EL Wire... The Not So Traditional Droid Lighting.

If you are not familiar with EL Wire check this out. I just got my samples in from two suppliers and I really like them. I need to pick a color and then decided if I want the .9mm or the 1.2mm they both fit however the 1.2 might need a bit of "help" getting in the correct spots.

So the plan is to place them in all the lines that separate the panels for R2. Since this droid is going to be the more durable droid and I am not cutting many or any of the pie panels and side panels out I wanted to give him a little "flare" here are EL Wire pictures in my office (aka basement electronics workshop).

Metallic Coat Finished

OK I gave up.... After I finally got a near mirror finish on the dome I spotted 2 runs and 3 odd "dots" in the paint and it was showing every possible in perfection to such a level that my 3 year old was happy to point them all out.

URRG I hate failing at this stuff. So I decided to texture to the paint to mimic a hammered metallic finish. Here is the result of the silver / metallic coat.

I am pretty happy with the results, no runs no bubbles and I got out all of the pitting and strange "dots" plus this finish hides the imperfections and fingerprints really well.

Starting the Metallic Coat

Time paint the metallic color. I am going for a high shine, highly reflective paint job. I am using Rust-Oleum metallic and metallic finish. The plan was 2 - 3 base coats of standard metallic and 2 - 3 coats of metallic finish. I applied the first set of coats of metallic with sanding in between coats and it went on well but I ended up with a few drips and some pitting in the paint. I continued and tried to get the paint as shinny and perfect as I could. However I ended up the day with a nice shine but not nearly as clean / pure as I wanted.

In the end I used 4 coats of standard metallic and 5 coats of metallic finish. However with all the sanding in between I feel like a total of 3-4 coats was sanded clean off the dome.

Here are some pictures. Click to enlarge.

Time To Prime The Dome

today I primed the dome. I used Kilz primer in a spray can. I sprayed 2 thin coats then sanded the primer. Then added an additional coat and wet sanded the primer then a final 4th coat and wet sanded that one. In between each coat I cleaned it with Goo Gone which was very messy but did a really good job. Next time I am going to wear latex gloves.

Painting The Dome Before Cutting.... Ohhhh No.....

I am getting ready to paint my dome tomorrow and I have not cut out any of the panels yet. I know I know this is really not the order you are supposed to do things in however as I am not sure how long it will be before I get all the electronics designed and my circuit boards built I wanted to have something that started to look like R2.

So I am taking a chance that I can cut slow and careful enough with my Dremel that only minor paint repair will be required.

Show Is Over... Time To Drive Home

4pm time to drive home. Man I am tired so time to grab a red bull and a 5 hour energy. What a great show, I had a great time and learned a lot. Andy maybe able to make it up here to KC to help with a local event which should be a lot of fun since we are a bit shy on local KC builders.

Contamination St. Louis

What a fun show. It was really great to meet everyone had dinner with the flash and captain marvel. The droids were great. I got to pick Andy's (R7Dude) brain about my A&A build. Below are some pictures of the event. I am really glad I made the trip, what a great experience.

 B9... What's not to love.

 Pictures from the table.

More Pictures.

And more pictures. I love looking at the size difference between R2 and B9.

 Here I am with one of the vendors posing with Andy's droid (thanks Andy).

The 501st was in attendance with the best Darth Maul and Vader I have seen to-date.

 I got to meet one of my local 501st leaders and he is going to help me get a costume that is droid operator friendly but still canon.
  

And of course getting to watch R2 drive was great, and watching the children's reaction was simply amazing I can not wait until my droid is functional.

Get Up Early To Drive To St. Louis

Leaving tomorrow morning at 5am to drive to St. Louis for Contamination 3D to meet some builders and help man the booth for a bit. This should be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to another Droid gathering.

Heading Home After A Fun Cookout

The trip up was good, the kids were great. The weekend was fun... We had a great time.

Now it is time to pack-up and head home. I only hope that the boys are as good on the way home as they were on the way up here.

Cookout in Indiana

What a great day. The kids had some really wonderful (and patient) girls to play with. We had some great food.

I got a chance to talk droid with some experienced builders.

Dream about parts.

 And more parts....

All in all it was a great day we had a lot of fun, good food, good talks, and got to meet a bunch of really nice people.

We are glad we made the trip.