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 be a popular kit for many years with Estes, arrr, 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. Ahoy! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I got t' parts from various places. Begad! T' biggest expense was shipping, so I bought parts for three kits. Arrr! Blimey! T' other two kits were given away at t' UROC Christmas party.

T' nose cone be part BNC55-AO from Balsa Machinin' Services. It's nay a custom nose cone. T' quality was top notch and t' service was fast, shiver me timbers, as is usual from BMS.

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

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

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

T' decals were purchased from t' JimZ website as well. They were absolutely great. Aye aye! He also threw in a set o' decals for an Estes Blue Star, shiver me timbers, 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, me bucko, I decided that thar would be no epoxy on me Goblin. I built it pretty much per directions, except for t' shock cord anchor. Since me nose weight was more than t' basic Goblin, matey, arrr, I also opted for a 9" nylon chute. Ya scallywag! This brings it down much slower than a streamer, ya bilge rat, but still pretty fast.

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

T' shock cord anchors t' t' motor mount. A length o' Keelhaul®©™ was tied around t' forward centerin' rin' before t' motor mount was glue in place. Begad! Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™ extends about 6" out o' t' body tube. Avast! Well, blow me down! Then about 48" o' nylon cord was tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™ and t' screw-eye in t' nose cone base. Arrr! A loop be 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. Begad! Hobbylight balsa filler is applied liberally t' t' surfaces with me finger, matey, rubbin' t' stuff into t' grains. Then I sand it smooth with very fine sandpaper. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This is followed by 2 or more coats o' sandin' sealer, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Well, blow me down! Begad! This fills all t' grain and makes things very smooth.

In fact, me hearties, I rub t' Hobbylight into t' body tube seams as well. 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, t' second be just sanded t' smooth it. Avast, me proud beauty! I use 3M sandin' sponges for this step.

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

I then applied t' decals. Well, blow me down! Blimey! They went on very easily and covered perfectly.

Finally, airbrushed Testor clear gloss on t' whole thing, t' make it evenly glossy. T' results were catalog perfect.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

On all t' D flights, matey, arrr, t' rocket was pretty much invisible until t' chute came out. Keep your eye on this one, or you'll lose it fast. Avast, me proud beauty! Unless you're eagle eyed, I'd save this rocket for blue sky days.

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

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

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

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

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5