Have any of the HYIPs or other in this section in all of time ever been remotely honest?
Firstly ask yourself this question: How something based to scam with false and misleading info, can be honest?

I mean so in a way where obviously some lose but some win and the overall experience is transparent/fair etc.
There isn't "in a way" some loses, there is certain and garranty loses. Any "win" is for specific purpose (eg. promoting the scheme).
How is it possible to say that the overall experience is transparent and fair?! For who exactly?
I have an idea that I'm working on personally but it is going to take me a while to develop (6-12 months). Sounds like you don't exactly agree which is a perfectly valid opinion, its a ridiculously seedy industry.
When you are saying transparent/fair and for who exactly, I can loop this back to my personal forte which is poker (I played professionally for over 5 years). There are long term winners and long term losers in the game. The house takes a cut. But at the end of the day, as long as everyone is getting a fair slice of the deck and is playing on their own accord, that's what I would call transparent/fair.
Even though there are many losers in the game.
Make sense?
Seems that you don't understand or misundertood the basic difference.
HYIP, Ponzi, doubler, tripler, mabler-jambler schemes are
by definition scam.
This isn't gambling, no matter how much others trying (very hard and unsuccesfuly) to present it like it is.
If you believe otherwise, we don't have much more to say. Especialy at this thread which is for proven scam sites.