RocketReviews.com - Estes - Goblin (1255) [1970-1982]

Brief:
By the early 70's, the Estes catalog had expanded from it's Astron roots to the point that it pretty well covered the whole range of the model rocketry spectrum. The available rockets ranged from unique scale birds such as the Pershing 1-A and the Nike-Ajax, to now legendary futuristic kits like the Orbital Transport, Interceptor and Mars Lander. Another segment that Estes began to concentrate on around this time was the basic 3 and 4 fin and cone design with the slightly cartoonish theme like the Scamp, the wildly politically incorrect Der Red Max, and my favorite 24mm jaw-dropper, the Goblin. Actually offered as a bonus kit (an award for purchases totaling a certain amount,) at one point in it's lifetime, the Goblin would eventually make a name for itself as an impressive performer due to it's small size in relation to it's big engine capability. Simple in both construction and graphics, the Goblin is a cloning project that attracts attention both on and off the pads.

Sometimes the biggest attraction to cloning these kits is the ease with which you can recreate a classic. This is the case with the Goblin. The instructions are simple and illustrated well enough that anyone who has ever constructed anything more complicated than an RTF kit should be able to build one of these without breaking a sweat. I made two modifications to the original design, neither of which are obvious to the naked eye, and both of which are standard mods these days. I replaced the old Estes paper shock cord mount with the a length of Kevlar® tied and glued into the engine mount. This is then used as the mounting point for a LONG length of sewing elastic. (That D ejection charge is going to have a big ejection kick, so the longer, the better.)

Another change I made was from balsa to basswood for the fins. The Goblin, being the high flier that it is, traditionally recovers with a streamer instead of a parachute (in the interest of actually seeing the rocket again.) This can lead to some jarring collisions with the ground, and the ground is not always a field of soft, tall weeds. The hard baked soccer fields of late August and the occasional access road have both taken their toll on my clone, so the change to basswood was made in the hope that it could withstand some of these collisions. So far the fins haven't broken, but they've been sprung on several occasions at the attachment point. Not a great shock.

Finishing:
Estes has used the yellow and black color scheme on a number of rockets over the years, but the Goblin definitely stands out from the pack. (I've also seen the rocket done in a Halloweenish bright orange color, and while both look great, the yellow won out for me based on it's catalog correctness.) I filled the tube spirals and wood grain with several coats of thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, sprayed on two coats of Valspar Sandable Primer, and followed them up with color coats of Valspar Bumblebee Gloss and Valspar Gloss Black. (Valspar is a Lowe's brand paint which I use quite often. It is similar in coverage and workability to Wal-Mart paints, but the trip is shorter for me.) I made my own decals using Bel Decal waterslide decal paper and my inkjet printer, learning a valuable lesson with the first set of decals that I made. I initially sprayed a heavy coat of clear onto the finished decal, hoping to speed up the whole process. When I returned several hours later the images had ghosted badly. I tried again with a second set, sprayed the clear in multiple coats, and was rewarded with excellent results.

Flight:
I started the Goblin off on the conservative side, plugging in an Estes C11-5 on both of the first two flights. In fact, it wasn't until it's fourth flight that I got up the nerve to fly it on a D12. While it absolutely screams off the pad under D-power, the flights on the big C's don't pale much by comparison. The biggest advantage to C-power over D is that I have been able to actually catch one lift-off on film, the C's delivering less of an initial kick at liftoff. The C flights have also made for less of a recovery hike, which on our mixed bag field, (part swamp, part brambles, part soccer field, part asphalt,) can be a blessing.) I've since fallen into a routine of flying the Goblin on D's only in calm weather while using C's for windier days and so far it seems to have worked out fine.

