My Life-size 1:1 R2-D2 (2nd Attempt)

[azheat01]

I thought I would share this here and maybe inspire others. I'm also on Atromech.net as they are a tremendous resource. I wanted to try my hand at another 1:1 R2. I got my hands on a DroidBoy kit over a decade ago and that one turned out OK for a first attempt with no experience (picture below), but with the evolution of 3D printing, a little increased skill, and the amount of new resources available, I wanted to try and see if I could do better.

Here's my first attempt from I believe 2012, I added light and sound, but it was purely static..........

Now I'm going with Mr. Baddelley's R2-D2 files and they are amazing! I also upgraded to a new printer, a Bambu Labs A1, and it's awesome (despite the current recall which hasn't affected me).

I got to printing and now have the dome, dome rings, dome panels, dome greeblies, and main body done. I began assembly on the dome as I started printing the skirt, legs, and body panels. Really excited for this project, let's see how it turns out...........

 

[BudaFett]

Love watching a good R2 build!

 

[masterjedi322]

Looking good so far!

A Baddelley R2 is definitely on my list of things to do, so look forward to seeing your progress!

Sean

 

[JimmyC]

I was able to print one of these up as my COVID project. Kind of stalled out on sanding the main body but I completed the dome. Definitely looks great though. Keep it up!

 

[azheat01]

Well, as with any project like this, it's been slow going; sanding, bondo, more sanding, primer, more sanding, more bondo, etc, etc. I'm printing up the final leg greebles now and then all I have left are the feet and battery boxes. I finished printing most of the main leg parts and sanded those; real pleased with how they came out. I just need to bondo the seams, sand that, and then I can get those primed and sanded for paint. It'll be nice to get past this printing and sanding phase.

On a side note, this Bambu Labs A1 is a beast, been running this thing non-stop for two weeks and I've only had 3 failed prints, mostly my fault for how I placed the objects on the bed. I also love using Bambu Studios, still trying to navigate it since I've been using Cura for years, but it's great.

Anyways, slow and steady...........

 

[azheat01]

Got a little sidetracked and lost some time on this project, but after a month, I've finally finished printing, sanding, bondoing, priming, and again sanding almost 400 pieces. I'm looking forward to putting some color on these and assembling.

I did run into a frustrating snag these last two days. I've never used Dupli-color paints, but wanted to go with the Sonic Blue Pearl since I couldn't find anything else close enough to my liking. Three different cans from two stores and the paint kept bubbling on the nozzle causing some terrible splatter and orange peel. I tried everything; cleaning the nozzle with a wire brush and pins, soaking the nozzle in thinner, storing it inside, etc, etc, and nothing worked.

Eventually I just put a paper towel next to my spray booth and did one or two quick passes, then dabbed the nozzle on the paper towel and repeated; incredibly frustrating. I thought maybe I had a bad can, but all three did this. I had the same problem with my Montana Black paints which is why I stopped using them. Never had this issue with Krylon or Rustoleum. Needless to say when the blue is done, I won't be using Dupli-color again. I love their primer, but at $16-$17 for this small can......no thanks. I had to re-sand a half dozen of these pieces and start over.

I did manage to get all the dome pieces painted and clear coated, but what a hassle. I'll give those a few days to dry and then do a round of buffing.

Moving right along..........

 

[masterjedi322]

Ugh, that must have been so frustrating… glad you were able to work around it though!

I know the MG paints are notorious for having crappy nozzles, but I’ve, personally, never had an issue with Dupli-Color. Maybe they changes their nozzles…?

R2 is looking good!

Sean

 

[azheat01]

Today was a great milestone, I really wanted to finish the dome and get it out of the garage and into the house. Real pleased with how it looks, despite a few minor issues. Also wired the Teeces lights to activate with a remote. I took apart one of those LED light bars and wired it to the lights in the dome so I could quickly turn them on and off. I have two more; going to use one for the Data and Charging port LEDs and one for an audio module. This is a good solution until I decide how I want to power this R2 since it's going to be a static display for now.

Time to start on the body next..........

 

[BudaFett]

Man...that dome looks incredible!

 

[azheat01]

Man...that dome looks incredible!

Thanks!

 

[BudaFett]

Thanks!

Weird question...did you try and waring your dulpicolor paint up first with warm water?

 

[azheat01]

Weird question...did you try and waring your dulpicolor paint up first with warm water?

I did not, I was told to do that with my MG paints, and it still didn't work. I was painting in the garage and it was almost 90 degrees, so I would have hoped the ambient temperature would have helped.

I still have to paint the blue body details, so I'll give that a shot!

 

[BudaFett]

My duplicolor when heated gave me better results. I've never had issues with it clogging though.

 

[azheat01]

In the home stretch now, finished painting the last pieces this weekend and can start assembling tomorrow. I also wired the data / charge port panel LEDs today and added another remote module on the same frequency as the dome. One remote will now activate the charge port / data panel LEDs and dome; just need to to add one more to the sound module. It's been a little over 2 months since I started this project, but I'm happy with how it's coming along.

 

[BudaFett]

Ohh very nice! Love it!

 

[azheat01]

A few steps closer.............

 

[azheat01]

I was able to get the legs attached and finished up the battery box cables and got those installed. I know there are a ton of different ways to do these, but what I did is print out the core shapes that Mr. Baddeley provided, covered those in some silicone tubing, and then slid on metal braided cable sleeves. I used a wood dowel to help expand the sleeve so it was easier to get over the tubing. I dusted all 4 cables in a copper spray paint, epoxied the knurl knobs on, then epoxied magnets into the knobs. This was relatively inexpensive to do, kept them light weight, easy to put on and take off, and they'll hold their shape. Real pleased with how they came out.

I'm working on the audio now. Using this sound module that I wired with an RF transmitter that matches the frequency of the dome and body lights, that way with one click of the remote, lights and sound will activate.............