In 1978, for two seventeen year old boys, building a full sized R2D2 just seemed like the right thing to do. We had a photo of it from a magazine, so we could make R2 about the right size and look somewhat screen accurate.
Six Week Build
The plan. Purchase an RC for model airplanes. Pull power window motors from junk cars. Find an old water heater. Build the frame. Find heavy duty wheels. Get a tape recorder with a loop cassette and have the right sounds on the cassette. Find an outdoor lamp shade of about the right size. Add together some long nights, wire, wood and ingenuity. Finishing with a detailed paint job and pin striping. Six weeks later an operational full sized R2 emerged.
Personally Life Transforming
This was a life transforming experience. Finishing a project of this magnitude as a 17 year old, opened up many doors. The long hours needed for fast build cycle was not necessarily easy, but it was fun and fulfilling at the same time. This project made it onto every resume and was discussed during every job interview I ever had.
First Rebuild, Son
In 2017, when my son Aaron was 17, we took it upon ourselves to bring R2 back to life. Aaron felt to bring it back as it was first built by teenagers, back then, was best. Anything else didn’t feel right as we could never make it look “perfect”, but we could make it look good. My bother took it upon himself to get the body and legs painted at a local body shop. It had slightly less detail than it first had, but the finish was great. Aaron designed and 3d printed the motor mounts as two motors required replacement. Also some of the details on the body had badly aged parts so Aaron also designed and printed these. (Worked well, and was used until a sprocket weld broke. I designed and 3d printed a replacement, but never finished wiring the project.)
Grandson’s Introduction to Robotics
Now in 2020 Maddox was excited to get R2 up and running. We needed to wire the drive motor. He was eager to help. (Video above.)
Projects like this have the ability to inspire others. Although I’ve liked R2, though the years, it’s the things I’ve done with others including my son and grandson that live on. Get involved. Build. Have fun. Plant memories.
Today many R2 builders clubs are currently building amazing, functional, screen accurate R2D2s.
And, even though this R2 is not screen accurate, it still draws crowds whenever we run it in public. This will be something Maddox and I will be doing soon!