The Great Goblin is another Estes Rockets classic. I got the ‘Pro Series II’ and it’s considered an intermediate skill-level build. The fins and engine mounts are balsa wood, so on the advice of a friend I purchased an ‘upgrade’ kit from Launch Lab Rocketry that consists of plywood structural pieces. I’m glad that I did so as the new parts are much more substantial than is the balsa wood.
The Great Goblin is 33.5 in. in length and 3 in. in diameter. The recommended engines are an E16-4 and an F15-6. The projected maximum altitude is 880 ft.
Launch Lab Rocketry: (https://www.launchlabrocketry.com/
The model is pretty substantial (16.5 oz.) and takes a relatively large engine to get it going. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep to original paint and decal scheme. Maybe.
The beginning of the project. There aren’t that many parts. I found on my Der Red Max build that the bulk of the time spent in the building process was waiting for glue to dry in one step before going on to the next. The small tube standing upright is the engine mount tube. The plywood disks slide onto the tube and center the engine mount tube in the rocket body (thus their name ‘centering rings’). It looks like the most awkward part of the construction will be gluing the centering rings to the rocket body. I’ll need some long sticks to get the epoxy to the centering ring/tube interface.
The centering rings are glued with JB Weld to the engine mount tube. Before gluing with the epoxy, I tack glued the assembly with a small amount of super glue and test fit it into the rocket body tube. The fit was perfect. The Launch Lab upgrade is extremely well made.
Left: The engine mount glued in place. Center: Launch lugs. I also plan to attach launch rail guides to the side opposite the rail lugs The fins are epoxied in and I have added the glue fillets at the fin base. Right: Looking like a rocket!