Brief:
My original Goblin clone (BT-55 based) be one o' t' first I built after really gettin' back into t' hobby. Avast! Blimey!

My 1.7X upscale was finished late last year. Begad! Avast! And four months ago, ya bilge rat, t' "baby" was born. Ahoy! It's a MMX powered, arrr, carded model. Well, me hearties, blow me down! It has a hand rolled ½" diameter body tube and triple laminated fins. Arrr! All in total, three Goblins. Avast! Avast! Finished, me bucko, matey, flown and ready for family portraits.

For two extra points (2009 EMRR Challenge), me bucko, I needed t' add another member o' t' Goblin Family by t' October first deadline.

Construction:
This year, loot is tight. Aye aye! Blimey! I set a goal o' buildin' another model usin' just t' materials I had on hand. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! No ordering parts!

I had a ThunderGoon ready for final paint. Well, blow me down! It's been sittin' for months. Avast! I just wasn't moved t' finish it. Aye aye! Nice model but just nay for me. I decided t' cut off t' fins and body tube, salvagin' t' engine mount and nose cone. The engine hook was made from that metal strip from a windshield wiper blade. Arrr! Begad! I remember t' look me youngest daughter gave me when I pulled it from t' trash can at an auto supply store.

I found scrap BT-60 and cut it t' 8-½". Blimey! Ahoy! T' ThunderGoon's nose cone be taller than a Mini Bertha's. It didn't matter, me bucko, it'll still capture t' original feel. Well, blow me down!

I pulled some scrap 1/8" balsa and upscaled t' fins slightly from t' BT-55 dimensions. Blimey! I cut two o' the fins and realized I didn't have quite enough for other two. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I didn't want t' cut into another full sheet o' balsa.

I started piecin' together scraps makin' sure t' grain was parallel. I glued t' seams with CA, then cut the remainin' two fins. Ya scallywag! Avast! This is when I started thinkin' o' t' "Frankenstein Goblin" moniker.

T' Keelhaul®©™® was already attached t' t' engine mount from t' Thundergoon. Begad! I pulled an 18" length o' elastic out o' me first attempt at a paper rocket. Avast! I've never flown that paper model or doubt I ever would. Aye aye! Blimey! There was too many mistakes learnin' t' new paper cardin' techniques. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!

T' 12" parachute was pulled from an old Groove Tube, me bucko, a homemade garbage bag type. Blimey! For this rocket, matey, what else? I found a screw eye in me parts box. This eye is way too large but seemed t' fit t' theme and t' extra nose weight can't hurt.

There was nothin' unusual about t' build. It be a little different buildin' a new model from pieces and parts pulled from other models. Ya scallywag! If you include leftover balsa scraps, me hearties, I estimate t' Franken Goblin be built with parts from six different models. Begad!

Finishing:
Originally, shiver me timbers, I be goin' t' use some Goblin decals from Excelsior. Begad! They were leftovers from me original BT-55 based clone. Aye aye! Phred always seems t' add extra images on t' master sheet. Avast! Aye aye!

I thought I would have some fun. I scanned t' Goblin decal sheet, me hearties, enlarged it slightly then cleaned it up in Corel Draw. Ya scallywag! T' more I drew, t' stranger it got. I drew t' word "Franken" tryin' t' emulate t' original hand drawn font. I added Frankenstein "stitches" and neck bolts t' t' Goblin character. Begad! Avast! T' Goblin even got a bad nose job. Arrr! Aye aye! Sure, arrr, t' humor is a little inside, me bucko, arrr, but still fun. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!

T' original plans show a decal "3" flipped on it's back, matey, centered on both sides o' one fin. Begad! I decided to use a "6" instead. It's only two sixes, matey, almost three--almost evil. Aye aye!

O' course, I had t' go with a "Frankenstine" green and black motif. Blimey! Blimey! Normally I use t' Walmart (cheap) spray paint for most primary colors but they didn't have a green I liked. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! For this model I bought a can o' Rustoleum Key Lime Green, me hearties, matey, t' only new expense on this rocket.

I shot t' model with Grey primer and sanded smooth. Begad! Arrr! I then followed with a white undercoat. I was pleasantly surprised by how well t' green Rustoleum spray paint covered. It's t' old line o' "You get what you pay for." T' Rustoleum went on smartly with far fewer coats than t' Walmart brand usually requires.

T' decal sheets required 3 light coats o' clear acrylic. Avast, me proud beauty! I had never made decals before and be prepared for the worst. Ahoy! I tested t' printed decal sheet usin' Microscale Liquid Decal Film applied with a foam brush. Avast, me proud beauty!

When I tried t' transfer t' Microscale treated decals, ya bilge rat, me hearties, they didn't seem thick enough. Ahoy! Some o' t' black ink dissolved. I had much better luck with t' clear acrylic sprayed decals. Avast! T' decals instructions did recommend spraying with clear acrylic.

While me homemade decal's "skin" is a little thicker than a decal that would come with a kit, shiver me timbers, matey, I was still very happy with t' results.

While placin' t' decals I noticed a mistake in construction. Blimey! When building, I glued a salvaged one piece launch lug at t' center o' gravity with a C6-5 engine installed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' lug is now in t' way o' t' thick black decal band above t' fins. Avast! I had t' pre-cut a "notch" in t' decal wrap t' fit around t' bottom o' t' lug. Begad! Another "Frankenstin" puzzle piece, ya bilge rat, cut and joined together. T' original Goblin instructions had you cut t' lug in two. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Half at t' top, half at t' bottom o' t' body tube.

Flight and Recovery:
I flew t' Franken Goblin three times on March 7, matey, 2009, at t' monthly R.O.C.K. Begad! Begad! section launch.

T' first flight was with an A8-3. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I called for a heads-up. Aye aye! Blimey! Sometimes "Gooney-fying" a classic leads to questionable stability. It flew straight and true. Well, blow me down! Begad! Nay high but stable. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' 12" chute ejected fine.

T' next two flights were with B6-4s. T' wind was comin' up so I cut a spill hole in t' 12" parachute. This seems t' be t' ideal engine for this model, shiver me timbers, providin' good performance and altitude. Begad! Avast! On t' third flight it was loaded on t' rack, side by side with it's smallest sibling, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, me MMX carded Goblin.

After three flights, thar were two small body tube dings in t' nose cone. Avast! Blimey! Both were nay very deep. Arrr! Blimey!

I know this model will be a regular flier in me fleet. It's stubby (I like stubby models) and personalized. Aye aye! Some of t' older fliers remembered t' Goblin and liked t' variation on t' original theme.

Summary:
PROS: I know this model will be a regular flier in me fleet. It's stubby (I like stubby models) and personalized. Some o' t' older fliers remembered t' Goblin and liked t' variation on t' original theme.

CONS: None really.