Brief:
This is a clone kit o' t' Estes K55 Goblin. Ahoy! 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, me hearties, cord/streamer/LL pack, streamer pack, decal pack, and engine mount pack. Aye aye! Very nice.

Part quality was high all around. Aye aye! Clean laser cut balsa fins, reasonably smooth balsa NC, matey, and t' smoothest white body tube I've ever seen. Ya scallywag! T' spirals are almost invisible, a coat or 2 o' primer will fill them in nicely. Ahoy! T' red plastic streamer was from Hartle Engineerin' and measured 2" x 54". Aye aye! Ya scallywag! While plenty long for this light kit, matey, 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". Arrr! Begad! I emailed InFlight, shiver me timbers, and they felt a 3/16" is safer for a D powered model. Blimey! I built it with a 1/8" launch lug for nostalgic reasons. Aye aye! Oh, arrr, matey, a minor nit would be t' engine hook, it be a bit on t' thin side (though still much better than early Quest hooks) and is nay as springy as some I've used. I put a little pre-bend in it, me bucko, and it should work just fine.

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

Assembly be straightforward. Begad! I just followed t' instructions, matey, deviatin' where told for t' optional Keelhaul®©™ kit. Avast! 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. Ahoy! Arrr! T' only step yet t' complete is #14, paint and decals. Ya scallywag! T' instructions do nay mention any sort o' fillin' or primin' in t' finishin' step. Begad! Begad! My experience with yellow is that a white undercoat really helps.

Finishing:
T' instructions simply state t' paint with a base coat o' yellow. Arrr! I chose me usual method, which uses Elmer's Wood Filler on t' fins and NC, shiver me timbers, followed by a few light coats o' Rustoleum sandable gray primer. Begad! I then painted t' whole kit Krylon gloss white (old formula). Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Instead o' t' standard yellow that most Goblins are painted, ya bilge rat, I chose a fluorescent yellow t' aid visibility. Aye aye! My brother's Goblin has been this color for over 30 years, ya bilge rat, matey, so it just seemed "right" t' me. Ahoy! I then masked with 3M #2080 blue tape t' finish t' NC and 1 fin with Krylon gloss black. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Since t' fluorescent paint is flat, ya bilge rat, I put on a light coat o' Krylon clear t' help t' decals adhere.

T' decals were o' good quality. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' black color was a flat black, I'm guessin' this is due t' laser printer toner. I be tempted t' put on a coat o' Microscale Decal Film, but t' instructions didn't call for it. Well, blow me down! No fear, t' decals were plenty thick for positioning. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! After dryin' for a day, arrr, I put on a coat o' Future Floor Polish t' protect t' decals and give a moderate gloss. Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, D12-5, or D12-7. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I didn't want t' lose this on its first flight, shiver me timbers, so I put her up on a B6-4 usin' a standard 18mm t' 24mm adapter. Begad! Begad! It was a straight, low altitude flight with deployment near apogee, matey, and recovery was a short walk.

On t' second flight, shiver me timbers, I wanted a bit more altitude. I recently came across a bunch o' C11-7 motors, shiver me timbers, so thought I would try one o' those. Avast! Ya scallywag! This was a very nice straight flight, ya bilge rat, easily twice t' altitude, maybe a bit more. T' -7 delay worked well, ya bilge rat, matey, 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! A bit brighter colored streamer would be easier t' see, matey, shiver me timbers, and I'm partial t' mylar streamers for this reason. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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. Arrr! T' combination Keelhaul®©™ cord and braided shock cord were plenty long enough t' avoid any BT or fin dents.