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

Modifications:
T' first thin' that had t' go was t' top, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so R2 be beheaded at t' blue band, just below t' reinforced bulkhead. Aye aye! Arrr! This bulkhead was then lowered about an inch and reattached t' t' inside o' t' body usin' CA, then reinforced on both sides with 2 hour epoxy. Avast! Begad! 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, arrr, and t' whole thin' was slathered liberally with 5 minute epoxy. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Strength was me goal, shiver me timbers, matey, and weight considerations were nay a concern. I think I met those goals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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