Fliskits Honest John alternate paint scheme

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hcmbanjo

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Next up in today's "Finish the half-built models"

I wanted to paint the Fliskits MMX Honest John like the Estes Honest John I'd built many years ago. This is the black and white version.

I've enclosed the PDF of the decals.
NOTE: The squares are not a "wrap around" decal. I couldn't get it right and in the end I cut and placed the squares one at a time around the nose cone.
I made no real effort to make the thickness of the bars or the Honest John name to correct scale. It's just close enough to capture the feel of the black and white Honest John. I used the spin rocket nacelles from the Fliskit decal sheet.

And to Mr. Flis - this is a great little kit!

Honest John MMX 001.jpg

Honest John MMX 002.jpg

View attachment Honest John MMX decal.pdf
 
Great looking project! I did mine in the white/red/blk test round color scheme.

Wanted to be able to find it.

Your fin bevel work is masterful to say the least. Care to share how you got them so perfect?
 
Great looking project!

Your fin bevel work is masterful to say the least. Care to share how you got them so perfect?


I agree, that is a great looking HoJo. I really like HoJo's. I need to get a HoJo and make it look as good as yours. Would you consider shareing how you got the bevels looking so good?
 
VERY NICE!!! Yeah I agree the beveling is very well done. Love the paint scheme!

I flew mine this morning, first flight, and lost it! It's the price we pay!!! It flys very well, really scoots.
 
Thanks for all the feedback!
To Mr. Khamel - sorry to hear you lost the rocket! I like to fly with our local NAR section so lots of eyes are following the small stuff. I've only lost two rockets over the past three years. One was my (numbered) Golden Scout, the other was a Wedgie hung up in a tree.
If I have anything small, I load up on the last rod to be launched, usually the farthest to the right. The field is opened for recovery right after that last launch and my immediate (landing area) memory is still good.

To Blackjack2564,
My builds are far from perfect. When I was young I would kick myself if things weren't just right. I gave that up years ago. I have a great time building and just try to get better at it. It drives me nuts when people say: "You know, practice makes perfect!" That person has never played bagpipes.

There's really nothing fancy when beveling the fins. On the Fliskits HoJo they are basswood which makes it easier to keep an edge.
Some people use masking tape down the line, I dont. I just used 400 grit on a sanding block and checked the penciled bevel line against a bright light after every few strokes. I think it's easier to get a sharper bevel on basswood over balsa stock.
The trouble is, these fins are very small and the angle of the bevel changes as you go from root edge to tip. Just take it slow!
 
To KHamel -
"Phineas J. Whoopee you're the Greatest" TT

Tennessee Tuxedo, right?
Don Adams (Get Smart) did the voice.

Sorry, off topic, I couldn't resist
 
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Ok on the bevel, but how the heck are you holding them in position? Tape to table? Freehand?

When I did mine holding position was the B#$$$#h

100_2253.jpg
 
I like the red white and black. If I remember correctly, that's the old Cox Honest John paint pattern.

I just held the fins in the fingers of my left hand and sanded with the right.
I wish I had a better answer, but that's what I did.
 
Very nice looking, Chris. I think that's the first one i've seen in the black/white scheme. I love it! :)
 
To KHamel -
"Phineas J. Whoopee you're the Greatest" TT

Tennessee Tuxedo, right?
Don Adams (Get Smart) did the voice.

Sorry, off topic, I couldn't resist

Yes, very good old cartoon! Can't go wrong with Don Adams!
 
Very Nice HoJO Chris:
Good lookin rendition of the a white-blk round.

One word of caution on the decals tho.
Of all the Hojo photos and documentation I've seen. I don't recall a single photo with the name "Honest John" on it. Generally the only large wording if any is "Army" or occasionally U.S. Army.

Other then that really great work and super looking scale model;) Hope this helps.

Honest John_M50_b&w pic on Launcher semi-gloss Green_70's.jpg
 
Quote Micromeister:
Very Nice HoJO Chris:
Good lookin rendition of the a white-blk round.


Thanks! It's was fun build, albeit small.

One word of caution on the decals tho.
Of all the Hojo photos and documentation I've seen. I don't recall a single photo with the name "Honest John" on it. Generally the only large wording if any is "Army" or occasionally U.S. Army.


