SCALE - (MGR-1) Honest John Gallery

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Estes Mini Honest John, just needs a coat of clear when the temperature warms up a bit. Hoping to maiden later this week.

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Tall, Grande, and Venti Honest Johns by Estes.
 

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I'd like to contribute another fine kit to this thread. The 1/24 Honest John from Boyce Aerospace Hobbies is a wonderful addition to any collection of this early Cold War missile. Alex and Sheree Boyce have crafted a great ABS 3-D printed replica of the M-31 (MGR-1A) that is a near match to the prototype. There are a few differences from the real-thing including the addition of two launch lugs near the base of the model. Otherwise, this model is very near to scale.

Construction is quick and painless. You begin by dry sanding the model with 400 grit sandpaper. The tight tolerances of the model mean that you have to be careful in areas with small parts such as the spin rockets. It's easy to sand too hard and remove detail. After finishing the dry sand, wipe the model with a damp paper towel then dry. Follow this pass with wet sanding, again with #400. If you work carefully, you end up with a great looking model ready for paint.

The kit does not include a parachute, shock cord, glue, paint or decals. For the shock cord, the manufacturer recommends using a 24" length of thin kevlar cord. This passes through the airframe, leaving about 2 inches out at the bottom. You then mate the airframe to the fin can unit, and bond them with CA. Once the Superglue dries, you are instructed to trim the excess kevlar with a hobby knife. This is tougher than it sounds. Here's a tip, prior to assembly coat the bottom inch of the kevlar cord in CA. Let it dry. This makes it much easier to trim without making a mess.

The model is 14" in length and weights 2 oz without the motor. On a C6-7, the website says you can expect an altitude of 812 feet. My experience is that you can do a bit better than that--this thing really scoots off the pad.

Having built one, I'm in love. Plan to build 3-4 more in various paint schemes--a great way to assemble a sport scale worthy collection of HoJos quickly. The Boyce's also have the ability to print a 29mm version of the Honest John as a custom order--not cheap, because of the amount of time required to print the model, but something to consider.

I've flown mine on a streamer and small parachute. Both work very well.

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Thanks for the great review Les! We are always revisiting our older creations and updating them based on things we've learned and improvements to our equipment. Our older HJ did not have a screw together payload compartment like the new one has. For anyone who builds our kits or make their own 3D printed rockets here's a great YouTube video on how to get a mirror like finish on your 3D parts:

Regards, Alex Boyce

[video=youtube;0vgynnYzo08]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vgynnYzo08[/video]
 
Went out to a local park to fly on Sunday. Conditions were very marginal, with winds gusting 13-15 MPH. Decided to play it safe and only launch LPR rockets on streamers--which worked great. Then misfortune struck. I launched the Boyce Aerospace 1/24 Honest John made from ABS 3-D printed plastic on the streamer as I had done before. This time, I misjudged the launch angle, and it came down fast on a concrete path that cuts through the middle of the field instead of the grass.

The ABS plastic fractured in two places. Ouch! Speed of descent was simply too fast for the hard landing surface.

Good news is that the breaks were both clean, and easily repaired with CA when I got home--but now I'm going to need to sand and paint again.

Nothing but small parachutes for this bird from now on. Still love and just ordered two more of these beautiful rockets.
 
Neat thread.

Here's an Estes Honest John I built back in the mid 1970's...

I've also created CAD models a few others... from the Estes all the way up to a full size. Guilty: I've been a big fan of this rocket for a long time.

Pete California Hauler and Flatbed with Honest John Rocket and Pace CB Photo Circa 1978 or 1979.jpg

Honest John x 2.JPG

Honest John x 3.JPG
 
Love the model, and the D-104 is C-L-A-S-S-I-C! Nice to meet a person of taste and distinction here on the forum. But dude, you build a full size Honest John? That's my dream!
 
Below are some additional photos of the Boyce Aerospace 1/24 ABS 3-D Printed Model. I've got three more of these on the build pile right now. Going to do them in the various paint schemes--including an attempt at replicating the paint job on the static display at the Fireworks stand in South Pittsburg, TN. Once I got the hang of dry then wet sanding these models, I've been amazing at how easy they are to paint.

Love the photo of the model on the vintage Cox launch pad. Gives you an idea of the size.

Boyce Aerospace 1:24 parts view.jpgBoyce Aerospace Hojo 1:24 Rear View.jpgBoyce Aerospace HoJo 1:24 Side View.jpgBoyce Aerospace HoJo.jpgBoyce Aerospace Hojo on a Cox Vintage Launch Pad.jpg
 
Going to do them in the various paint schemes--including an attempt at replicating the paint job on the static display at the Fireworks stand in South Pittsburg, TN.

I learned of this rocket as a result of your post, and as luck would have it, am currently in Huntsville for the Student Launch Initiative event. The launch has been postponed until tomorrow due to weather, so what to do today?

