Funny Stuff Nerd Crew - My robotic R2D2 build v. still in progress. - Page 3

God of Thunder · 12-25-2011, 08:16 PM

I have quite a bit of time on my hands considering my GF still works evenings on occasion....usually 2 -3 nights per week, but enough so that I needed to find something to do with my time.

I have a LOT of tools at my disposal, so I wanted to find something that would be fun, intriguing, challenging, and rewarding. Finally, I stumbled on a website called the R2 Builder's Club. I began reading a little and was sold within a few minutes. I started back in June of this year, and have built most everything from scratch so far. I do have many parts on order like the dome (www.300mmdome.com) and some aluminum skins (it's what gives R2 his panels, body, etc).

So I invite you all to check out my build blog, take a look at my progress and just kind of show off what I am proud to have accomplished so far.

http://brandonpaith.blogspot.com

When it's done, it will be taken to area Children's Hospitals along with nursing homes, conventions, and any other thing where people might see him and enjoy the opportunity.

I know this is kind of nerdy on Chiefsplanet, but hopefully everyone will play nice and realize that this is more for charity and bringing joy to people. If you have any questions, feel free to post here or send me a PM.

LINKS.

www.astromech.net (club's website)

http://vfranco.blogspot.com (a finished R2 done step-by-step)

Ebolapox · 12-26-2011, 08:38 AM

freaking badass, man. don't be ashamed of your nerdiness, embrace it!

BoneKrusher · 12-26-2011, 08:43 AM

Awesomeness

God of Thunder · 12-26-2011, 12:10 PM

Thanks for all the kind comments guys!! I am hoping that my aluminum dome and aluminum skins show up today, if they do.....i'll post tons of pics!!!!

Hammock Parties · 12-26-2011, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by God of Thunder

I am hoping that my aluminum dome and aluminum skins show up today

Curse your metal body, you weren't fast enough!

God of Thunder · 12-26-2011, 12:17 PM

I also just realized that there is no mail today.......what a bummer.

God of Thunder · 12-26-2011, 11:57 PM

Tonight I got the coin slots painted and clear coated. It took some doing finding cans of Sonic Blue Pearl, but I managed after going to 3 different stores!!

So here's a look of the unpainted slots, and the two cans of paint I bought.

Finally, I went and sprayed lighter coats of the blue on. I waited about 10 minutes, and would spray another coat on, and then did this three times. After the 3 coats, I then waited 30 minutes, and did a coat of clear. I waited 2 minutes for each coat of clear and placed two coats of clear on here and allowed to dry. I gave it 4 hours of dry time before taking these photos! I must say, I am very happy with the results.

Now, it's time to remove the masking tape that protects the ends of the slots. If this tape failed me, then it would pretty much ruin my coin slots.

so far so good.........

and finally, all of the masking tape removed!!!!!

Very happy with how this came out. Took a lot of time masking and prepping, but I think the end result in worth it. The only downside is I still think that this is a darker blue than I would like, however, I am keeping it for now, and will see what it looks like in a more natural light!

Simply Red · 12-27-2011, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

Gonna find some Boba Fett to stick in her Sarlacc pit

Why do you hate America?

God of Thunder · 12-28-2011, 06:43 PM

December 28th, 2011........what a day!!!

I came home to a big box on my doorstep! I knew what it was by the sender, but it didn't stop me from taking a series of photos!!

Here's the box as it sits...

I cut open the edges with a pocket knife.....

I open it up to find........another box?!

Open the other box and reveal this round thing!!!

Now you can start to see the top of something....aluminum, and ROUND?

removing some of the packaging, you can see the 300mm dome!!

Here you can see all the pieces laid out side by side!!!!!!!!

Here is a shot showing how close the two domes are in size!

December 28th!!! A day that is now a new holiday for me!!!

teedubya · 12-28-2011, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by God of Thunder

Here is one of the both of us in Walt Disney World this past July.

Melissa is pretty hot!

God of Thunder · 12-29-2011, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teedubya

Melissa is pretty hot!

how do you know her name?

-King- · 12-29-2011, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by God of Thunder

how do you know her name?

Shit just got real

Caseyguyrr · 12-29-2011, 11:12 PM

everyone has got their own unique hobby i guess

LiveSteam · 12-29-2011, 11:19 PM

Lets get back to the Melissa thing.

