Brief:
An engineerin' exercise t' test t' flight characteristics and durability o' t' Estes R2D2 rocket by upgradin' t' a 24mm motor mount.

Modifications:
T' only tools required are ones that every modeler has: an Xacto knife or similar, a ruler (in me case metric, arrr, because I don't understand that English feet, shiver me timbers, pounds, ya bilge rat, ounces stuff), me bucko, me bucko, and a LOT o' 30 minute epoxy.

Our club requires that anythin' over a C motor have a 5mm launch rod, matey, matey, so simply hackin' off t' original cast-in-plastic launch lugs and epoxyin' on a new 2" launch lug be simple.

Construction:
I used approximately 1 inch o' t' original 18mm motor tube, me bucko, coupled t' a 24mm tube for t' remainder o' t' "motor pod." All that be required t' adapt this t' t' styrene plastic adaptor be a little Xacto knifin' and some coarse sandpaper, and LOTS o' epoxy.

T' flimsy plastic fins were deemed too wobbly t' handle t' thrust o' an E motor, me bucko, me hearties, so 1/8" balsa was epoxied t' t' flimsy plastic after roughin' up t' surface. Finally, me bucko, t' keep t' balsa from charrin' in flight, t' balsa was coated in aluminum foil, me bucko, again held in place with a liberal coatin' o' 30 minute epoxy. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' result was a very heat resistant and strong fin assembly. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' R2 tends t' char t' fins in flight, due t' t' extremely short polar moments o' t' stubby body. Aye aye! No problem anymore!

T' extra weight o' t' 24mm tube and balsa reinforced fins necessitated weight added t' t' nose area. Since this area is hollow, matey, thar be sufficient room for it. Well, blow me down! Avast! Surprisingly, me hearties, matey, t' $0.03 solution was t' epoxy three pennies t' t' top bulkhead. Avast! T' result is perfect stability; exactly that o' t' original unmodified R2.

T' R2's weak point has always been t' wacky aft deployment `chute. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! About 3 feet o' Keelhaul®©™ be substituted for t' original shock cord, shiver me timbers, and a 1/8" hole was drilled into t' bottom o' R2. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This allowed t' Keelhaul®©™ t' be stuffed inside t' hollow body, instead o' bein' wrapped around t' motor pod, like Estes originally designed. T' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ was attached t' t' plastic adaptor on t' aft end o' t' motor pod. T' results were mixed; t' system performed well, but since R2 was still travellin' at a pretty good speed when t' ejection charge blew out t' motor pod, me hearties, t' mylar `chute shredded, matey, matey, and R2 pranged. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Hard. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' debris be gathered and examined, and t' damage was deemed very minor. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! He'll fly again soon, but with much stronger Keelhaul®©™ and a nylon parachute.

All t' parts in all o' t' Estes R2D2 kits I have built have been present and fit well, matey, with t' notable exception o' t' fins. Aye aye! They are lousy, warped from t' factory, and break after one or two flights. Aye aye! I strongly recommend buildin' your own out o' balsa or G10, or reinforcin' them with thin balsa like I did. Arrr! Blimey! If usin' a B or C motor, CA will hold it together just fine. Avast! Aye aye! Anythin' stronger and a liberal amount o' epoxy is needed.

Flight:
My kids each have an R2, matey, arrr, and they flew decently on a C6-5, and better on a C5-3. Aye aye! Never fly this model on a windy day! T' aft motor pod ejection system is pitiful, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and has never worked. Nay once in 6 flights. Begad! No waddin' is required, but cleanin' out t' inner tube with a toothbrush is necessary after each flight, shiver me timbers, or t' pod will get stuck.

Recovery on a D12-5 is about near apogee, ya bilge rat, though an E15-7W it may still be cruisin' at a good bit o' speed at ejection. Expect it t' almost disappear on an E motor. Well, matey, blow me down! Build it adherin' as closely t' t' Estes instructions as possible, arrr, shiver me timbers, modifyin' as little as necessary. I built mine a little on t' heavy side so it would last a long, ya bilge rat, long time. Ahoy! T' flights are arrow straight, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and really get movin' on an E motor, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, though performance on a D12-5 is nothin' t' sneeze at.

Summary:
T' main pros o' t' kit are ease o' assembly (about an hour) and t' uniqueness o' t' kit. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' cons are related t' t' crummy fins and t' horrible aft pod ejection system. Blimey! I rate t' ejection system about a 1. Avast, me proud beauty! Future R2s will feature a true nose cone- another engineerin' challenge I look forward t' tackling.

Other:
Epoxy and balsa can really stiffen flimsy plastic parts!