Recovery:
It never occurred to me that there could be such a thing as too much streamer. It should have. I packed as much streamer as would fit into the BT-55 for it's first few flights. (I'd conservatively say at least 36 inches, with a possibility of another 18 inches on the + side.) On it's first two flights on an Estes C11-5 into a wide-open, cloudless sky, the Goblin was noticeably fast on recovery. No damage was sustained on either of those flights, but on a subsequent flight it was heading for the line of cars at the back of the range at what appeared to be terminal velocity. It missed the cars by a scant 18 inches, but impacted hard on the "grass". (The "grass" strangely being the color and consistency of dust caked concrete.) Needless to say, this was it's only flight of the day on that outing as the Goblin lost two fins. I have since shortened the streamer to a more Goblin-friendly 18 inches, but it still comes in whistling. The only reason I've kept the streamer in place of a chute has been because of the Goblin's traditional streamer recovery, but I'm beginning to think that the rocket might be better off with a heavily reefed 12" chute, especially in calm conditions.

Summary:
The Goblin is a great rocket to pick for your first cloning project, combining great performance, great looks and ease of construction into one classic package. The halloweenish graphics are usually a hit with kids while others who have been around the hobby for a while will appreciate seeing a classic recreated.

Con's: Streamer recovery somewhat stressful on the fins. Think about opting for a small, heavily reefed chute instead.