Hey, no caution needed. There probably wasn't an Honest John with it's name on the side. But, in 1970 every Estes Honest John kit had that full name on the decal sheet. Back then I didn't know the difference, much like today. I know I had it on my first HoJo and I wanted this to reflect back on that one.

The instructions showed it on the model, And darn it, I follow directions, right or wrong!:
https://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/estes/k-27e.tif

Other then that really great work and super looking scale model;) Hope this helps.

Thanks, all input helps!
 
Quote Micromeister:
Very Nice HoJO Chris:
Good lookin rendition of the a white-blk round.


Thanks! It's was fun build, albeit small.

One word of caution on the decals tho.
Of all the Hojo photos and documentation I've seen. I don't recall a single photo with the name "Honest John" on it. Generally the only large wording if any is "Army" or occasionally U.S. Army.


Hey, no caution needed. There probably wasn't an Honest John with it's name on the side. But, in 1970 every Estes Honest John kit had that full name on the decal sheet. Back then I didn't know the difference, much like today. I know I had it on my first HoJo and I wanted this to reflect back on that one.

The instructions showed it on the model, And darn it, I follow directions, right or wrong!:
https://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/estes/k-27e.tif

Other then that really great work and super looking scale model;) Hope this helps.

Thanks, all input helps!

10-4: I hear and understand that!
 
Quote Micromeister:
Very Nice HoJO Chris:
Good lookin rendition of the a white-blk round.


Thanks! It's was fun build, albeit small.

One word of caution on the decals tho.
Of all the Hojo photos and documentation I've seen. I don't recall a single photo with the name "Honest John" on it. Generally the only large wording if any is "Army" or occasionally U.S. Army.


Hey, no caution needed. There probably wasn't an Honest John with it's name on the side. But, in 1970 every Estes Honest John kit had that full name on the decal sheet. Back then I didn't know the difference, much like today. I know I had it on my first HoJo and I wanted this to reflect back on that one.

The instructions showed it on the model, And darn it, I follow directions, right or wrong!:
https://www.spacemodeling.org/JimZ/estes/k-27e.tif

Other then that really great work and super looking scale model;) Hope this helps.

Thanks, all input helps!



I checked that link, and you are 100% correct. It's plain to see that Honest John has Honest John on it. In big black bold letters noless. That's just crazy.
 
I checked that link, and you are 100% correct. It's plain to see that Honest John has Honest John on it. In big black bold letters noless. That's just crazy.

Just goes to show that Kit manufactures take lots of "Creative License" when producing "Scale" and Semi-Scale kits.
You can see how Estes corrected themselves with the later Honest Johns in later kits Like #1919 using Army Olive Drab and more traditional markings.
But if your not planning on using it in a Scale competition anyway, it's fine to put just about anything ya want on the model... I think it's be kinda neat to do on in blue and orange and custom decal it "eat at HoJo's" on the sides LOL!!!! It'd be a hoot.
 
I like the red and white version Jim has going. I have found a couple of decent pics on line...

Any more specifics on the width and length and spacing of the black stripes. They alternate between two and three stripes centered between the fins.

I also noticed that two fins are red and two are black. Are both sides of these fins the same color. I also see the red fins have a black stripe and the black fins a red one on the bottom edge.

2479937707_ce8ab5c455[1].jpg
 
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I like the red and white version Jim has going. I have found a couple of decent pics on line...

Any more specifics on the width and length and spacing of the black stripes. They alternate between two and three stripes centered between the fins.

I also noticed that two fins are red and two are black. Are both sides of these fins the same color. I also see the red fins have a black stripe and the black fins a red one on the bottom edge.

While that is a Great looking Paint job, It may not be something that actually flew. Your photo is of a static display vehicle at White Sands Missile Park. This scheme may just be how the ground keepers decided to paint it for visitor viewing. That's not to say it's a bad color scheme for sport flying models but it would have to be varified with another "In flight" or launcher photo to be useable for scale events. Just bringing this up to keep all aspects alive, I'm very partical to the Red-White & Black Test round paint scheme also;)
Another tell-tail sign is the White Sands vehicle is an M50, most of the test round painted Hojo's were the earlier M31 (small fin) rounds.
 
