Brief:
Another in t' continuin' series o' improved "little" R2-D2 rockets from Estes. Blimey! This one features what t' "big" R2 had all along: A REAL nose cone, shiver me timbers, thereby eliminatin' recovery failure.

Modifications:
T' first thin' that had t' go be t' top, matey, so R2 be beheaded at t' blue band, shiver me timbers, me hearties, just below t' reinforced bulkhead. Aye aye! This bulkhead was then lowered about an inch and reattached t' t' inside o' t' body usin' CA, shiver me timbers, then reinforced on both sides with 2 hour epoxy. Begad! T' shock cord attaches here. (Question: why is Estes so stingy with shock cord on all other rockets, but gives out 3 times what is needed with t' little R2?).

T' thrust rings were attached t' t' inner tube, and t' whole thin' was slathered liberally with 5 minute epoxy. Begad! Ahoy! Strength be me goal, and weight considerations were nay a concern. Aye aye! I think I met those goals.

Attachment o' t' head be a real challenge. Begad! Since t' head had no shoulder t' attach t' t' body like a real nose cone, shiver me timbers, I chose t' cut up one o' t' 3000 or so AOL CDs I get in t' mail each year. Perfect. Arrr! It was attached t' t' bottom o' t' head with CA, ya bilge rat, arrr, then epoxy, shiver me timbers, and t' shock cord attaches here. Ahoy! T' keep things straight, ya bilge rat, and t' give me a place t' put nose weight, me hearties, I attached t' plastic centerin' rings for t' original motor pod t' t' head. This be done by usin' a short piece o' 18mm tube, then be centered into t' head by a process that be far more complicated than anythin' I've ever done on a mid-power rocket. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Naturally, matey, me hearties, 5 minute epoxy holds it all in place, and it leaves a nice little hole in t' center so I can adjust t' nose weight. All t' paper items were soaked in CA for a little strength, and unfortunately t' fumes attacked one o' me eyes. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Please use proper safety equipment if you use CA!

I will from now on. Believe me, me bucko, it took a LOT o' engineerin' t' get t' rocket this far. But it was all worth it. Begad! Blimey! T' fins were recycled from R2-D2.3, and be about all that was salvageable. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A nice nylon parachute guarantees a shred proof recovery, matey, but fit is TIGHT.

Construction:
A basic R2-D2 kit from Estes can be had for really cheap these days; I bought a half dozen off eBay for less than t' price o' a cheap mid-power rocket. Why? Well, I love these little things, arrr, but t' factory recovery system left a lot t' be desired. Blimey! Blimey! And I've tried several methods t' improve upon t' ill-fated design Estes had, matey, includin' Keelhaul®©™®, me bucko, arrr, elastic, ya bilge rat, and tubular nylon. Arrr! Avast! Nothin' worked reliably. And t' second reason I did it is because I just love t' overpower Estes and Quest rockets.

So, I decided right from t' start that R2-D2 (designated R2-D2.4) would have a real nose cone like its big brother. Begad! And since I was at it, why nay a 29mm mini R2? After all, matey, R2-D2.3 was 24mm, ya bilge rat, and worked extremely well. Arrr! (Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it met its demise at t' hand o' one o' Aerotech's famous bonus delays)

T' original kit be a real quality piece, me bucko, and was one o' t' few I received without warped fins. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! These fins will be used on me son Josh's R2. Aye aye! I haven't finished this rocket, me hearties, but plan on paintin' it all flat white with bumper chrome head and painted on decals. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Everythin' fit wonderfully, matey, me hearties, but took far more work than I anticipated. T' results don't reflect this, arrr, but it was definitely a challenge. Arrr! Avast! And that be most o' t' reason I built it. I love engineerin' challenges. Well, blow me down! (That's why I don't use RocSim).

Flight:
As I stated in t' beginning, matey, I built this rocket with 29mm in mind, and thus be reinforced for use with a single use G80. Avast! Ya scallywag! However, shiver me timbers, t' short, me bucko, squat body has extremely short polar moments, and for safety reasons I decided t' cut down t' power. Ya scallywag! Begad! After all, arrr, ya bilge rat, who wants their 5 year old t' be chased around t' launch site by a screamin' R2? If it went unstable, it might get nasty. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! As it turns out, a D will get it goin' reasonably well, and a long burn E6 should satisfy anybody's quest for altitude. So a 24mm motor tube was put in place, with a paper engine block in t' top o' t' motor tube. Avast! Ya scallywag! (Past experience with R2-D12 showed me that t' stock Estes retainin' clip will nay hold up t' E power for long.)

FLIGHT: With a D12-5, t' little R2 will get up with decent speed, and hit approximately 500 t' 600 feet, dependin' on which spotter's info you use. Recovery is perfect. Well, blow me down! Prep is a breeze, me bucko, use a little cellulose waddin' (not really necessary, shiver me timbers, but I like t' feel safe) and friction fit t' motor. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Wrap up t' lengthy shock cord and stuff it into t' tube on top o' t' chute. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! Then pop on t' head.

On an E15-7W, I have no idea how high it goes, because it's hard t' see at that altitude. But t' launch is worth it all. Blimey! People look at t' rocket with disdain when it is announced, matey, ya bilge rat, and it looks tiny out thar on t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Some scoff about t' reported motor size, but when t' motor roars t' life and R2 becomes a blur instantly, jaws drop open. Begad! And that's what I like about it.

Summary:
Pros: Attention getter, rapid take-off, perfect recovery.

CONS: Took too long t' build, me bucko, hard t' spot, me hearties, very sensitive t' wind, arrr, fly only on calm days.