Honest John - A BT-80H Scratch Build

 Here's an Honest John that's powered by a 29mm motor.

It's a rear eject... so you always have that awesome profile, be it going up or coming down.​

 

 2026-01-03 Drawing Set Rev 00

 

 

 Axe... A Scratch Build

Another build based on Internet artwork... 29mm Rear Eject 

 

2025-12-19 Knocked out the CAD Model and the drawings. Looks like a fun project.

 2025-12-20 Nose Cone Day 1

Started on the Nose Cone. Cut the (3) pieces from some scrap pine boards. The center portion I cut the angles at the front, and the upper and lower pieces were sanded to shape. Next up is routering the chamfers.​

 

 2025-12-22 Nose Cone Day 2

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I purchased a 45 degree router bit and installed it into my router.... it was defect and nearly shook my router apart! Took it back and got a replacement... and it was flawless. I routed all the parts.​

 

Gluing the three Nose Cone pieces.​

 

 

2025-12-23 

Revised the Body Tube from a C-204 to a BT-80H.  More room for parachute, went from a 30" to a 36" and it even looks better.... well IMHO.

 

 

 

2025-12-24 Revised Drawing Set Rev 02

 

 

2025-12-25 Nose Cone Shoulder Fabrication and Install

Cut a donut from some scrap stair steps using a 3" hole saw. Used a Forstner bit to drill a 3/4" center hole. Press fit in a 3/4" Dowel and chucked it into the lathe, turned the o.d. of the Shoulder for a slip fit into the BT-80H. Then, glued it all together.​

 

 

2025-12-26 Wing Fabrication

Cut, sanded and routed the wings.​

 

 

2025-12-27 Wings to Fuselage

This should take a couple days...​

 

2025-12-28 Wings to Fuselage, Day 02 

 

 

2025-12-29 Wings to Fuselage, Day 03

 

 

... and a mock-up

 

2025-12-30 Wing Tips and Nose Cone to Fuselage

Glued the Upper and Lower Wings together at the wingtips, then later glued the Nose Cone to the Fuselage.​

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Next up: Basswood Body Panels.

 

​2025-12-31 Fuselage and Ring Fin

Cut and fit the Upper Basswood Fuselage Panels.​

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Cut and glued the BT-80 & C-80 Tubes.​

 

Cut, Glued and Clamped the Half Ring Fin Segments into the Fixture.​

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BT/C-80 Side Pod Tubes

 

2026-01-01 Basswood Side Pods

This has been a fun experience. I kind of imagined what I want these to look like, and am just cutting, fitting and gluing 1/8" Basswood into place.

 

​​The "design" of the spacecraft is just like most of the Star Trek spacecraft. The crew in the front of the ship can eject from the main body of the craft, using the side pod thrusters. So the side pods and thrusters attach to the forward crew "Iron*".

 

​​*Iron: Forward compartment, so named "Iron" by Engineering Commander @BABAR.​

 

 

2026-01-02 Ring Fin Half

Removed the Ring Fin from the fixture and cut it to size. Glued it to the Wings of the rocket.​

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I'm going to spin test it with just the Half Ring Fin. If it flies stable, we'll be go for throttle up. If not, I'll build the other Half Ring Fin.​

2026-01-06 Launch Lugs