R2 Style Builder

There is a new toy on astromech.net called the R2 Style Builder. It's basically a painting program to color in your R2 to see how the colors will look. I'm going to try and import it to Photoshop so I can add textures, too. In the meantime, here's the closest I can get with the limited colors on the R2SB. Hammered gray and bronze (sorta).



Until next time,
Jawa Jaka

The JAG V5.0 Frame

Here are some photos of my JAG V5.0 Frame. All aluminum, precut, predrilled, and very stable. Put it together in about three hours with a phillips-head screwdriver. The day before I did put together the utility arm carrier, but had to take it apart again so I can put the arms (same bronze as the eye). Currently the frame doesn't have the arm carrier attached. However, I have included a couple picks of the carrier to show how it looks.

05-15-08
Utility Arm Carrier. Each arm has a pivot pin so they can swing out. Make sure that for each pair of rails (top and bottom of each arm) the pivot holes face each other (tops are facing down, bottoms facing up). It took me awhile to figure this out, but that's how the pivot pins work.

View of arms pivoted out.

Smokey the ALTA performing quality assurance. Yep, that rail is good and tight from the back!

Completed carrier. Too bad I had to take it apart so I can paint the arms.

05-16-08

Getting down to business! The two bottom rings and risers are in, the shoulder plates attached, the speaker plate screwed in.

Speaker plate has very small horizontal risers to allow room for center vents to go in. The four holes on the vertical rails are where the vents attach. I'm planning to align the skins onto the frame first, then put on the vents. It's so nice to have a place to put speakers for AL's "bloopideebloops" (sounds).

Smokey taking a very long cat-nap. Imagine that, an ALTA asleep on the job! Give her a break, though, it was a hard day for her. Chasing birds, fluffing her tail, harrassing the male cat. You know, the usual stuff that wears out a cat-girl.

Back to the frame! Shoulder hubs in, battery box in, top ring on. The green plastic in the back is to mount electronics. I'm considering switching it out for a block of wood. I also need to move the battery box somewhere so there is room for the 2-3-2 center leg (leg comes up through the frame). Gotta plan that carefully or nothing will fit inside. Will work on it when I have the legs and feet done.

Another view of shoulder hubs. The plates, hubs, and bolts are built so that the shoulders can rotate in 2-3-2 mode.

It's beginning to look a lot like R2! (hum to favorite Christmas tune). I had to take the panels and eye off of the dome so I can drill holes in the inner dome for the HP's. With the frame, you can see AL taking shape.

With Smokey out like a light (nothing could wake her up, not even me petting her tail), I put Fritz to the task of checking the work. Quality assurance is important! I don't think he knew what he was doing (take a sniff, walk away, walk back right by AL ignoring it, walk to AL, sniff again, repeat), but he sure liked the smell of it!

There are no instructions for putting these frames together. My best tip for this project is to print out a few pictures of frames already put together. Try to get different angles. There's some really good ones on the astromech.net forum under "Frame".

Next up is legs, ankles, and feet.

Until next time,

JawaJaka

Broken Foot

Well, I did it again. I had an accident of great proportions that has greatly limited my social and volunteer life: I broke my foot on my back porch step Saturday morning on my way out for a trail project. I managed to drive my truck full of food and drinks up to the project site north of Boulder CO, where several volunteers unloaded my truck, then a volunteer drove me to the local county hospital. After looking at X-rays, the doctor made an astounding announcment, "Yep, it's busted!". I'm now in a rigid boot cast and crutches for the next 4 to 6 weeks, possibly more. I had the same volunteer drive me back to the project site where I held a short meeting with my cook crew and several others. It was disheartening to hear that I am now pulled off of all the other trail projects I signed up for this summer. It's for the best, but that gives me more time for AL. I promise not to break his foot!

Progress: I have the outer skin panels cut out. I'm practicing with my new airbrush, but I think I need a bigger nozzle for what I want to do. I'm painting the coin slots and utility arms the same brilliant bronze I painted the radar eye. I might also do the octagon ports the same color. I also have to decide which door panels to paint the hammered gray. Need to get the door hinges (probably robart) to start figuring out the doors.

In a previous post I mentioned Colpar Hobbies. They're fast becoming my favorite store (right up there with Attactix, a minis game store where I buy all my Star Wars minis game pieces). Colpar has an RC section in the back of the store I never noticed before. They have a selection of Futaba controllers with various prices, along with a back wall full of servos, motors and other electronics. I talked to the RC expert. He's pretty excited about my R2 project and wants to help with the electronics part. If I get the Budget JEDI system working, he'll help me with the RC/motor/servo aspect of it. One great thing about AL, I keep making friends who want to actually help! AL is certainly better than a puppy dog (well, not quite. I still miss my Lady, what a great loving terrier dog she was!). At least I have my two cats, Fritz and Smokey (my ALTA).

Until next time,
Jawa Jaka