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

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

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

T' kit came with an 8 page assembly instruction manual with numbered steps and illustrations. It was quite comprehensive. A separate instruction sheet came packaged with t' Keelhaul®©™ cord, which apparently is an option, ya bilge rat, although it was bagged inside me kit. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, which is plenty long when used with t' Keelhaul®©™. Blimey! T' instructions came complete with a fin markin' guide and shock cord mount t' cut out, if nay usin' t' Keelhaul®©™ and a copy o' t' NARRRRR safety code.

Assembly be straightforward. Avast! Begad! I just followed t' instructions, deviatin' where told for t' optional Keelhaul®©™ kit. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 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. T' only step yet t' complete is #14, paint and decals. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' instructions do nay mention any sort o' fillin' or primin' in t' finishin' step. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! My experience with yellow is that a white undercoat really helps.

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

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

T' reason I gave 4 was 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, me hearties, or D12-7. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I didn't want t' lose this on its first flight, me hearties, so I put her up on a B6-4 usin' a standard 18mm t' 24mm adapter. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It was a straight, low altitude flight with deployment near apogee, and recovery be a short walk.

On t' second flight, matey, I wanted a bit more altitude. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I recently came across a bunch o' C11-7 motors, so thought I would try one o' those. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! This be a very nice straight flight, easily twice t' altitude, maybe a bit more. T' -7 delay worked well, matey, me bucko, deployment seemed just about right at apogee. While I will put her up on a D12-7, 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. Ya scallywag! A bit brighter colored streamer would be easier t' see, and I'm partial t' mylar streamers for this reason. Arrr! Blimey! T' included streamer is a non-reflective red plastic material. Well, blow me down! 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. Arrr! Aye aye! T' combination Keelhaul®©™ cord and braided shock cord were plenty long enough t' avoid any BT or fin dents.