Astromecheadaches: A few updates!

I went quiet again, doesn't mean I stopped building!

Where to start? Well, last time you saw R2 he was sitting. Not quite standing as the ankles weren't locked, so here's a quick peak at him standing on his own two feet.

All I have done is put some wooden blocks under the flat part of the ankles, and now he can come off his stand :) The frame and legs are proving pretty sturdy, he can got to the tilt position with only a little added weight to the back of the feet

This helped him visit the guys at work ;)

With 2 legs and feet done I was keen to get him on three legs. So, ankle and center foot were next on the list.

First off, center foot. I cut all the pieces out, chamfered them, and sat around waiting for my styrene cement to arrive. I've gone through so much of the stuff but it works wonders! You can see in the pic the caster :) I needed to widen the hole a little as when it's standing, the caster bends out of place slightly

I'm running low on styrene so in an attempt to save enough for the battery boxes, I made the ankle out of some wood which will be skinned (and later down the line replaced entirely)

(It was a little over sized so the line at the top is where I cut it down). I was luck enough again to have the bushing cut to size. It's made from Delrin, a nice plastic that I want droid 2 to be made from ;)

I also added the side pieces, will need to upload a photo later.

Ready for the 3 leg picture? :D

Ka-ching! One problem, using "the books to balance the dome" trick no long works. Next job then? attaching the dome!

Now, the standard method is using a "Rockler Bearing" (It's a branded one with specfic holes and dimensions) which will attached to the frame. Then you rest the dome with on top of that through screws. I'm cheap, and ordered a bearing from eBay that was rough measurements which by chance fits the dome perfectly. I couldn't waste this fluke so I made my own dome mounting design, which I will explain through the medium of paint!

The plan was simple! I just needed to cut down the inside of the Dome ring by about an inch and screw it all together. However, the Celebration UK 1 was fast approaching and I was keen to have him ready to show off so I pressed on with haste.

That's when disaster struck.

A nasty cut this one. Was an A&E job. Good news is that I did it on the last cut so was still able to mount the dome in time! And thumb is on the mend :)

Was it worth it? I think so!

I'm getting to the point now where as far as the build is going I need to look at the finishing touches, such as putting the outer skin on, the doors, and all the details (oh, and the whole dome!) So I made astart on the doors!

Using the outer skin door edges, combined with some inner door panels I procured from Brad (cheers buddy!) I used some VHB tape to make the first door.