Brief:
Classic Estes kit that had unique styling, arrr, good graphics and super flight characteristics.

Construction:
I decided t' clone t' classic Estes Goblin. It was a popular kit for many years with Estes, and I never owned one because I couldn't afford t' D motors.

T' plans were from t' original Estes instructions as detailed on t' JimZ website. Blimey! I got t' parts from various places. T' biggest expense was shipping, so I bought parts for three kits. Arrr! T' other two kits were given away at t' UROC Christmas party.

T' nose cone was part BNC55-AO from Balsa Machinin' Services. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It's nay a custom nose cone. Arrr! T' quality be top notch and t' service be fast, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, as is usual from BMS.

T' body tubes (BT-55 and BT-50), centerin' rings and engine blocks were purchased from Aerospace Specialty Products. Well, blow me down! T' ASP body tubes are white, so finishin' is easier than with brown tube. T' centerin' rings were good quality and received in good order. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' main body tube is 9" long. Aye aye! T' motor mount is 2.75" long.

T' motor hooks, balsa fin material and 3/16" launch lug were from a local hobby store, Douglass Models. T' motor hooks and launch lugs are standard Estes hooks. Avast! Begad! T' fin material is 3/32" balsa.

For t' shock cord, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me bucko, I deviated from t' Estes plans. Arrr! Arrr! T' anchor is Keelhaul®©™ looped around t' forward centerin' rings, and t' shock cord is nylon cord. Ya scallywag! T' Keelhaul®©™ be purchased from Pratt Hobbies. Well, blow me down! Begad! Also, me bucko, t' nose weight is fishin' weights. Arrr! I put 0.75 oz o' weight in t' nose. This makes me Goblin stable up through an F24 motor. Blimey! Begad! Fishin' weights were from a local bait shop.

T' decals were purchased from t' JimZ website as well. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! They were absolutely great. Avast, me proud beauty! He also threw in a set o' decals for an Estes Blue Star, me hearties, so I that one too (but that's another review).

I also added a 9" Top Flight chute for recovery.

In t' spirit o' a clone, I decided that thar would be no epoxy on me Goblin. Aye aye! I built it pretty much per directions, shiver me timbers, except for t' shock cord anchor. Ahoy! Since me nose weight was more than t' basic Goblin, I also opted for a 9" nylon chute. This brings it down much slower than a streamer, arrr, but still pretty fast.

T' fins roots were reinforced with used dryer sheets. Begad! Ahoy! A strip o' dryer sheet was applied t' t' fin root with yellow, arrr, aliphatic resin glue (SiG Bond). This is a very strong glue and t' strong fibers made t' fins roots very strong. Ya scallywag! It took a lot o' sandin' t' make it smooth though. Begad! Arrr! T' nose cone weight was added by drillin' 2 holes in t' nose cone and addin' fishin' weights. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! After t' weights were in place, arrr, a dowel was cut and glued in t' fill t' hole.

T' shock cord anchors t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! A length o' Keelhaul®©™ be tied around t' forward centerin' rin' before t' motor mount be glue in place. Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™ extends about 6" out o' t' body tube. Begad! Then about 48" o' nylon cord be tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™ and t' screw-eye in t' nose cone base. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! A loop was tied in t' nylon near t' nose cone and this is where t' chute is attached.

Finishing:
Sealin' t' fins and nose cone was done as I usually do it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Hobbylight balsa filler is applied liberally t' t' surfaces with me finger, me hearties, rubbin' t' stuff into t' grains. Then I sand it smooth with very fine sandpaper. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This is followed by 2 or more coats o' sandin' sealer, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Aye aye! Blimey! This fills all t' grain and makes things very smooth.

In fact, I rub t' Hobbylight into t' body tube seams as well. Well, blow me down! After sanding, it speeds up t' primer/sandin' time.

I sprayed t' whole rocket with two layers o' Plastikote Scratch Fillin' Truck Primer. T' first coat was sanded almost all t' way back, ya bilge rat, t' second was just sanded t' smooth it. I use 3M sandin' sponges for this step.

Next two coats o' Krylon flat white be applied t' give a nice even undercoat. Begad! Sand betwixt each coat with very fine sandin' sponge. Then I sprayed two coats o' Krylon Yellow. Begad! Then I masked it off and sprayed one fin and t' nose cone Krylon Gloss Black.

I then applied t' decals. Ya scallywag! They went on very easily and covered perfectly.

Finally, airbrushed Testor clear gloss on t' whole thing, t' make it evenly glossy. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' results were catalog perfect.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Preppin' for flight is easy. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Pull t' shock cord all t' way out and put a generous amount o' waddin' in t' tube. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Z-fold t' shock cord and slide that into t' body tube. Begad! Pull t' chute into a peak, shiver me timbers, z-fold t' shrouds and place them on t' base o' t' chute. Avast! Arrr! Z-fold t' chute, ya bilge rat, roll and slid it into t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Put t' nose cone on. Begad! Arrr! T' motor is just a matter o' poppin' it into t' motor mount. Blimey! Simply. I've flown it three times on D motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Aerotech D9-7 is fast and high, deploys a little after apogee. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Aerotech D15-7 is very fast, high and just about right for delay. Avast, me proud beauty! Estes D12-7 is fast and high, delay is just about right.

On all t' D flights, t' rocket was pretty much invisible until t' chute came out. Keep your eye on this one, or you'll lose it fast. Blimey! Begad! Unless you're eagle eyed, ya bilge rat, I'd save this rocket for blue sky days.

I've flown it once on an 18 mm motor with an adapter. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' C6-5 was good, arrr, but seemed pretty anemic after seein' t' D flights. Aye aye! This is a good motor for parks and such.

T' rocket lifts off very fast, me bucko, matey, and thar be a fast spin t' it which is visible durin' coast.

Recovery:
I've flown it three times with t' 9" chute, me hearties, me bucko, and once with a streamer. I really regret t' streamer flight because t' rocket came down very fast, t' nose cone pullin' everythin' behind it. It landed hard, nose cone hittin' first, ya bilge rat, and me little Goblin still shows t' scars o' that landing. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' 9" chute brings it down fast, shiver me timbers, is more visible and a lot gentler.

T' Keelhaul®©™/nylon system is holdin' up very well. Begad! This rocket gets up a good head o' steam. Begad! If thar be any wind, shiver me timbers, it doesn't slow down too much. I wouldn't use elastic cord, unless it's really long, ya bilge rat, because you're goin' t' get dings in t' nose cone and body tube.

You really need t' watch this carefully, shiver me timbers, it's nay a small field rocket.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Goblin is a favorite upscale. You can get upscale decals from JimZ or Tango Papa. Ya scallywag! There are no scale nose cones for it in larger sizes, arrr, though. Begad! Blimey! Most people go with an 'close enough' ogive nose cone from LOC/Precision. Avast! T' rocket is deceptively sturdy and very stable. Well, blow me down! It's speed and altitude usually startles people.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5