OpenR2 - original ‘77: R5-D4 Blueprints - 3D drawn up

 Years ago, My father served along side you in the Clone Wars......

..... not quite, but you get the idea 😆

When I first started searching up online for info about R5, one of the finds was a Blueprint for the original dome design. I think I remember it being up for auction??

I had a blurred image, which has always interested me in what R5 could of looked like. The three eyes looked like they were holoprojector’s similar to the ones in R2’s dome.

May

With my recent work on upgrading R5’s eyes to versions that were probably actually used, got me searching for the blueprints again. OpenR2 had a non blurry image of them, so I was able to draw up in CAD a version similar to the sketch. A rough scale in comparison to the dome, so not 100%, but it looked good. First printed version was okay but I wanted to refine the design.

So some tinkering and removal of the inner part that would be the lens, and I got this:

The rear was shaped to better fit the curvature of the dome. This was to the plans I had used, but as my dome was made from wood, it’s not spot on, so the final prints will need to be shaped to fit flush.

This version was good but I wanted to orientate to get better quality prints. So I sectioned it up into two pieces which gave me to these.

This main piece I printed face down, the ring section I printed vertically to retain a better smoother surface for the ‘front’.

I set these up for printing in ABS, sanding is easier. I had already done some searching for cabochon’s for the size I needed. I could go bigger in size later by modifying the design if needed.

May 20th

Cabochons arrived. They only came in pairs so I had to get two sets. Opened up the first packet and tried them for size.

They fitted well, but they will need to be a tighter fit on the recess or a retention ring in front of the lens.

Next up: retention ring, dome fit testing and then painting.