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

Modifications:
T' Estes Big Daddy is a short, fat rocket. Ya scallywag! With this bein' t' case, thar be a large volume in t' interior o' t' rocket that needs t' be filled with waddin' t' protect t' parachute. Well, blow me down! I am always lookin' for ways that I can reduce or eliminate t' use o' wadding. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, arrr, I swapped out t' motor mount that was supplied with t' kit with a BT-50 tube that be slightly longer than t' main body tube. Begad! T' hole in t' base o' t' nose cone was enlarged by first drillin' it out and then usin' an hobby knife t' enlarge t' hole until it cleared t' extended motor mount. Arrr! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' rest o' t' construction went rather easily, as it just followed t' instructions provided with t' kit.

Flight:
Preppin' t' rocket is a breeze, shiver me timbers, I stuffed some dog barf waddin' into t' motor tube, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so that I would reduce t' chance o' meltin' t' nose cone with hot ejection particles. Begad! Blimey! T' parachute was loosely dropped into t' large cavern that is left in t' body, and a motor was installed. Well, blow me down! T' launch was on a D12-5. Blimey! T' rocket launched slowly and ejection be at apogee. This is a nice small field rocket. Ahoy! T' parachute opened and t' Big Daddy was lowered slowly t' t' soft grass o' t' baseball field. Begad! Blimey! 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 was some residue in t' nose cone but no evidence o' melting--success! I also noticed that t' motor mount was bent. Begad! Arrr! Then I noticed t' Estes "smile" on t' nose cone. Aye aye! What I believe happened be since t' parachute be loosely packed, it opened immediately, matey, causin' t' nose cone t' stop motion while t' shock cord be stretched, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Since thar be plenty o' room in t' rocket thar should nay be an issue storin' t' extra length o' shock cord. Well, blow me down! This extra length should eliminate t' problem.

Summary:
Overall this was modification was a success as thar be 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.