Hot Dogs.....mmmmm

I have wanted one of these for years. I went to an auction once to get a real one (from a convenience store), but it got WAY too expensive.The other day I happened upon this little thing. It cost $69...a bit pricey for whay you get I'd say, but works pretty good, and I have wanted one for a long time! We used our last wedding gift card to get it.

Needless to say we had hot dogs for dinner last night.

















Here is a better pic of that Neon light I got the other day.

Leg #1..almost done!

Well..on the weekend when I had a moment here and there I got a bit more done. I glued a couple more pieces on. The cyliner (at the bottom) and the pieces around it aren't done..I just set them in place to see how it would look. Getting close to finshing leg#1!!!!!
















I then put the leg on R2 and now it was too heavy and wanted to pull him over. I set some popcorn spice under the leg to keep him from tipping.
















Here is a pic of the entrance to my theater. I found the 'open' light while I was shopping with my little bro on friday. It's kind blurry in the pic, but it is the light on the concession counter.

More Clutter....Obsessions are bigger than My House

I got news that a local pawn shop had an R2D2 cooler that was used as a Pepsi promotion a few months back. I wanted to get one then, but I couldn't get a hold of one...so this was my opportunity.

I went at lunch time to get it...and it didn't even fit in my car. Too bad I didn't have a hatchback (like Joanne) sometimes. Anyways I paid for it, then went back to work. Luckily laer that day a guy from work was running some work errands int he area so he stopped in and grabbed it for me. He was nice enough to drop it off last night for me. Once I got it in my basement I realized how big it is (bigger than the *real R2D2). I figure once I am done building my R2D2 the workbench and tools can get out of the basement, and it can go over there somewhere.















I also just got an emal from the guy who has my "broken" Interactive R2D2. He has replaced a sensor with one from his R2 and it is WORKING! All he needs to do is get a sensor for mine and solder it in. SWEET!

The other day I saw that London Drugs had some gumball machines with stands. I have a couple cheap ones, but one with a stand would be a nice touch.















I glued the aluminum coloured cylinder into the middle of R2's leg last night. I still have quite a bit of detal work to do on his leg...before I move on to leg #2 (THAT I STILL DON'T HAVE).

















Here is R2 guarding my basement....with no legs.























* Yes I know R2D2 isn't real.

Some Leg Progress

Well..I got past the bolt fiasco! I did have troubles last week drilling 3/4" holes in the main body for the bolts to go into. Lesson learned...don't spend $9.99 on a set of hole saws at Canadian Tire when you can get one hole saw base and one blade for $30. Good deals have to actually work to be a good deal!

I put some more detail parts on the leg..then yesterday I realized that one part should have been painted aluminum colour before (in this pic it is the flat part on the right). I did some carefull masking and got is the right colour now!


Here is a shot from the other direction. See the scrathces? They aren't real..I used paint to make them. One day I have to do this all over to make R2 look like he's been through hell in the Star Wars universe. It's going to be tough to do that too him, but weathering will make him look more real, and hide some flaws.

A Week of Getting Nowhere

I finished sanding my R2 leg down and put on a few coats of paint over the weekend. Sunday I figured I woudl start assembling the details on the leg, but found that paint had scratched on the botom so I hung it up and repainted a few more coats.

Monday night I was going to assemble, but I realized that the minute I put the detail pieces on the outside I no longer have ANY access to the bolt heads I will use to fasten the leg to the body. Off to Home Depot I went...god I hate Home Depot. I spent over an hour in the bolt aisle trying to find the bolts I needed for that and a few other things. That place sucks! I wanted 3/4" bolts....they only had up to 5/8"...so I went with 5/8". Then I couldn't find nuts becasue they go up to 1/2", then washers were in a different place, and I finally found some nuts in a completely different place...AARRGGHH!! Anyways.I got home to find that the 5/8" bolts would not go into the leg at all because of the bolt head......so back to the drawing board.

Tuesday I ordered some 3/4" threaded rod that will work..but I had to get them cut to length, so I had to wait for that to happen. Tuesday my INteractive R2D2 toy arrived (I got on ebay). It was returned because it was missing legs...which is why I got it. The plan was for me to take it apart and install it in my full sized R2d2 so that when you talk to it..it will answer you. Unfortunately even without legs this thing had problems. It would not "boot up" properly, and it's head would turn all the way one way, then back. It wasn't able to figure out where the center of it's head was to position. I took it right apart (see picture below) and I THINK the trouble was an infrared mitting and reciving set of diodes that look for a tooth on a wheel that turn with the dome..but I don't know how I could possible prove that or fix it. I went to bed discouraged and frustrated.


Wednesday...I exchanged a few emails with a guy in the r2builders group who did with his full sized what I want to do (using an interactive R2d2). He was very kind and offered to take a look at it for me. Wednesday night I put R2 back together (sort of) so I could ship it. Then I wanted to mount the threaded rods I finally got in the legs...MORE problems. It was working, but I need to have a hex nut on the outside of the leg, and the 3/4" hex nuts are too thick...which would make the space between R2's body and his leg too large. I tried to cuz the hex nut in half with a jigsaw...but that was a futile effort. I went to bed frustrated again.


Now it is Thursday...GOD I hope things start working out. I went out at lunch and bought some thinner hex nuts...and I shipped the non-working Interactive R2D2 to that guy who will look at it for me. Tonight I plan to mount the 4 bolt assemblies in the leg..what can go wrong now?!?!

Next on the agenda is to drill holes in R2's body so I can fit these bolts through. I have printed out a template to use as a guide to locate them. I need to drill 13/16" diameter holes...which will be another challenge, since I have a small cheap drill. We'll see what I can borrow from the shop. Once I am confident the legs can be fastened this way..I can then do the finish details to the leg. I will have a set of holes so I can mount the leg in 1 of 2 positions...vertically, or on an angle for when he is in 3 legged mode. A lot of people in the r2builders group made their R2's so that with the press of a button his center leg will retract and he will stand up straight (legs turn). This is beyond me so I will just have him fixed in a 2 legged vertical position, OR the 3 -legged "reclined" position. For now I don't have any feet so I will just hang the legs vertically (R2 is sitting on a stool so his legs aren't touching the floor).

Of course I STILL need my second leg to be welded together. I really wanted to be doing 2 legs at the same time, but the guy who is weling the legs keeps promising and not delivering. I appreciate him doing this, but so far I have bought him 3 cases of beer and waited for about 4 months!!!! He keeps saying "This week for sure!"..and then nothing happens. Welding aluminum is tricky and he is a really good welder..so I have to be patient..but man!

R2D2 Update #2

I have been working on my R2D2 legs lately...wel one of them. I am still waiting for the second leg to be welded up, but I decided I didn't want to wait any more so I got to work on leg #1. It was made in several pieces that were welded together, then I have been working with body filler to smooth the seams, and fix any holes, etc.

In this pic you can see the legs and the sholder shims that I made out of several pieces and glued together. I am again using body filler to make the edges smooth. I made the curved part at the bottom of the leg last night (after getting the pieces cut out like the one you see in the center of the pic.
















The blue pieces go on the middle of the legs, and the various aluminum painted pieces go in various places. I ordered all of those pieces from a guy in the US who makes them for people in the r2builders group. They are really nice and saved me a lot of effort!


















I should be able to paint the leg and start assembling it within the week I hope.