Flight Log

Date	Rocket Name	Motor(s)	Altitude	Notes
1997-11-05	David Fergus's Estes Goblin	B6-4	-	broke off one launch lug
1999-04-29	David Fergus's Estes Goblin	D12-3	-	after flight, tugged gently on original rubber shockcord and it came right out. surprising it...
1999-08-14	David Fergus's Estes Goblin	A8-3	-
1999-08-14	David Fergus's Estes Goblin	C6-7	-
1999-08-14	David Fergus's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	took a 20 degree from vertical angle after it came off the rod, but streamer recovery still...
2000-07-02	Joe Cacciatore's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Another flight with a fin almost knocked off. Must be 5 second delay too short.
2000-07-23	Joe Cacciatore's Estes Goblin	D12-7	-	Lost rocket in forest on its 10th flight. Later I was told owner of the land found it and threw it...
2002-04-27	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	C11-7	-
2002-05-19	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Another great flight. Landed in swamp, but not damaged.
2002-06-22	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Great flight.
2002-07-06	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Hard landing just in front of the cars caused two fin fillets to break. Easily repairable.
2002-07-21	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	D12-7	-	Great altitude, but a hard landing claimed a fin.
2003-04-27	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	C11-7	-	A great engine for the Goblin. It still screams.
2003-06-21	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	D12-7	-	Slightly wobbly off the pad, but overall a beautiful flight and recovery. Recovered less than 100'...
2004-02-29	Bill Eichelberger's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Great flight, straight up with a slight drift on recovery. Caught in a tree on field's edge, but...
2004-05-15	Bob Bernatchez's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Another old rocket returned to flight status after a long hiatus.
2004-08-24	Chan Stevens's Estes Goblin	D12-3	-
2005-03-20	Bob Bernatchez's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Looks like I found a pack of C11-5's with bonus delay.
2005-04-17	Bob Harrington's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Perfect flight with streamer recovery within 50 ft of pad.
2006-11-04	Sam Thompson's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Nearly out of sight, should have stuck to the C's. Even on a streamer it drifted out of sight.
2006-11-04	Sam Thompson's Estes Goblin	C11-3	-
2006-11-04	Max Thompson's Estes Goblin	C11-3	-
2007-03-18	Gene Wolski's Goblin-I	C11-5	-	First flight - great flight & recovery.
2007-07-01	Chan Stevens's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Lost in knee-high weeds/grass
2007-07-15	Gene Wolski's Goblin-I	C6-5	-	Great flight. Used 18mm adapter for the C6-5.
2007-08-19	Gene Wolski's Goblin-I	C6-5	-	Used an 18mm adapter for the C6-5. Lost visual on the rocket and didn't recover it despite using...
2008-02-23	Moe Bertrand's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Great first flight of my Goblin clone...painted, decalled and all (a rarity for me...I hope to...
2008-03-22	Moe Bertrand's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Another nice flight of my Goblin clone. Landed hard but no damage.
2008-06-15	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Great flight - recovered nicely on crepe paper streamer.
2008-09-21	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Great boost but broke one fin on landing.
2008-11-11	Mark Grisco's Estes Goblin	C6-7	-	perfect flight. you could probably use a 5 second delay and have ejection closer to apogee but its...
2008-11-11	Mark Grisco's Estes Goblin	C6-7	-	GOBLIN + C6 = SEE YA!!!!
2008-11-11	Mark Grisco's Estes Goblin	A8-3	-	maiden flight. perfect flight to about 250 feet. i am using a 2 inch streamer witch seems about...
2008-11-15	Mark Grisco's Estes Goblin	B6-4	-	windy and cold, but nice flight. flew low due to angle of launch rod/weathercocking but traveled...
2008-11-22	John Bergsmith's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Flight number 2 was an exact duplicate of flight number one. Outstanding!
2008-11-22	John Bergsmith's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	First flight on my cloned Goblin. Very straight, very fast, and very high. Perfectly flight...
2008-11-26	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Test flight - decided it was too breezy for other flights
2008-11-27	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Good flight but broke fin on landing
2009-01-10	Moe Bertrand's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Another cool flight of my Goblin clone. Almost stuck the landing with the streamer recovery but it...
2009-01-18	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	B6-4	-	Great flight. Kept it low with the B6-4 and recovered close to the pads.
2009-02-14	Moe Bertrand's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Another nice flight of my Goblin clone. Popped the black fin on landing...easily repairable.
2009-03-22	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	B6-4	-	Excellent flight - one of my favorite rockets!
2009-03-28	Moe Bertrand's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Another good D12 flight of my Goblin clone / streamer recovery. Takes a lickin' and keeps on...
2009-04-19	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Great flight.
2009-04-26	Moe Bertrand's Estes Goblin	D12-5	-	Another great flight of my Goblin clone. I needed a good flight after two consecutive failures. ...
2009-07-07	Mark Grisco's Estes Goblin	C6-5	-	it was cloudy and i lost it near apogee. i spotted it about 700+ feet. nice high flight on a C6.
2009-08-09	Mark Kulka's Estes Goblin (Clone)	B6-4	-	First flight of my clone. Went higher than I was expecting. Nice flight and recovery.
2009-11-01	Mark Kulka's Estes Goblin (Clone)	C6-3	-	Nice boost; reasonably high flight. Recovery on 12 in. chute. A bit of drift in the breeze.
2009-11-14	Mark Grisco's Estes Goblin	C6-7	-	perfect flight!!!!
2009-11-14	Mark Grisco's Estes Goblin	C6-7	-	broke fin, easy fix....
2010-03-14	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Great flight - short walk on streamer.
2010-08-14	Bernard Cawley's Estes Goblin	A8-3	-	Good boost. A bit late ejection. Landed on a hard spot on the field. Popped one fin and scraped...
2010-09-18	Bernard Cawley's Estes Goblin	C11-5	-	Zoom! Great boost and good deployment. Did pop a fin on landing (30-year-old glue joints?). Small...
2010-10-23	Mark Kulka's Estes Goblin (Clone)	C11-7	-	Larger motor this time. Really zipped off the pad and went nearly out of sight. Fair amt. of drift...
2010-11-13	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	B6-4	-	Great flight & close recovery on a streamer.
2011-01-01	Bernard Cawley's Estes Goblin	C6-5	-	18mm motor. Great flight all around - boost, deployment time, streamer, landing. Not too far to...
2011-11-12	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Excellent flight! Windy day - pretty decent drift even on a streamer.
2012-01-14	Matthew Bond's 2.00x Upscale Goblin	F40-7	1228 feet	First Flight of the Big Goblin! Nice boost, smooth and straight. Looked like a nice tailstand,...
2012-01-15	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Awesome flight as always - great rocket!
2012-01-29	John Bergsmith's Estes Goblin	Estes D12-5	-
2012-03-10	Matthew Bond's 2.00x Upscale Goblin	G53-7	1623 feet	Nice second flight of the Big Goblin. Good boost, fast and straight off the rod. Still climbing...
2012-03-31	Gene Wolski's Goblin-II	C6-5	-	Great flight - landed near the pads!
2012-05-19	John Bergsmith's Estes Goblin	Estes D12-5	-	Great flight.

Estes - Goblin (1255) [1970-1982]

Flight Log

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