A REAL High-Power Rocket That Is Easy To Build
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Madcow Rocketry U.S. Army Little John Missile
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Kit Specifications:
Skill Level 3: Average Skills Needed
Length: 47.5" (121 cm)
Diameter: 4.0" (101.6 mm)
Motor Size: 38mm diameter
Weight (without motor): 44 oz (1247 g)
Recovery Method: 36" (91 cm) cloth parachute (Includeed!)
ORDER This Kit NOW! Just click on the "Own It Today" button below.
Madcow Rocketry's Little John Kit
P/N:07239
Value Price: $99.95
Note: There is a $2.00 freight surcharge due to the large size of the shipping carton, and the additional cost of postage.
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Madcow Rocketry Little John Missile Rocket Kit
Estimated Altitude Predictions (generated using RockSim)
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Motor Used
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Manufacturer
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Altidude - feet (meters)
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Motor Type
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Aerotech
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432 feet (132 m)
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Aerotech
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484 feet (148 m)
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Aerotech
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656 feet (200 m)
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Aerotech
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704 feet (215 m)
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Aerotech
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744 feet (227 m)
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Aerotech
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780 feet (238 m)
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Aerotech
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786 feet (240 m)
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H123-10W
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Aerotech
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1868 feet (570 m)
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White flame. Loud roar. 38mm Reloadable
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I566-12 Vmax
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Cesaroni
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3741 feet (1140 m)
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Use this motor to test the strength of your epoxied
fin glue joints. Fast burning.
Maximum acceleration.38mm Reloadable
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I195-14J
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Aerotech
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4371 feet (1332 m)
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Huge column of black smoke.
Slower burning, so it stresses your rocket less.
38mm Reloadable
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J440 BB
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Animal
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5714 feet (1742 m)
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38mm Reloadable. Animal motors require
electronic ejection control, so modification of the
kit would be required. 687 miles per hour.
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J350-14W
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Aerotech
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5916 feet (1803 m)
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White flame. Loud roar. 38mm Reloadable
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At this time, Apogee Components does not carry any 38mm diameter motors that fit this kit. You can contact a local club in your area that can help you obtain the motors to fly this rocket. The 38mm motors shown above require additional nose weight to maintain stability. Always check your CG/CP relationship before lighting up one of the larger motors.
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There are over sixty-five other 38mm diameter motors that will fit into this kit, ranging from "G" to "J" size. Because of the large number of choices, we can't list them all. See the video below for help in selecting rocket motors. Rocket motors are sold separately from the kit. If you are unsure which one to pick, start with the one recommended for the First Flight, and then another for a more impressive launch. Most motors listed in this chart are available through Apogee Components. For other motors that are not listed here, download the RockSim file to see if it will work in this rocket kit. See also Technical Publication #28 for guidance on selecting appropriate rocket engines other than those listed in this chart. If you don't already have Technincal Publication #28, give us a call, and we'll be happy to let you download it free (you have to ask though). |
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Madcow Rocketry Little John Missile Description
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I built this huge kit in my garage at home with the garage door open. The neighbors stared, open-mouthed, as they drove by. There's still a guy in a rubber tree suit with binoculars in the park across the street.
The LITTLE JOHN was a free flight artillery rocket designed to deliver the explosive power of heavy artillery. It could carry either nuclear or conventional warheads. Designed primarily for use in airborne assault operations, the highly mobile LITTLE JOHN rocket system complemented the heavier, self-propelled HONEST JOHN systems. The LITTLE JOHN reached the field in November 1961 and remained in the Army inventory until August 1969.
So, be prepared to get to know your neighbors a little better if you build one of these. You might even get the opportunity to get to know the local constabulary.
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The Madcow Rocketry 4-inch (10.2 cm) diameter Little John Missile is a HPR capable model in every aspect. You'll find that it is the perfect rocket if you'd like to get your Level-1 High-Power Certification because it is very robust to handle the stresses of high power flight. And it is a simple rocket to build, so you'll be able to get ready for your certification flight in a short amount of time.
This is a tough appliance, engineered around functionality. It ain't pretty. All your friends will want to pick it up and examine it closely. But they'll be careful.
