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

Construction:
T' kit was bagged with a nice color header card. Aye aye! Ahoy! Most o' t' parts were in separate smaller clear plastic packs, includin' a fin pack, me hearties, matey, cord/streamer/LL pack, streamer pack, decal pack, matey, and engine mount pack. Very nice.

Part quality be high all around. Clean laser cut balsa fins, me hearties, reasonably smooth balsa NC, arrr, matey, and t' smoothest white body tube I've ever seen. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' spirals are almost invisible, a coat or 2 o' primer will fill them in nicely. Arrr! T' red plastic streamer be from Hartle Engineerin' and measured 2" x 54". While plenty long for this light kit, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I'm tempted t' try t' pack a longer one simply for easier sight. Well, blow me down! 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". Aye aye! I emailed InFlight, matey, and they felt a 3/16" is safer for a D powered model. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I built it with a 1/8" launch lug for nostalgic reasons. Arrr! Ahoy! Oh, a minor nit would be t' engine hook, me bucko, 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! I put a little pre-bend in it, and it should work just fine.

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

Assembly was straightforward. Avast! Ahoy! I just followed t' instructions, deviatin' where told for t' optional Keelhaul®©™ kit. Aye aye! I didn't use t' included fin markin' guide, since I use one o' those plastic Estes pyramid style guides for 3FNC/4FNC birds. T' only step yet t' complete is #14, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, paint and decals. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions do nay mention any sort o' fillin' or primin' in t' finishin' step. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Blimey! Ahoy! I chose me usual method, which uses Elmer's Wood Filler on t' fins and NC, ya bilge rat, followed by a few light coats o' Rustoleum sandable gray primer. Ya scallywag! I then painted t' whole kit Krylon gloss white (old formula). Well, blow me down! Begad! Instead o' t' standard yellow that most Goblins are painted, I chose a fluorescent yellow t' aid visibility. Ya scallywag! My brother's Goblin has been this color for over 30 years, matey, so it just seemed "right" t' me. Ya scallywag! Avast! I then masked with 3M #2080 blue tape t' finish t' NC and 1 fin with Krylon gloss black. Since t' fluorescent paint is flat, matey, I put on a light coat o' Krylon clear t' help t' decals adhere.

T' decals were o' good quality. T' black color was a flat black, I'm guessin' this is due t' laser printer toner. Ahoy! I was tempted t' put on a coat o' Microscale Decal Film, but t' instructions didn't call for it. Aye aye! No fear, shiver me timbers, t' decals were plenty thick for positioning. They only needed 15 seconds in t' water vs t' suggested 20-30 seconds. T' edges o' t' decals laid down nice and flat usin' Microscale decal settin' solution. Begad! After dryin' for a day, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I put on a coat o' Future Floor Polish t' protect t' decals and give a moderate gloss. Arrr! 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, arrr, D12-5, or D12-7. Blimey! Blimey! 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! Blimey! It was a straight, matey, low altitude flight with deployment near apogee, ya bilge rat, 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, arrr, so thought I would try one o' those. This was a very nice straight flight, me bucko, easily twice t' altitude, me bucko, maybe a bit more. T' -7 delay worked well, deployment seemed just about right at apogee. Aye aye! Begad! While I will put her up on a D12-7, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! A bit brighter colored streamer would be easier t' see, ya bilge rat, and I'm partial t' mylar streamers for this reason. Blimey! T' included streamer is a non-reflective red plastic material. Blimey! Begad! It be 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. Avast! Begad! T' combination Keelhaul®©™ cord and braided shock cord were plenty long enough t' avoid any BT or fin dents.