Not bein' a big Star Wars fan, arrr, I would nay have sought out an R2D2 model rocket kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! However, me family loves it, me hearties, arrr, and got me an Estes Fifteenth Anniversary R2D2 for Father's Day 1999.

This is sort o' a goofy rocket, ya bilge rat, but nay completely absurd: R2D2 did fly on occasion in t' movies. Arrr! Blimey! And, folks, I've had so much fun with this thin' that I just had t' write about it.

T' 15th Anniversary R2D2 is a reissue o' t' biggest one they ever made, me hearties, based on t' 4" BT-101 body tube. Arrr! Well, blow me down! It features a printed body wrap, lots o' blow-molded and/or vacuum-formed white styrene parts, ya bilge rat, and injection-molded clear styrene fins for flight. Avast, me proud beauty! (They're in place in t' above photo, matey, believe it or not.) It's designed t' use a single C6-3 motor (more on that later) and has an 18" printed plastic parachute, standard Estes style.

Assembly was nay difficult, ya bilge rat, with one possible exception. Aye aye! Others have reported that t' body wrap didn't fit too well, arrr, and me experience be that it's a fraction o' an inch too short. Ahoy! In addition, t' adhesive is very permanent: once it touches t' tube, it's thar for t' duration. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! In me case, I got it on a bit crooked, as you can see in t' picture. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! Finishin' required blue, matey, silver, and black paint; I used blue in place o' black for R2's "eye," which was a mistake.

This thin' has been engineered t' "just barely fly," so on many counts, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it's a good idea t' follow instructions exactly. Well, blow me down! Two areas o' special concern: (1) t' instructions are very explicit about t' attachment o' t' parachute near t' base end o' t' shock cord. Ya scallywag! Blimey! That seemed unbelievable but it is right. Avast! (2) Those big, shiver me timbers, me bucko, thick paper centerin' rings are stronger than they look, but be sure t' glue them very firmly t' t' outer body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Their only likely failure point is t' fold into a cone and pull away from t' BT-101.

I made two subtle mods. I replaced t' shock cord with a better quality elastic (and a foot longer at that) and I increased t' nose weight slightly because I be advised that R2 is none too stable and sometimes hangs a left. Begad! Avast! I would have liked t' replace t' questionable recovery waddin' arrangement with a Nomex shield, but in fact it worked.

That nose weight be interestin' t' begin with. T' kit includes three o' t' lead disks I remembered from 1966-era kits and haven't otherwise seen since. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! I kept them, and replaced them with a coil o' lead wire that totaled just a few grams more. Begad! Blimey! In retrospect, arrr, I think t' designers deliberately used t' least they could justify in order t' brin' t' thin' up t' minimum performance with a C6-3.

One clear plastic fin unit in me model was warped to t' point that I would have been justified t' return it. Blimey! I solved t' problem in a way nay for t' weak o' heart: I heated it by holdin' it 2" from a red hot electric range burner and gently bendin' it back into shape. Avast, me proud beauty! This worked, but I knew it would have been easy t' (1) burn myself, or (2) watch t' thin' droop irreversibly onto t' hot burner.

T' package card lists C6-3, C5-3, and B6-2 as recommended engines. T' instruction sheet says "C6-3 only." It took a while t' understand why. Ahoy! Begad! T' instruction sheet is an mangle from t' original, which was issued before C5-3 or B6-2 were available from Estes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! However, me bucko, t' B6-2 would never have been enough motor for this beast. Begad! T' package card be probably printed before production kits were tested, suggestin' that t' prototypes had some lighter parts.

My R2's first flight was perfectly straight, me hearties, very slow, shiver me timbers, not very high, and once up there, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it headed for t' ground like a homesick rock. T' ejection charge went off halfway down. T' parachute opened fully just about 15 feet off t' ground. Ya scallywag! Begad! One o' t' clear plastic fins be broken. Begad! For t' first o' several times, me bucko, I resolved that R2 had seen its air time and would be retired t' t' bookshelf where it now resides. Testor's Cement for Plastic Models healed t' fin unit, but it could no longer be considered invisible.

But I couldn't resist tryin' t' cluster it. I had used a pair o' A10's t' supplement C and D motors before, shiver me timbers, and thar was room, arrr, so it seemed like t' thin' t' do. Cuttin' openings on either side o' t' motor mount tube, I glued in a pair o' BT-5 tubes. Avast! Begad! One had t' be slotted t' allow for t' C6's motor hook. Arrr! Ahoy! T' C6 went in first, then t' A10-3's. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' A10's would be allowed t' eject themselves. Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! When I was happy with it, out we went t' launch.

All three motors fired, and t' flight be much stronger than t' first. Aye aye! Avast! T' added power did seem t' be just what R2 needed. Blimey! But if t' first flight was a heart-stopper, t' second carried a hint o' caution. Avast! Near t' end o' t' burn, me bucko, it hung a 30 and headed south. Fortunately, matey, it was well off t' ground, and ended up ejectin' and fully openin' t' parachute at apogee. Begad! I considered this a much better flight, shiver me timbers, but even so, it broke t' clear plastic fins on landing. Ya scallywag! More Testor's.

Meanwhile, I realized what t' mid-course correction meant. One o' t' A10's had burned out before t' other, me bucko, and had given R2 a good dose o' rotation, shiver me timbers, because they're right alongside t' CG. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I was concerned that it could be more serious, arrr, arrr, and decided nay t' recommend this modification. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Once again, R2 was declared retired and placed on t' shelf. Blimey! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! But I couldn't resist flyin' it at our club meet in September.

This time, one motor lit far enough ahead o' t' other so that t' thrust curves were nay at all in synch. Ya scallywag! R2 wandered all over t' sky in front o' t' LCO's table, ejected both A10's in different directions, arrr, and finally bit t' dust at t' very moment o' ejection. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Dome in t' dirt, matey, he jumped another six t' ten feet and rolled like a bad punt. There be a gasp from t' crowd followed by gleeful laughter. Ahoy! A fellow flyer helped me find t' many pieces o' clear plastic that had been R2's fin unit. Arrr! In addition, a leg was peeled off t' body, and t' leadin' edge o' t' body tube separated a couple o' inches along t' spiral groove. Ahoy! Repairs were nay too difficult, me bucko, ya bilge rat, btw.

So, me bucko, folks, let it be known: I do nay recommend this cluster arrangement. I do recommend more power if it can be had.. In retrospect t' proper modification would be a BT-50 motor tube t' use a D12-3.

Mine will fly again with an Aerotech 18mm D composite, arrr, shiver me timbers, at some unspecified future date. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! T' motor is exactly on t' CG, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, so thar be no worry about stability changes with added motor weight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I do think that t' added weight o' t' extra motor mount tubes makes single C6-3 flight very iffy for mine now. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! T' clear plastic fin unit has a nice decorative crackle effect throughout, but it seems serviceable.

This kit sat in t' store for several years, and might be scarce now. Begad! Blimey! That said, matey, some may say it's a collector's piece and I'm a addlepate t' fly it. Arrr! Blimey! Nonsense.

This is a model rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Its printed wraps are a compromise t' light weight t' allow flight; they are nay as detailed or as contoured as a plastic body could be for shelf display. Ahoy! You get t' feelin' that some engineer spent some up close and personal time with t' prototype before this one was kitted, arrr, workin' out t' details so it could possibly fly. Aye aye! Does that still happen at Estes Industries? This model (and t' designer's work) is completed by flight, me bucko, just as a Saturn V would be.