The kit comes with high power cardboard tubes, a thick-wall polyethylene-plastic nose cone with a heavy duty moulded-in attchment point for the shock cord, 1/4-inch thick plywood fins using through-the-wall attachement, a 1/2-inch wide tubular nylon shock cord, and a 36 inch diameter nylon parachute. It even comes with a flame-resistent chute protector so you don't ever need to use recovery wadding.
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If there was one flaw in this rocket, it is that it does not include an engine retention system. The instructions suggest friction-fitting the motor into the rocket. We prefer something more reliable. Fortunately, the modifications are pretty easy to do. There are some suggestions on our motor retention information page. Additionally, it can easily be modified to use the Aero Pack Engine Retainers. This gives the model an extra professional-looking appearance.
All in all, this is an awesome rocket. I recommend that you get one today!
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What Features Make This Kit Worthy To Be In Your Fleet?
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Super Strong Plastic Nose Cone - That's a full-sized spray paint can in the photo, to give you an idea of the scale. Made from polyethylene plastic, this heavy-wall nose cone can really stand up to any amount of abuse you might give it. The 16.5 inch exposed length is just one feature. It has raised ribs on the shoulder that can be sanded down to give you a perfect fit into the body tube of the rocket.
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Premium Quality Body Tubes - The tubes in this kit are thick-wall for extra strength. They'll easily handle the high thrust of big motors. The surface is slick and smooth, which makes marking lines on them easy. Finishing is also a breeze, since the spirals are tight and require little filling. The fin slots are pre-cut and are a perfect fit for the plywood fins.
1/4-inch Thick Plywood fins - No whimpy lite-ply in this kit; these fins are made from 5-layer thick, high-density, premium plywood. You'll never break these babies, and you won't have to worry about fin flutter on high-speed flights. Plus, they are laser cut. This makes them perfectly uniform, and saves you the time of doing the stack-sanding yourself.
Through-the-Wall Fin Mounting - Tabs on the base of the fins are slipped through slots in the body tube and mount directly to the engine mount tube. This makes the fins extra strong.
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38mm Engine Mount Tubes - This rocket is designed to handle high-power size engines, like the G through J size rocket motors. You can fly the Little John on 29mm G motors, but you'll need an optional 29-38mm adaptor.
Plywood Centering Rings - Like the fins, the 1/4" thick plywood used on the rings is 5-ply to make them extra strong. The rear centering ring epoxies to the fin tabs, which results in an incredibly strong fincan.
Glossy vinyl decals - The laser-cut decals are pressure-sensitive stickers that are ready to apply. They come with tape backing on both sides of the letters. You peel off one side, slap it down in the right position on the rocket, and then peel up the other side. There is no glossy plastic that hangs over the edges of the lettering to distract from the appearance of the rocket. The plastic is black, so if you want white lettering like we did, you can spray the rocket white first, let it dry, and use the vinyl lettering as a mask.
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Tubular Nylon® Shock Cord - The extra long 9/16" wide shock cord is designed for high power rockets like this Little John Missile. You attach it to the heavy-duty screw eye on the forward engine mount centering ring.
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Rail Buttons. With a kit this big, you don't launch from a rod. You use a long extruded aluminum rail. The Delrin-plastic rail buttons are included with the kit and fit the standard size rail launchers used by many clubs throughout the country. The rail buttons screw through the body into the plywood motor mount centering rings, which is an elegant engineering touch.
Solid steel recovery system mount. This beefy eyebold fastens through a laser-cut hole in the forward engine mount centering ring.
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Nylon® cloth parachutes - You'll receive a 36-inch diameter chute built for high power size rockets. The parachute is fiercly protected by a 12x12 inch Nomex® chute protector.
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What Makes This a Skill Level 3 Rocket?
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Madcow believes that if you're considering this kit, you know a few things about rockets. The kit is astonishingly simple to build, and the instructions are par for the course. So you're on your own when it comes to such minor issues as motor retention and stability.
The main reason this is a Skill Level 3 is that the instructions call for epoxy as the primary adhesive. This may be a little bit overkill, as the through-the-wall fins are nicely machined and the fit itself makes them quite strong when assemblied with wood glue.
