Tips

Though my faq covers a lot of general purpose ground, I thought I would use this place to jot down sort of a beginners guide to building an R2. Things I WISH I would have known before I started my R2. Things that I hope other builders can avoid by simply reading this page.

General Tips

• DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!!! I think the biggest mistake people make when building an R2 is to just jump in feet first and start buying parts. Or they buy a kit that is not what they want, or that they are il-equipped to build. Research involves reading up on what is involved in building an R2, asking questions to the club or directly to other builders, scouring the web for other builders websites, and going to user meets. I would STRONGLY recommend that this be the starting point to ANY R2 project, no matter how big or small, simple or complex.

• Decide what you want your R2 to do. Figuring this out early will only help you in the long run. And it will help you big time. I think there are a few major decisions that you need to make early on, relating strictly to the configuration of the R2 itself. Figure out if you want to do a two legged model, three legged, or 2-3-2 conversion. Note: 2-3-2 conversion is where the droid can robotically convert itself from the two legged configuration to the three legged, and back again. Next decision is whether or not he will be remote controlled. This can add LOTS of costs, and complexity. But you'll need to figure that out ahead of time. Retrofitting a static droid to be R/C can be a real bear. Not impossible, but MUCH more difficult when you don't plan ahead. You could decide that you EVENTUALLY want him to be R/C, but you don't want to do that on the "first pass". With this knowledge, you will make different decisions on the construction as you go.

• Decide how much you want to spend. This is probably the most daunting task for a new R2 builder, as you may or may not know all the pricing for the different parts. I read a website by a dude in Germany who said he made his R2 for about 250 dollars. I probably spent almost 5,000 on mine. Of course, there's every increment in between. You need to decide if you want to make the ultra-bling, pimped out R2 that has all the whistles and bells and is made of the finest materials, or if you want a ghetto R2 that looks like he fell off the sand crawler. Of course, there are plenty of "budget" R2's that look absolutely amazing. Don't fool yourself into thinking that a good R2 MUST cost thousands of dollars.

• With your budget decided, and your goals for R2 set, you can then start thinking about materials. Your budget and goals will largely dictate materials. A low cost R2 will require a wood frame, and styrene skins. Those are inexpensive materials that can be purchased locally. Tools to work with those materials are readily available, and are not that expensive. A midrange droid might use a pre-cut PVC frame, with aluminum skins. Fiberglass skins are also available. The high range driods are typically all metal, and weigh a ton. This forces the builder to make different choices for the drive system and power plant. But this is only the tip of the iceburg, as far as discussion goes. There are TONS of ways to save money on building and R2, and just as many more to frivolously spend money. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!

• Spend the bucks on the best dome you can buy. This is just my opinion. It is my firm belief that the dome is really the "signature" piece of the droid. It's what gives him character. It's like the face of R2, and if you get it wrong, or try to cut corners, it just won't "feel" right. The top of the line, laser cut, spun aluminum dome can run you almost 500 dollars when you add in shipping. For many, this may be outside of your budget. But, if there's ANY WAY you can swing it, I recommend you do it. The body is just a cylinder, and there's tons of ways to do that. Much of the detail on the droid is very well blue printed and can be replicated in a number of mediums for low cost, and they look great. But when you try to cut corners on the dome, you just don't get the results that measure up. But hey, that's just my opinion.

• Get in touch with builders in your area. Don't get me wrong, the R2 builders club is a phenomenal resource. But NOTHING beats getting together with a few builders (or even one fellow builder) and talking droid. Not only does it give you the chance to problem solve in real time, but you get to see other people's work. Odds are, they have run into the same problem that has been plaguing you for the past two weeks, and they came up with a really novel solution that you can use. It's also very inspiring to see not only finished droids, but also to see other people who are in the same boat as you. Skill level, finances, and free time vary wildly from one builder to the next. Don't ever think to yourself that you're the worst (or best) off builder in the bunch.