God of Thunder · 01-04-2012, 05:59 PM

Today I told myself......"I will cut out some dome panels tonight"......however that just didn't happen. Before I dive into the dome, I want to make sure I know 100% what the hell I am doing, and I am just not there yet. So I took today's beautiful weather to sand and repaint my legs.

To start with, I used a thick sanding block to go over the runs on the legs. Gradually, when I could see the primer coming back and the run line gone, I would move to a different area. Here you can see what the leg looks like partially painted.

After I got it to this point, I took some 1200 grit sandpaper, and sanded for awhile to smooth things out.

While this was going on, I figured it was a good time to go ahead and paint the middle leg and skirt as well. The painting of them went a LOT smoother than my main legs did the first time. I thought standing them up would give me an advantage the first time, however all it did was cause the paint to run. The paint on these two turned out fairly well, except for the skirt.

While painting the skirt, I quickly noticed a problem. Because I layered MDF together, and never put a coat of filler or anything on it, all of the lines were starting to show through!!!! Fortunately, this is a very easy fix that just requires some wood filler and sanded. I won't have to do the whole thing, just the sides.

Next, I laid the main legs on the same paper outside, and got them ready for paint. For these, really after the 1200 sanding, all I do is take a microfiber cloth and scrub them really good. This 'should' pick up any loose particles, but the real test of that will come once they dry. Fortunately, there are no bugs right now where I live (knock on wood).

And finally, a shot of when they are all painted. They look 1000000000x better, yes, I said 1000000000x. They are smooth as silk (right now) and have absolutely no runs, tomorrow evening, i'll flip them over and do the opposite side. After that, I want to give them about 2-10 days to fully dry before I clear coat them.

That's it for today, it's one of those days where a lot was accomplished, and it didn't take very much time. Now that's a good day.

Hammock Parties · 01-04-2012, 06:44 PM

The mighty plastic cocks of R2D2.

12-25-2011, 08:16 PM
God of Thunder Trained to reign as the one. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Casino cash: $8849344	Nerd Crew - My robotic R2D2 build v. still in progress. I have quite a bit of time on my hands considering my GF still works evenings on occasion....usually 2 -3 nights per week, but enough so that I needed to find something to do with my time. I have a LOT of tools at my disposal, so I wanted to find something that would be fun, intriguing, challenging, and rewarding. Finally, I stumbled on a website called the R2 Builder's Club. I began reading a little and was sold within a few minutes. I started back in June of this year, and have built most everything from scratch so far. I do have many parts on order like the dome (www.300mmdome.com) and some aluminum skins (it's what gives R2 his panels, body, etc). So I invite you all to check out my build blog, take a look at my progress and just kind of show off what I am proud to have accomplished so far. http://brandonpaith.blogspot.com When it's done, it will be taken to area Children's Hospitals along with nursing homes, conventions, and any other thing where people might see him and enjoy the opportunity. I know this is kind of nerdy on Chiefsplanet, but hopefully everyone will play nice and realize that this is more for charity and bringing joy to people. If you have any questions, feel free to post here or send me a PM. LINKS. www.astromech.net (club's website) http://vfranco.blogspot.com (a finished R2 done step-by-step)
Posts: 1,489

12-26-2011, 08:38 AM	#31
Ebolapox remember, remember Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: como Casino cash: $-1590097	freaking badass, man. don't be ashamed of your nerdiness, embrace it!
Posts: 26,518

12-26-2011, 08:43 AM	#32
BoneKrusher That's Right Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Bluefield, Virginia Casino cash: $9976645	Awesomeness __________________ "MaHomes/MaAuto"
Posts: 7,333

12-26-2011, 12:10 PM	#33
God of Thunder Trained to reign as the one. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Casino cash: $8849344	Thanks for all the kind comments guys!! I am hoping that my aluminum dome and aluminum skins show up today, if they do.....i'll post tons of pics!!!!
Posts: 1,489

12-26-2011, 12:17 PM	#35
God of Thunder Trained to reign as the one. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Casino cash: $8849344	I also just realized that there is no mail today.......what a bummer.
Posts: 1,489

