So, after toying around with one of skaught's IG-88 castings, I decided to tackle a droid of a different sort - a C3P0 (or variant). To me, if you are doing a C-3P0, you have to vacumetalize it in gold or it just won't look right. I kinda wanted to avoid all that so I settled on just doing a "generic" 3P0, along the lines of the white protocol droid we see in the Rebel Command Center in EMPIRE.
I found a fiberglass casting here in the junkyard for what seemed a reasonable price. (I guess I should say that I have 0 experience/expertise when it comes to 3P0's - so if someone says that I've bought a recast or a knock-off (and someone has), I'll just apologize if I've offended anyone.) I kinda liked the idea of fiberglass since it will allow me to do a lot of work on the head without flexing it. (I'm not going to be wearing it.)
I have no idea of the origins of this particular casting -
The front/back pieces were pretty good. But the eyes and ears - not so much -
I may not be an expert on how 3P0 was made, but I do know that the eyes are key to pulling this off. I knew they would have to be re-done from the start.
I kinda wanted to make this an interactive piece. Wanted the eyes to light up, make the brain plug thingee on the back of the head removable to see the CPU (yeah, I know I'm crossing my STAR WARS and TERMINATOR streams here......), and see some details in the neck. Not going to go full PHANTOM MENACE, but wanted something to tinker with with my godsons who are old enough to start doing science projects in school and learning the various functions of the parts.
For the neck, which will also be a base, I got a 4" diameter styrene pipe couplers from the hardware store (OSH here in Ca. carries them). I cut the bottom at an angle with a Dremel and used the scrap piece on the other side to fill in a gap and add some level of detail.
The holes in the neck line up with the bolts in the ear pieces. This way, I can bolt the head together, and to the neck, at the same time. When it's all together, it sits at an angle - not vertical:
On a recent raiding trip to Norton Sale or Apex or C&H (I forget which.....), I came across a cool looking stainless ring that just happens to (with a slight styrene shim) fit inside the neck -
There's a lot more shiny bits of metal that go inside this thing, as you will see as this thing progresses along.
Enjoy.
Gene
I found a fiberglass casting here in the junkyard for what seemed a reasonable price. (I guess I should say that I have 0 experience/expertise when it comes to 3P0's - so if someone says that I've bought a recast or a knock-off (and someone has), I'll just apologize if I've offended anyone.) I kinda liked the idea of fiberglass since it will allow me to do a lot of work on the head without flexing it. (I'm not going to be wearing it.)
I have no idea of the origins of this particular casting -
The front/back pieces were pretty good. But the eyes and ears - not so much -
I may not be an expert on how 3P0 was made, but I do know that the eyes are key to pulling this off. I knew they would have to be re-done from the start.
I kinda wanted to make this an interactive piece. Wanted the eyes to light up, make the brain plug thingee on the back of the head removable to see the CPU (yeah, I know I'm crossing my STAR WARS and TERMINATOR streams here......), and see some details in the neck. Not going to go full PHANTOM MENACE, but wanted something to tinker with with my godsons who are old enough to start doing science projects in school and learning the various functions of the parts.
For the neck, which will also be a base, I got a 4" diameter styrene pipe couplers from the hardware store (OSH here in Ca. carries them). I cut the bottom at an angle with a Dremel and used the scrap piece on the other side to fill in a gap and add some level of detail.
The holes in the neck line up with the bolts in the ear pieces. This way, I can bolt the head together, and to the neck, at the same time. When it's all together, it sits at an angle - not vertical:
On a recent raiding trip to Norton Sale or Apex or C&H (I forget which.....), I came across a cool looking stainless ring that just happens to (with a slight styrene shim) fit inside the neck -
There's a lot more shiny bits of metal that go inside this thing, as you will see as this thing progresses along.
Enjoy.
Gene