Brief:
A modification t' t' Estes Big Daddy t' use much less wadding.

Modifications:
T' Estes Big Daddy is a short, fat rocket. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! With this bein' t' case, me hearties, thar be a large volume in t' interior o' t' rocket that needs t' be filled with waddin' t' protect t' parachute. Ahoy! I am always lookin' for ways that I can reduce or eliminate t' use o' wadding. Ya scallywag! I had heard o' a similar modification bein' done on a Estes Fat Boy, so I decided that this was t' perfect kit t' try it on.

T' modification consists o' extendin' t' motor mount so that it extends into t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! In order t' do this, I swapped out t' motor mount that be supplied with t' kit with a BT-50 tube that be slightly longer than t' main body tube. T' hole in t' base o' t' nose cone be enlarged by first drillin' it out and then usin' an hobby cutlass t' enlarge t' hole until it cleared t' extended motor mount. Begad! Blimey! T' rest o' t' construction went rather easily, me hearties, as it just followed t' instructions provided with t' kit.

Flight:
Preppin' t' rocket is a breeze, ya bilge rat, I stuffed some dog barf waddin' into t' motor tube, me hearties, so that I would reduce t' chance o' meltin' t' nose cone with hot ejection particles. T' parachute was loosely dropped into t' large cavern that is left in t' body, me bucko, me hearties, and a motor was installed. T' launch was on a D12-5. T' rocket launched slowly and ejection was at apogee. Begad! This is a nice small field rocket. Begad! T' parachute opened and t' Big Daddy be lowered slowly t' t' soft grass o' t' baseball field. Well, blow me down! I must say that I do like t' slow liftoffs and noise this combination produces.

Recovery:
When I recovered t' rocket I noticed that thar was some residue in t' nose cone but no evidence o' melting--success! I also noticed that t' motor mount was bent. Blimey! Then I noticed t' Estes "smile" on t' nose cone. Arrr! What I believe happened was since t' parachute was loosely packed, shiver me timbers, arrr, it opened immediately, causin' t' nose cone t' stop motion while t' shock cord be stretched, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, then t' body o' t' rocket was catapulted into t' nose cone.

I have since lengthened t' shock cord t' four times t' length o' t' stock cord. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Since thar be plenty o' room in t' rocket thar should nay be an issue storin' t' extra length o' shock cord. Well, blow me down! Avast! This extra length should eliminate t' problem.

Summary:
Overall this be modification was a success as thar be no evidence o' meltin' in t' nose cone and preparation o' t' rocket uses a minimal amount o' wadding. Blimey! T' other problem is totally unrelated and should be solved with t' longer shock cord.