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

Construction:
I decided t' clone t' classic Estes Goblin. Ya scallywag! It was a popular kit for many years with Estes, me hearties, 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. Avast! I got t' parts from various places. Begad! Begad! T' biggest expense was shipping, arrr, so I bought parts for three kits. Avast! T' other two kits were given away at t' UROC Christmas party.

T' nose cone was part BNC55-AO from Balsa Machinin' Services. It's nay a custom nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! T' ASP body tubes are white, so finishin' is easier than with brown tube. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings were good quality and received in good order. Aye aye! T' main body tube is 9" long. 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, me proud beauty! Begad! T' fin material is 3/32" balsa.

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

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

T' fins roots were reinforced with used dryer sheets. A strip o' dryer sheet be applied t' t' fin root with yellow, me hearties, arrr, aliphatic resin glue (SiG Bond). Ya scallywag! 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. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' nose cone weight be added by drillin' 2 holes in t' nose cone and addin' fishin' weights. Avast! After t' weights were in place, a dowel was cut and glued in t' fill t' hole.

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

In fact, arrr, shiver me timbers, I rub t' Hobbylight into t' body tube seams as well. After sanding, matey, 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! I use 3M sandin' sponges for this step.

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

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

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

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

On all t' D flights, t' rocket was pretty much invisible until t' chute came out. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Keep your eye on this one, or you'll lose it fast. 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, ya bilge rat, but seemed pretty anemic after seein' t' D flights. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, arrr, and once with a streamer. Avast! I really regret t' streamer flight because t' rocket came down very fast, me bucko, t' nose cone pullin' everythin' behind it. Begad! Avast! It landed hard, nose cone hittin' first, arrr, and me little Goblin still shows t' scars o' that landing. Ya scallywag! T' 9" chute brings it down fast, ya bilge rat, matey, is more visible and a lot gentler.

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5