Not bein' a big Star Wars fan, me bucko, I would nay have sought out an R2D2 model rocket kit. Well, blow me down! However, arrr, me family loves it, shiver me timbers, and got me an Estes Fifteenth Anniversary R2D2 for Father's Day 1999.

This is sort o' a goofy rocket, but nay completely absurd: R2D2 did fly on occasion in t' movies. Avast! And, arrr, 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 bucko, based on t' 4" BT-101 body tube. Avast! Blimey! It features a printed body wrap, lots o' blow-molded and/or vacuum-formed white styrene parts, arrr, and injection-molded clear styrene fins for flight. Avast! (They're in place in t' above photo, 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, arrr, standard Estes style.

Assembly be nay difficult, with one possible exception. Others have reported that t' body wrap didn't fit too well, and me experience was that it's a fraction o' an inch too short. Aye aye! In addition, t' adhesive is very permanent: once it touches t' tube, it's thar for t' duration. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! In me case, I got it on a bit crooked, as you can see in t' picture. Arrr! Finishin' required blue, 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, it's a good idea t' follow instructions exactly. 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. Blimey! Blimey! That seemed unbelievable but it is right. Begad! (2) Those big, matey, thick paper centerin' rings are stronger than they look, but be sure t' glue them very firmly t' t' outer body tube. Arrr! Begad! 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. I would have liked t' replace t' questionable recovery waddin' arrangement with a Nomex shield, shiver me timbers, matey, but in fact it worked.

That nose weight be interestin' t' begin with. Ya scallywag! T' kit includes three o' t' lead disks I remembered from 1966-era kits and haven't otherwise seen since. Aye aye! I kept them, and replaced them with a coil o' lead wire that totaled just a few grams more. Aye aye! In retrospect, me bucko, 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. 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. This worked, ya bilge rat, 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, me hearties, me bucko, me hearties, and B6-2 as recommended engines. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! T' instruction sheet says "C6-3 only." It took a while t' understand why. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instruction sheet is an mangle from t' original, me bucko, which be issued before C5-3 or B6-2 were available from Estes. Aye aye! However, shiver me timbers, t' B6-2 would never have been enough motor for this beast. T' package card be probably printed before production kits were tested, me hearties, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, suggestin' that t' prototypes had some lighter parts.

My R2's first flight be perfectly straight, me hearties, me bucko, very slow, ya bilge rat, not very high, me hearties, me hearties, and once up there, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me bucko, it headed for t' ground like a homesick rock. Well, blow me down! T' ejection charge went off halfway down. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' parachute opened fully just about 15 feet off t' ground. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! One o' t' clear plastic fins was broken. Ya scallywag! Well, arrr, blow me down! For t' first o' several times, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I resolved that R2 had seen its air time and would be retired t' t' bookshelf where it now resides. Ahoy! Testor's Cement for Plastic Models healed t' fin unit, me hearties, 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, and thar was room, so it seemed like t' thin' t' do. Arrr! Cuttin' openings on either side o' t' motor mount tube, me hearties, I glued in a pair o' BT-5 tubes. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! One had t' be slotted t' allow for t' C6's motor hook. Avast! T' C6 went in first, shiver me timbers, then t' A10-3's. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' A10's would be allowed t' eject themselves. Begad! Ahoy! When I be happy with it, me hearties, out we went t' launch.

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

Meanwhile, ya bilge rat, I realized what t' mid-course correction meant. One o' t' A10's had burned out before t' other, me hearties, and had given R2 a good dose o' rotation, because they're right alongside t' CG. Well, blow me down! I be concerned that it could be more serious, me hearties, and decided nay t' recommend this modification. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Once again, matey, R2 be declared retired and placed on t' shelf. Begad! Arrr! 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. R2 wandered all over t' sky in front o' t' LCO's table, ejected both A10's in different directions, me bucko, and finally bit t' dust at t' very moment o' ejection. Well, blow me down! Dome in t' dirt, he jumped another six t' ten feet and rolled like a bad punt. There be a gasp from t' crowd followed by gleeful laughter. A fellow flyer helped me find t' many pieces o' clear plastic that had been R2's fin unit. Begad! 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. Begad! Repairs were nay too difficult, btw.

So, matey, folks, let it be known: I do nay recommend this cluster arrangement. I do recommend more power if it can be had.. Begad! Ahoy! 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, at some unspecified future date. Ahoy! Blimey! T' motor is exactly on t' CG, me bucko, so thar be no worry about stability changes with added motor weight. Ahoy! Blimey! I do think that t' added weight o' t' extra motor mount tubes makes single C6-3 flight very iffy for mine now. T' clear plastic fin unit has a nice decorative crackle effect throughout, matey, but it seems serviceable.

This kit sat in t' store for several years, me hearties, and might be scarce now. Avast, me proud beauty! That said, arrr, shiver me timbers, some may say it's a collector's piece and I'm a addlepate t' fly it. Avast, me proud beauty! Nonsense.

This is a model rocket. 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. Blimey! Avast! You get t' feelin' that some engineer spent some up close and personal time with t' prototype before this one was kitted, workin' out t' details so it could possibly fly. Blimey! Does that still happen at Estes Industries? This model (and t' designer's work) is completed by flight, just as a Saturn V would be.