The best day of droid building yet.

Wow - what a day. For starters, R2 needed a new droid sled. I was taking some trash out one day and saw this pallet at the dumpster. Looking at it, it was in great shape, and the perfect size for R2. The pallet was built out of 1x4's so it was very light.

So next, we had to make it better. Needed to add some wood, and make a few adjustments so that it was perfect. I picked up a few boards at Home Depot, and a short time later, we were done with the frame.

But it wasn't done. I wanted something that was a little more personal. So I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some stencils. Something many of you (all of you) don't know is that I own www.astrodroid.net - There is nothing there now, but I have big plans for it. Due to that reason I opted to put Astro Droid on the outside. After all, C3PO is quoted as saying "That little Astro Droid"......

So after the stenciling, this is what we ended up with....

Finally, that was done.....now to work on R2. For starters, it was time to add ankle locks. R2 needs ankle locks because he sits on a 36 degree ankle. No locks, legs don't hold position, and R2 face plants. No bueno. You need to make sure they're lined up well, and I (after the fact) HIGHLY recommend you test them with the legs bolted on before drilling. I wish I would have.

While I was doing the ankle locks, I was also adding the bushings for the ankles. These allow shoulder screws to pass through.

Here is a picture of me tapping the center ankle.

Finally, here is a photo of the ankles all done.

Now for the fun part, attaching the ankles to the feet was somewhat simplistic. File out the holes on the shells until the bolt passes through. It will be a snug fit, but very doable and should only take a few minutes. After thats done, you should have something like this....

Next, I had to adjust my satellite motors. My frame can do 2-3-2.....however I don't want to do it. My satellite motors were stuck in the 90 degree (or two leg) position. I needed to get them to rotate backwards. This was quite complicated as the brake was activated and I had no way to power them. I need to through a HUGE shout out to Jason M and Jerry Greene for helping me. Jason provided a lot of pictures and Jerry talked to me through chat and made sure everything was perfect. I can't thank both of them enough.

And finally.....after almost 3 LONG years (June makes 3 years), I can finally say that my R2-D2 is standing on all 3 legs. This is a HUGE milestone for me. As an added bonus, another builder (George W.) has loaned me his DDR-2 feet drives. With these, I can likely have R2 driving around by the end of the next weekend. This has been a fantastic weekend, and next weekend will hopefully be even better. We're having a build-day in Lenexa, KS. If you read this and you're from the area and want to attend, message me. Here's the last picture, ENJOY!!!!

And here we go!

My legs arrived awhile back - shortly after Christmas. Since then, i've moved and been planning my wedding. Kristen's R2 has also taken a backseat due to the wedding (May 30th!). Anyway, with a comic convention coming up, I decided it was time to get cracking and get him standing by then. I commissioned a set of aluminum feet drives from a well known R2 builder, so hopefully they arrive rather soon. So let's start with Kristen and I's droid in their current state - here's a great picture showing them together!

Next, here is a shot of my JAG aluminum legs mounted with my JAG aluminum ankles.

Next, I just HAD to see what it looked like with some accessories attached.

Next, here's a photo of the what the leg/ankle will look like when it's attached to a foot.

And finally - here is a photo of the whole family. Kristen's droid and my droid and the legs. I am well on track to have him standing on all 3 in the next 2 weeks. Let's hope everything goes smoothly!