Brief:
This is a clone kit o' t' Estes K55 Goblin. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! It is a single stage high flyin' D powered kit.

Construction:
T' kit was bagged with a nice color header card. Well, blow me down! Most o' t' parts were in separate smaller clear plastic packs, arrr, includin' a fin pack, cord/streamer/LL pack, streamer pack, decal pack, me hearties, me hearties, and engine mount pack. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Very nice.

Part quality was high all around. Avast, me proud beauty! Clean laser cut balsa fins, ya bilge rat, reasonably smooth balsa NC, ya bilge rat, arrr, and t' smoothest white body tube I've ever seen. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' spirals are almost invisible, arrr, shiver me timbers, a coat or 2 o' primer will fill them in nicely. Ahoy! T' red plastic streamer was from Hartle Engineerin' and measured 2" x 54". Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! While plenty long for this light kit, matey, I'm tempted t' try t' pack a longer one simply for easier sight. Well, blow me down! How much can I fit in a BT-55? T' only curious part was a 3/16" launch lug instead o' t' original 1/8". Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I emailed InFlight, me bucko, matey, and they felt a 3/16" is safer for a D powered model. Avast! I built it with a 1/8" launch lug for nostalgic reasons. Avast, me proud beauty! Oh, a minor nit would be t' engine hook, ya bilge rat, it was a bit on t' thin side (though still much better than early Quest hooks) and is nay as springy as some I've used. I put a little pre-bend in it, shiver me timbers, and it should work just fine.

T' kit came with an 8 page assembly instruction manual with numbered steps and illustrations. Begad! Blimey! It was quite comprehensive. A separate instruction sheet came packaged with t' Keelhaul®©™ cord, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which apparently is an option, although it was bagged inside me kit. Begad! Two very minor errors on t' instruction sheet be listin' a D12-3/D12-5 instead o' t' D12-5/D12-7 listed on t' header card and listin' a 48" shock cord instead o' t' 36" cord included, which is plenty long when used with t' Keelhaul®©™. Ahoy! T' instructions came complete with a fin markin' guide and shock cord mount t' cut out, arrr, me hearties, if nay usin' t' Keelhaul®©™ and a copy o' t' NARRRRR safety code.

Assembly was straightforward. Ahoy! I just followed t' instructions, arrr, ya bilge rat, deviatin' where told for t' optional Keelhaul®©™ kit. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I didn't use t' included fin markin' guide, since I use one o' those plastic Estes pyramid style guides for 3FNC/4FNC birds. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' only step yet t' complete is #14, ya bilge rat, paint and decals. Arrr! T' instructions do nay mention any sort o' fillin' or primin' in t' finishin' step. Begad! My experience with yellow is that a white undercoat really helps.

Finishing:
T' instructions simply state t' paint with a base coat o' yellow. Well, blow me down! I chose me usual method, matey, matey, ya bilge rat, which uses Elmer's Wood Filler on t' fins and NC, followed by a few light coats o' Rustoleum sandable gray primer. Begad! I then painted t' whole kit Krylon gloss white (old formula). Blimey! Instead o' t' standard yellow that most Goblins are painted, I chose a fluorescent yellow t' aid visibility. Begad! Ahoy! My brother's Goblin has been this color for over 30 years, so it just seemed "right" t' me. Begad! I then masked with 3M #2080 blue tape t' finish t' NC and 1 fin with Krylon gloss black. Well, blow me down! Since t' fluorescent paint is flat, I put on a light coat o' Krylon clear t' help t' decals adhere.

T' decals were o' good quality. Begad! T' black color was a flat black, me bucko, I'm guessin' this is due t' laser printer toner. Aye aye! I was tempted t' put on a coat o' Microscale Decal Film, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but t' instructions didn't call for it. Blimey! No fear, me hearties, t' decals were plenty thick for positioning. They only needed 15 seconds in t' water vs t' suggested 20-30 seconds. T' edges o' t' decals laid down nice and flat usin' Microscale decal settin' solution. Well, blow me down! After dryin' for a day, ya bilge rat, I put on a coat o' Future Floor Polish t' protect t' decals and give a moderate gloss. Ahoy! Begad! T' fluorescent yellow really glows!

T' reason I gave 4 was due t' t' lack o' mention o' any balsa sealin' or fillin' and no mention o' a white undercoat for t' yellow paint.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are t' C11-5, D12-5, arrr, or D12-7. I didn't want t' lose this on its first flight, so I put her up on a B6-4 usin' a standard 18mm t' 24mm adapter. Begad! It was a straight, arrr, low altitude flight with deployment near apogee, me bucko, and recovery be a short walk.

On t' second flight, ya bilge rat, I wanted a bit more altitude. Avast! I recently came across a bunch o' C11-7 motors, me hearties, so thought I would try one o' those. This was a very nice straight flight, easily twice t' altitude, arrr, maybe a bit more. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' -7 delay worked well, arrr, deployment seemed just about right at apogee. Avast! Ya scallywag! While I will put her up on a D12-7, matey, I think t' C11-7 will be me motor o' choice until I run out o' them.

Recovery:
T' streamer is a good size t' slow descent just enough but nay drift too far. Arrr! A bit brighter colored streamer would be easier t' see, and I'm partial t' mylar streamers for this reason. T' included streamer is a non-reflective red plastic material. It was singed a bit on t' first flight when usin' 3 squares o' waddin' so I put in 4 squares o' waddin' for t' second flight. Arrr! Blimey! T' combination Keelhaul®©™ cord and braided shock cord were plenty long enough t' avoid any BT or fin dents.