BT-60 not 55

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Jeffrey Deem
NAR16741
CIA section 527

The DST cone was an Honest John cone. However, the spin rockets were "innies", not "outties". Body tube was BT-55. Are you looking to clone DST at original scale, or scavenge this new HJ's nose cone for a scratch-built up-scaled DST?

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Lee Reep
NAR 55948

Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B, Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor
In the Paint Shop: Nothing! Too cold!
Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp

That BT-55 version of the Honest John was BY FAR the WORST of the four different (including this new BT--60 variant) Estes versions of the Honest John.
This one, the Maxi-Brute, and the original BT-50 version are all FAR better kits than that BT-55 disaster they offered a couple times since the mid-80's. That thing was a junk-HEAP they never should have kitted. The Deep Space Transport MUST have been a SPEV for that clunky cone.

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

The Maxi Brute, the BT-50 version, the Cox plastic model, and this BT-60 version are all models of the M-31 version of the Honest John. The one in the 1980s which you loathe so much is a model of the M-50 version. If you read Alway's "14 US Army Missiles of the Cold War," you'll see both versions, and you'll see the Estes M-50 Honest John (BT-55 based) wasn't all that bad. For example, it really did have a pair of "innie" spin thrusters (two thrusters per "indentation") versus the four sets of "outie" spin thrusters (two thrusters per "blister") on the M-31 version. The M-50 also had smaller fins than the M-31. So, what you REALLY hate is the M-50 Honest John. You like the M-31.

I'll get back to the build thread soon. Work has been busy!

This is a great example of why I love hanging out here! I love the quality of posts, like this one!

Excellent details!

(BTW, To be clear, I'm not picking on GH.)

Doug

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YORF member #11

Good Info, frognbuff.
I honestly was unaware that BT-55 kit was of a second version of the Honest John.
Until this valuable nugget of information, I was unaware there were two versions.

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Here is a link that shows pictures of both versions. There is not a huge amount of detail in these pictures but you can see the difference in fin size, and the difference in spin thrusters is apparent.

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/r-1.html

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Lee Reep
NAR 55948

Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B, Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor
In the Paint Shop: Nothing! Too cold!
Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp

Well, you will be able to, sorta.

The Honest John nose of the DST was of the M50 variety, whose rear cone was a little shorter and the spin rocket pairs were recessed. The Estes Honest John of the 80's (#1919) used this cone, and it fit a BT-55.

The Mini Honest John of the past couple of years was also based on M50, so its nose cone could certainly be used to build a downscale of the DST!

The other Estes Honest John kits (K-27, the Maxi Brute HJ, and the new kit; BT-50, -80, and -60, respectively) are all based on the older M31 variety of the Honest John which has spin rockets that jut out into the airstream. The new kit's nose has the spin rocket pairs molded in (and there are four of them, as opposed to the two recessed ones in the M50)

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Roy
nar12605

The 1919 (bt-55) kit was also was only stand-off scale in that the body was a couple of inches longer and fins were about 33% larger for stability (not to mention didn't model the tail cone, which the BT-50 version didn't either -- because Harry Stine didn't put it into his drawings!).

The newer Mini Honest John was designed closer to scale, but I've seen some squirrelly flights of it.

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Roy
nar12605

I bought a second Mini HoJo to do precisely that. Haven't started it yet. It joins a myriad other planned but unstarted builds, not to mention the started but unfinished ones.

One of these days....

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John Buscaglia
NAR 27366
SAM 63
CMASS Member