Brief:
Another in t' continuin' series o' improved "little" R2-D2 rockets from Estes. 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, me hearties, arrr, me hearties, so R2 be beheaded at t' blue band, ya bilge rat, just below t' reinforced bulkhead. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This bulkhead be then lowered about an inch and reattached t' t' inside o' t' body usin' CA, then reinforced on both sides with 2 hour epoxy. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! 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' be slathered liberally with 5 minute epoxy. Strength was me goal, and weight considerations were nay a concern. Avast! I think I met those goals.

Attachment o' t' head was a real challenge. Since t' head had no shoulder t' attach t' t' body like a real nose cone, arrr, arrr, I chose t' cut up one o' t' 3000 or so AOL CDs I get in t' mail each year. Ahoy! Arrr! Perfect. Aye aye! It be attached t' t' bottom o' t' head with CA, then epoxy, ya bilge rat, and t' shock cord attaches here. Ahoy! T' keep things straight, and t' give me a place t' put nose weight, me bucko, I attached t' plastic centerin' rings for t' original motor pod t' t' head. Ahoy! Avast! This was done by usin' a short piece o' 18mm tube, then was 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, me bucko, 5 minute epoxy holds it all in place, and it leaves a nice little hole in t' center so I can adjust t' nose weight. All t' paper items were soaked in CA for a little strength, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and unfortunately t' fumes attacked one o' me eyes. Ahoy! Please use proper safety equipment if you use CA!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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