FT Goblin vs. FT Dart

IcedStorm777

Well-known member
So what are the pros and cons of these two planes. I am looking at getting one of them. I am hoping to have a light, fast, and nimble FPV wing style plane to shoot trees, fly FPV and generally have a good time. Which plane would you recommend. Thanks!
 

Paracodespoder

Elite member
The dart requires a lot more wiring to complete, meanwhile the goblin just hooks up and goes. I haven’t flown a goblin but I have flown a dart, and I think that the goblin would be faster and have more power. I would personally go for the goblin or even a modified arrow (larger fuselage need for fpv equipment).
I still have a goblin without electronics sitting around :unsure:...
 

IcedStorm777

Well-known member
With the Goblin it seems that their are so many battery options. Which would you recommend? Also do you guys know of any FPV cameras that can plug (not solder) directly to your receiver using a JST plug? Thanks
 

mrjdstewart

Legendary member
i ran my Goblin on a Brother Hobby Avenger 2507-2300kv w/ a 6.45 BN prop, 60A esc, and 4S-2400 LiHV battery. thing was stupid fast. what battery you use will depend upon motor/prop/ and speed desires.

my Goblin...


give us some info and we can help. if FPV and simple is what you want, you really should be looking at the Arrow. 2 sheets foam board, 3S, 20A esc, 2205-2330kv motor, all of which are dirt cheap. much easier build than the Goblin as well. if you can 3D print, it's even easier. i have lost count of the number of Arrow's i have built, hands down one of my favorites.

laters,

me :cool:
 

Paracodespoder

Elite member
With the Goblin it seems that their are so many battery options. Which would you recommend? Also do you guys know of any FPV cameras that can plug (not solder) directly to your receiver using a JST plug? Thanks
I think your best bet for a camera battery is a separate 1s lipo plugged straight into an aio (all in one) camera. That’s what I run (I have a 17 dollar aio with a clover-leaf antenna powered by a 650 1s, a 250-350 would be better though) and I have no issues with runtime or range.
The new ft radial ESCs also have an extra output plug that plugs into cameras (I believe it’s just a jst-ph2.0).
The reason fpv cameras don’t usually plug straight into the receiver is because there is too much static from other wires (not sure on that, ask the experts).
 

IcedStorm777

Well-known member
i ran my Goblin on a Brother Hobby Avenger 2507-2300kv w/ a 6.45 BN prop, 60A esc, and 4S-2400 LiHV battery. thing was stupid fast. what battery you use will depend upon motor/prop/ and speed desires.

my Goblin...


give us some info and we can help. if FPV and simple is what you want, you really should be looking at the Arrow. 2 sheets foam board, 3S, 20A esc, 2205-2330kv motor, all of which are dirt cheap. much easier build than the Goblin as well. if you can 3D print, it's even easier. i have lost count of the number of Arrow's i have built, hands down one of my favorites.

laters,

me :cool:



I am about to be able to 3d printer and i have a friend that can. What do you recommend?

https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/3d-printer-help.58398/page-5
 

IcedStorm777

Well-known member
Is the FT Goblin a pretty easy build? For example if i built a FT Legacy do you think i can pretty easily build a Goblin? Thank you!
 

Duck

Active member
The arrow is fun and flies well, but I think you like really like the goblin. It seems better for shooting gaps and stuff.

I have a goblin and love it. I would not however recommend it for shooting gaps low and slow. It slows way down with a light battery, but becase it is a pusher you lose control authority when you do. You need airspeed to turn. I found this out the hard way a few times in low passes. It also does NOT have yaw control. The reason they said like the dart in the video was the differential gives you good control. At low altitude, with low speed, and a pusher, bank and yank will drop you to the ground before you make your turn. I am sure you can compensate but the dart will likely just work better.

Again, I love the goblin and it slows down well. With a real light power system, you would do fine. The nano goblin is popular because it is so light and has so much lift that bank and yank still works at low altitude. I usually have trouble not overshooting my landing with that. And not by small amounts. The FT goblin is much heavier and flies like it. Given huge thrust to weight this is not a problem at high speed or high altitude, but you need at least one :)

I would try the dart or recommend the nano goblin. It is a great plane for this. It has a few quirks of its own. The stock power setup is anemic on 2s, but their 70m flight times are measures on this. It is so light that light winds cause problems. My first flight with it in a baseball field surrounded by trees and the wind was so unpredictable I thought something was wrong with the plane.
 
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The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
I actually scaled down my goblin to 75% and it balances perfect with a 1000 mah 3s, what I typically run in my minis. So it’s really not that heavy. I’m using an 1808 motor so basically an a pack an 5 inch prop and she’s pretty speedy! Here’s the maiden.
 

Duck

Active member
I actually scaled down my goblin to 75% and it balances perfect with a 1000 mah 3s, what I typically run in my minis. So it’s really not that heavy. I’m using an 1808 motor so basically an a pack an 5 inch prop and she’s pretty speedy! Here’s the maiden.

What is the AUW with battery?
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
That is really good! The nano comes in at about 250 with the stock setup and 2S Li-Ion. I bet you get quite a bit more pep too.
Yeah. It could be built a little lighter as well. I also used 9g servos, not 5g, and also the battery isn’t completely in the nose so you could put maybe an 850 3s all the way in the nose and probably get 250...
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
The goblin and the arrow I would say fly similar, one of the pros the goblin has is it has more room in the fuse for the electronics. I built the Arrow in the spring and even though it is fast, just to get the power system in was a task in a half with zero room to spare for a cam, and it was the fuselage version. I would say the Goblin for sure, and it is easy to build. And if you crash the goblin, most of the time all you have to replace is the nose, the Arrow or dart don't have that option. If you are shooting gaps there will be carnage at some point, you will like the goblin better.

There is a group build going if you want to join in on the fun, link is here
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
Wow, this is kind of a loaded question. :)

What type of flying are you wanting to do? Something more precise, or something that's quick and flies like a NERF football with wings?

The Dart is going to have more precise, 4 channel flight due to the potential of differential thrust, and will allow you to do some fun flat spins. I've built the Sea Duck, and love it to death because of how it snaps around with that diff thrust from the twin engines. It's also got a little bit more power, so if I'm flying in wind, I can bring it around a little easier. That Dart's twin motors will have similar characteristics.

The Goblin, however, is going to fly faster. Its shape will allow you to do a lot of bank n' yank, "crank it over and pull back" type of maneuvers with it. It's going to fly more like the Versa Wings, and has the capability to be stupid fast. Keep in mind, though, that "stupid fast" means it requires multiple rates to keep it under control. The faster you move through the air, the less movement it takes to make it change direction. The steeper an angle on the aileron/elevon, the faster and harder it's going to pull around, and the more squirrelly that thing is going to feel. I speak from experience with this one on my Nano Goblin - that sucker's FAST, and can fly for 30 minutes if set up correctly. The larger FT Goblin probably won't have those same flight times due to the less aerodynamic shape and size, but you can probably expect decent times out of it...

Ultimately, kinda depends on how you want to fly. The Goblin's that NERF football with wings, the Dart's more of a Frisbee, if that makes sense. I don't know how better to describe it. :)