Public Enemy Honest John

Public Enemy - Honest John {Kit} [?-?]

Contributed by John Coker

Manufacturer: Public Enemy
Style: Scale

 

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

[Rocket Pic]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. Aye aye! Public Enemy kits show evidence o' more manual labor than other companies' kits and more attention t' detail. Ahoy! T' instructions are minimalist, shiver me timbers, but thar isn't anythin' unusual about these kits. If you've built several other high-power kits, you'll have no problem. Aye aye! T' instructions are a single page with no photographs and one overall diagram. 

[Rocket Pic]As in t' feature o' this kit I liked be t' way t' fin unit could be finished outside o' t' body tube. 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, but nay t' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' fin unit is then slid back out o' t' body tube. Begad! (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

[Rocket Pic]T' Honest John was a simple, shiver me timbers, free-flight rocket (as opposed t' a guided missile) capable o' deliverin' a nuclear warhead. This highly mobile system was designed t' fire like conventional artillery in battlefield areas. T' rocket was 27 feet long, arrr, 30 inches in diameter, ya bilge rat, weighed 5,800 pounds, used a solid propellant and had a range o' 12 miles. Arrr! It be first fired at White Sands in 1951 and replaced by t' Improved (M50) Honest John (left) in 1961 which reduced t' system's weight, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, shortened its length, and increased its range. In July 1982, me bucko, all Honest John rocket motors, me bucko, 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. Begad! [Link Dead]

"T' centerin' material is made from MDF, matey, shiver me timbers, 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! Don't let this material addlepate you. Avast! It's good stuff." - Public Enemy Rockets - Roy

Other Reviews
  • Public Enemy Honest John By Dave Way

    Brief: THe Honest John is a 38mm motor high power rocket single stage scale kit with parachute recovery. Kit arrived in good shape from Rocket Garden. Kit had a very impressive two-piece nose cone, one large body tube, a shorter body tube (electronics bay), four pre-shaped large fins, two stout wooden centering rings, and a very adequate harness supplies. I chose to upgrade the ...

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Comments:

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B.R. (January 1, 2001)
The only draw back to the Outlaw kit was particleboard centering rings and bulk heads. Particleboard is not as strong as Plywood and will fail much quicker. I know this because I am a PB and plywood salesman. For the money spent plywood should have been supplied. Everything else was perfect!! This review is very good.

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