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

Construction:
I decided t' clone t' classic Estes Goblin. Avast, me proud beauty! It be a popular kit for many years with Estes, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! I got t' parts from various places. Avast, me proud beauty! T' biggest expense be shipping, so I bought parts for three kits. Avast! Arrr! T' other two kits were given away at t' UROC Christmas party.

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

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

T' motor hooks, arrr, 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. Begad! T' fin material is 3/32" balsa.

For t' shock cord, shiver me timbers, I deviated from t' Estes plans. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' anchor is Keelhaul®©™ looped around t' forward centerin' rings, arrr, and t' shock cord is nylon cord. T' Keelhaul®©™ was purchased from Pratt Hobbies. Avast! Blimey! Also, t' nose weight is fishin' weights. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I put 0.75 oz o' weight in t' nose. Avast! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! This makes me Goblin stable up through an F24 motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, 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. Blimey! I built it pretty much per directions, except for t' shock cord anchor. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! 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, but still pretty fast.

T' fins roots were reinforced with used dryer sheets. Begad! Avast! A strip o' dryer sheet be 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. Arrr! It took a lot o' sandin' t' make it smooth though. T' nose cone weight be added by drillin' 2 holes in t' nose cone and addin' fishin' weights. Begad! 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. Ahoy! A length o' Keelhaul®©™ be tied around t' forward centerin' rin' before t' motor mount was glue in place. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Keelhaul®©™ extends about 6" out o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Then about 48" o' nylon cord be tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™ and t' screw-eye in t' nose cone base. 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 be done as I usually do it. Avast! Hobbylight balsa filler is applied liberally t' t' surfaces with me finger, rubbin' t' stuff into t' grains. Ahoy! Avast! Then I sand it smooth with very fine sandpaper. Begad! Avast! This is followed by 2 or more coats o' sandin' sealer, me hearties, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Arrr! Arrr! This fills all t' grain and makes things very smooth.

In fact, matey, I rub t' Hobbylight into t' body tube seams as well. Avast! Aye aye! After sanding, shiver me timbers, it speeds up t' primer/sandin' time.

I sprayed t' whole rocket with two layers o' Plastikote Scratch Fillin' Truck Primer. Blimey! T' first coat be sanded almost all t' way back, me bucko, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' second be just sanded t' smooth it. Begad! I use 3M sandin' sponges for this step.

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

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

Finally, arrr, airbrushed Testor clear gloss on t' whole thing, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' make it evenly glossy. T' results were catalog perfect.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

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

I've flown it once on an 18 mm motor with an adapter. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' C6-5 be good, me hearties, matey, but seemed pretty anemic after seein' t' D flights. Avast! 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, me bucko, matey, arrr, and once with a streamer. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I really regret t' streamer flight because t' rocket came down very fast, t' nose cone pullin' everythin' behind it. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! It landed hard, nose cone hittin' first, and me little Goblin still shows t' scars o' that landing. Arrr! T' 9" chute brings it down fast, is more visible and a lot gentler.

T' Keelhaul®©™/nylon system is holdin' up very well. Ya scallywag! Begad! This rocket gets up a good head o' steam. Blimey! If thar be any wind, it doesn't slow down too much. Ahoy! I wouldn't use elastic cord, 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, me bucko, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! There are no scale nose cones for it in larger sizes, though. Ahoy! Most people go with an 'close enough' ogive nose cone from LOC/Precision. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' rocket is deceptively sturdy and very stable. Ya scallywag! It's speed and altitude usually startles people.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5