Brief:
My original Goblin clone (BT-55 based) was one o' t' first I built after really gettin' back into t' hobby. Begad!

My 1.7X upscale was finished late last year. Blimey! And four months ago, arrr, arrr, t' "baby" was born. It's a MMX powered, carded model. Aye aye! It has a hand rolled ½" diameter body tube and triple laminated fins. Avast, me proud beauty! All in total, three Goblins. Finished, arrr, flown and ready for family portraits.

For two extra points (2009 EMRR Challenge), ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I needed t' add another member o' t' Goblin Family by t' October first deadline.

Construction:
This year, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, loot is tight. I set a goal o' buildin' another model usin' just t' materials I had on hand. Ahoy! Arrr! No ordering parts!

I had a ThunderGoon ready for final paint. It's been sittin' for months. Aye aye! I just wasn't moved t' finish it. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Nice model but just nay for me. Arrr! I decided t' cut off t' fins and body tube, ya bilge rat, salvagin' t' engine mount and nose cone. Avast! The engine hook was made from that metal strip from a windshield wiper blade. Avast! I remember t' look me youngest daughter gave me when I pulled it from t' trash can at an auto supply store. Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

I found scrap BT-60 and cut it t' 8-½". Ahoy! Blimey! T' ThunderGoon's nose cone be taller than a Mini Bertha's. It didn't matter, it'll still capture t' original feel. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

I pulled some scrap 1/8" balsa and upscaled t' fins slightly from t' BT-55 dimensions. I cut two o' the fins and realized I didn't have quite enough for other two. Begad! Blimey! I didn't want t' cut into another full sheet o' balsa.

I started piecin' together scraps makin' sure t' grain was parallel. Arrr! I glued t' seams with CA, matey, then cut the remainin' two fins. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This is when I started thinkin' o' t' "Frankenstein Goblin" moniker.

T' Keelhaul®©™® was already attached t' t' engine mount from t' Thundergoon. I pulled an 18" length o' elastic out o' me first attempt at a paper rocket. Ya scallywag! I've never flown that paper model or doubt I ever would. There be too many mistakes learnin' t' new paper cardin' techniques. Arrr! Blimey!

T' 12" parachute was pulled from an old Groove Tube, a homemade garbage bag type. Blimey! For this rocket, what else? I found a screw eye in me parts box. Blimey! This eye is way too large but seemed t' fit t' theme and t' extra nose weight can't hurt.

There was nothin' unusual about t' build. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It was a little different buildin' a new model from pieces and parts pulled from other models. Avast! If you include leftover balsa scraps, I estimate t' Franken Goblin was built with parts from six different models. Arrr! Begad!

Finishing:
Originally, I was goin' t' use some Goblin decals from Excelsior. Blimey! Blimey! They were leftovers from me original BT-55 based clone. Phred always seems t' add extra images on t' master sheet. Begad! Blimey!

I thought I would have some fun. Arrr! I scanned t' Goblin decal sheet, enlarged it slightly then cleaned it up in Corel Draw. T' more I drew, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' stranger it got. Arrr! I drew t' word "Franken" tryin' t' emulate t' original hand drawn font. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I added Frankenstein "stitches" and neck bolts t' t' Goblin character. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' Goblin even got a bad nose job. Blimey! Sure, t' humor is a little inside, me bucko, but still fun. Begad!

T' original plans show a decal "3" flipped on it's back, centered on both sides o' one fin. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided to use a "6" instead. Ahoy! It's only two sixes, me hearties, almost three--almost evil. Aye aye!

O' course, arrr, I had t' go with a "Frankenstine" green and black motif. Blimey! Normally I use t' Walmart (cheap) spray paint for most primary colors but they didn't have a green I liked. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! For this model I bought a can o' Rustoleum Key Lime Green, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, t' only new expense on this rocket.

I shot t' model with Grey primer and sanded smooth. I then followed with a white undercoat. Avast! Blimey! I was pleasantly surprised by how well t' green Rustoleum spray paint covered. Aye aye! It's t' old line o' "You get what you pay for." T' Rustoleum went on smartly with far fewer coats than t' Walmart brand usually requires.

T' decal sheets required 3 light coats o' clear acrylic. Begad! I had never made decals before and was prepared for the worst. Blimey! Begad! I tested t' printed decal sheet usin' Microscale Liquid Decal Film applied with a foam brush. Begad!

When I tried t' transfer t' Microscale treated decals, ya bilge rat, they didn't seem thick enough. Avast! Some o' t' black ink dissolved. Begad! Aye aye! I had much better luck with t' clear acrylic sprayed decals. T' decals instructions did recommend spraying with clear acrylic.

While me homemade decal's "skin" is a little thicker than a decal that would come with a kit, I was still very happy with t' results.

While placin' t' decals I noticed a mistake in construction. Avast! Aye aye! When building, arrr, I glued a salvaged one piece launch lug at t' center o' gravity with a C6-5 engine installed. Avast! T' lug is now in t' way o' t' thick black decal band above t' fins. I had t' pre-cut a "notch" in t' decal wrap t' fit around t' bottom o' t' lug. Ya scallywag! Begad! Another "Frankenstin" puzzle piece, cut and joined together. Ya scallywag! T' original Goblin instructions had you cut t' lug in two. Arrr! Begad! Half at t' top, shiver me timbers, half at t' bottom o' t' body tube.

Flight and Recovery:
I flew t' Franken Goblin three times on March 7, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 2009, arrr, at t' monthly R.O.C.K. Begad! section launch.

T' first flight was with an A8-3. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I called for a heads-up. Sometimes "Gooney-fying" a classic leads to questionable stability. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It flew straight and true. Nay high but stable. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' 12" chute ejected fine.

T' next two flights were with B6-4s. Begad! T' wind be comin' up so I cut a spill hole in t' 12" parachute. This seems t' be t' ideal engine for this model, providin' good performance and altitude. Blimey! On t' third flight it was loaded on t' rack, side by side with it's smallest sibling, me MMX carded Goblin.

After three flights, thar were two small body tube dings in t' nose cone. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Both were nay very deep. Begad!

I know this model will be a regular flier in me fleet. Blimey! It's stubby (I like stubby models) and personalized. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Some of t' older fliers remembered t' Goblin and liked t' variation on t' original theme.

Summary:
PROS: I know this model will be a regular flier in me fleet. Arrr! It's stubby (I like stubby models) and personalized. Some o' t' older fliers remembered t' Goblin and liked t' variation on t' original theme.

CONS: None really.