Brief:
This is a clone kit o' t' Estes K55 Goblin. Aye aye! Arrr! It is a single stage high flyin' D powered kit.

Construction:
T' kit was bagged with a nice color header card. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Most o' t' parts were in separate smaller clear plastic packs, includin' a fin pack, cord/streamer/LL pack, matey, me hearties, streamer pack, decal pack, ya bilge rat, and engine mount pack. Very nice.

Part quality be high all around. Clean laser cut balsa fins, reasonably smooth balsa NC, ya bilge rat, and t' smoothest white body tube I've ever seen. Ya scallywag! T' spirals are almost invisible, a coat or 2 o' primer will fill them in nicely. Begad! T' red plastic streamer was from Hartle Engineerin' and measured 2" x 54". While plenty long for this light kit, me bucko, I'm tempted t' try t' pack a longer one simply for easier sight. Blimey! How much can I fit in a BT-55? T' only curious part was a 3/16" launch lug instead o' t' original 1/8". Ahoy! Arrr! I emailed InFlight, and they felt a 3/16" is safer for a D powered model. Well, blow me down! I built it with a 1/8" launch lug for nostalgic reasons. Blimey! Ahoy! Oh, matey, a minor nit would be t' engine hook, ya bilge rat, it be a bit on t' thin side (though still much better than early Quest hooks) and is nay as springy as some I've used. Arrr! I put a little pre-bend in it, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and it should work just fine.

T' kit came with an 8 page assembly instruction manual with numbered steps and illustrations. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! It be quite comprehensive. A separate instruction sheet came packaged with t' Keelhaul®©™ cord, shiver me timbers, which apparently is an option, me hearties, ya bilge rat, although it was bagged inside me kit. Avast! Blimey! Two very minor errors on t' instruction sheet be listin' a D12-3/D12-5 instead o' t' D12-5/D12-7 listed on t' header card and listin' a 48" shock cord instead o' t' 36" cord included, shiver me timbers, which is plenty long when used with t' Keelhaul®©™. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions came complete with a fin markin' guide and shock cord mount t' cut out, ya bilge rat, if nay usin' t' Keelhaul®©™ and a copy o' t' NARRRRR safety code.

Assembly was straightforward. Avast! I just followed t' instructions, deviatin' where told for t' optional Keelhaul®©™ kit. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't use t' included fin markin' guide, shiver me timbers, since I use one o' those plastic Estes pyramid style guides for 3FNC/4FNC birds. Begad! Aye aye! T' only step yet t' complete is #14, arrr, paint and decals. T' instructions do nay mention any sort o' fillin' or primin' in t' finishin' step. Begad! My experience with yellow is that a white undercoat really helps.

Finishing:
T' instructions simply state t' paint with a base coat o' yellow. Aye aye! Aye aye! I chose me usual method, which uses Elmer's Wood Filler on t' fins and NC, followed by a few light coats o' Rustoleum sandable gray primer. I then painted t' whole kit Krylon gloss white (old formula). Blimey! Instead o' t' standard yellow that most Goblins are painted, I chose a fluorescent yellow t' aid visibility. Well, blow me down! My brother's Goblin has been this color for over 30 years, so it just seemed "right" t' me. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I then masked with 3M #2080 blue tape t' finish t' NC and 1 fin with Krylon gloss black. Ahoy! Since t' fluorescent paint is flat, I put on a light coat o' Krylon clear t' help t' decals adhere.

T' decals were o' good quality. Begad! T' black color be a flat black, I'm guessin' this is due t' laser printer toner. Blimey! I be tempted t' put on a coat o' Microscale Decal Film, me hearties, arrr, but t' instructions didn't call for it. Begad! Aye aye! No fear, t' decals were plenty thick for positioning. Blimey! They only needed 15 seconds in t' water vs t' suggested 20-30 seconds. Begad! T' edges o' t' decals laid down nice and flat usin' Microscale decal settin' solution. After dryin' for a day, shiver me timbers, I put on a coat o' Future Floor Polish t' protect t' decals and give a moderate gloss. Blimey! Aye aye! T' fluorescent yellow really glows!

T' reason I gave 4 be due t' t' lack o' mention o' any balsa sealin' or fillin' and no mention o' a white undercoat for t' yellow paint.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are t' C11-5, D12-5, shiver me timbers, or D12-7. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I didn't want t' lose this on its first flight, so I put her up on a B6-4 usin' a standard 18mm t' 24mm adapter. Begad! It was a straight, low altitude flight with deployment near apogee, matey, arrr, and recovery was a short walk.

On t' second flight, I wanted a bit more altitude. I recently came across a bunch o' C11-7 motors, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so thought I would try one o' those. Blimey! This be a very nice straight flight, ya bilge rat, easily twice t' altitude, arrr, me hearties, maybe a bit more. T' -7 delay worked well, deployment seemed just about right at apogee. Well, blow me down! While I will put her up on a D12-7, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I think t' C11-7 will be me motor o' choice until I run out o' them.

Recovery:
T' streamer is a good size t' slow descent just enough but nay drift too far. Avast, me proud beauty! A bit brighter colored streamer would be easier t' see, shiver me timbers, and I'm partial t' mylar streamers for this reason. Avast! T' included streamer is a non-reflective red plastic material. Begad! It was singed a bit on t' first flight when usin' 3 squares o' waddin' so I put in 4 squares o' waddin' for t' second flight. T' combination Keelhaul®©™ cord and braided shock cord were plenty long enough t' avoid any BT or fin dents.