North Coast Rocketry Hobgoblin

North Coast Rocketry - Hobgoblin {Kit} [?-]

Contributed by John Carey

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Published: 2018-05-07
Length: 45.00 inches
Manufacturer: North Coast Rocketry
Style: Sport

Brief

Upscale version of the Estes Goblin.  2.6" Diameter 33" tall 4FNC

Components

Good quality components:

  • Nose cone
  • 2 cardboard tubes w/coupler.  The lower tube is pre-slotted
  • 4 1/8" plywood fins
  • plywood motor spacers with vertical spacers/braces
  • 29mm cardboard motor tube
  • 3 piece shock cord mount.  1 part is a steel cable which mounts to the upper motor mount and 1 Kevlar line and 1 elastic line.
  • Parachute/motor retainer not included

Construction

Pros:

  • High quality materials
  • Very stable flight
  • Takes a wide range of motors. 

I've flown mine on everything from an F27 to an H238

 

Cons:

I'm not a fan of the elastic shock cord arrangement.  It seems to be too short and gets tangled with the Kevlar line on every flight.  The included quick release makes it easier to untangle, but it still seems unnecessary.

The shock cord mount on the nose cone is a bit weak.  Mine broke and the nose cone separated from the rest of the rocket at about 1800' up.  Slapped some epoxy clay on it and it's been fine since.

Finishing

Finishing was pretty straight forward.  The body tubes have nice tight spirals and paint stuck to the nose cone with a little prep.  I painted mine with 2 coats of sandable primer, sanded, then 2 coats of Rustoleum green on the body and gloss black on the nose.

Vinyl peel and stick decals go on easily and didn't tear even after repeated attempts to line up the body stripes.

Construction Score: 4

Flight

Manufacturer recommends flying on E16-4 through G80-10 motors.

I've flown mine on an H238 and it held together perfectly. (I used epoxy for the assembly)

Flies straight as an arrow

Recovery

No parachute included, I picked up a Sunward 30" chute and when combined with a Jolly Logic Chute Release it comes back to earth in great shape.

As stated earlier, I'm not a fan of the elastic/Kevlar shock cord set-up.  I've read elsewhere that other people love it.  It's just not for me.

Flight Rating: 4

Summary

This is a very good kit that will fly on any 29mm engine you can throw in it. 

Its sure to impress your friends at the next club launch.

Overall Rating: 4

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