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I don't care. I like Chris' paint job - and Jim's, too! Oh, to be able to paint with such precision, such skill...[sigh]

MK
 
I don't care. I like Chris' paint job - and Jim's, too! Oh, to be able to paint with such precision, such skill...[sigh]

MK

You don't care about what? You talk about being able to paint with precision, built exacting details but don't care if the colors & markings are correct. That's totally illogical.
 
Next up in today's "Finish the half-built models"

I wanted to paint the Fliskits MMX Honest John like the Estes Honest John I'd built many years ago. This is the black and white version.

That's my favorite HoJo paint scheme. Nice job.

Mario
 
You don't care about what? You talk about being able to paint with precision, built exacting details but don't care if the colors & markings are correct. That's totally illogical.

Naaaah. That's artistic. :cyclops:

It's like putting USAF markings on an Estes Interceptor. :eyepop:
 
Naaaah. That's artistic. :cyclops:

It's like putting USAF markings on an Estes Interceptor. :eyepop:

Nope that's totally the reverse RangerStl:
Creative license is fine on fictional prototypes...not real world vehicles. If your gonna spend the time getting all the physical details right makes no sense to screw the pooch on the paint and markings. :2:

Being creative is NOT painting your models to look exactly like the KIT front panel.

This argument is really silly anyway as the Modeler in this case is modeling a MODEL anyway...and a fantastic job of it as well.
Sorry I brought the whole thing up in the first place....I really was trying to be helpful.
 
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Illogical? Sure, if I wanted it to be scale-accurate to the real Honest John. But Chris' HoJo is actually a downscale of the Estes K-27 (right, Chris?). And it's SO exquisitely accurate! :D

BTW, down your way you must be quite familiar with those crazy-colored HPR Nike-Smokes that some folks have been flying for many years?

MK
 
Imagine an alternative history in which the Warsaw Pact had the Honest Johns. HoJos with red star roundels
star43.gif
and ☭ insignia? Why not? ;)

It's a hobby, John, not a history class. There is no exam at the end.

MK
 
But Chris' HoJo is actually a downscale of the Estes K-27 (right, Chris?). MK

Yep, that's all I wanted to do. Simply build a mini version of an old Estes favorite.
I could never foresee such a big debate over something so small.
 
Illogical? Sure, if I wanted it to be scale-accurate to the real Honest John. But Chris' HoJo is actually a downscale of the Estes K-27 (right, Chris?). And it's SO exquisitely accurate! :D


I believe I complimented Chris on what a great model of the K-27 model he'd done in a couple of the previous posts. If somehow that has been overlooked, I've said it again. Chris NO joke, Great job. and there is no debate, it's just a couple folks seeming to want to stir stuff.

Mark, You are quite correct; it is a hobby and while there is no exam at the end, we do no justice to models of our real world rockets and missles without learning a bit of the History of these vehicles along the way. Their history is as much a part of the hobby as Elmer's glue, so in many respects it is a History class regardless of what you say. Many in the hobby profess to being amateur Historians and bring much to the table along with their building skills. While I don't consider myself in that league, I do spent a good amount of time doing scale models and research so these ideas and ideals come naturally.

My comments were not ment to say anything against the way Chris's model was finished, simply calling his attention to the fact it might not do to well in a Scale Competition with the Kit markings. That's all there was to it... just the free flow of good information.
 
I flew the MMX Honest John today.
I was very surprised by the altitude, it performed much better than my BT-20 Big Bertha and the few other MMX models I have flown.

Ejection was early, but did get deployment of the streamer.

Sorry I don't have a launch photo. Roger Smith (jonrocket.com) always takes great pictures but this thing just moved too quick. It was a blur when we looked at the shot.

IMG_1803.jpg
 
I flew the MMX Honest John today.
I was very surprised by the altitude, it performed much better than my BT-20 Big Bertha and the few other MMX models I have flown.

Ejection was early, but did get deployment of the streamer.

Sorry I don't have a launch photo. Roger Smith (jonrocket.com) always takes great pictures but this thing just moved too quick. It was a blur when we looked at the shot.

Awesome job on the model. :clap:

By the way, do you think my HoJo's paint scheme is historically accurate?

P1000673_2554x1915.JPG
 
Awesome job on the model. :clap:

By the way, do you think my HoJo's paint scheme is historically accurate?

P1000673_2554x1915.JPG

SURE! In the army of flowers and pastels!
All kidding aside, thanks for the laugh, it looks great!
 
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