R2D2, Part 14 - Back to Brick Clicking

 Now that the lighting is installed, it's time to get back on the actual build with bag #12.

The parts therein build up the middle level of Artoo's domed 'head'.

Gotcha: one section of the construction consisted of an internal assembly in one of the corners.

To my consternation, this interfered with some of the wiring that was already in place.

I had to do some major dis-assembly of a portion of the earlier work and do some creative substitution of parts to allow the wires to be routed around the new addition.

Should have read ahead in the set instructions.

Anyway, I got it figured out and all is well.

Ready for the 13th and final bag o' parts!

R2D2, Part 13 - More Droid Lighting

 Today, I completed the task of wiring up the LEDs and installing them in their various spots on the model. A total of eight are required to do the job. 

I tested them all out by plugging them into my circuit breadboard. So far everything looks real cool.

The next step is to complete the final two parts bags of Artoo's dome, then start figuring out how I am going to design and build the electrical circuit board, switch system, and power supply.

Here are pics of the finished lower dome section. I had to raid my parts stash on several occasions to find alternate elements that provided holes to allow wiring to pass through, while maintaining the integrity of the exterior detailing.

A couple of the LED locations were quite challenging in this respect.

R2D2, Part 12 - Droid Lighting

 Today, I changed my mind and decided that this point in the build would the best place to engineer the LED lighting effects. All of the components that will receive the treatment are easily accessible.

The initial step consisted of finding the features that would be the easiest to modify, then tackle the tougher ones later.

The first parts are the two vertical openings to the left of the trans red disc.

The original parts consist of two 1x1 'lantern' elements with trans light blue 'dome' elements inserted in the back.

These trans blue are simply replaced by a pair of 3mm blue LEDS. Some 22 guage wire is soldered onto the leads prior to attaching to the model.

The LEDS are a slightly loose fit into the holes of the LEGO pieces, so a drop of CA is necessary to keep them in place.

I'm usually averse to using glue on LEGO unless it's absolutely necessary.

I'm good with it here since this set will remain assembled and on display.

It must be noted here that I am designing the lighting system on the fly. Once all of the LEDS are in their respective places on the model, I will then decide what kind of power supply I want to use, as well as a switching arrangement. A small circuit board will be built to accommodate all of the limiting resistors needed for the individual LEDs.  These resistors must be selected to not only provide protection for the LEDS, but to also set their overall brightness level.

For the time being, here is a quick functional test on one of the LEDs:

Cheers...!

R2D2, Part 11

 Today's part of the Artoo build focuses on the lower section of the droid's dome.

The section is layer-built with lots of smaller plates, bricks, and detail elements.

As I built, I paid close attention to areas where some LED illumination could be added.

There are several, and most appear to be very easy to add. 

I will likely wait until the build is completed before I tear into the lighting aspect.

Only two more bags to go....

R2D2, Part 10

 Day 10... Parts bag 10.

This has definitely been an enjoyable build.

Here, Artoo's main body frame is completed with the construction of the back panel.

This section is very similar to the front panel, except there is much less detail.

The final steps in this part of the build include inserting some small push rods that activate the retractable tool features on the front side.

Next phase - Artoo's dome!

R2D2, Part 9

 This part of the Artoo build fills out the final details of the front panel, which then gets affixed to the main frame by a group of Technic pins.

The final assemblies to go on are the small moving panel sections that cover the droid's retractable tools.

Getting closer to completion...

R2D2, Part 8

 The basic frame and upper/lower detail sections of Artoo's front panel are completed with parts bag #8.

Again, basic plate, brick, and slope elements make up the assembly, with a smattering of Technic  elements to add some moving parts.

Check back tomorrow for bag #9 !

R2D2, Part 7

 The seventh bag of parts adds the final detail to the droid's outer arms. 

Both sides are identical, with no extraordinarily complicated assembly techniques.

Making progress....

R2D2, Part 6

 Parts bag six is actually spread out over two bags. That's a substantial number of pieces for this portion of the build.

Once all the brick-clicking was finished, I found that my little mechanical friend was now equipped with a pair of detailed external 'feet'.

Again, there was nothing extraordinarily difficult with this part of the build.

Starting to look like Artoo!

R2D2, Part 5

 The contents of set bag #5 are dedicated to building up the framework for the droid's two exterior legs.

The two assemblies are identical except for being mirror images of each other.

Consisting of mostly standard brick, plate, and SNOT elements, each features is supported and attached to the main body  with a long central Technic beam.

Once all is in place, it becomes apparent how the two outer legs and the center leg move together in relation via the intricate internal mechanical linkages.

Very cleverly designed.

Moving on...

R2D2, Part 4

 Bag(s) number 4 of the Artoo build contain predominantly plate, brick, and slope elements.

These form the two identical side panels of the droid's main body exterior.

Once built, the panels slip over the side 'leg' structures and attach to the inner frame via some Technic pins.

This portion of the assembly proved to be not extraordinarily difficult.

Moving on to bag 5....

R2D2, Part 3 - Do Droids Have Skeletons?

 Apparently they do! 

Bag 3 of the R2D2 set builds up the same with a virtual Technic-fest of parts.

A solid framework of beams and pins are constructed which also integrate a number of internal mechanical linkages that will serve to provide the solid operation of various moving parts and gadgets.

Much of this ABS machinery is dedicated to positioning and locking Artoo's central foot into its retracted or extended positions.

Another set of mechanisms serve to activate the droid's 'torch' and 'tech arm' features.

A very fun build thus far !

R2D2, Part 2

 The second parts bag of the R2D2 set consists of the components to build up the droid's central 'foot'. 

There is nothing exceptionally difficult in the assembly at this stage, as all are standard plates, bricks, and slopes, with added small detail elements.

Once the foot itself is done, a long Technic beam assembly is built and attached. 

This beam then slides inside the Technic frame built from bag 1, interacting with the existing components to give the necessary forward/backward motion of Artoo's foot.

The only difficulties that could be encountered here are the proper insertion of the various Technic 'stop' pins on the beam, and orientation of moving parts. The instruction illustrations are quite crowded at this point, so the builder must pay extra attention to them.

Here is a pic of the completed assemby:

Today, I tear into bag #3...

R2D2, Part 1

 Ok, blog readers, it's time to jump right into this build...

Of course, the first step entails unboxing the contents and laying out the bags of parts for the usual pre-build photo.

The 2314 parts that comprise our little electrical-mechanical friend are packaged in thirteen numbered bags, along with a couple of loose Technic frame pieces.

The instruction manual contains an intriguing introduction section outlining the background history of the iconic droid, along with several Lucasfilms photos of some studio prototypes being built.

Finally, the R2D2 info sticker that goes on the model's display base is included with the manual.

Parts bag #1 is revealed to contain nearly all Technic pieces that build up the deep inner support structure of the droid. 

A small cardboard box included in the bag was found to hold a pair of rubber bands.  Hmmm.....

The parts count of this first bag was rather small, so the build took less than half an hour (at my building speed, that is).

When completed, I ended up with a brightly colored inner frame structure that featured some interesting moving elements.

Part 2 commences today....

"Beep, Beep, Bop.....Wooo-oooo!"

This weekend, I acquired a new, large set as another Father's Day gift from one of the kiddoes.

This is, of course, R2D2, set #75308.

This build of our favorite iconic Star Wars droid will be executed in my usual MO of bag-by-bag progress posts.

It just might get some LED Lighting as well.

Stay tuned...