no need for a 3rd PSI test...

After talking with a few r2builders I decided to stick to the original colours. The PSI's should be red/blue in front and yellow/green in back. There's no point in making a great looking unofficial-artoo. Also I'm a pain when it comes to detail and it would just eat me up. Now, like everyone else, its time for a little holiday break from artoo. But, it won't be a total break. I have a bunch of electric components, resin parts, hobby machinery and tools coming in santa's big red sack so there will be an unusual amount of drooling going on this holiday ;) yea...they have these things in Hawaii as well ;)

the second PSI test...

I decided to try and make a housing for the front/rear PSI to see how it would look. I used a bunch of old pill bottles, you know the small plastic ones. It just so happens that they have the correct diameter (40mm). I just drilled a small hole in the cap for the wires, glued the circuit board to the inside of the cap and finally glued thin black cardboard around the outside.I did this not because I wanted to same money, I just thought those resin parts that you can buy online looked so familiar. Well it was and it actually worked, lol. I plan to sand away the text from the bottom but the picture and video shows how it turned out :)

R2's front/rear PSIs'...

While trying to get up the courage to begin marking and cutting the domes I decide to test those PSI lights for both artoo's. I found these PSI "wannabees" at a local novelty store for about 4 dollars each and thought they would work nicely. The lights are bright LEDs and each unit runs for hours on 3 AAA bateries. The colours aren't totally correct but hey, I thought they would look cool enough anyway.... I hope ;-)

DOMES!!!!!!

Yes, finally they have arrived!!! Yippy, now I have something I can sink my teeth into. And the price was well within reason (by swedish standards) I'll have to do some very careful measurements in the coming days because there is no place here for mistakes. The place I got these domes is in Stockholm sweden and the preliminary measurements are too close to be true more to come... all I can say is that those guys at Svepo AB (plastics) did a great job!

Well, while still waiting for the delivery of some "real" R2 parts I decided to tackle the side feet. I can only say WOW. I have done many things in my life, from spending 4 years in the USAF, moving to another country and learning to speak fluent swedish. But these feet were a challange. The basic shape wasn't to difficult, but man the curve for the feet where the battery box sits was a killer. I must have had to re-cut and re-shape that part about a dozen times. The drawings are nice and "correct" but for some reason it just didn't add up, lol. Any hoot it took me half of friday and all day saturday to get them right. Because silly me wanted to make 2 R2's at the same time you can imagine the time involved. I like the result so all thats left is sanding and filling, while the painting part will come much later. I may begin work on the battery box later on tonight. Anyway I hope the picture is entertaining...lol

Finally got those plans...

Okay, after getting back from a short business trip in Berlin my newly printed plans were sitting at home waiting for me, Yippy! So this weekend I spent a lot of time in the local DIY stores getting all kinds of tools and materials that I didnt know I would ever need, pretty cool actually. So as soon as the domes arrive, in about a week or so, I can finally measure up the frame for cutting. I also placed and order for some resin-parts and dome electronics. Unfortunately Those wont arrive until the end of this month. I'm having my Sister over for christmas so no issues about duty taxes ;-) I guess its kind of a "hurry-up-and-wait" situation right now, but the wheels are in motion none the less :)