Turns out that South Pittsburg is just 80ish miles from Huntsville, so I went to go see the Honest John! Here are a few photos:

IMG_3136.jpg IMG_3137.jpg IMG_3138.jpg

The day before I stopped by the US Space and Rocket Center, which also has an unusual HoJo on display:

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Thanks for the idea!

James
 
I learned of this rocket as a result of your post, and as luck would have it, am currently in Huntsville for the Student Launch Initiative event. The launch has been postponed until tomorrow due to weather, so what to do today?

Turns out that South Pittsburg is just 80ish miles from Huntsville, so I went to go see the Honest John! Here are a few photos:

View attachment 342317 View attachment 342318 View attachment 342319

The day before I stopped by the US Space and Rocket Center, which also has an unusual HoJo on display:

View attachment 342320 View attachment 342321

Thanks for the idea!

James

Is that a Spartan in the background at Huntsville or a Nike-Zeus B?
 
ScottieDog,

Love the images! Couple of questions:

1.) Where were this taken at?
2.) Do you know anything about the model? Size, kit or scratchbuilt, etc?
 
I can answer the pictures location, it was TriCities Rocketeers/Tripoli Southeast Washington SodBlaster 2018 Labor Day launch. Scott made several demo flights that weekend at our field outside Pasco, WA. As for the model its a SBR Rockets (fusionrockets.biz iirc) 4" HoJo, Scott Binder is the designer/owner/vendor of SBR Rockets. The SBR HoJo has some great scale features.
 
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Yeah.. My HoJo Maxi was the first MP kit I ever modified for HP. First I went to a beefier LOC 2.6" BT. But the fins were the biggest weakness.. so I used inserted plywood root/mmt mounted fin stiffeners, injected them with epoxy and glassed them. Then went on to make custom, T-nut based conformal rail button standoffs, and then weighted the heck out of the nosecone using lead shot and "epoxy rivets, poured and then cooled in a water bath. Came out pretty nice:

Root edge modified fins:
dscf0049.jpg

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Fins injected and glassed:
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Made t-nut rail button mounts:
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Weighted Nosecone:
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M50 and M50A1 scale data, perhaps this information will be useful.
M-50.jpg
 
Seems that the Russian drawings always have the best detail. Do you have the source for this, maybe at a higher res?

+1, the Russian drawings are nearly always the best source of dimensions for us rocketry scale builders.
 
+1, the Russian drawings are nearly always the best source of dimensions for us rocketry scale builders.
This information is collected by an outstanding Russian sports rocket modeler Vladimir Minakov, this is his contribution to our common cause. This information is his memory.
minakov.jpg
 
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That is a LIM-49 Spartan. What is interesting is that there is also a Nike Zeus on display there as well...
Zeus A or Zeus B? I am guessing Zeus B as not many Zeus A's were built and afaik all were used or destroyed during testing.
 
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l to r: Madcow clone, Estes, Centuri clone, Estes Mini.
Madcow clone has a fiberglass nose cone, cardboard tube and balsa fins.
Centuri clone survived a dunking in the Pacific Ocean.
Estes mini is a scale model of a later variant of the HoJo with smaller fins.
Honest Goon in primer stage, Estes Maxi HoJo in the build pile.
Oh, almost forgot these two:
Fliskits HoJo
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and Rocketarium Rebel John.
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HoJos rock. Honestly.;)
 
For fans of the Honest John, you'll be excited to learn that Scott Binder just released an updated version of his 4/5.5" Honest John model with an even more detailed nosecone.

He has also launched a new round of 18mm Low Power kits that mirror his larger kits, including the Honest John. This version is also very detailed--perhaps the most detailed kit of this missile ever offered.

https://www.fusionrocket.biz/store/?model_number=LHJO

KIT SPECIFICATIONS....
Based on the full-size 4” SBR Honest John, this mini version is
a super-detailed performer! Streamer recovery (parachute
can be added), laser-cut plywood fins, laser-slotted thick
airframe tube, plastic 3D-printed nosecone, and 18mm
motor mount make assembly super easy. Strong kevlar
string shock cord, mylar streamer, mini rail guides, and all
the details that make an SBR Honest John look so realistic!

DIAMETER: 1.2"
LENGTH: 18.75"
MOTOR MOUNT: 18mm
WEIGHT: 3 - 3.5 oz.
Streamer Recovery
RECOMMENDED MOTORS: A3-4, B4-4, B6-6,
C12-8, D16-8

Designed by Scott Binder

SBR Fusionrocket Lil Honest John Kit LHJO.jpg

3-D printing has simplified construction of the HoJo's distinctive nosecone, and allowed manufacturers to include more details from the prototype. This is great for scale and sport-scale modelers. At this price point, you can afford to pay several and paint them in the various schemes (Olive-Drab, Test Round, White, etc.) and make your own HoJo fleet.
 
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