Epoxy can be messy and cause an allergic reaction in some people. Adult supervision and nitrile gloves are recommended when working with epoxy.
This Little John Missile is a big rocket that uses heavy wall tubes. While the tubes don't make the rocket any harder to assemble, the finished rocket does require extra safety precautions when flown. Patience and aquired flying skills to know when NOT to fly are just as important as quality construction techniques.
You'll need to download the Rocksim file for this kit and use it. No nose cone weight comes with the kit, but you must add nose weight for all of the motor options. You need to determine the correct nose weight for the heaviest motor you intend to fly, and mark the center of pressure on the rocket so you'll never try to fly a motor that makes the rocket unstable. Ever see an I or J powered skywriter? It's not pretty.
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Click on the above image for a larger picture of the Little John Missile on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The museum piece has a different fin configuration, but it's the same cool missile.
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Related Product Questions:
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Q. What launch pad should I use for this kit and other high power rockets?
- A. We recommend the Gun Turret pad. With its all steel construction, and tilting head, this pad was developed specifically for people that want something that makes it easy to load and launch those oversize rockets.
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Q. Will a Shock Cord Protector work on the Little John Missile kit?
- A. Yes. While not required, this would be a nice upgrade to the Little John Missile kit. A shock cord protector prevents the shock cord from getting too scorched by the ejection charge. Click Here for more information about shock cord protectors.
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Q. Will a 29mm Motor Mount Adapter Kit work in this kit?
- A. Yes. If you use a high thrust 29mm motor, this kit should work fine with a motor mount adapter. Be sure to check your RockSim simulations to make sure everything works safely. Motor Adapter kit sold separately, click here to order an adapter.
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Q. How do you use a 29mm Motor Mount Adapter Kit?
- A. We made a short YouTube video that will walk you through the use of a 29mm to 38mm motor mount adapter (Click here).
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Q. I need help selecting motors. What should I do?
- A. Watch this YouTube video.
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Aero Pack Engine Retainers
Want to hold in your rocket engines securely without using tape or other unsightly metods? Then they Aero Pack retention system may be what you're looking for. There is a retainer available for all the common high power tube sizes that we carry (LOC, Blue Tube, and Fiberglass), as well as for the mid and high-power rocket kits on this web site.
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Tools needed to assemble this rocket kit:
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Masking Tape
- Hobby Knife
- Wood Glue or Epoxy Glue
To Launch This Rocket Kit, You'll Also Need:
- Rocket Motors (Not included with this kit - See the motor selection above).
- Launch Pad & Launch Controller (Not included with this kit)
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To see how the Madcow Rocketry Little John Missile rocket looks and performs with each motor configuration, download the FREE RockSim design file (click here). This file can be opened with the FREE demo version of RockSim (click here). Both Windows and Macintosh versions are available.
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What is a RockSim Design file? The RockSim software gives you a lot of information about the flight characteristics of this rocket: how high, how fast, where it will land, how will it react to wind, etc. The "design file" is intended to save you time. All the parameters (size, shape, weight, fin design, etc.) of this rocket have already been entered into the RockSim program, and saved as an electronic database file. You can just open it up in your copy of RockSim and start loading different rocket motors to run launch simulations. It's fun and educational to see the rocket zoom skyward, even before you built it. For more information about RockSim and to download a FREE 30-day demo version, click here.
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What is expected when you launch your model rocket?
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Are you new to rocketry? Do you think you know what happens when you launch your rocket? Now you can learn about the events that occur as your rocket is launched into the air. So when you launch your rocket, you'll be prepared and you'll be able to show off your knowledge to observers watching your rocket. This article also gives you links to other references that will give you even more background information about rocketry, so you can become a true rocket scientist and expert.
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"I've always loved your great customer service and quality products, and after recently being shorted by another online store, I've come to realize how valuable that service is, I just wanted to say thank you for treating your customers like people, not just another payment." — Justice Bradley
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Nylon® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company for its brand of polyester plastic.
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Shipping and Handling Fees:
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To estimate the shipping charges, please see our shipping information page. This page also explains how items are shipped, as well as offering you additional shipping options.
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