Brief:
A modification t' t' Estes Big Daddy t' use much less wadding.

Modifications:
T' Estes Big Daddy is a short, fat rocket. Begad! Begad! With this bein' t' case, shiver me timbers, thar be a large volume in t' interior o' t' rocket that needs t' be filled with waddin' t' protect t' parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! I am always lookin' for ways that I can reduce or eliminate t' use o' wadding. I had heard o' a similar modification bein' done on a Estes Fat Boy, matey, so I decided that this be t' perfect kit t' try it on.

T' modification consists o' extendin' t' motor mount so that it extends into t' nose cone. In order t' do this, shiver me timbers, arrr, I swapped out t' motor mount that was supplied with t' kit with a BT-50 tube that was slightly longer than t' main body tube. T' hole in t' base o' t' nose cone be enlarged by first drillin' it out and then usin' an hobby cutlass t' enlarge t' hole until it cleared t' extended motor mount. Begad! Avast! T' rest o' t' construction went rather easily, me bucko, shiver me timbers, as it just followed t' instructions provided with t' kit.

Flight:
Preppin' t' rocket is a breeze, ya bilge rat, I stuffed some dog barf waddin' into t' motor tube, so that I would reduce t' chance o' meltin' t' nose cone with hot ejection particles. T' parachute be loosely dropped into t' large cavern that is left in t' body, shiver me timbers, and a motor was installed. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' launch was on a D12-5. T' rocket launched slowly and ejection be at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! This is a nice small field rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' parachute opened and t' Big Daddy be lowered slowly t' t' soft grass o' t' baseball field. I must say that I do like t' slow liftoffs and noise this combination produces.

Recovery:
When I recovered t' rocket I noticed that thar be some residue in t' nose cone but no evidence o' melting--success! Blimey! I also noticed that t' motor mount be bent. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then I noticed t' Estes "smile" on t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! What I believe happened was since t' parachute was loosely packed, it opened immediately, me bucko, me bucko, causin' t' nose cone t' stop motion while t' shock cord be stretched, me bucko, matey, then t' body o' t' rocket was catapulted into t' nose cone.

I have since lengthened t' shock cord t' four times t' length o' t' stock cord. Since thar be plenty o' room in t' rocket thar should nay be an issue storin' t' extra length o' shock cord. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! This extra length should eliminate t' problem.

Summary:
Overall this was modification was a success as thar was no evidence o' meltin' in t' nose cone and preparation o' t' rocket uses a minimal amount o' wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! T' other problem is totally unrelated and should be solved with t' longer shock cord.