How to Make an R2-D2 Robot

This
is my R2-D2 project from several years ago, it was made from a partially finished project someone else had started, as well as parts made from scratch by me.

However, I found a half completed project on eBay which I bought, which had a
dome with lots of parts on. This also came with a spinning wooden base:

The main thing that was missing was the blue 'pie sections'. To make these I heated and stretched a sheet of plastic over my original dome, and then cut the sections out of it:

I eventually did this for the rest of the other sections too:

This page is about constructing the dome for R2-D2. You can the rest of the assembly process in the main project index.

(SEE THE PICTURES)

Here are pictures of the body that I bought, with the uncut skins wrapped around
it:

I also got hold of some resin cast 'coin slots' and the ends of the 'battery boxes', which I didn't end up using:

I also had the plans for the inner and outer skins, which needed to be cut out of sheets of plastic so they can be wrapped around the frame. This took a very long time to cut by hand with a knife:

The two layers of skins cut and test fitted on the body:

The bottom of the body was made from MDF and plastic sheeting. I then vacuum formed over it:

Some of the blue sections from the skin were painted blue and stuck back on. Funny how a little bit of blue make it suddenly look like R2:

This page is about constructing the body for R2-D2. You can the rest of the assembly process in the main project index.

The majority of the legs were built from scratch out of wood, and then plastic
coated with strips of plastic, or vacuum formed over. The only exception to this was the feet which I bought on eBay.

The fiberglass feet shells that I bought:

The legs themselves were routed out of MDF and Plywood. Here's the router template I made and some general construction pictures:

I layered up MDF and Plywood to make the legs the correct thickness. They are heavy and very strong:

I made vacuum formed parts for the shoulder hubs, the moulds were wood and bottle tops:

I vacuum formed over the shoulder shims to plastic coat them:

I also vacuum formed over the 'booster covers' to plastic coat them:

More plastic coated MDF parts:

The feet have had MDF inserts made with castor wheels on the bottom:

The 'battery boxes' are made from MDF end pieces with plastic wrapped around them, and flexible tap connecters for the hoses:

The rods on the outside of the leg is made from another vacuum form:

And the bars at the bottom are made from PVC pipe with plastic ends which were vacuum formed:

This page is about constructing the legs for R2-D2. You can the rest of the assembly process in the main project index.

(SEE ALL THE PICTURES CAREFULLY)

Partially complete, but missing battery boxes on the feet, and some 'vent'
panels.

The whole assembly together.

(SEE THE PICTURES CAREFULLY)

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