comfortable with using friction fit for motor retention and left t' rocket as is. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Another surprise (albeit noticeably less) missin' item is a 24mm motor adapter. Begad! With a finished weight o' 10oz (give or take an ounce), usin' a 24mm E or F is well within the capabilities those motors t' produce a safe flight with this kit.

Finishing:
With such a sizeable balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, lots o' fillin' and sandin' is in order. Slightly diluted Elmer's Wood Filler (or Fill 'n' Finish) makes this as effortless as sandin' and fillin' could ever be. Blimey! Once satisfied with t' shape and smoothness o' t' nose cone, I laid down a couple coats o' Krylon primer and wet sanded t' entire rocket down with 400 grit sandpaper. Arrr! Next, I kept the paint scheme simple and went with Krylon gloss black. Well, blow me down! Avast! I went with gloss black instead o' flat or matte black because o' t' shiny decal. Well, blow me down! Speakin' o' the decal, it is listed on t' Madcow website and instructions as vinyl, however, it was nay a vinyl decal like what I've used on BSD Rocketry and Binder Design kits--but was a peel 'n' stick decal with a clear, glossy finish. Well, blow me down! I trimmed around t' edges o' t' white "U.S. ARMY" decals t' minimize the (negative) visual impact o' t' glossy decal.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Both flights were made on t' same day with t' same motor, arrr, me bucko, F40-7W reloads for the AT 29/40-120 hobby RMS hardware. Ya scallywag! T' weather was a swelterin' 90 degrees with just an oocasional mild breeze.

Packin' t' recovery hardware be fairly non-eventful as thar was adequate room for packin' t' Nomex® heat shield, chute, and shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! A couple well-placed wraps o' maskin' tape were enough t' hold t' motor securely. Well, blow me down! I did use a Quickburst Twiggy in place of t' included AT Copperhead ignitor.

Both flights were virtually identical most o' t' way up. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! T' F40s lit without hesitation and smartly vaulted t' Honest John skyward. I was quite impressed with t' rocket's velocity and altitude considerin' t' overall modest impulse o' that reload.

Based on these flights, T' Honest John should be capable o' comfortably safe flights on popular 24mm E and F motors with an appropriate motor adapter.

Recovery:
T' Honest John has a bit o' a rough ride on t' way down for both flights.

T' first flight's problem can be purely attributed t' me error. Avast! I packed the chute on top of t' Nomex® heat shield instead o' inside it (commonly referred t' as the "burrito method"). Well, blow me down! Ejection gases pushed their way around t' heat shield, shiver me timbers, and burned about a 3" diameter hole in t' side o' t' chute.

T' second flight was an issue o' a less than desirable short delay. Avast, me proud beauty! This cause ejection while t' rocket be still on t' way up. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! That leads t' a simple equation: velocity + large balsa nose cone = notable damage. Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' nose cone collided with one o' t' fins, which left a sizeable notch in t' nose cone and popped a fin loose. Ahoy! T' make matters worse, arrr, shiver me timbers, it landed on a nearby road, shiver me timbers, putting a little rash on t' nose cone and t' tips o' a couple fins. That kind of stuff just comes with t' hobby, and I cannot count these issues as faults of the kit. In fact, I had several folks in attendance make overwhelmingly positive comments about both flights and t' good looks o' t' rocket.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Madcow Honest John is without a doubt t' most thorough kit straight out of the box that I have ever built, however, ya bilge rat, you should get such quality components and instructions for t' comparatively high cost o' t' kit! And while some are likely t' question t' lack o' mechanical motor retention, shiver me timbers, I'd personally only fault t' manufacturer for just leavin' out a 24mm motor adapter as the lightweight but certainly robust Honest John could certainly fly on those motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! In t' end, arrr, you get a really sweet kit that is well designed, has some of t' finest components I have ever seen in any kit o' any size, and flies very well. Begad! Avast! There is plenty o' truth in t' old cliché "you get what you pay for".

PROs:

• Some o' t' highest quality components I have seen in a kit from any manufacturer.
• Excellent instructions make this kit easy t' recommend t' folks wantin' to get into mid power kits.
• Lightweight design allows t' rocket t' be flown on a wide range o' motors.
• Laser cut components ensure t' proper fit o' all components with nearly zero sanding.

CONs:

• Some folks might want a mechanical form o' motor retention.
• Such great quality doesn't come cheap.
• Glossy peel 'n' stick decal doesn't look so good on flat paint scheme.
• No 24mm motor adapter included.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5