ANH R2-D2 Build (Weathered CS:R spec)

matty matt

Sr Member
I decided a few months ago to take on this project, an ANH R2. This is something I thought would be fun and could involve my two young sons. This will be built to the newest club spec (and the most accurate). The idea is to use aluminum where I can, with some wood and resin to save on costs and weight. I'll be doing lights, sounds, and basic movement. No fancy opening panels or gadgets. I'd like kids to be able to hug this guy without too much trouble.

Hopefully I end up with something like this:

IMG_4253_zpsznejzwda.png


This will be a slow build but I'll try to update for the exciting stuff. It's actually all pretty exciting!
 
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I look forward to this! That is something I don't have the nerve to do. I am sure it will turn out great! Subscribed.
 
oh boy this is going to be exciting! i feel like im on some other site... whats the name of it again?! ;)

sounds like you have all the right pieces buddy! after buying all the stuff to have the panels and body panels to open i am having second thoughts. like you said... you want it to be kid friendly, all you need is a child to insert his finger and get pitched at a con... or have a kid hugging him and have his cloths rip off one of the body panels

the astromech guys consider closed panel builds "tank mode" i think thats a much safer way to build him

either way ill be watching, i love these builds!! good luck!
 
Is that air brush or rattle can?

Rattle can.

oh boy this is going to be exciting! i feel like im on some other site... whats the name of it again?! ;)

sounds like you have all the right pieces buddy! after buying all the stuff to have the panels and body panels to open i am having second thoughts. like you said... you want it to be kid friendly, all you need is a child to insert his finger and get pitched at a con... or have a kid hugging him and have his cloths rip off one of the body panels

the astromech guys consider closed panel builds "tank mode" i think thats a much safer way to build him

either way ill be watching, i love these builds!! good luck!

Yeah, I guess this is a Tank build. I decided pretty much right away I wanted something reliable and tough. I've had props you couldn't really let people handle and I didn't want that for Artoo. The opening panels are awesome, but I know how kids are and I just picture them twisting things off, lol.

I've got a pretty good start on parts. I have legs on order and I'm waiting for skins to become available. And I'm pretty much out of money. But I have a lot of stuff to work on in the meantime. Including a flat pack of aluminum footshells which will be a project itself.

IMG_2144_zps6a1fpf5j.jpg
 
Wonderful...I always wanted to build a R2, but don't have the space for it

what is the source for your parts?
 
What electronics system did you go with especially for the dome rotation?

I'm going to try to keep things simple with the electronics. The dome system is just a Pittman motor, WorrParts drive wheel/bracket, and a Syren 25 board running at 12v. It's wired up to a little arduino joystick for the time being. Ultimately I want to use an Xbox 360 controller for everything.
 
I'm currently doing 2 simultaneous builds at my work. Thank you for sharing always interesting to hear what others are doing with theirs and why.
 
You get to build this stuff at your work?! Awesome.


Thanks! I'm lucky enough to work at one of the world's largest tech companies and I frankly thought that it would have been "normal" to see more of these guys built around

_1362696033758024_568052498406941860_n_zpss1ogis7t.jpg


Working on the skins and boots in one of our makerspaces as well, doing a simultaneous build of a static 2 leg version and a motorized metal version. These builds have been a long time coming. Looking forward to see how your build comes along. I'll be hosting an event with the local builders in my area at my work sometime soon, so if you're ever in the area and wantn to lug your droid to Google, it would be a welcome invite.
1381641288530165_1001006872473010550_n_zps7gfkv3p1.jpg
 
Welcome to the club :).

Not sure which one mine most looks like. but i'm happy to say it's all metal ( don't go this route unless you want to be broke, but i found the material easiest to work with).
and it still works after a few years, which is rather amazing. mine is just basic though. he doesn't even have a light up HP.

This is his second head. as the first one used JB weld that leaked all over the place. the second one uses E6,000 and it's MUCH nicer to work with and just as strong.
It's also his second batch of frames. we took these frames to a car place to be painted. I forget what they did to it, but it came out GREAT compared to what I could do to the thing.

I went though one head rotator after the wires got ripped out somehow, as well.

It's an interesting journey, but it was fun and nothing beats getting r2 parts in the mail.
Now, if only i can find a manquin to fit threepio, i can finally get him done )

Oh, and if you go on astromech, do NOT get discouraged by some of the people who you meet there. they WANT you to succeed, but sometimes i've found can get kind of combative if you make a mistake, or choose to try something different than recommended. oh, and not fans of people messing up and needing to buy second part sets to cover for it ;o)....that was my second set of skins, but i'm glad i replaced them because they look that muc better :)
15094382_10154548754265211_5977990543859401014_n.jpg
 
Thanks! I'm lucky enough to work at one of the world's largest tech companies and I frankly thought that it would have been "normal" to see more of these guys built aroundWorking on the skins and boots in one of our makerspaces as well, doing a simultaneous build of a static 2 leg version and a motorized metal version. These builds have been a long time coming. Looking forward to see how your build comes along. I'll be hosting an event with the local builders in my area at my work sometime soon, so if you're ever in the area and wantn to lug your droid to Google, it would be a welcome invite.
Awesome work! You've got some really cool stuff going on for sure. I don't anticipate being on the west coast anytime soon (especially with an R2 unit), but thanks for the invite. Good luck with your builds.
Welcome to the club :).Not sure which one mine most looks like. but i'm happy to say it's all metal ( don't go this route unless you want to be broke, but i found the material easiest to work with).and it still works after a few years, which is rather amazing. mine is just basic though. he doesn't even have a light up HP.This is his second head. as the first one used JB weld that leaked all over the place. the second one uses E6,000 and it's MUCH nicer to work with and just as strong.It's also his second batch of frames. we took these frames to a car place to be painted. I forget what they did to it, but it came out GREAT compared to what I could do to the thing.I went though one head rotator after the wires got ripped out somehow, as well.It's an interesting journey, but it was fun and nothing beats getting r2 parts in the mail.Now, if only i can find a manquin to fit threepio, i can finally get him done )Oh, and if you go on astromech, do NOT get discouraged by some of the people who you meet there. they WANT you to succeed, but sometimes i've found can get kind of combative if you make a mistake, or choose to try something different than recommended. oh, and not fans of people messing up and needing to buy second part sets to cover for it ;o)....that was my second set of skins, but i'm glad i replaced them because they look that muc better :)
Yep, I knew right away I wasn't going all metal. I'd love to get an aluminum frame but that's just not in the budget. I don't post on Astromech a lot but everyone has been friendly and helpful so far. This is a really fun build. Nice R2 by the way. And it looks like your Threepio is coming along nicely.
 

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