1/2 R2d2 Scratch Build

Good on you technopro! With all your robot building knowledge and the Forums help your going to have a great and speedy build!:)

Maybe not speedy but definitely great! (2 other projects)

That looks like a very good start!

If you mix fiberglass resin and bondo 2 to 1 you gel a gel you can brush on and easy to sand so you can paint your project and not worry about the paper flexing over time. Good job. I look forward to what you will do.

I like what you did with the dome there.

Josh, I heard that if you use wallboard paste it can protect the paper from getting soggy when painting, and smooth's the surface. may get some and use it on the body and dome especially.

Here's my idea for the legs. So, because the legs need to be sturdy, I thought of using 2x4's for the main structure and then shaping it with cardboard. Then cut the wood to make details. To connect the legs I'm thinking a broom stick cut to the length needed.

I hope to get the dome made paper meched soon. Will probably make more ribs. The cardboard I used for the head has one smooth side and I hope to use this to make the a surface to turn the dome on. Any suggestions for other ways are welcome.

The body frame will hopefully be 3 hollow circle pieces and 5-6 vertical ribs. Not sure on the skirt yet. May use wood layers. Would give a good point to mount the centre leg on.

What DJ r2d2 video? I've been waiting for one.

Well more so a variety of videos with little bits of r2d2 in them.

Anyways, got the dome ready for paper meche!

Added ribs(mmmmmm... Ribs) to the dome and added the "bearing" to the head. Hope to get more done tomorrow!

Tech.

Ok, Here's a good thread wake up!

I decided to do a little more work on mini-d2 and this is what I've done.

I designed a tracer for the legs(Note that this is the base piece of the leg and I'm designing the details now.) I drew this with extreme detail to accuracy and using the r2d2 builders club official blueprints 1/2 scaled.

I scraped the head I made because, lets face it, It was an oval, not a circle. And the ribs were different sizes. Here's the head base circle. It's small to make room for the ribs and many layers of tape, wallboard compound and primer.

Here's the body:

Here's my desk so far:

Here's the cardboard I've collected:

I also have the scaled body decals printed(painting most of the vents and so forth on the body after base coat).

Hope to show more progress soon!

http://www.eztopsworldwide.com/domes.htm

Cool project. I thought of doing a similar project building T3-m4 from the knights of the old republic video game or one of the other droids that get cameos it the films (Some of them had more cone shaped heads, instead of the troublesome domes). Google t3-m4 if you want to see some cool custom builds.

I would recommend using foam core boards or even the foam yoga mats are made of over using cardboard, as those materials are more durable yet cheap and easy to work with. just get your self a glue gun.

I own an interactive r2 like in the videos. Non working ones are cheap on ebay just make sure they have all the plastic parts. i was actuall pretty impressed with what he does out of the box.

Josh, Thanks for the link!

4R2D33700, Thanks for the info! I was going to use Styrofoam(styrene) this time as it is something I have on hand and doesn't weaken with moisture. That being said, I'm throwing in cardboard ribs along side them. I plan on using wood as the main head base though. I'm also making a wooden skeleton for the body to make a place for the big wooden dowel I'm using for the leg mount to screw and rest on.

I got some more sketching in. I have finished some leg detailing. I'm sketching the pieces for tracers for when I cut the wood.

Lots of work ahead!

Update 3: There's something on the progress tracker!

I finished my leg sketches, but need to do the feet sketches.

I make the sketches for templates to cut the wood.

My goal is to have r2 done within a year of today.

Small update but much more to come!

Good Job!