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

Construction:
T' kit was bagged with a nice color header card. Most o' t' parts were in separate smaller clear plastic packs, includin' a fin pack, shiver me timbers, matey, matey, cord/streamer/LL pack, streamer pack, decal pack, and engine mount pack. Arrr! Begad! Very nice.

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

T' kit came with an 8 page assembly instruction manual with numbered steps and illustrations. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It was quite comprehensive. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! A separate instruction sheet came packaged with t' Keelhaul®©™ cord, shiver me timbers, which apparently is an option, me bucko, although it be bagged inside me kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, 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 bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, if nay usin' t' Keelhaul®©™ and a copy o' t' NARRRRR safety code.

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

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

T' reason I gave 4 be 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, me hearties, D12-5, me bucko, or D12-7. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast! It was a straight, me hearties, shiver me timbers, low altitude flight with deployment near apogee, me hearties, and recovery was a short walk.

On t' second flight, ya bilge rat, I wanted a bit more altitude. I recently came across a bunch o' C11-7 motors, ya bilge rat, so thought I would try one o' those. Aye aye! Blimey! This was a very nice straight flight, matey, easily twice t' altitude, maybe a bit more. T' -7 delay worked well, deployment seemed just about right at apogee. While I will put her up on a D12-7, 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. Begad! A bit brighter colored streamer would be easier t' see, and I'm partial t' mylar streamers for this reason. Ya scallywag! Begad! 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. T' combination Keelhaul®©™ cord and braided shock cord were plenty long enough t' avoid any BT or fin dents.