Brief:
By t' early '70s, t' Estes catalog had expanded from its Astron roots t' t' point that it pretty well covered t' whole range o' t' model rocketry spectrum. Aye aye! Begad! T' available rockets ranged from unique scale birds such as t' Pershin' 1A and t' Nike-Ajax, t' now legendary futuristic kits like t' Orbital Transport, Interceptor and Mars Lander. Another segment that Estes began t' concentrate on around this time be t' basic 3 and 4 fin and cone design with t' slightly cartoonish theme like t' Scamp, ya bilge rat, t' wildly politically incorrect Der Red Max, and me favorite 24mm jaw-dropper, me bucko, t' Goblin. Begad! Actually offered as a bonus kit (an award for purchases totalin' a certain amount,) at one point in it's lifetime, t' Goblin would eventually make a name for itself as an impressive performer due t' it's small size in relation t' it's big engine capability. Ahoy! Simple in both construction and graphics, t' Goblin is a clonin' project that attracts attention both on and off t' pads.

Construction:

T' Part list comprises :-

• BT-55IJ
• BNC-55AD (BMS stock cone)
• BT-50J engine tube
• 2 - AR-5055 centerin' rings
• AR-2050 engine block
• 12" Keelhaul®©™ cord
• 24" sewin' elastic
• Screw eye
• Snap swivel
• Launch lug
• 18" streamer
• Decal sheet
• 3/32" basswood fin stock

Sometimes t' biggest attraction t' clonin' these kits be t' ease with which you can recreate a classic. Avast! Blimey! This be t' case with t' Goblin. Blimey! Blimey! T' instructions are simple and illustrated well enough that anyone who has ever constructed anythin' more complicated than an RTF kit should be able t' build one o' these without breakin' a sweat. I made two modifications t' t' original design, neither o' which are obvious t' t' naked eye, me bucko, and both o' which are standard mods these days. Ahoy! Blimey! I replaced t' old Estes paper shock cord mount with t' a length o' Keelhaul®©™ tied and glued into t' engine mount. Avast! This is then used as t' mountin' point for a LONG length o' sewin' elastic. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! (That D ejection charge is goin' t' have a big ejection kick, ya bilge rat, so t' longer, t' better.)

Another change I made be from balsa t' basswood for t' fins. Arrr! Blimey! T' Goblin, me hearties, bein' t' high flier that it is, traditionally recovers with a streamer instead o' a parachute (in t' interest o' actually seein' t' rocket again.) This can lead t' some jarrin' collisions with t' ground, me hearties, matey, shiver me timbers, and t' ground is nay always a field o' soft, tall weeds. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' hard baked soccer fields o' late August and t' occasional access road have both taken their toll on me clone, me bucko, so t' change t' basswood be made in t' hope that it could withstand some o' these collisions. So far t' fins haven't broken, arrr, but they've been sprung on several occasions at t' attachment point. Ahoy! Blimey! Nay a great shock.

Finishing:
Estes has used t' yellow and black color scheme on a number o' rockets over t' years, shiver me timbers, arrr, but t' Goblin definitely stands out from t' pack. Ahoy! Aye aye! (I've also seen t' rocket done in a Halloweenish bright orange color, and while both look great, shiver me timbers, matey, t' yellow won out for me based on it's catalog correctness.) I filled t' tube spirals and wood grain with several coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, sprayed on two coats o' Valspar Sandable Primer, and followed them up with color coats o' Valspar Bumblebee Gloss and Valspar Gloss Black. (Valspar is a Lowe's brand paint which I use quite often. Begad! Begad! It is similar in coverage and workability t' Wal-Mart paints, arrr, arrr, but t' trip is shorter for me.) I made me own decals usin' Bel Decal waterslide decal paper and me inkjet printer, learnin' a valuable lesson with t' first set o' decals that I made. I initially sprayed a heavy coat o' clear onto t' finished decal, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, hopin' t' speed up t' whole process. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! When I returned several hours later t' images had ghosted badly. Avast! Avast! I tried again with a second set, sprayed t' clear in multiple coats, matey, and be rewarded with excellent results.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I started t' Goblin off on t' conservative side, pluggin' in an Estes C11-5 on both o' t' first two flights. Ya scallywag! In fact, ya bilge rat, it wasn't until it's fourth flight that I got up t' nerve t' fly it on a D12. Ya scallywag! While it absolutely screams off t' pad under D-power, t' flights on t' big C's don't pale much by comparison. T' biggest advantage t' C-power over D is that I have been able t' actually catch one lift-off on film, t' C's deliverin' less o' an initial kick at liftoff. T' C flights have also made for less o' a recovery hike, which on our mixed bag field, (part swamp, ya bilge rat, arrr, part brambles, me hearties, part soccer field, part asphalt,) can be a blessing.) I've since fallen into a routine o' flyin' t' Goblin on D's only in calm weather while usin' C's for windier days and so far it seems t' have worked out fine.

Recovery:
It never occurred t' me that thar could be such a thin' as too much streamer. Ya scallywag! It should have. Arrr! I packed as much streamer as would fit into t' BT-55 for it's first few flights. Begad! (I'd conservatively say at least 36 inches, with a possibility o' another 18 inches on t' + side.) On it's first two flights on an Estes C11-5 into a wide-open, me hearties, cloudless sky, arrr, t' Goblin was noticeably fast on recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! No damage was sustained on either o' those flights, ya bilge rat, but on a subsequent flight it was headin' for t' line o' cars at t' back o' t' range at what appeared t' be terminal velocity. Ahoy! It missed t' cars by a scant 18 inches, but impacted hard on t' "grass". (T' "grass" strangely bein' t' color and consistency o' dust caked concrete.) Needless t' say, ya bilge rat, this was it's only flight o' t' day on that outin' as t' Goblin lost two fins. Ya scallywag! I have since shortened t' streamer t' a more Goblin-friendly 18 inches, but it still comes in whistling. Aye aye! T' only reason I've kept t' streamer in place o' a chute has been because o' t' Goblin's traditional streamer recovery, me bucko, arrr, but I'm beginnin' t' think that t' rocket might be better off with a heavily reefed 12" chute, especially in calm conditions.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Goblin is a great rocket t' pick for your first clonin' project, ya bilge rat, combinin' great performance, great looks and ease o' construction into one classic package. Well, blow me down! T' halloweenish graphics are usually a hit with kids while others who have been around t' hobby for a while will appreciate seein' a classic recreated.

Pro's: Everything. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' Goblin is classic Estes done right.

Con's: Streamer recovery somewhat stressful on t' fins. Aye aye! Think about optin' for a small, heavily reefed chute instead.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5