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

Construction:
I decided t' clone t' classic Estes Goblin. Well, blow me down! It was 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. Aye aye! I got t' parts from various places. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' biggest expense be shipping, so I bought parts for three kits. Arrr! T' other two kits were given away at t' UROC Christmas party.

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

T' body tubes (BT-55 and BT-50), centerin' rings and engine blocks were purchased from Aerospace Specialty Products. T' ASP body tubes are white, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so finishin' is easier than with brown tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings were good quality and received in good order. Arrr! Begad! T' main body tube is 9" long. Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! T' motor hooks and launch lugs are standard Estes hooks. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' fin material is 3/32" balsa.

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

T' decals were purchased from t' JimZ website as well. Blimey! They were absolutely great. Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! I built it pretty much per directions, except for t' shock cord anchor. Aye aye! Since me nose weight was more than t' basic Goblin, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I also opted for a 9" nylon chute. Begad! This brings it down much slower than a streamer, shiver me timbers, arrr, ya bilge rat, but still pretty fast.

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

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

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

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

Next two coats o' Krylon flat white be applied t' give a nice even undercoat. Begad! Blimey! Sand betwixt each coat with very fine sandin' sponge. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then I sprayed two coats o' Krylon Yellow. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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, airbrushed Testor clear gloss on t' whole thing, arrr, t' make it evenly glossy. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' results were catalog perfect.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

On all t' D flights, t' rocket was pretty much invisible until t' chute came out. Blimey! Keep your eye on this one, or you'll lose it fast. Avast! 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. Begad! Blimey! T' C6-5 was good, arrr, shiver me timbers, but seemed pretty anemic after seein' t' D flights. Begad! Ahoy! This is a good motor for parks and such.

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

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

T' Keelhaul®©™/nylon system is holdin' up very well. This rocket gets up a good head o' steam. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! If thar be any wind, matey, it doesn't slow down too much. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! 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, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! There are no scale nose cones for it in larger sizes, though. Avast, me proud beauty! Most people go with an 'close enough' ogive nose cone from LOC/Precision. Aye aye! T' rocket is deceptively sturdy and very stable. It's speed and altitude usually startles people.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5