• Don't be afraid to learn a new skill. Many times, there's stuff involved in building an R2 that MANY people in the hobby have no knowledge of. R/C design? Welding? Auto paint? Electronics? Drive system? Wood work? Styrene cutting?? These are just a small few of the skills and knowledge you may need to get your droid up and running. Don't know how to do all of those??? Neither did I when I started. I spent almost three months learning to use a mill and lathe just so I could build custom R2 parts, or clean up existing ones. I COULD NOT have built mine without those skills. Does that mean YOU have to learn that stuff to build yours?? Not necessarily. But expanding your skill base can only help. Take a class at the local community college. Pick your friends brain who has a woodshop in his garage. Ask the dude at the electronics store how he would wire up the batteries. Talk to the dork behind the counter at the hobby shop about R/C controllers. Get out there and learn something new. You cannot always depend on others to do tasks on your R2 that you cannot do yourself.

• Set a schedule for yourself. I've seen people collect parts for three years. I've seen people buy an entire parts collection in one go. I've known folks who have been working on their R2 for years, and are nowhere near finished. There's people that bang them out in a couple of months. The point is that you need to set reasonable expectations for yourself, in order to keep yourself focused. Don't let a project this massive be something that you start, spend a bunch of time and money on, and then lose interest in six months later. Say to yourself "by my birthday in 2008, I want R2 to be finished" or something like that. Even if you miss the date, having one may very well keep you motivated.

• The corollary to the above is this: Set daily or weekly goals for yourself. For me, I like to expend a certain amount of hours every day on the guy. For example, I'll say "I want to spend at least one hour a night on him, three nights a week. Then six hours on one weekend day". That means I'll be putting in about 9 hours a week. Gives me plenty of time to take care of other things, and keeps R2 going at a decent clip. This may be unrealistice for you, but don't fret. When I started working on my R2, I was spending between 8 and 13 hours a day on him, six days a week. I don't think there's many others who could afford that time committment, but it might give you an idea of how many hours CAN be spent on building an R2.

• Start a blog! You don't need to be an internet wiz to start and maintain a blog. There's plenty of places out there that will set you up with a location for free. All you do is type, and upload your pictures. Having a blog lets you share your progress with fellow builders. If you have pictures and descriptions online, people can offer suggestions and help when needed. It can also act as a motivator, keeping you on schedule and honest. And besides, chicks love R2.

• Use a good, WHITE primer on anything you're going to paint. I HIGHLY recommend the primer made by Plasti-Kote. At the time of this writing, this paint is no longer being distributed through stores. But Amazon.com will sell you as much as you need. For metal parts, I recommend the self etching primer. Sadly, this only comes in grey, so you'll need to paint over this with the white primer.

• For almost all of your gluing needs, especially metal to metal, I HIGHLY recommend Evercoat's MAXIM line of adhesives. The stuff is SO much stronger that JB weld, and has a better work time too. In fact, depending on which type you buy, it can vary. Cost wise, it's also cheaper than JB Weld, as you get a giant caulk tube full of it for about 20 bucks. I believe this to be a "must have" for any R2 builder.

• For detail pieces, if it doesn't look like metal on the real one, use resin parts. This is sort of a very religious issue for many. Metal vs. Resin. Resin is much cheaper than metal, and is easier to work with. Resin can be mis-shapen if poured incorrectly, and can often require a lot of clean up prior to painting. There's MANY parts on an R2 that are painted either blue or white, and don't carry a load or require strength. Is there any good reason to have them made out of a higher cost material?? Ultimately, that's up to you. If I had it all to do over again, there's a number of parts on mine that I would have rather had in resin, simply to save cost and weight.

• Sanding and polishing your dome can be one of the most meticulous, methodical, and boring portions of your entire build up. But in order for the droid to "look and feel" right, you need to do it properly. Each R2 is different. If you step through the different droid scenes in the six movies, you'll see that the domes have different finishes. Figure out which one you want to try to match. Some go for the "ultra shine" seen at the end of ANH. I'm going for a smoky finish as seen in the halls of the Tantive IV. Figure out what you want before you proceed. Polishing aluminum is tricky business. If you touch the surface with your bare hand while sanding, it will screw it up. Your best bet for sanding is to wear cotton gloves over BOTH of your hands. Use gym socks if you don't have any gloves handy. They will limit your movement, but it will be worth it. Try to avoid touching the dome at all costs during the sanding process, assuming you want an even finish.

  When you're done sanding it, seal it up with a professional grade clear coat. None of that rattle can stuff either. Get a two part, catalyst system that will be tough as hell. There's plenty of tutorials online for tips on polishing a dome. I won't repeat the gruesome details here.