Well, I've been slowly but surely getting ready to actually build something on RD-22. I have the rings all trimmed out an notched to receive the main supports. Of course, I still need to cut the centers out and make them look like rings. I have all but two of the supports cut, at least as far as attaching to the rings.

(R2 Builders note: I looked at blueprints and schematics online for about three weeks. I took detailed measurements and transferred sizes from 3/16-inch aluminum to 3/4-inch plywood. I did it all again, just to make sure my math was correct. Then, when I got my styrene skins and laid out a "map" of my proposed frame against the skins, I found that it was mostly wrong. Most of the supports and a ring or two didn't line up at all. Lesson learned: Unless you're getting a complete body package, remember to build your frame against your skins, not the other way around. Subtle variations in the skins will tend to dictate where the frame parts need to go...)

I got bored of the frame, though, and set out to put the legs together. Following the tutorial Victor Franco put together, though, I realized that it wasn't as simple as slapping the three layers together. I cut a channel through the MDF cores for the wires (to be added later) and marked out the notches for the undershoulder details. Of course, these need to be cut out from the MDF cores and then carefully routed into the plywood outer layers, so that only 0.188 inches of plywood remains. Yikes! Given that I had been working all morning long, and the temperature here in NC was approaching 94, I called it quits for the day, and set out to determine the best way to get these notches cut. Then, there is the need to actually connect the legs to the shoulders...

(To the guys at Lucasfilm who designed the first R2-D2... one part of me is glad that you put in so much attention to detail, while the other half is loathing your existence! I'm sure it will be great in the end, though...)

So, today I'm turning to the shoulders, in an effort to try and gather up the bits I need and then get the inner plywood on the legs cut out correctly. The solution is actually pretty simple... provided that you can find the right parts. So, if you see me at the Home Depot or Lowe's on 15-501 this afternoon, you'll know what I up to with all those plumbing supplies!

Oh yeah... I also glued up some MDF to make the battery boxes, but I fear that it might be too heavy. Of course, given that I have a plywood frame and styrene skins, making the feet heavy is probably a good thing, to give RD-22 a low center of gravity. After seeing an R2-D2 "trip" and fall at C-IV, I know that tipping over can be a problem. Using MDF for the battery boxes really only means that I'll be doing a lot of sanding to get the shape right, and that means a lot of MDF dust floating around.

On the details front, I inquired with one of the parts suppliers about snagging a club-spec, clear plastic dome for my droid. It should be inexpensive (about $40 US, which includes shipping), and allow me to mess one up and still not break the bank. It might be cool to paint the inside with the cream color of the body, then paint the panel details on the front... a sort of weird 3-D effect. I'm not convinced of this yet, so if you have an opinion, let me know.

I also have a color scheme worked out. As soon as I get a good image from PhotoShop (my skills with this tool are seriously lacking, having spent the last several years using Paint Shop Pro), I'll post links.

(Yes, I know... I keep saying that I'll post links to pictures. Someday, I actually will. My digital camera crapped out last week, so all the pictures I took were lost. I might have a blog or two about that experience...)

Bob
August 5, 2007