Brief:
T' Honest John be a short range ballistic missile that was used for many years in a peace keepin' role armed with a nuclear warhead. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It’s distinctive bulbous nose cone and delta fins make this a very distinctive rocket. School Yard Rocketry is a new rocket company that I found through a web search. They have two rockets at this time, t' Honest John and t' Patriot Missile, ya bilge rat, matey, ya bilge rat, and they are hopin' t' be addin' more soon.

Construction:
T' Honest John arrived in t' mail from School Yard Rocketry in a sturdy cardboard box. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Inside t' kit was packaged in a Zip-Lock bag with a picture o' t' real rocket on a mobile launcher, a nice touch. Ahoy! All o' t' parts were thar and in good shape. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' parts consist o' a body tube, shiver me timbers, nose cone, me bucko, engine mount tube, thrust ring, centerin' rings, me bucko, launch lug, ya bilge rat, screw eye, shiver me timbers, me bucko, shock cord, a balsa sheet with t' fin patterns printed on it, arrr, a cardstock sheet for t' spin motors, matey, arrr, shiver me timbers, engine nozzle and shock cord mount, arrr, a sheet o' water slide decals, me bucko, and a 12" nylon parachute. Ya scallywag! All o' t' components are good quality. Begad! One interestin' item be t' body tube. Ya scallywag! T' body tube is what they call a “Tuff Tube Airframe.” This Tuff Tube is substantially thicker than your standard Estes tube, and t' outside is a little rougher as well. It turned out t' be easy t' work with and finished nicely, but more on that later.

T' instructions are printed on both sides o' two 8.5"x 11" sheets o' paper. They are in a logical order, ya bilge rat, and include diagrams for each step. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! There is one template for markin' t' location o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! T' instructions are easy t' follow, if you have built a rocket kit before. In one o' t' diagrams t' fin outline is different than t' ones that are used. Blimey! Arrr! This could be confusin' for t' first time builder, arrr, however, if you have already built a kit or two, this should nay be an issue.

T' kit goes together well. Begad! I did nay find any places where t' instructions were difficult t' follow or anythin' that needed more explanation. Avast! T' only thin' that was difficult t' build are t' spin motor housings. Well, blow me down! These are printed on heavy card stock and are t' be cut out, folded and glued together and then installed on t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! T' kit has twice as many as you need for t' rocket. Aye aye! Aye aye! This allows you t' try and try again until they look right. Arrr! Ya scallywag! This is a nice feature. Avast, me proud beauty! A couple o' drops o' thin CA cement will make then easy t' sand and finish. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Also on t' cardstock sheet is an engine nozzle. Begad! This engine nozzle fits in betwixt t' motor mount and t' body tube. Aye aye! It is virtually undetectable on t' finished model, shiver me timbers, so I wonder why it is included in t' kit.

T' Honest John is finished like most rockets. T' balsa fins and nose cone will need t' be sanded and sealed, but t' body tube will also need t' be sanded and sealed. Blimey! Blimey! Step 11 o' t' instructions tells you t' “sand off any ‘fuzzies’ betwixt coats” o' primer. Ya scallywag! I used Krylon gray sandable primer. Ahoy! T' body tube smoothed out very nicely after two coats o' primer. Blimey! Blimey! T' Spin motors are optional in this kit. Begad! Blimey! I used some wood filler putty around t' motors t' blend them into t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I was pleased with t' results. Included in t' kit is a sheet o' waterslide decals. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! These decals are very thin and difficult t' work with. I had difficulty keepin' them from crackin' when I applied them t' t' model. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! One tip with these decals is t' cut further away from t' color t' allow you t' work with more o' t' clear carrier. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This makes t' decals a little easier t' work with. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! Once I completed with t' decals I gave t' model two coats o' Testors Dullcote. I have had trouble usin' clear Krylon on decals before, and have never had any trouble with t' Testors paint. Avast! Blimey! T' finished model matches t' cover photograph o' t' Honest John in t' kit. Ahoy! As t' operational rockets were painted an Olive Drab, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, this must have been a high visibility test rocket paint scheme.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' prepare t' Honest John for flight, one needs t' install a motor, me bucko, me hearties, and install t' parachute. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor relies on a friction fit, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, as thar be no retention hook. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' elastic shock cord is held in place by a Estes type triple fold paper shock cord mount. T' Shock cord is then tied off t' t' nose cone on a screw eye installed in t' base o' t' nose cone. Begad! T' parachute is a high quality orange nylon parachute, arrr, one o' t' reasons I bought t' kit. Arrr! Pack a couple o' sheets in t' body tube and then insert t' Parachute. Aye aye! School Yard Rocketry recommends usin' B4-4, arrr, arrr, B6-4 and C6-4 motors.

I launched t' rocket on an A8-3 Motor. Arrr! There be a 5 t' 10 Mph wind that day. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' rocket flew great, shiver me timbers, with t' ejection charge firin' just after apogee. Ahoy! T' Parachute seems t' be just about t' right size as t' rocket came back at a reasonable rate, and landed without damage on t' football field that I launched on.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

I give this kit an overall ratin' o' 4.5. T' flight was about as perfect as you can expect. Avast! And I like it when manufactures include high quality components like nylon parachutes with their models. Avast! Ya scallywag! For t' price this is a great deal. Ya scallywag! T' on-line orderin' be easy and painless and t' kit arrived in t' mail quickly. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' body tube is extremely robust, and should last a long time. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I particularly enjoyed t' balsa wood components. There could be some improvement in t' quality o' t' decals, and t' instructions could be a little clearer as well. Ya scallywag! Overall this kit was fun t' build and be great t' fly.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5