12-26-2011, 11:57 PM	#36
God of Thunder Trained to reign as the one. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Casino cash: $8849344	Tonight I got the coin slots painted and clear coated. It took some doing finding cans of Sonic Blue Pearl, but I managed after going to 3 different stores!! So here's a look of the unpainted slots, and the two cans of paint I bought. Finally, I went and sprayed lighter coats of the blue on. I waited about 10 minutes, and would spray another coat on, and then did this three times. After the 3 coats, I then waited 30 minutes, and did a coat of clear. I waited 2 minutes for each coat of clear and placed two coats of clear on here and allowed to dry. I gave it 4 hours of dry time before taking these photos! I must say, I am very happy with the results. Now, it's time to remove the masking tape that protects the ends of the slots. If this tape failed me, then it would pretty much ruin my coin slots. so far so good......... and finally, all of the masking tape removed!!!!! Very happy with how this came out. Took a lot of time masking and prepping, but I think the end result in worth it. The only downside is I still think that this is a darker blue than I would like, however, I am keeping it for now, and will see what it looks like in a more natural light!
Posts: 1,489

12-28-2011, 06:43 PM	#38
God of Thunder Trained to reign as the one. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Casino cash: $8849344	December 28th, 2011........what a day!!! I came home to a big box on my doorstep! I knew what it was by the sender, but it didn't stop me from taking a series of photos!! Here's the box as it sits... I cut open the edges with a pocket knife..... I open it up to find........another box?! Open the other box and reveal this round thing!!! Now you can start to see the top of something....aluminum, and ROUND? removing some of the packaging, you can see the 300mm dome!! Here you can see all the pieces laid out side by side!!!!!!!! Here is a shot showing how close the two domes are in size! December 28th!!! A day that is now a new holiday for me!!!
Posts: 1,489

12-29-2011, 11:12 PM	#42
Caseyguyrr I believe in Smith Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Platte City, MO Casino cash: $9947374	everyone has got their own unique hobby i guess __________________ We suck.
Posts: 1,553

12-29-2011, 11:19 PM	#43
LiveSteam The Constitutional Choo choo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: homeof43conferencetitles Casino cash: $-1484568	Lets get back to the Melissa thing. __________________ Progressivism.. The Politically Correct way of saying "I'm a Communist slash Nazi" depending on what the issue of the day is?
Posts: 44,692

01-04-2012, 05:59 PM	#44
God of Thunder Trained to reign as the one. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Casino cash: $8849344	Today I told myself......"I will cut out some dome panels tonight"......however that just didn't happen. Before I dive into the dome, I want to make sure I know 100% what the hell I am doing, and I am just not there yet. So I took today's beautiful weather to sand and repaint my legs. To start with, I used a thick sanding block to go over the runs on the legs. Gradually, when I could see the primer coming back and the run line gone, I would move to a different area. Here you can see what the leg looks like partially painted. After I got it to this point, I took some 1200 grit sandpaper, and sanded for awhile to smooth things out. While this was going on, I figured it was a good time to go ahead and paint the middle leg and skirt as well. The painting of them went a LOT smoother than my main legs did the first time. I thought standing them up would give me an advantage the first time, however all it did was cause the paint to run. The paint on these two turned out fairly well, except for the skirt. While painting the skirt, I quickly noticed a problem. Because I layered MDF together, and never put a coat of filler or anything on it, all of the lines were starting to show through!!!! Fortunately, this is a very easy fix that just requires some wood filler and sanded. I won't have to do the whole thing, just the sides. Next, I laid the main legs on the same paper outside, and got them ready for paint. For these, really after the 1200 sanding, all I do is take a microfiber cloth and scrub them really good. This 'should' pick up any loose particles, but the real test of that will come once they dry. Fortunately, there are no bugs right now where I live (knock on wood). And finally, a shot of when they are all painted. They look 1000000000x better, yes, I said 1000000000x. They are smooth as silk (right now) and have absolutely no runs, tomorrow evening, i'll flip them over and do the opposite side. After that, I want to give them about 2-10 days to fully dry before I clear coat them. That's it for today, it's one of those days where a lot was accomplished, and it didn't take very much time. Now that's a good day.
Posts: 1,489

01-04-2012, 06:44 PM	#45
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $1000478	The mighty plastic cocks of R2D2. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 296,767