Brief:
By t' early '70s, ya bilge rat, 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! T' available rockets ranged from unique scale birds such as t' Pershin' 1A and t' Nike-Ajax, me hearties, t' now legendary futuristic kits like t' Orbital Transport, me bucko, Interceptor and Mars Lander. Avast! Another segment that Estes began t' concentrate on around this time was t' basic 3 and 4 fin and cone design with t' slightly cartoonish theme like t' Scamp, t' wildly politically incorrect Der Red Max, me hearties, and me favorite 24mm jaw-dropper, t' Goblin. Aye aye! Actually offered as a bonus kit (an award for purchases totalin' a certain amount,) at one point in it's lifetime, me hearties, 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. Simple in both construction and graphics, arrr, 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. Blimey! This be t' case with t' Goblin. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! I made two modifications t' t' original design, matey, neither o' which are obvious t' t' naked eye, me bucko, and both o' which are standard mods these days. Blimey! I replaced t' old Estes paper shock cord mount with t' a length o' Keelhaul®©™ tied and glued into t' engine mount. This is then used as t' mountin' point for a LONG length o' sewin' elastic. Ahoy! (That D ejection charge is goin' t' have a big ejection kick, so t' longer, t' better.)

Another change I made was from balsa t' basswood for t' fins. Aye aye! Arrr! T' Goblin, 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, and t' ground is nay always a field o' soft, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, tall weeds. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' hard baked soccer fields o' late August and t' occasional access road have both taken their toll on me clone, so t' change t' basswood was made in t' hope that it could withstand some o' these collisions. Well, blow me down! Begad! So far t' fins haven't broken, but they've been sprung on several occasions at t' attachment point. Nay a great shock.

Finishing:
Estes has used t' yellow and black color scheme on a number o' rockets over t' years, ya bilge rat, but t' Goblin definitely stands out from t' pack. Aye aye! Ahoy! (I've also seen t' rocket done in a Halloweenish bright orange color, ya bilge rat, and while both look great, 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, arrr, sprayed on two coats o' Valspar Sandable Primer, and followed them up with color coats o' Valspar Bumblebee Gloss and Valspar Gloss Black. Aye aye! Begad! (Valspar is a Lowe's brand paint which I use quite often. Begad! It is similar in coverage and workability t' Wal-Mart paints, arrr, but t' trip is shorter for me.) I made me own decals usin' Bel Decal waterslide decal paper and me inkjet printer, shiver me timbers, learnin' a valuable lesson with t' first set o' decals that I made. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I initially sprayed a heavy coat o' clear onto t' finished decal, me bucko, hopin' t' speed up t' whole process. When I returned several hours later t' images had ghosted badly. Blimey! I tried again with a second set, sprayed t' clear in multiple coats, and was 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. Avast, me proud beauty! In fact, it wasn't until it's fourth flight that I got up t' nerve t' fly it on a D12. Ahoy! While it absolutely screams off t' pad under D-power, t' flights on t' big C's don't pale much by comparison. Aye aye! T' biggest advantage t' C-power over D is that I have been able t' actually catch one lift-off on film, me hearties, t' C's deliverin' less o' an initial kick at liftoff. Blimey! Begad! T' C flights have also made for less o' a recovery hike, which on our mixed bag field, matey, me hearties, (part swamp, me bucko, matey, part brambles, 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. Avast! It should have. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I packed as much streamer as would fit into t' BT-55 for it's first few flights. (I'd conservatively say at least 36 inches, shiver me timbers, 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, cloudless sky, arrr, t' Goblin was noticeably fast on recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! No damage was sustained on either o' those flights, matey, me hearties, 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. It missed t' cars by a scant 18 inches, arrr, but impacted hard on t' "grass". Blimey! Ahoy! (T' "grass" strangely bein' t' color and consistency o' dust caked concrete.) Needless t' say, matey, shiver me timbers, 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. T' only reason I've kept t' streamer in place o' a chute has been because o' t' Goblin's traditional streamer recovery, arrr, but I'm beginnin' t' think that t' rocket might be better off with a heavily reefed 12" chute, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, especially in calm conditions.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Goblin is a great rocket t' pick for your first clonin' project, me bucko, combinin' great performance, great looks and ease o' construction into one classic package. Begad! 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. T' Goblin is classic Estes done right.

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5