To Build a Droid: the Project Ultimate!

Oh! Hello, and welcome to the first blog I expect to actually utilise! I'm Bith (a username I adopted ages ago so I'm stuck with it) and I woke up one day recently thinking I needed a droid around the house. Doesn't everyone?

Yep, I've belonged to the R2 Builder's club for just a few weeks, but, as luck would have it, at this past weekend's Wizard World Anaheim Comic-Con, my hubby's booth was right across from theirs! Droid heaven! I pretty much spent every free moment hanging with the R2 guys and their adorable R2s -- asking questions, studying them, taking notes.

A couple of days ago I moved forward...I finally came to a decision about the basic build: he'll be a styrene droid (with aluminum dome, and skins, hopefully). I need a lighter-weight droid, as I'll often attend events without my sainted hubby, and the styrene build can be built in an apartment. Finally: the build was designed by the founder of the R2 Builders Group (Dave Everett), and I feel confident due to that. Very awesome builds based on the Senna frame are done locally, and I still hope to get a lot of information from those amazing builders.

Anyway, I extracted all the styrene build pdf blueprints, and began the laborious process of adjusting them for accurate size and printing them out...in pieces that need to be taped together of course! Partway through, I remembered my tabloid printer...d'oh! Will start again when my large-stock paper arrives. At least I verified that my printer was producing accurate blueprints.

I also started my formal research notebook. Stop laughing - don't we all use formal research notebooks everyday? Sheesh! Anyway, I'm still trying to get a good organizing system down, so a lot of notes are being jotted on loose paper until that time. (In other words "looseleaf" is the operational term here).

At least I've settled down from some initial crazy ideas (a steampunk R2 with...well lots of crazy variations...like: steam!), and am just going to do a standard R2 with one of the color variations (probably the yellow, as they are less common, but still have screen cred.). I can always swap stuff out later if I want to make him steampunk. I figure, as with costuming, I want something recognizable for the kids. I'd do the standard blue R2, but there are several of those guys locally, done REALLY well, so I figure why compete?

I've also begun a parts list -- just for the body. I took a look at the motor and sound and lights areas and my eyes started to blur (I'm understating that)...so I'm just going to focus on the basic R2 for now...he'll get moving and stuff later. Plus, that's the stuff that is readily available over-the-counter, unlike droid parts!

Next I'll finish printing out my blueprints, and organizing my notebook. Plus, kind of generally plotting the build. I need to buy a few (not many! whew) tools, and set up a building table.* Hubby will help me with that, as I'll need to mount a router to some plywood and drill some guide-holes. Next week I expect to buy some styrene and start cutting parts out! Woooo!

Okay, back to my research.**

*Actually, we bought several parts for the project table tonight! Almost ready to begin!

**Again: stop laughing!