Brief:
Another in t' continuin' series o' improved "little" R2-D2 rockets from Estes. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! This one features what t' "big" R2 had all along: A REAL nose cone, shiver me timbers, thereby eliminatin' recovery failure.

Modifications:
T' first thin' that had t' go was t' top, so R2 be beheaded at t' blue band, just below t' reinforced bulkhead. 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. Begad! T' shock cord attaches here. (Question: why is Estes so stingy with shock cord on all other rockets, matey, but gives out 3 times what is needed with t' little R2?).

T' thrust rings were attached t' t' inner tube, arrr, and t' whole thin' was slathered liberally with 5 minute epoxy. Arrr! Strength be me goal, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and weight considerations were nay a concern. Well, matey, blow me down! I think I met those goals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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