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

Construction:
Madcow obviously lives by t' "you get what you pay for" saying because from t' moment t' box arrived, it shows that they want t' produce some seriously high quality kits. Arrr! T' kit arrived comfortably and generously packed in foam peanuts. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' kit itself be 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. Avast, me proud beauty! T' body tubes were laser cut t' t' proper lengths as well as laser cut slots in the main body tube. T' most amazin' aspects o' t' kit were:

• T' precision, matey, 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. Begad! However, I'm sure that other builders might be less than impressed with t' kit's offerin' here. 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, 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, arrr, bulkhead, me hearties, matey, eyebolt, washer, me hearties, 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, shiver me timbers, I really do read through t' instructions before starting to build a new kit. Well, blow me down! 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, matey, I was carefully guided through t' build and left with no questions as t' how and when t' parts should be joined together. Aye aye! Avast! This was no more obvious when in Step 1 I was 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. Blimey! 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. Begad! Begad! That's a slight problem as most rulers are graduated in 1/16ths o' an inch. Aye aye! (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, me hearties, t' assembly went without any problems thanks to t' explicit instructions and well fittin' components. Also, matey, 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, matey, me bucko, I have t' admit that slottin' a body tube is arguably me favorite part o' buildin' a rocket that has through t' wall fins. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! That said, t' folks who aren't so keen on cuttin' slots will reap t' benefits o' such well made openings. Avast! 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. Well, blow me down! 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. Aye aye! Begad! Then thar are t' 4 balsa façade pieces that are glued onto t' nose cone. Begad! 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. While t' builder must mark t' lines on t' base o' the nose cone for attachin' t' façades, 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, me bucko, anyone with a little creative ingenuity could come up with a way t' hold their motors in place with a clip. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I, however, me hearties, am quite comfortable with using friction fit for motor retention and left t' rocket as is. Aye aye! Another surprise (albeit noticeably less) missin' item is a 24mm motor adapter. Begad! Well, blow me down! With a finished weight o' 10oz (give or take an ounce), matey, 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. Begad! Aye aye! Once satisfied with t' shape and smoothness o' t' nose cone, me bucko, I laid down a couple coats o' Krylon primer and wet sanded t' entire rocket down with 400 grit sandpaper. Blimey! Next, I kept the paint scheme simple and went with Krylon gloss black. Avast! I went with gloss black instead o' flat or matte black because o' t' shiny decal. Speakin' o' the decal, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, it is listed on t' Madcow website and instructions as vinyl, me bucko, ya bilge rat, however, it was nay a vinyl decal like what I've used on BSD Rocketry and Binder Design kits--but be a peel 'n' stick decal with a clear, glossy finish. Ya scallywag! I trimmed around t' edges o' t' white "U.S. Ahoy! 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, F40-7W reloads for the AT 29/40-120 hobby RMS hardware. Begad! Begad! T' weather be a swelterin' 90 degrees with just an oocasional mild breeze.

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

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

Based on these flights, shiver me timbers, 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. Well, me bucko, blow me down! 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, and burned about a 3" diameter hole in t' side o' t' chute.

T' second flight be an issue o' a less than desirable short delay. Ya scallywag! This cause ejection while t' rocket be still on t' way up. Avast! That leads t' a simple equation: velocity + large balsa nose cone = notable damage. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' nose cone collided with one o' t' fins, me hearties, which left a sizeable notch in t' nose cone and popped a fin loose. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' make matters worse, matey, it landed on a nearby road, matey, putting a little rash on t' nose cone and t' tips o' a couple fins. Ahoy! Ahoy! That kind of stuff just comes with t' hobby, and I cannot count these issues as faults of the kit. Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, however, 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, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag! In t' end, you get a really sweet kit that is well designed, ya bilge rat, has some of t' finest components I have ever seen in any kit o' any size, me bucko, and flies very well. Blimey! 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