Octagon Now, Redux

Long time no post. Haven't had much time for Artoo the last couple months. But the new 2 piece design Octagon Ports came in today. These are much better milled than the ones I got off the part junkyard awhile back. Plus the two piece design will make them a sinch to paint.

Now I just have to try and resell the old ones on the junkyard someday. I hope to ramp up work on Artoo again soon. The weather here has been unseasonably warm, 70s-low 80s in mid March. Usually its snowing here this time of year. Good thing is that its prime painting weather. So I can paint the blue pieces I've gotten since the fall and touchup/repaint the other ones that need it. Then I'll just need to grab a plethora of satin white for the rest of the painting.

And then there was none

Just ordered the last body piece - Side Vents -  that I needed for R2. Also ordered a new set of Octo Ports a couple days ago. I was never happy with the ones I bought off the Junkyard. These are a newer, cleaner and better machined design. I'll try and unload the other ones someday. So now all that remains to be purchased is electronic guts - batteries, motors, wiring, speed controllers, etc.

* EDIT:
Just remembered that I will be getting an Aluminum Radar Eye which may finally happen fairly soon. So that will be my real last piece.

Give Em' the Slip

Slip Ring arrived yesterday. This allows power and electrical signals to go between the body and dome while still being able to fully rotate the dome infinite times. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to use it yet, but eventually I'll need it to do things like lift the periscope and life form scanner.

Year One

One year ago today I awoke and made the decision to start building my own R2-D2.

The year went by fast, as they tend to do the older you get, and had lots of ups and downs like any other year. I lost one of my best buddies in September - my cat Abby. She was never more than 10 feet from me for almost 11 years, she meowed louder than any cat I've ever heard and purred nonstop till her last few hours. I miss her everyday. Since then her sister Kobey and I have bonded more than ever.

On the Artoo front, I've received all but one body part needed and only because that particular one hasn't been run yet, but should be soon. I've been looking in to the electronics side of things the last few days. I anticipate receiving the foot drives soon and would like to get him at least rolling around shortly after.

Lately I've been back to work on sanding the dome. I used a mouse sander a few months ago to get out the spin lines, and am now going back over with sand sponges and paper to get the final shiny surface. I also plan on starting to cut the inner dome soon and have been reading up on all that will entail.

Celebration VI is in August, and right now I'm 50/50 on attending. If I do, I hope to have this guy up and running to be a part of the builders room. I haven't attended a Celebration since III in Indianapolis. The local Trek Expo is in June. I had a lofty goal of trying to be ready by then but it will be hard to obtain with the amount still left and that sidetrack known as work.

Hopefully those Mayans were wrong and all this work wasn't for nothing. Happy New Year.

Coupling

Power Couplers arrived from Russ in England. Russ's parts have been of exceptional quality. These are even designed for easier painting. Hopefully he will be running the coveted Aluminum Radar Eye next, and possibly the new JAG Octagon Port design. I wouldn't mind trading the Octo Ports I got off the junkyard for the newer design. He also sells other prop replicas not associated with Artoo building. Check out his website for more info. You may find something you have to have.

Skater Boy

UPS just dropped off the caster wheels I ordered a week ago. After reading through a dedicated Center Caster Wheels thread on astromech.net, I decided to go with 2.5 inch skate style wheels from Rockler. These aren't as soft as I'd imagined them to be, but I'll give them a shot. It looks like these are one of the parts that people try different options as they wear out over time. But these also look better to me than a standard Lowe's or Ace caster. And of course I went with the blue option.

Pocket Full of Kryptonite

Pocket Vents arrived from Guy in Burbank, CA. I've realized lately how many different areas of the world R2 parts come from. I wish I'd have paid more attention when they arrived. My little astro droid will have parts from all over the U.S. - Texas, Arizona, California, Rhode Island and several more states. Not to mention a few international parts from China, Australia, and England.