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Date: September 29, 2007
Days left until R2LA V: NONE! IT'S TODAY!
After many weeks of frantic work and panic attacks, the day is finally here. It's R2-LA V, the biggest private gathering of R2 builders in the world! Dunno if that really means much, as I could claim that when Bill Fischer and I get together, it's the biggest private gathering of My New Invention fans in the world. I guess it's all relative.
First up, GIANT thanks to Mike Senna for not only organizing the event, but hosting it in his own home. Now THAT takes courage! It was a really great event, and I had an awesome time. It was great to meet a lot of the R2 builders who I have never met face to face before, and to re-connect with a number of folks I hadn't seen in a while.
The day started at about 8:00 for me. I had to take R2 apart and get him into my car. I left for Mike's at about 9:30, and got there right at 10:00. I had offered to help set up, but by the time I got there, the party was all set to go.
That left me about an hour to get R2 unloaded and assembled. It took almost a full hour, but it all worked out. R2 was lookin' good, but wasn't going anywhere. Because he was on carpet, I had no interest in risking blowing out something by trying to fire up his drive system. So I positioned R2 off in the corner of the main room.
Here's yours truly and the fully assembled R2. Externally, the only things left undone are the battery cables, and the detail paint on the octagonal ports and power couplers. (Note: for those of you who think I might look skinny in that photo, that's on purpose. I just lost 30 pounds, if you can believe it.)
The response to my R2 was really positive. Many of the attendees are regular readers of the blog, and were familiar with the various trials and tribulations that went into building him. I got the most praise for the finish on the dome, which was indeed a hard won victory. Still, there's nothing quite as encouraging as praise from ones peers, so I was feeling pretty good about R2. But then it all went downhill when they heard how much mine weighed!!! I think mine was EASILY the heaviest droid in the room, and it was during this event that I really realized the limitations of having an all metal droid. The main thing is that he's just hard to manage. Immensely difficult to transport, as witnessed by the fact that I had to tear him apart to get him there. Even if I had a van or truck or something, I would have no way of getting him in, as I cannot lift 200 pounds myself. The other significant downfall of a heavy droid is that he's hard to rig for running. Only the most powerful of motors will properly move him, and even then, certainly not on carpet. I have to say I was quite jealous of the R2's that could walk across tile and carpet. That's just a pipe dream for me at this point.
The droids gathered in Mike's living room for a couple of group photos. I think this is also where they trotted out Slave Leia for the obligatory fan frenzy. I'm sure a trip to ANYONE else's blog will reveal a giant set of Leia photos.
But here's the thing that really got me thinking. It's Matthew Henricks' wooden frame. He also makes wooden legs. All CNC'd, and really beautiful. Also cheap. Also light. This REALLY got me thinking about the possibility of making a second droid somewhere down the line. No time soon, don't fret. But there's two really good reasons to further consider this line of thinking. The first is the fact that my R2 is so heavy, and the ramifications of that fact. The second is one I haven't discussed here, mainly because I didn't really realize it fully until today. The thing is, I LOVE having a "pristine" R2. I like that he's all clean and nice and sparkly. While I may weather him, that's different than him being beaten up. From EVERYTHING I was told at R2-LA, introducing R2 to his adoring public is little more than an invitation for him to get trashed. I heard TONS of stories about kids, adults, and force majeur events that lead to R2 getting chipped, dinged, damaged, scraped, scratched... you name it. And that REALLY scared me. I realized that of the tiny dings I have accidentally inflicted on R2, these were only a tiny fraction of that which was to come if I take him out and about. Heck, even in a room full of careful R2 builders, he still managed to take on a few pieces of battle damage.
So this all got me thinking about what would be involved in building another R2.
I'd LOVE to think that I could just bang him out pretty quickly, now that I have not only the experience but the tools to do it. But this may be magical thinking. I think I could also do him cheap. if I did him all resin and wood, save for skins and dome, that would save me thousands of dollars.
Still, it's just a thought at this point.
Of course, I'll keep you posted here.
And what recap of R2LA would be complete without at least one picture of this years Slave Leia! But it's all just background dressing in this photo. The important thing here is the presentation of the "Builder of The Year" award. Though I was not the only person surprised by the fact that Matt Munson did not win, the award found a good home in the hands of Matthew Henricks. In retrospect, perhaps it was simply a clerical error. The Star Chamber discussions resulted in the pronouncement "Give the award to Matt, obviously". But somewhere along the way, they got confused on which Matt.
Perhaps a more credible explanation is simply that Matt Henricks kicks ass slightly more frequently than I do, and is well deserving of the award! He does indeed do some fantastic work in the arena of wood parts for R2, and has built up one handsome droid.
From left to right, it's Mike Senna, Matthew Henricks, Slave Leia, Victor Franco.
For me, the day wrapped up at about 6:00 when I headed home. I was pretty exhausted, and it was a long day. Great fun, and I'm already looking forward to next years get together.
But now I've got to get home and implement the modifications that were recommended to me by all of the helpful R2 builders at the party.
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