"Because HE Isn't R2-D2"

The unconventional color scheme of R2-D3 has always caused a bit of confusion. Die-hard Star Wars fans can tell you what his name is and can pinpoint what movie he appeared in. To make things more interesting, this droid is sometimes referred to as R2-C4. In the end, I usually explain that he is a "background droid" from Episode 1 and that seems to clear things up, for the most part.

It was 2006 when I began construction on my first R2-D3. In spring of the following year, I completed him and hauled him from Tulsa to Los Angeles for CIV. This was his first public appearance. A few years later I shipped him to Orlando for CV which was an event I really enjoyed, especially since I didn't have to drive the droid in myself.

One of the things I learned along the way is that droid weight is an issue for me. This all metal droid clocked in at roughly 200 pounds, which is not uncommon.

So I began to think about building a lighter droid.

The two main materials used for my second R2-D3 are styrene and resin. Both of these materials have their quirks, but they are easy to work with and inexpensive in comparison to aluminum. Also quite a bit lighter, though some of the resin parts can get a little heavy.

From beginning to end, the build time on this project was approximately 18 months. There was a lot of extra time spent on building sections of the droid that would have normally been handled by a machine shop. For example, the legs were built out of sheets of styrene as well as several other sections.

All of the resin parts and some of the styrene elements (dome, skins and frame) were purchased from approved suppliers from Astromech.net. Several different vendors were used and all of the parts were exceptionally well made.

Almost every exposed surface on this build is painted. All of the painting was done using "rattle cans", most of which were purchased at Lowes and Auto Zone. Painting is a huge part of any Astromech build, especially a non-metal Astromech.