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

Modifications:
T' first thin' that had t' go was t' top, so R2 was beheaded at t' blue band, just below t' reinforced bulkhead. Blimey! Blimey! This bulkhead was then lowered about an inch and reattached t' t' inside o' t' body usin' CA, then reinforced on both sides with 2 hour epoxy. 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. Blimey! Strength be me goal, and weight considerations were nay a concern. Ahoy! I think I met those goals.

Attachment o' t' head was a real challenge. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Since t' head had no shoulder t' attach t' t' body like a real nose cone, I chose t' cut up one o' t' 3000 or so AOL CDs I get in t' mail each year. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! Perfect. It was attached t' t' bottom o' t' head with CA, then epoxy, matey, and t' shock cord attaches here. Avast! Blimey! T' keep things straight, matey, and t' give me a place t' put nose weight, 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 was far more complicated than anythin' I've ever done on a mid-power rocket. Begad! Naturally, ya bilge rat, 5 minute epoxy holds it all in place, arrr, ya bilge rat, arrr, and it leaves a nice little hole in t' center so I can adjust t' nose weight. Blimey! All t' paper items were soaked in CA for a little strength, and unfortunately t' fumes attacked one o' me eyes. Avast! Begad! Please use proper safety equipment if you use CA!

I will from now on. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Believe me, it took a LOT o' engineerin' t' get t' rocket this far. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! But it was all worth it. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' fins were recycled from R2-D2.3, me bucko, me hearties, and be about all that was salvageable. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A nice nylon parachute guarantees a shred proof recovery, 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, but t' factory recovery system left a lot t' be desired. And I've tried several methods t' improve upon t' ill-fated design Estes had, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, includin' Keelhaul®©™®, elastic, and tubular nylon. Ahoy! Nothin' worked reliably. Begad! Avast! And t' second reason I did it is because I just love t' overpower Estes and Quest rockets.

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

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

Flight:
As I stated in t' beginning, I built this rocket with 29mm in mind, arrr, and thus was reinforced for use with a single use G80. Aye aye! However, arrr, t' short, squat body has extremely short polar moments, and for safety reasons I decided t' cut down t' power. After all, ya bilge rat, who wants their 5 year old t' be chased around t' launch site by a screamin' R2? If it went unstable, shiver me timbers, it might get nasty. Aye aye! Blimey! As it turns out, a D will get it goin' reasonably well, arrr, and a long burn E6 should satisfy anybody's quest for altitude. Avast! Aye aye! So a 24mm motor tube was put in place, with a paper engine block in t' top o' t' motor tube. 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, ya bilge rat, t' little R2 will get up with decent speed, me bucko, and hit approximately 500 t' 600 feet, arrr, ya bilge rat, me bucko, dependin' on which spotter's info you use. Aye aye! Recovery is perfect. Avast! Prep is a breeze, me hearties, use a little cellulose waddin' (not really necessary, matey, but I like t' feel safe) and friction fit t' motor. Aye aye! Wrap up t' lengthy shock cord and stuff it into t' tube on top o' t' chute. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! Then pop on t' head.

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

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

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