Brief:
This is a clone kit o' t' Estes K55 Goblin. It is a single stage high flyin' D powered kit.

Construction:
T' kit be bagged with a nice color header card. Aye aye! Most o' t' parts were in separate smaller clear plastic packs, shiver me timbers, includin' a fin pack, me hearties, ya bilge rat, cord/streamer/LL pack, streamer pack, decal pack, ya bilge rat, and engine mount pack. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Very nice.

Part quality was high all around. Clean laser cut balsa fins, matey, reasonably smooth balsa NC, matey, and t' smoothest white body tube I've ever seen. Avast! Begad! T' spirals are almost invisible, matey, me hearties, a coat or 2 o' primer will fill them in nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! T' red plastic streamer was from Hartle Engineerin' and measured 2" x 54". Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! While plenty long for this light kit, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I'm tempted t' try t' pack a longer one simply for easier sight. 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". Ya scallywag! I emailed InFlight, and they felt a 3/16" is safer for a D powered model. I built it with a 1/8" launch lug for nostalgic reasons. Ya scallywag! Begad! Oh, shiver me timbers, a minor nit would be t' engine hook, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! I put a little pre-bend in it, and it should work just fine.

T' kit came with an 8 page assembly instruction manual with numbered steps and illustrations. It be quite comprehensive. Begad! Blimey! A separate instruction sheet came packaged with t' Keelhaul®©™ cord, arrr, me bucko, which apparently is an option, matey, although it was bagged inside me kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Two very minor errors on t' instruction sheet was 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, ya bilge rat, me bucko, which is plenty long when used with t' Keelhaul®©™. T' instructions came complete with a fin markin' guide and shock cord mount t' cut out, me hearties, if nay usin' t' Keelhaul®©™ and a copy o' t' NARRRRR safety code.

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

Finishing:
T' instructions simply state t' paint with a base coat o' yellow. Aye aye! I chose me usual method, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which uses Elmer's Wood Filler on t' fins and NC, ya bilge rat, followed by a few light coats o' Rustoleum sandable gray primer. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I then painted t' whole kit Krylon gloss white (old formula). Begad! Instead o' t' standard yellow that most Goblins are painted, me bucko, I chose a fluorescent yellow t' aid visibility. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! My brother's Goblin has been this color for over 30 years, so it just seemed "right" t' me. Avast, me proud beauty! I then masked with 3M #2080 blue tape t' finish t' NC and 1 fin with Krylon gloss black. Ya scallywag! 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. T' black color be a flat black, I'm guessin' this is due t' laser printer toner. Begad! I was tempted t' put on a coat o' Microscale Decal Film, me bucko, but t' instructions didn't call for it. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! No fear, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' decals were plenty thick for positioning. They only needed 15 seconds in t' water vs t' suggested 20-30 seconds. Ya scallywag! T' edges o' t' decals laid down nice and flat usin' Microscale decal settin' solution. Avast! Aye aye! After dryin' for a day, I put on a coat o' Future Floor Polish t' protect t' decals and give a moderate gloss. Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, D12-5, matey, or D12-7. Ahoy! Avast! I didn't want t' lose this on its first flight, matey, so I put her up on a B6-4 usin' a standard 18mm t' 24mm adapter. Aye aye! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It be a straight, low altitude flight with deployment near apogee, me hearties, me hearties, and recovery was a short walk.

On t' second flight, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I wanted a bit more altitude. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I recently came across a bunch o' C11-7 motors, arrr, so thought I would try one o' those. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! This was a very nice straight flight, arrr, easily twice t' altitude, maybe a bit more. Ya scallywag! T' -7 delay worked well, deployment seemed just about right at apogee. 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. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! 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. Ahoy! T' combination Keelhaul®©™ cord and braided shock cord were plenty long enough t' avoid any BT or fin dents.