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. Ya scallywag! 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). Well, blow me down! Begad! I noticed this kit while puttin' together an order on t' Apogee web site. Ahoy! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I'd lost an Estes Maxi-Brute Honest John that I'd converted t' 29mm mount at NARAM 50 (rocket eatin' tree), and I was 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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, arrr, me hearties, 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, Madcow sells this kit with or without t' parachute and chute protector. 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, me hearties, however, shiver me timbers, I do have a grip about t' kit, me bucko, 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. Begad! That'd be fine if we were talkin' maybe 0.01 inches, but t' fin tangs were about 1/16 inch too long. 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! Worse, shiver me timbers, thar be a potential gotcha: thar be a radius on t' fin tang such that, even with t' tang t' correct depth, arrr, me hearties, t' fin will 'bottom' on t' radius before t' fin touches t' main body tube. Avast! 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. Ya scallywag! 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 be very loose on t' motor tube (as in a readily visible gap), t' second centerin' was better but still a loose fit. Blimey! Arrr! It was necessary t' tack them in place with thick CA before I was able t' properly epoxy them. Avast! Lastly, matey, 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, me hearties, I don't have t' worry about it changin' with t' humidity). Begad! On t' plus side this thin' is impressively strong. Aye aye! It genuinely looks like it could lawn dart and still be flight worthy.

T' instructions are good and straightforward. It's really a pretty simple kit, and if everythin' had fit properly, it could easily be built in an afternoon. Avast, me proud beauty! Scale detail is lacking, me bucko, but that's nay what this rocket is about. Heck, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, it even lacks a boat tail. Blimey! Blimey! (If you want scale detail go with t' same size Estes Maxi-Brute Honest John, 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). Even these are rather crude, simply four sided pieces o' laser cut 1/4" plywood. Ahoy! I used a Moto-tool t' shape t' plywood pieces t' somethin' resemblin' t' real spin motors, shiver me timbers, but as I noted, this rocket isn't about scale accuracy.

I made two changes durin' assembly. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! First, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, while perhaps nay necessary, 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. Second, I added an Aero Pack retainer for positive engine retention.

Finishing:
Finishin' is relatively easy if you decide t' paint it. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I flew it 'naked' for its first flight and no one even commented. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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 hearties, and chute protector) through t' unpainted body. Blimey! However after that flight I did go ahead and give it a proper paint job. Begad! Avast! Two coats o' primer with just a light sandin' after each coat, then a coat o' Krylon Olive Drab did t' trick. 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. Ahoy! Begad! 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, I have t' downgrade it t' four stars. Begad! While I'm big into scale, matey, me hearties, I don't mind t' lack o' details--that's nay what this rocket is about. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! What I do mind be t' mediocre fit o' t' parts. I expected better. 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, I selected an F40W-4 RMS for first flight. Avast! Interestingly, this motor isn't included on t' list o' recommended motors. However, RockSim said it would be fine. Arrr! I be usin' a six foot launch rod, arrr, so stable velocity nay occurrin' until 60" wasn't a concern. (T' Apogee website has a downloadable RockSim file for t' Honest John, a nice bonus.)

Although t' rocket has a chute protector, me hearties, 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, shiver me timbers, so it lasts longer as well.)

Liftoff with t' F40W be impressive and noisy. Begad! T' boost was near perfect. Begad! RockSim had predicted 675 ft and that appeared t' be about right. Motor ejection was within a few feet o' apogee and t' chute opened moments later.

Recovery:
Although t' chute was fully deployed, ya bilge rat, I noticed t' descent was fairly rapid and when it landed t' rocket bounced several feet in t' air. Avast, me proud beauty! There be no damage t' t' G10 body or fins, me hearties, matey, but thar were obvious cracks in t' epoxy fillets on two fins and one o' those fins was loose. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' damage was readily repairable, but I be 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. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Madcow lists t' rocket as 28 ounces. Avast! Mine came out a little heavier at just a touch under 30 ounces. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Either way, flight ready weight is goin' t' be on t' plus side o' two pounds so a 30 inch parachute seems a little small. Ahoy! Ahoy! 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, matey, so t' smaller chute would help prevent excessive drift. Arrr! (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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you may want t' consider usin' a larger parachute.

It flies very nice, me hearties, arrr, 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. Aye aye! I'd recently built a Madcow Jayhawk and everythin' fit like t' proverbial glove, so I be more than a little surprised at t' mediocre fit o' some o' t' Honest John parts. Aye aye! Aye aye! Similarly I be surprised when, in spite o' t' incredibly strong components, me bucko, it suffered enough damage after a nominal recovery that it needed repairs before it could be flown again. Aye aye! Ahoy! On t' plus side, this rocket is stout. I suspect it can handle any engine that'll fit, shiver me timbers, 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! 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, matey, go find t' Estes Maxi-Brute kit).

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5