North Coast Rocketry Hobgoblin

North Coast Rocketry - Hobgoblin {Kit} [?-]

Contributed by John Carey

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Published: 2018-05-07
Length: 45.00 inches
Manufacturer: North Coast Rocketry
Style: Sport

Brief

Upscale version o' t' Estes Goblin.  2.6" Diameter 33" tall 4FNC

Components

Good quality components:

  • Nose cone
  • 2 cardboard tubes w/coupler.  T' lower tube is pre-slotted
  • 4 1/8" plywood fins
  • plywood motor spacers with vertical spacers/braces
  • 29mm cardboard motor tube
  • 3 piece shock cord mount.  1 part is a steel cable which mounts t' t' upper motor mount and 1 Keelhaul®©™ line and 1 elastic line.
  • Parachute/motor retainer not included

Construction

Pros:

  • High quality materials
  • Very stable flight
  • Takes a wide range o' motors. 

I've flown mine on everythin' from an F27 t' an H238

 

Cons:

I'm nay a fan o' t' elastic shock cord arrangement.  It seems t' be too short and gets tangled with t' Keelhaul®©™ line on every flight.  T' included quick release makes it easier t' untangle, matey, but it still seems unnecessary.

T' shock cord mount on t' nose cone is a bit weak.  Mine broke and t' nose cone separated from t' rest o' t' rocket at about 1800' up.  Slapped some epoxy clay on it and it's been fine since.

Finishing

Finishin' was pretty straight forward.  T' body tubes have nice tight spirals and paint stuck t' t' nose cone with a little prep.  I painted mine with 2 coats o' sandable primer, sanded, then 2 coats o' Rustoleum green on t' body and gloss black on t' nose.

Vinyl peel and stick decals go on easily and didn't tear even after repeated attempts t' line up t' body stripes.

Construction Score: 4

Flight

Manufacturer recommends flyin' on E16-4 through G80-10 motors.

I've flown mine on an H238 and it held together perfectly. Ahoy! (I used epoxy for t' assembly)

Flies straight as an arrow

Recovery

No parachute included, I picked up a Sunward 30" chute and when combined with a Jolly Logic Chute Release it comes back t' earth in great shape.

As stated earlier, I'm nay a fan o' t' elastic/Keelhaul®©™ shock cord set-up.  I've read elsewhere that other people love it.  It's just nay for me.

Flight Rating: 4

Summary

This is a very good kit that will fly on any 29mm engine you can throw in it. 

Its sure t' impress your friends at t' next club launch.

Overall Rating: 4

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