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

Modifications:
T' Estes Big Daddy is a short, me bucko, matey, fat rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! 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. Begad! Blimey! I am always lookin' for ways that I can reduce or eliminate t' use o' wadding. Avast! I had heard o' a similar modification bein' done on a Estes Fat Boy, matey, so I decided that this was t' perfect kit t' try it on.

T' modification consists o' extendin' t' motor mount so that it extends into t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! In order t' do this, matey, I swapped out t' motor mount that be supplied with t' kit with a BT-50 tube that was 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. Begad! T' rest o' t' construction went rather easily, ya bilge rat, me hearties, as it just followed t' instructions provided with t' kit.

Flight:
Preppin' t' rocket is a breeze, 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. Well, matey, blow me down! T' parachute was loosely dropped into t' large cavern that is left in t' body, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and a motor be installed. Avast, me proud beauty! T' launch was on a D12-5. Ya scallywag! T' rocket launched slowly and ejection was at apogee. This is a nice small field rocket. T' parachute opened and t' Big Daddy was 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 was some residue in t' nose cone but no evidence o' melting--success! I also noticed that t' motor mount was bent. Arrr! Then I noticed t' Estes "smile" on t' nose cone. Begad! What I believe happened be since t' parachute was loosely packed, it opened immediately, causin' t' nose cone t' stop motion while t' shock cord be stretched, then t' body o' t' rocket be catapulted into t' nose cone.

I have since lengthened t' shock cord t' four times t' length o' t' stock cord. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Since thar be plenty o' room in t' rocket thar should nay be an issue storin' t' extra length o' shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! This extra length should eliminate t' problem.

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