Parts List:

• Airframe: LOC BT-3.90
• Motor Mount: LOC MMT-1.14 (29mm)
• Centerin' Rings: 3 LOC CR-3.90-1.14
• Nose: THOY ACE PNC-3.9
• Fins: 3/32" aircraft plywood
• Recovery: 36" Topflight round parachute
• various hardware: u-bolt, t-nuts, ya bilge rat, quick-links, eye bolt, me bucko, 12 feet of 3/8"
• elastic for shock cord

I was lookin' for a good candidate for me first scratch-built upscale project, matey, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and after a little bit o' lookin' around on JimZ's rocket plans site, I considered t' Estes Goblin. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Is it just me, or does this little rocket just beg t' be upscaled? I know it's nay a terribly original idea, but it seemed well-suited for me first upscale. Aye aye! Ahoy! I got even more inspiration for doin' an upscale o' this particular rocket while browsin' Yitah Wu's rocket web page (link-out dead). Arrr! T' scale factor o' 3x was a perfect match for t' 4" body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! After decidin' on t' scale factor and choosin' an airframe size, shiver me timbers, it was just a matter o' orderin' all t' parts t' build it. Arrr!

I measured t' original Goblin and came up with 27 inches for t' main airframe length. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I marked t' tube and carefully cut it with a sharp X-Acto. Then I cut t' motor mount/stuffer tube t' 18 inches. Arrr! I drilled t' aft centerin' rin' for "Kaplow Klip" motor retention and installed the t-nuts, shiver me timbers, then I drilled two holes in t' forward centerin' rin' and installed the U-bolt I'm usin' for t' shock cord anchor. Begad! I marked four lines at t' aft end o' t' airframe tube for four fins, then I marked four more lines offset 3/32" from t' original lines for t' fin slots. Arrr! I slid a couple of centerin' rings into t' tube t' support t' inside o' t' tube while I cut the fin slots.

I got t' fin pattern for t' Goblin from JimZ's web site, which I also used t' make me normal-scale clone. Avast! Blimey! I loaded the pattern into Paint Shop Pro and enlarged it by a factor o' 3. Begad! Blimey! I cropped t' fin section o' t' image and printed it out, arrr, then used t' cutout t' mark the plywood for t' fins. Aye aye! Blimey! I added a tab t' t' leadin' edges o' t' fins large enough t' reach t' 29mm motor mount tube. I cut out t' fins on me dad's radial-arm saw and rounded t' leadin' and trailin' edges with a block sander. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey!

Then it was time t' start epoxyin' stuff together. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! With me first batch of epoxy (Bob Smith's 30 min. Begad! Blimey! cure), I attached t' forward centerin' rin' t' the motor mount tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I carefully measured for placement o' t' middle centering rin' (I wanted it in just t' right place so t' top edge o' t' fin tabs would rest against t' underside o' t' centerin' ring) and applied a generous fillet to t' forward joint only. Aye aye! Then I dabbed some epoxy on t' nuts that held the U-bolt, and some on t' t-nuts. I did nay attach t' aft centerin' rin' at this time.

After lettin' t' motor mount assembly cure, I placed a large bead o' epoxy in t' airframe about where t' forward C.R. Blimey! would be. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I slid the assembly part-way into t' airframe and applied another bead o' epoxy where the middle C.R. Avast! would be. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Then I slid t' motor mount assembly t' rest o' t' way into t' airframe. Avast! After t' epoxy had set a bit, I added a nice fillet t' the front C.R. where it met t' airframe. Aye aye! I did nay add a fillet t' t' aft o' the middle C.R. Aye aye! because that would've interfered with t' fin tabs.

Next, shiver me timbers, I installed t' fins one at a time. Begad! I used a little CA t' hold each fin in place, arrr, then after t' CA set, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I applied good epoxy fillets on the outside fin/tube joints, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' inside fin/tube joints, and t' inside fin/motor mount tube joints. After all t' fins had been attached and t' epoxy cured, ya bilge rat, I epoxied t' aft centerin' rin' into place. Ahoy! Ahoy! When I was done, I had a completed airframe/motor-mount/fin assembly. Begad! T' last step o' t' major construction was addin' two pieces o' 1/4" launch lug t' t' airframe, matey, each 3" long.

Finishin' was fairly straight-forward. Two coats o' Krylon primer, me bucko, me hearties, followed by two coats of Rustoleum yellow on t' body and Wal-Mart black on t' nose. Aye aye! T' Rustoleum required a full 24-hours t' dry before I could mask off a fin and paint it black, me bucko, as well as t' stripe around t' body just above t' fins. After all the paint be dry, me bucko, I applied t' decals I got from Tango Papa. Aye aye! T' finished rocket is really sharp-looking. Arrr! T' final step was attachin' t' parachute and shock cord. Avast!

If you make an upscaled Goblin based on me construction, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, be sure you use motors with short delays. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! On t' first flight o' me Goblin, I used an F40-7, and it be almost a disaster. Begad! It flew much slower and lower than I'd expected, and resulted in a low-altitude, high-speed ejection that, me bucko, fortunately, resulted in very little damage. Blimey! Begad! I'd recommend flyin' it on: F40-4, F52-5, G33-5, me bucko, me hearties, or G64-4. These are all Aerotech 29/40-120 reloads. T' Fs should take it t' about 800 feet, and t' Gs should boost it t' about 1,200 feet, matey, me hearties, maybe a little more. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!

I have flown t' Goblin on a variety o' motors includin' an F40, G33, me bucko, G64, G75, arrr, G104, and H128. Blimey! Aye aye! T' rocket has proved t' be stable and give nice flights. Aye aye! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!

T' picture above shows one such launch. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I prepped an H128-M for me Goblin. This would be her fifth flight, and t' largest motor she's flown on yet. Begad! Ya scallywag! Since the wind was startin' t' pick up a bit, I replaced t' 36" inch 'chute that I usually fly in her with a bright yellow 30" 'chute. Ahoy! I didn't really feel like chasin' her over t' hill. Ahoy! She lit right away, and tipped slightly to the left o' t' pad as she took off. Ejection was right at apogee, ya bilge rat, matey, and she floated down a bit faster than I'd like on t' smaller 'chute. Begad! Ahoy! At least she didn't drift far, landin' about 100 yards from t' pad. Aye aye! I could tell she hit the ground a bit hard, but when I retrieved her all I found were a few extra scratches in t' paint.